And, Charlotte makes four! Oh, how I love when things come full circle in life! This precious baby is little Charlotte, daughter of Chris and Shelby and new little sister to Tanner! I photographed this sweet couple’s wedding a couple of summer’s ago in my backyard, then little Tanner’s newborn session last year at my home and now it is Miss Charlotte’s turn to have her photo session at Mrs.Julie’s house! Isn’t she just delightfully beautiful? She quite possibly has the longest and most slender little fingers and toes I’ve seen on a baby in such a long time. And, big bro Tanner did a FABULOUS job today for his part of the session considering that he is only about 18 months old…that’s quite the accomplishment. Enjoy this precious gift, this little beauty that is Charlotte! God has blessed this family! 🙂
So very happy for your beautiful family, Chris and Shelby! Congratulations! 🙂 

Every sweet newborn that I am privileged to photograph, is such a gift from God. Every one is a true miracle. This sweet boy gets an extra boost in the miracle department and a standing ovation for being a tough little fighter! Meet little Barrett, only a little over 4 pounds, delivered at 33 weeks due to some complications, and 100% a little miracle. At 7 weeks premature, and weighing less than half of what many of my newborns weigh at sessions, I was in awe of how awesome he is doing! Much credit has to go the wonderful staff at the hospital and mostly to his awesome Momma and Daddy and big brother, Bryant, for getting this little man up and fighting! What a joy for me to snuggle and feed him yesterday…learned there is a special way to feed a preemie baby…I had no idea! 🙂 Thank you, God, for the gift and miracle that is this beautiful baby boy. You will see in the 2nd photo below a Bible verse that Heather had painted for his nursery, long before she had any idea that his arrival would be so much earlier than expected. God knows every day of our lives and has it planned out. HE knew how much this verse would come to mean to this family regarding little Barrett. ” For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Psalm 91:11″ Amen!

Boys are so much fun! And, honestly, when they are as cute as these two are, I mean, come on!! 🙂 Cuties! It was H.O.T. yesterday at our session, and I think the heat made us all a bit crazy. But, these sweet boys pulled through beautifully, and gave their Momma some beautiful photographs. I know she will be thrilled to see our results. Andrew and Brady, you two have the most beautiful blue eyes and fun smiles. Thanks for sharing them with me! 

What a fun crew this is! This session was mainly focused on Mr.Bo and his charming good looks and great photography ideas(see photo below for evidence!). But, he was kind enough to share the spotlight for a bit with his sisters, Adi and Sarah. Beautiful family, lots of smiles, and lots of fun! Thanks for spending a very hot summer morning with me and making my job so much fun! Good luck in school next week, y’all! 🙂

GO TIGERS GO!!! As a huge Tigers fan, y’all know I was pretty excited about this University of Memphis themed newborn session. Sweet little Cannon was about 14 days old at his shoot, so a bit older than my normal newborn sessions. But, it made for some fun open-eyed shots of this little red headed soon-to-be Tiger fan. Cannon’s Daddy is on staff at the U of M Athletic Dept so his awesome Mom planned a session with lots of Tiger gear. Loved it, and loved this family! Congratulations, Cannon is just perfect! 🙂

This was the very first shot out of my camera on Sunday!! WOW! When this is the first one, you know you are in for some FUN!! 🙂

This beautiful angel is Bailey. Bailey is 6 years old, and will be 7 in just a few months. Bailey is absolutely, positively precious….and I have fallen in love! Bailey loves yellow. She ADORES Sponge Bob with a passion. We had loads of fun talking about Sponge Bob, Patrick, Sandy, Squidward, you name it! That girl love, love loves her some Sponge Bob. Bailey’s third favorite color is green-I know, becuase she told me. 🙂 She loves to draw and color and is quite the artist-I saw examples! She’s learning to read and spell and has a zest for LIFE that is simply contagious. Bailey is the daugther of Ashley and Will a US Marine stationed currently stationed in Pensacola, FL. She’s the  little sister of Jaymes(8) big sister to Mason(2). She loves her brothers and her Daddy and told me all about them…even though they couldn’t be with us the other night…but I am sure hoping and scheming to do a session with all 5 of them next time those boys come into town!

Bailey and her mom, Ashley are in town for Bailey to receive treatment at St.Jude. She was diagnosed in July 2012 with stage 4 Wilms Tumor (kidney cancer). From July 2012 to February 2013, she completed 28 weeks of chemo treatment, 7 rounds of radiation and recovered from an 9 hour surgery to remove both the tumor and her left kidney. During that time, she also was in a commercial for St.Jude’s Thanks and Giving Campaign with Jennifer Aniston…pretty awesome! Here’s a link to her commercial….soooo precious, y’all! She’s the one in the pink!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QlAmb4t2Rk

On February 22nd of this year, she completed treatment and went back to Pensacola to be with her family. Bailey’s 1st Post treatment scan was May 14, 2013. It was at that time that they  learned she had relapsed, and the cancer had spread to her liver and lungs. In May 2013, this little fighter started a 30 week chemo treatment and will also undergo another surgery soon. Additionally, she will receive 3 weeks of high dose radiation in the fall.

What a little angel, right? 🙂 When I asked Ashley, Bailey’s mom, if I could share some of Bailey’s story, her response to me was as follows: “Bailey is very confident and is not afraid for others to know her story! She knows what an amazing and strong little girl she is!”

And, this is just a small part of who Bailey is. The most amazing part of Bailey is not these “things” but it is in WHO she is. She is a fighter, has a contagious smile, laughing all the time little girl! And this is what we celebrate with this photo session. We celebrate Bailey and all that she is and all that she will be. I celebrate Ashley and the beautiful and amazing mother that she is. These photos celebrate the boys back home in Florida and their Daddy who is carrying on life for them. And, the many people behind the scenes who help, that I don’t even know their names.

Bailey and Ashley…these two ladies are my newest heroes. I have only known them a few days, but they have touched my heart and my life beyond what these words can express. Thank you for the opportunity to get to know you and love you! THIS is why I do photography. To celebrate life and love and true beauty!!

“Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to a new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon…Some people leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.” -unknown

To find out more of how to support St.Jude in their fight to end childhood cancer, please visit their website, http://www.stjude.org/ Bailey and her family will thank you!

Now let’s get to the good stuff!! The photos! 🙂 First up, Miss Bailey and her shining smile!

And, now some with this super-strong mother/daughter dynamic duo!! Love these sweet ladies! 🙂

And, this last one, I just love. Sweet Bailey was such a trooper as we played downtown. But at the end, she was tired. She never complained…at all. She simply laid her head in her Mommy’s lap…and knew that she was safe. 🙂

Thank you, Ashley, for contacting me and sharing Bailey and her story of strength with all of us! I know you are SO proud!

Oh, how I adore this family! For those of you who do not know, I used to teach school before I was a photographer. Years ago, at Bartlett Elementary I was a young and scared new teacher. There were so many kind ladies there who took me under their wings, taught me the ropes, and whom I was privileged to call my friends. One such friend was Matt and Lacey’s mom, Lee. Even though I’ve not been at that school in many years, Lee and I have remained friends. It was such an honor for her to contact me and ask me to photograph some milestone events for her two children. For Matt, these are his senior portraits and for Lacey, she just turned 13! These are AMAZING kids!! Matt, who is about to start his senior year at Arlington High School, is awesome. He plays on the football team, takes honors classes, an Eagle scout, and dreams of attending University of Alabama next year! He and his Dad spent six years rebuilding his car(pictures below). That car is sooo cool! And, Miss Lacey, is just a stunner. She has such a sweet smile, and is obviously the one in the family who can easily make everyone laugh. This brother/sister duo is one that I hope my two children can be like in the future. I am so proud of these children, and very proud of my friends Lee and Bruce. They’ve done an awesome job in raising up two amazing children. Matt and Lacey, thanks for making my night so much fun. Enjoy your sneak peek! Soooo many more to come! 

Hello, gorgeous!! 🙂 Meet Rebecca and Brian…a beautiful couple and so much fun! I’ve known these two for many years as Rebecca and my husband have worked together for a long time. She tries her best to keep him in line at the office-hard job, I am sure!! 🙂 I was honored that they asked me to capture some moments for them of their last few weeks as a party of two. Miss Avery will be arriving very soon, and this sweet family will suddenly become a family of three! I cannot wait to meet her. I can only imagine how beautiful she will be, and my bet is on her eyes to be stunning. If she takes after either Mom or Dad, she will be set! Plus, they’ve both got great smiles and lots of laughter-a very good place to be born into, Miss Avery! Congratulations to you, Rebecca and Brian. I am so happy for your family! Enjoy your sneak peek!

Molly Kate, what a little beauty! 🙂 After a couple of rescheduled sessions due to sickness, etc. it was so much fun to see this sweet girl getting so very big! To me, she looks just like her big brothers at this age…only more beautiful…if that’s even possible! I just adore this family, and Molly Kate’s mom is one of my sweetest friendships to develop over the past 8 years in the business. Just love you, Erika! Thank you for sharing your family with me. I am so honored to capture moments like this for you. I hope you love these. Lots more to come soon! 

Clive is the CUTEST little puppy I’ve seen in quite some time. He is only a few months old, and is a little English Bulldog. I was soo very excited when Liza contacted me about photographing she and her husband, Kelly, with their new puppy!! Anyone that knows me well, knows how very much I love puppies. And, put together puppies and photography+a gorgeous, loving couple+beautiful summer light…and you’ve got a very happy photographer! 🙂 This was so much fun for me to do. So different from the normal, yet it felt quite the same as chasing around a one-year-old toddler as well. Come here, Clive! Sit Clive! 🙂 I just LOVED it! Thanks again, to you, Liza and Kelly, for sharing your little dude with me. Clive is the best! I’ll babysit anytime. Enjoy your sneak peek!