Ahhhhh...

That's the sound of me being refreshed and refocused after a long, relaxing weekend spent in Charleston with my family! I'm so refreshed, in fact, that I've had a hard time jumping back on the blogging bandwagon this week.

Anywho, I'm baaaaaack...and have lots to share!

I haven't updated much on the boys lately, so here's what's going on with them:

• Toby has been officially potty-trained since our little "potty party" almost 6 weeks ago! Who knew it would be so easy (knock on wood)?!
• Sam had his last day of preschool yesterday! He'll start kindergarten in the fall and neither Liz nor I are ready for that. Heck...we had a hard time processing Sam's last day of preschool. How in the world will me make it through his first day of Kindergarten?! Oh, boy...I need to change the subject...
• The boys got the movie Toy Story a few weeks ago and it's all we've been watching during TV time. I love that movie, but it might have to mysteriously disappear for a while if they ask to watch it again (just kidding...sort of...).

In other news, Aaron and I had a fabulous time at my best friend's wedding in Charleston this past Memorial Day weekend. I had the honor of standing next to Rebecca (in my favorite color blue, nonetheless!) as she married her best friend on Saturday. We partied like rockstars and danced like fools at the reception (photos coming soon!) and have lots of memories to look back on forever :) Thanks for inviting us to be a part of your special day, Beccaboo! We love you and Ryan!

And, to round out this smorgishboard of a blog post, may I present to you my 4 favorite photos from my marathon weekend of photography (from 2 weeks ago):

1-year-old twins, Abbey & Sadie and their 4-year-old brother, Jake. Most photographers would label this photograph a "failure." I, however, think it's hilarious and super-cute. I did end up getting some group photos with no tears (click here to see them), but I still like this one better :)

5-month-old Gracen with her generous, coffee-providing, super-sweet Mommy and Daddy. Little Miss G still has the most fabulous baby hair I've ever photographed...and I hope it stays that way for a looooong time :) Don't you just want to kiss all over that cute little face?!

Beautiful, icy blue-eyed, 1-year-old Miss Katy. Enough said :)

And, as if you had any doubt she would work the camera yet again, here's Katy's 5-year-old big sister, Natalie. So dramatic. So modelesque. So...FABULOUS! Will someone please book this child as a model?!

So...there you have it, folks. You're all caught up! I'm looking forward to starting Summer activities with the boys (going to the pool, the zoo, the park, etc.) and I'll be sure to take lots of photos to share with you!

Blogger's Block

I've started 4 different posts in the past few days but haven't been able to finish any of them. I guess I have a bit of blogger's block. Blah!

When all else fails, I'm still good at making lists! Here's what's coming up soon:

• Photos from a photo shoot of 1-year-old twins, Sadie & Abbey, and their 4-year-old brother, Jake
• 5 month photos of little miss crazy-haried Gracen
• Spring photos of sassy sisters Natalie and Katy

In the meantime, Aaron and I will be in Charleston for a 4-day weekend to celebrate my best friend's wedding and Memorial Day with my family. I'm super-excited about having an entire 4 days off from children and photography and I'm hoping to come back home refreshed and refocused.

YIPPEE for VACATION!

Strawberries!

I feel like most of my recent blogs have contained LOTS of photos...and I'm okay with that! I didn't think you'd mind, either :)

Last weekend, Aaron and I had the pleasure of keeping our friends Cooper and Asher at our house while their mommy and daddy had a weekend to themselves! I can't tell you how blessed we feel to have such wonderful friends like Tonia and Sean. Their boys put a sparkle in our eyes and we love them to pieces!

As a fun activity on Saturday afternoon, we decided to take the boys to our favorite park in Fort Mill...and then to the Springs Strawberry Farm down the street from our house!

Here are a few photos of our fun-filled day (and PLEASE excuse the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad 3pm lighting!):

(Below): Here's a funny little sequence for you:

Picking

Looking

Tasting

Stuffing

INHALING!

I'm SO GLAD there was not a "choking" picture at the end of that! Ha! Oh...and just in case you were wondering...Asher contributed not one strawberry to either of our buckets. He ate every single one he picked!

And, in case you didn't know, most 5-year-old boys (ahem, SAM) despise my camera. I tried to get some photos of Cooper! I really did! But...he wasn't having it. So...I snuck this photo of Cooper as he snacked on a strawberry from the bucket.

Can you tell that Asher wasn't excited about leaving the strawberry patch? I LOVE his grumpy faces :)

When we got home, Aaron and I washed and cut the strawberries while we watched the boys play with Aaron's old G.I. Joe and Ninja Turtle figurines. Does it surprise you that my husband has 20-year-old toys from his childhood sitting around our house? I didn't think so.

And this...

...was how Aaron and I ended our Saturday :) I couldn't think of a better way to reward ourselves after a long, hot, sweaty, (strawberry) juicy, FUN day of parenting!

Lanie and Jacob

Have I ever mentioned that I love photographing sassy little girls?

AND their precious little brothers?

I have no idea how I score the cutest clients. Seriously. Aren't Lanie and Jacob two of the sweetest little monkeys you've ever seen?!

I always enjoy meeting new clients, but it was a pure joy to meet Lanie, Jacob, and their sweet mommy, Heather. I hope to see you you all again soon!

Our Favorite Furry Friend

Hobbes LOVES going to my parents' house in Charleston. He has lots of other animals (three cats and a dog) to play with there and plenty of space to roam.

Here are a few moments I captured as he lounged around the house on our mini-vacation a few weeks ago:

Oh, how I LOVE that furry little guy (but I could do without his long, orange hair all over everything I own)!

Gorgeous Garden

What do you do when your daughter gets married and your son goes off to college? Plant a garden!

When Aaron and I arrived at my parents' house in Charleston, SC a few Thursdays ago, my Dad started telling us about a garden he had planted a few weeks before. When he walked us outside (at 10pm!) to show off his hard work, Aaron and I were blown away. I always knew my dad liked to work in the yard...but THIS was incredible!

The first thought that popped into my head was, "Wow! I can't wait to take pictures in the morning!" SO...on my only day to sleep late in the past 3 months, unable to keep my brain from turning on at 7am and anxious to see what was growing in the garden, I got out of bed, crept downstairs in my pink pajama pants, and trudged through the muddy aisles of vegetables with my freshly-pedicured feet.

Beets

Radishes

Marigolds are planted throughout the garden to attract ladybugs. Ladybugs are beneficial to a garden because they eat the aphids that are responsible for destroying crops. Remember the story of The Grouchy Ladybug? :)

My dad built the fence around his garden with his own two hands for a little more than $100.

One of the many things I love about my dad is that when he decides to do something, he does it with excellence. He spent 2 weeks digging up a 35'x20' plot of THICK St. Augustine grass with a shovel. The rows in his garden are PERFECT. There isn't a weed to be found. He even lined the fence with rocks that he dug out of a nearby flower bed.

And this, folks, is what a cat looks like when she sniffs your fisheye lens. So cute! (This is Angel, one of my parents' 3 cats).

So, anyway, after seeing my dad's garden, I told Aaron that I wanted a garden.

It only took him three tenths of a second to say "no"...and to be completely honest, I can't really blame him. I definitely didn't inherit my parents' green thumbs and it seems like every plant I touch turns to dust. Or sticks. Or whatever. (Remember this little disaster???).

I guess I'll just have to live vicariously through my dad and his beautiful garden. I can't wait until the vegetables are ready to harvest! I may not be able to grow vegetables, but I sure know how to eat them!

Coming Down the Pipe

I seriously have no idea how I let myself get so behind on blogging. Ahhhh!

Here's what's coming down the pipe this week:

• Photos of my dad's AWESOME backyard garden that will provide vegetables for the entire neighborhood for the rest of the year (just kidding...sort of...)
• Updated photos of our sweet (but spoiled rotten) kitty, Hobbes, while he was on vacation with us in Charleston a few weekends ago
• A post about the precious children I took photos of this past Saturday morning. Just wait until you see how stunning (and photogenic) sweet 4-year-old Lanie is!
• A summary of this past weekend spent with our favorite little Lyons (complete with photos from our trip to the Springs Strawberry Farm!)

Oh boy. I have a lot of photo-editing (and blogging) to do in the next few days! Stay tuned...

Olivia - 3 Months

Check out this little CUTIE! Olivia's Mommy and Daddy had me over to take some photos of her 2 weekends ago and we had tons of fun together.





Olivia has more bows, shoes, and clothes in her closet than I've had in my entire lifetime! LOVE it!

And...GIRL...with a pout like that, you'll have lots of people (like, ahem, ME) wrapped around your teeny-tiny finger in NO TIME! Check out the rest of Olivia's 3-month photo shoot here.

Thank you, Williams family, for inviting me into your home to photograph your beautiful daughter! I'm already looking forward to our next photo shoot together!