A couple days before I left for vacation, my numero uno stylist and fashion diva, Melanie Pace, contacted me about doing a super quick session of her and her sister, Elaine, for a Christmas present for their parents! They gave them some super cute prints in an album that they can add to later, plus a gift certificate for a family session in the spring!

Elaine was super pregnant, but it didn’t stop Melanie from switching out her comfy Crocs for some Yves Saint Laurent heels! I’m glad I got to meet Elaine and baby Gavin just a week before his birth! Gavin entered our cozy holiday season on Dec. 24th!

The shoot took some unexpected turns once we did some impromptu studio shots (which will explain the hairy mustache). Enjoy!

Hehe…. Happy Holidays everyone!

I’m starting to grow quite fond of my annual holiday session with Stacie and the ‘Brown Boys’, and this year was no exception thanks to the addition of 2 new boys: Brewer – a rescued puppy boxer, and John – an adult male fiance! I’m not sure who had the most fun at the shoot – but I’m willing to bet it was either me or Brewer. Although I didn’t have a Lady Bug squeak toy to keep me entertained.

Interesting fact of the day: Brody and Brewer snack on treats of steamed green beans and broccoli in place of dog biscuits. Weird.

Oddly enough, we completely forgot to get a shot of Dino, their little fighting fish. Of course that was the first thing Maddy asked me about when she saw the photos. I’ll have to remember to bring her with me next year.

Ah well.

Speaking of next year… I can’t wait to see how their little brood grows! (and before Stacie spams my email, I mean with puppies… not children)

Since we haven’t scheduled their actual engagement photos just yet, I wanted to grab a quickie shot of them. Thanks for being a trooper with the wet pavers, John.

On to the pups! The baby, little Brewer

Nikko, Brewer and Brody…. and Brewer, Nikko and Brody.

All the men in Stacie’s life

Every year, I get the family together for an attempt at our very own family Christmas cards! This year, the budget was cut slightly (just kidding – we’ve never actually had a budget! Ha!) and we asked Reema come over to snap a few quick shots of us for our cards. I can’t show the pictures we’re going to use for the cards just yet – but I can share a couple cute ones I snapped of the kids and Anthony!

And since it’s Thanksgiving break, and we’re letting the kids stay up a little late, I thought you could hear from them about our pictures!

Since he’s the oldest, I’ll let Liam go first!

Liam: I like every thing that we did.Mostly how Maddy danced!(She looks like Miranda Consgrove).Even though I am funny I LOVE the pictures.

Maddy: I liked everything we did:). Secretly Liam looked like a goblin!Ha just kidding,only his smile did.In some pictures!Anyhow I loved everything we did.I’m so excited  for NEXT year!Bye!:)Happy holidays!!!!!:)

Edman and Michelle contacted me a little while ago to take some photos of their little one, Ella Grace. She’s 7 months old – and can I just say, if anyone has any kids 6-12 months, you need to bring them to me. I’ll take them for a couple hours. They’re by far my most fun age group to shoot. And editing is a bit of a fresh look too – instead of editing out stray hairs, I’m editing out little boogies. I love everything about it

Which reminds me! If you’re looking at these and thinking – “Gee, I’d love some pictures of me/baby/boyfriend (etc.)” – I only have a couple session dates open this month. I can’t believe I’m almost totally booked! So don’t wait – or you’ll miss out on all the awesomeness

More of Ella will appear in the next week or 2, but in the meantime, here’s some teasers from her session today!

This was one of those quiet moments between mom and Ella. Those are my favorites… when everyone thinks I’m done, and I catch that one last moment…

Off to do a family shot or 2, and I knew the perfect place! This tree only blooms this time of year… and I LOVE the colors!

My last family session was cooler than yours

After a short recess for some much needed vacation, I finally got the pictures from Jesse’s family session finished and ready for blogging! Yay! Jesse’s been on me for a few weeks to get these up, so I’m glad they’re finally finished for her This was no small task, I had so many that I loved! I also love any chance to play with the bright colors and add some fun vintage editing! If you missed the teasers, you can check them out over here.

I asked little Peyton how many friends she had at school. The answer was 10. Why 10? Because she didn’t have any more fingers. Of course

We took a break for a little flower picking. Brooklyn proudly shows dad his find!

This girl is precious – is she not?

As much as I love the kids – I love getting back to my roots Couples are where it’s at! They’re so cute together!

Some color play

Ok so this is a new version of my favorite shot of the day. In the teasers, I went a little more vintage. But I love the bright coloring of this one!

We took a side trip to downtown Celebration for the pretty colors, and yummy smelling Farmer’s Market!

This shot is a replica of a picture they took when Peyton was Brooklyn’s age. So we did it again, with both the kids!

Back outside for some adorable shots of Brad and Jesse to finish off the day!