Sweet & Wild Duo | Folly Beach, SC mini session

I had quickly worked with this duo at a neighborhood event so I knew this Folly Beach family mini session was going to be fun. Before each session, I talk to parents about their children: Are they shy or outgoing? What types of things are they currently into? When I read mom's description of her kids, I knew I was in for a treat for this Folly Beach session!

Big Brother is calm, a great listener, and just downright sweet. He was such a little charmer.

Little Miss, well, I was pretty sure she was going to be the female version of my wild 3 year old and boy was she! Actually, their birthdays are only a few days apart! About 10 minutes into the session she was soaked with salt water from ringlet to toe.

I actually love working with kids with big personalities. They keep me on my toes, but I just love how they are fearless around me. This was truly one of those sessions that I didn't want to end.

July 2017

July was a full month! We transitioned from a family of 3 to 4, which is still weird to say. Landon loves his brother, but is acting out a little for attention. Breastfeeding is going well. I've made it farther than I did with Landon, and Rhett seems to be a lot better at it than Landon ever was.To be totally honest, I'm drained. Even though Rhett is sleeping decent stretches at night, it is tough having to wake up several times and then care for two kids + a house + a business all day.  I keep reminding myself this is just a session and will be over before I know it (and that actually makes me sad). It's amazing how much Rhett changed from the beginning of the month to the end. The last set of pictures in the crib are from his 1 month session. Landon picked out the giraffe as his present to Rhett in the hospital. I plan to use it for Rhett's monthly pictures to show his growth.  

Seriously Cute | West Ashley, SC In-Studio 9 Month Milestone Session

This sweet boy was 9 months old at his in-studio milestone session. It's amazing how quickly babies grow!

This wonderful family traveled all the way from South Georgia for their West Ashley milestone session.

Baby boy was so serious and after trying every trick in my book to get him to smile, dad bonked himself on the head with a water bottle and we had baby belly laughs until the very end of the session. Leave it to daddy to be silly and get baby to smile!

Sweet Family Charm | Downtown Charleston, SC Family Session

This family session was done bright and early in the morning in Downtown Charleston. We hit some of the best and most photograph-worthy spots- Rainbow Row and Waterfront Park.

The pastel Colors of Rainbow Row were the perfect backdrop for a little dress twirling. What little girl could resist?

This family was such a breeze to photograph. They were so comfortable while I ran around snapping my camera. I probably said "Oh my word!" a hundred times in the 30 minutes we were together for their Downtown Charleston family session.

Last Family Beach Day | Folly Beach, SC Family Mini Session

In April I held beach mini sessions at the washout at Folly Beach. Since this family is getting ready to move, they decided it was the perfect way to document their family during their last few months in Charleston.

I actually photographed this little one when I first moved to Charleston. It was so fun to get to work with her again! You can see her first session here.

One thing is for sure- she was way more active this time around! Chasing around an 18 month old at 30+ weeks pregnant on soft sand was a workout. You can believe I was sore the next day!

K, A & P- I wish you the best of luck with this move. Know you will be sorely missed in Charleston, but I can't wait to see what adventures come next!

June 2017 - Part 2

I finally got around to editing Landon's birthday pictures. Landon - at the beach - by myself- while trying to take pictures of him proved to be very difficult. You can see we had an outfit change mid-session. As we were getting dressed in the car I told Landon how we weren't going to get wet until after mommy took pictures and he promised to stay dry. Well, that lasted all of 10 minutes, but it wouldn't be pictures of Landon if he wasn't in the ocean fully clothed! You'll also see that sand throwing was a thing. While I don't think this is some of my best work, I think it does capture his wild personality. 

Because waiting for your milk post-nap is just so difficult. Well, I guess when mom stops to take some pictures it is :) 

My time with this bump is coming to an end so I set up the tripod, got out the remote and took a few self-portraits. 

After taking a few bump pictures, Landon saw me working on a thank you gift for our nurses at the hospital (a bucket full of junk food). He found a "special treat" and asked if he could have it. It's amazing what this baby will do for a Nutty Bar... 

His big personality is so exhausting at times (mostly just because I'm 100 months pregnant and would rather just sleep all day), but, gosh, I love it.  I can't imagine life without my silly boy.

Messiest Cake Smasher | Downtown Charleston, SC 1st Birthday Milestone Session

I met this family bright and early for a session full of baby snuggles and cake eating in celebration of this little guy's first birthday. As soon as I pulled my camera out, he flashed me the best smile and I knew this was going to be a good session.

This was such a sweet family. It was apparent from the beginning of the session just how much they love each other- and how obsessed they are with their baby! And it turns out that our husbands work together and we have a few mutual friends. It's funny how small the world is!

We walked around Downtown Charleston and hit the "hot spots"- Rainbow Row and Waterfront Park- and then headed to White Point Gardens for some cake.

You would never know from the pictures, but K didn't actually eat any cake! He might win the title for "Messiest Cake Smasher Who Didn't Actually Eat Any Cake." He loved running his hands through the cake though.

K, I hope you have a wonderful dinosaur birthday party and that year #2 is full of many wonderful memories!

Toeing the Line Between Baby and Toddler | Folly Beach, SC Milestone Mini Session

We spent an early morning photographing this beautiful little girl and her wonderful parents at Folly Beach during sunrise. 

We arrived first thing at Folly Beach before the sun was coming up over the horizon for our beach  session. It was a gorgeous sight and the light was perfect.

I previously photographed this little girl for her nine month milestone session. Look how she has grown!

She is such a serious little soul. You can see it in her sweet face that she is thoughtful and pensive.

She would get brave enough to splash in the water, but then to run to mommy for a snuggle when the waves came in a little too fast. 

As she got more comfortable, she loved to point out the birds.

She is right at the age where she is toeing the line of baby and independent toddler. It is such a lovely and bittersweet transition and capturing this stage is such a privilege.

June 2017 - Part 1

June is the month that I need to go slow and go fast all at the same time. It's the last month before Rhett joins our family, but it's the last month before Rhett joins our family - know what I mean?! 

The month started off with some typical nesting... planting flowers and putting down new mulch. I'm pretty sure I also did major yard work when I was super pregnant with Landon. At least one boy had fun :) Landon is really into watering the yard and likes to announce that he's being a "biggggg helper!" 

Did you notice his shirt tucked into his undies? When I saw that I ran inside to grab my camera because it just doesn't get cuter than that! 

I finally finished the baby's nursery and I LOVE IT! I am thrilled with how it turned out even thought it took me 35 weeks and a few meltdowns to figure out. I purchased an entire airplane blueprint set that I obsessed over for weeks. When it finally arrived, I hated it and ended up switching back to 'ol faithful - nautical/sailboats. It's probably for the best anyway, the boys will probably share a room at some point (Landon's room is also nautical/whales). 

I also almost changed the baby's name, but "Rhett" survived (and so did his already monogramed homecoming outfit!)

Landon is still obsessed with airshows, airplanes (which he calls "the Air Force") and helicopters. 

We did even more testing on Rhett. This pregnancy has been much tougher than Landon's. This time around I had morning sickness and then got really sick with a fever, which apparently is bad while pregnant, the same week Trip was working nights. Thank the Lord my mom drove up to keep Landon. Then Rhett tested at increased risk for Trisomy 18, which was terrifying. That required additional blood work, an echo ultrasound to check his heart and now weekly non-stress tests. AND because Landon was thought to have IUGR, I've done two extra ultrasounds to check Rhett's size (those were just fine with me though!). Anyways, we will be happy when a healthy baby is placed on my chest and this will all be behind us. 

We also had maternity pictures taken by my friend and fellow photographer, Alisha at Hampton Park (downtown Charleston). It's one of my favorite spots.

Despite how cute Landon looked he was SO bad. Landon is always hyper- but this was next level. 

I have such a love-hate relationship with the lovely age of three. He is already asking a million questions and there are moments when I just want a few minutes of silence. But then he does sweet things like tuck Catboy and "Monkey George" in for his nap and my heart explodes and I want him to be three forever. 

Hopefully the last half of the month is just as fun. I could use some rest, but honestly, I'm enjoying how fast time is moving at the moment... until Rhett comes. Then it needs to go slow because babies just don't keep!