Boo! - Charlotte, NC Childrens Photography

I convinced my son to let me do a little costume mini-session with him by telling him that I could add wings and things to the photo and make him EXTRA spooky! I'm a little bummed that he has moved past cute costumes into the kind of scary stuff, but he decided pretty early what he wanted to be and stuck with it, so how can you argue with that? He informed us that he was the "Grand Creeper" (aka the Grim Reaper) and thought that the glowing red eyes that came with his costume were super cool.

And our little miss is celebrating her birthday today, so a birthday cupcake was the perfect costume for her. How adorable is she?

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope your day was filled with treats instead of tricks!

Spooky Turns One! - Clover, SC Children's Photography

What a year! It's hard to believe that my little Halloween pumpkin is turning one! I have to admit that I gave into the Pinterest-Party craziness just a little bit during the planning. I found Dillon and Caroline an amazing sibling outfit set on Etsy from Lightning Bug Lane. This shop is fantastic and was able to customize my order to exactly what I had in mind. The outfits turned out so cute and Dillon even wanted to wear his shirt to school for Halloween (high praise from my picky 6 year old).

We hosted her birthday party at my parents' home in Virginia. My mother's flowers and yard rivaled a botanical garden in their fall glory. It was just a little too chilly to have Caroline outside for too long, but luckily Dillon wanted to show off his cool shirt and posed for a few extra photos for me.

Caroline had two jaw-dropping cakes, both created by Ginny's Tastes with Grace. I searched and searched online and came up with lots of little pieces that I liked from different examples that I found. Ginny was able to perfectly execute my crazy cake plan and bring us exactly what I had imagined. I also found the darling #1 candle on Etsy from Sweet Lil Peaches and the banner to match Caroline's outfit came from Coppers Hollow Bunting.

Unfortunately, our birthday girl was way past due for a nap by the time we got to the whole cake smashing part of the party and she was having none of it! Oh well, even the tears made for cute photos and a story to tell later.

Happy first birthday, Spooky! You will always be my precious little pumpkin!

Suit Up - Salisbury, NC Portrait Photographer

Dillon got a new Radical Racegear / Robbie Stanley Racing driving suit and he looked so awesome in it that I just had to do some updated headshots of my little race car driver!

Dillon's car is a Stanley Racing Bulldog, so on a recent visit to Build-A-Bear Workshop he chose to make a stuffed bulldog and named it Stanley. Stanley just had to make an appearance in the photos, as well!

Another First Day - Lake Wylie, SC Child Photographer

It's so hard to believe that another year has slipped away! Where did my baby boy go? How can it be possible that he is already starting first grade? I guess I just have to accept it... Good luck to my "little man" on his first day of first!

Sun Kissed Field - Clover, SC Children's Photography

It was a perfect summer evening as the sun set behind a dancing field of tall grass, kissing each stalk with a magical golden glow. Caroline was dressed in an adorable ladybug outfit with a darling flowered headband. Dillon finally agreed to change into an outfit that didn't match his sister, but at least didn't have some sort of superhero on the shirt. Everything was in place for a few amazing photos of my children, except for good attitudes!

Oh wow, really - I just wanted a few snaps of each child and one of them together and they sooooo made me work for it. Dillon was grumpy and over it all before we even started. Eight month old Caroline was fussy and more than ready for an overdue bottle. This photog mama was just about to pull her hair out in frustration! Luckily, "Super Daddy" stepped in! My wonderful husband convinced our son to cooperate and teased a few smiles from our baby girl just in time as the sun slipped behind the mountain and we lost that gorgeous light.

Whew, I'm beyond happy with the photos, but it's a perfect reminder of why it is so hard to take photos of my own children. Hopefully when the next photographically-perfect opportunity comes up everyone will have had a nap and snack beforehand (especially me)! ;-)

Happy Heart Day! - Clover, SC Child Photography

Happy Valentines Day from my little sweetheart! This adorable little miss is 3 and half months old and sweet as can be!

Merry Christmas! - Lake Wylie, SC Children's Photography

Every year we attend a breakfast with Santa that takes place in our community. My son looks forward to it so much and it made a great opportunity for our brand new little miss to get her first visit with Santa, too! This Santa is the sweetest!

And of course Caroline had to have a little mini photo shoot in her adorable reindeer onesie, too!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Dual Purpose Cards - Clover, SC Family Photography

By the time I had everything I needed to design Caroline's birth announcements, it was time to send out Christmas cards, too! I decided to make it easy on myself and created a dual purpose birth announcement / Christmas card. 

I had these printed through Millers Lab on one of their Luxe Folded cards. They have some really unique and amazing shapes for these cards, so if you are looking for something that sets your card apart from everyone else's, then this might be an option for you.

Sweet Caroline - Lake Wylie, SC Newborn Photography

I have had difficult newborn clients in the past, but my own child certainly proved to be the most difficult of all! I'm sure trying to do photos, not long after giving birth, probably had a little something to do with it, as well. I tried to take my time and spread out our photo sessions with lots of breaks in between. While there were many ideas that I had wanted to try and didn't get to attempt, I am happy with how the photos turned out overall.

I purchased the cream colored teddy bear hat and crocheted pants from Katie Did It Crafts on Etsy. She did an amazing job with these items and also a pumpkin hat with a removable flower (seen below). I would highly recommend visiting her online shop if you are looking for quality items for your children!

I always try to work in at least one neutral set-up for my newborn sessions. I love the classic look that you get with just a simple white or cream backdrop that lets that squishy, newborn cuteness take center stage!

When I knew that I would have a fall baby, I immediately envisioned a very particular idea that I wanted to photograph. I searched for a backdrop, vintage bucket, and the other props that would need to make my vision a reality. I am so happy with the result as it is exactly how I imagined. My little pumpkin in a perfect setting!

Obviously we had to bring in the very proud older brother for a few sibling shots. He just loved getting to hold and snuggle with his sister for the photos. This little girl has no idea yet how very lucky she is to have a big brother like this!

Trick or Treat! - Charlotte, NC Birth Photographer

Thirty-four hours of labor definitely felt like a trick, but getting to hold my precious little Halloween pumpkin was definitely a treat! Even though I wasn't due until November 16th, my water broke around 5:00AM on October 30th, and our baby girl was born at 3:42PM on the 31st. It seems fitting that I would have a Halloween baby since fall has always been my favorite season and Halloween my favorite holiday. So, without further ado, meet Caroline Autumn!

I think my husband secretly enjoyed the drive to the hospital, but had I known I would have to go so long without anything to eat, I so would have made him stop at a drive-thru! I had made plans for my friend Kristin to photograph the birth, but unfortunately after being in labor for what seemed like forever, things went from "nothing is happening" to "time to push" very quickly and we weren't able to have her there. Luckily my mom was able to be there for the birth, so I handed my camera over to her and she did a great job documenting all the excitement.
Immediately after our little miss entered the world, Ron had to leave to head back home and take Dillon trick or treating with the other children in the neighborhood. I was bummed to have to miss out on trick or treating, especially since I had purchased the cutest skeleton (and baby skeleton) shirt to wear, but obviously I had to stay put. Luckily, I had the most adorable little bundle to keep me company.

Once the Halloween festivities were done, Ron and Dillon (aka Iron Man) came to visit so that Dillon could meet his baby sister for the first time. Honestly, I think he might have been more excited about the adjustable bed and free jello! ;-)

After we did our time in the hospital, we were finally allowed to leave. It was wonderful to have some time with our family and to enjoy being back at home with our newest family member! I think I know someone who will be an awesome big brother, too!

Pumpkin Picking! - York, SC Maternity Photographer

We visited the Bush-N-Vine Farm in York, SC to pick out our pumpkins to carve for Halloween. As I am only a few weeks away from my due date, I definitely feel like the biggest pumpkin in the patch! Ugh!

We did have a great time though. The day was overcast, but fairly warm (or maybe that was just my hormones). In addition to the "pick your own pumpkins," they have flower fields you can pick from, a huge variety of delicious looking fresh produce, a corn maze, sandbox complete with large Tonka trucks, a fun hayride tour of the farm and a few other neat little things for the kids. If you are in the York, SC area and looking for something to do, I highly recommend the Bush-N-Vine farm!

After we got home with our orange beauties, it was carving time! I mentioned to my husband that I had seen some examples where people used drill bits to carve their jack o' lanterns and he was all about busting out the power tools! Our son thought it was a pretty good idea, too! I went "old school" and carved a regular face in mine. I outlined the cuts with a black marker as this is something my dad has always done, so I carry on the tradition.

Now our pumpkins are in their place of honor on the front porch steps. We are ready for Halloween! Bring on the trick or treaters! This is my favorite time of the year! :-D

Winner, Winner! - Concord, NC Sports Photographer

We had a great weekend at the NCQMA track because Dillon won his very first race! It was so exciting. He won his heat race, which earned him the pole position for the race start. In the feature race, he was able to hold off some hard charging competition to take the checkers at the end. It was such a wonderful moment. I'm so glad that I have the photos of his daddy handing him the checkered flag for his victory lap as this will always be such a precious memory for our family!

After the race, he was interviewed by our track reporter and then had photos done in the winners circle. It was so fun and I know he felt like a star. He loved his first win trophy, too! I am one proud mama!

Baby on Board! - Belmont, NC Maternity Photos

I scheduled a maternity / family photo session with my amazing friend and photographer Kristin of Lillysnaps Photography and, as usual, she did not disappoint! We held the session in Belmont, NC. Belmont is just a fun little town and one of my favorite places to shoot, so I thought it would be an awesome location for my own session, as well!

After a previous client session, I found a perfect field nearby so we were able to use that too, in order to have both urban and natural settings for my photos.

Since we found out that we were having a girl, I knew when I saw this dress that its feminine colors would be perfect for this photo session. Luckily my two guys were happy to wear shirts that matched the shades of violet and magenta from the dress's stripes.

Kristin did a great job making my oh-so-pregnant-self feel beautiful and capturing natural smiles from the rest of my family. I just love how the photos turned out! Thank you so much again, Kristin!

5 Minute Photos - Lake Wylie, SC Child Photographer

It's a difficult thing to admit, but I'm here to confess that my little guy has a terrible case of PCS. For those of you that don't know, PCS stands for "Photographer's Child Syndrome" and it means that my child has developed a horrible allergy to my camera. It's so bad that he runs whenever I get my camera out and, in the rare cases that I am able to convince him to hold still for just a few shots, he makes terrible faces (I'm sure due to the pain of his affliction).

But don't feel too bad for me, I've been working on a cure. So far, I have found that if I truly keep my photo sessions with him to a very brief amount of time, he can stand it and I can even manage to get a few smiles! 

He looked so cute with his fresh hair cut and red polo the other day that I took 5 minutes for just a few shots.

Kindergarten, already? - Clover, SC Children's Photographer

My how the time has flown! I can't believe my baby boy is starting Kindergarten!

Stickers! - Concord, NC Sports Photograper

Before Dillon's second race, our wonderful friend Todd Davis designed and applied some awesome stickers for us. It completely changed the look of the car and now I think it really looks like a race car.

The car is a "Bulldog" chassis from Robbie Stanley Racing and Dillon just loves the bulldog stickers and shirt that came with it.

Time to go racing again! I think we're hooked!

Blue or Pink? - Lake Wylie, SC Maternity Photographer

Blue or pink, what do you think? I gave Dillon a gift bag that contained an outfit that would tell him if he would be getting a brother or a sister.

 We found out that we are having a...
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Drum roll please.....
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GIRL! :-D

Let's Go Racing, Boys (and Girls)! - Salisbury, NC Sports Photography

My little guy turned 5 and was officially old enough to race his quarter midget (we did our "Rookie Training" earlier in the year when he was 4 and a half to learn how everything works) so we headed to the North Carolina Quarter Midget Association (NCQMA) track for his first race.

It's amazing to me to watch these little cars buzzing around the track and realize that all the drivers are kids! Dillon is the black #4 in these photos.

Dillon did great and we all had fun! Can't wait for the next race!

School Picture Time & an Announcement - Lake Wylie, SC Children's Photographer

Today was school picture day for my son. He looked so cute when he came home, that I just had to take him outside for a little mini photo session.

I just love that big smile and those bright blue eyes! This little guy looks so much like his daddy that it's scary sometimes! :-)

Oh and we also have a little family announcement to make, so after a quick outfit change we took a few photos to help tell the rest of the world our big news!

A new baby brother or sister is on the way! :-D

My Little Racer - Clover, SC Child Photogrpaher

If you've read my "About Me" page, then you know that I got my start in photography taking pictures at the race track. While my husband is not currently racing, he still wanted to be involved in the sport. So as soon as our son was old enough to start, we signed up for him to drive a quarter midget race car at the North Carolina Quarter Midget Association (NCQMA) in Salisbury, NC. After purchasing all the necessary safety gear, I couldn't resist a few studio shots of my little driver to be.

If you have a child between the ages of 4.5 and 15 who might be interested in racing, check out NCQMA.com and you can come join us at the track!