Happy Birthday Charli Grace! Charli Grace is named after her late grandfather, and I am told that she resembles him. Charli’s mom, Melanie, and I go way back to middle school, and she has always been such a sweet girl. I had fun at Charli’s first birthday party! It was fun to see some of my high school friends, too. I think Charli was a little overwhelmed, but what baby is not on their first birthday? She had a crowd and got tons of cute outfits for her birthday! There are definitely cuter clothes for girls than boys. It’s probably a good thing that I had a boy because I would be broke. She loved her cake and cupcakes, made by Melanie’s mom, Elaine. She said she is “not a professional” but I think she did a pretty darn good job! She even used marshmallow fondant, which tastes much better than regular fondant. The cupcakes were yummy!!

I always love taking pictures of this sweet family!  We started taking pictures of their family around this time last year, when Brooke was still pregnant with Emma.  I got to do newborn, three month, six month, and now one-year photos of Emma Kate.  She has changed so much and is much happier now than she was at her newborn session.  I think the biggest difference was the marshmallows.  Brooke and Chad were cracking me up popping mini-marshmallows into her and her sister Eli’s  mouth.  What a great and clean idea to keep them happy!  Chad couldn’t help eating a few too but was very well-behaved.  Eli and Emma also loved the pretty flowers at UT Gardens.  They smelled them, played with them, and maybe picked a couple.  I think there were plenty to spare and they won’t be missed.  I love all the photos of the girls together.  They are so sweet!  I will miss seeing them every few months now that Emma’s first year is over.  I love our Baby’s First Year Package but always hate to see the year end.  I love seeing how much babies grow that first year.  Look at Emma’s dark hair at her three month session.  Thanks guys for a great year of pictures!

~Kristy~

I had to post this picture.  It’s similar to one from six months where Emma has a handful of Eli’s hair.  She’s a puller!

It was great meeting Heather and Michael and their girls. Emma and Riley were so sweet and calm.  I know, I know…why can’t they be like that at home?  That’s how it seems to work a lot of times.  Riley was full of smiles and seemed pretty independent for 18 months old.  Emma loved playing with and collecting the dandelions and little shells out of the gravel.  It’s the little things!  I think we should all be like kids, taking more time to smell the flowers and enjoying the simple things around us.  I loved their cute pillow case dresses from Etsy that Heather had made for their photo session.   She had a great Pinterest idea too- using the letters for Emma’s four-year photos (see the collage below.)  Thanks for a great session!

~Kristy

I was excited when an old friend Liz asked if she could send me some hair bows for my girls in exchange for some pictures of them.  Of course!!!  Liz started a business, Hair Bows Inspired by Addie, and makes some really adorable bows.  Liz and I went through the teaching program together at UT several years ago.  I’ll never forget how sweet she was and the fact that our feet were the same size.  When she moved back to Australia, I was able to inherit a few new pairs of shoes, one being my favorite shoes at the time- Birkenstocks.  Yes, times change.  Liz and I both tried our hand at teaching for a few years and now both own small businesses, while staying home with our young kids.  My girls love hair bows, even though it is a challenge at times to get them to keep them in their hair.  I think the best trick is to start young.  Alaina started wearing small clips and bows when she was a few months old.  Carsyn, on the other hand, didn’t have hair until around one and has never been a fan of keeping anything in her hair since.  She spends half her time looking like a shaggy dog.  I’m hoping these pretty bows by Liz will help her learn to love them.  Check out Liz’s Etsy store and become a fan on Facebook.  Also, be sure to make a purchase this month, as April is Autsim Awareness Month.  All proceeds for the month of April will be donated to Olympic Peninsula Autism Center.    Thanks again for the wonderful bows!

Easter time means bunny time! I got to play with some cute bunnies and take pictures with kids on a nice, sunny afternoon. It was a little tricky figuring out where to put the bunnies, which bunnies can be held, and where to put the children, but we worked it out and had a good time. Happy Spring!

Thinking about scheduling some Spring family photos? Go here and send us a message! =)

We forget each time how tiny newborns are! Cameron was only 3 days old for these pictures. Big sister Caroline couldn’t have been any sweeter with her new baby brother. We knew she would be a doll because she did so well for us last year at her first photo session with us down in the Old City.  Jennifer and Joey were so easy-going and didn’t care what we wanted to try with Cameron.  He was ready for anything too!  He got a bit fussy a few times but nothing his paci couldn’t fix.  He was great for his newborn session and put up with us dressing him, stripping him, moving him around, posing him, etc.  I hope he slept well for Mom and Dad that night.  Like Joey said, those all night feedings are the hardest part of having a newborn.  The cuteness and cuddles hopefully make up for it and it passes so quickly, you forget how hard it was in the beginning.  Welcome baby Cameron!

I feel like we’ve been waiting on sweet Molly for a while now.  I did maternity pictures for Sarah at Norris back in the fall and it seemed so long until her due date.  There was still Thanksgiving, Christmas, and so much more before her due date.  I’m sure for Sarah the time went by much slower.  I know how anxious she was and those last months seem to drag by.  I was also so lucky to be at the hospital to take pictures during Molly’s birth.  It was an amazing experience!  You can see a slideshow of the pictures here.  You might need a Kleenex or two!

I love newborn photos, that is when the baby is as easy as Molly was.  You never know with newborns.  They basically get to call the shots and you have to work around their schedule.  Molly was 12 days old yesterday and couldn’t have done much better.  She took a few snack breaks and bathroom breaks…one that Daddy was lucky enough to catch.  We kept her nice and warm, while Sarah and I sweated, but it was worth it.  She managed to sleep when we needed her to.  Her brother, Kayle, did great too!  I think he loves being a brother.  I couldn’t narrow the pictures down to one favorite of them together, so I added a few.

Sarah had so many cute blankets and clothes, that we couldn’t get to them all.  We did manage to get some really cute shots!  Molly is so sweet!  I even caught a sweet smile for her Gigi.  I think she loves her new hat and sweater that her Gigi made her.  One thing I have to say is that Sarah has some very talented people in her family!  I saw so many cute hats, blankets, paintings, etc. that her family made.  They should start their own Etsy store!  Thanks again Sarah and Wheat for letting me do newborn photos!  I hope you love them!

~Kristy~

Here’s a few from the special we ran a few weeks ago for Holiday Mini Sessions.  We had lots of interest for this red couch that we used last year. Will it make it another year??

This time of year can be perfect for photos or a little tricky to work around.  Luckily, we’ve had a gorgeous fall here in East Tennessee!  There have been a few sessions that we ended up rescheduling, mostly because of the rain.  It’s so tough to make that final call.  Sometimes we cancel a session and the weather ends up being perfect…other times we get a little wet.  The morning of this session I was worried about the cold.  I bundled up in my sweater, scarf, and coat.  I’m sure that is why it ended up being bright and sunny and surprisingly, warm!  This is one of the few times I enjoy being wrong.  We met up on Market Square, where the local Farmer’s Market was going strong.  If you haven’t been lately, you have one more Saturday to make it for the year.  This Saturday, November 19, is the last scheduled date for it.

I had a great time walking around with Justin, Jeana, Jacy, and Jillian.  Such a sweet family!  Jillian was all smiles for most of the morning and Jacy may be a bit of a camera hound.  She put on her best smile and even danced for me!  I may be a little partial, but I love sisters!

~Kristy~

Last Christmas they had no idea she was going to be a girl….and now here we are already celebrating sweet little Elin’s First Birthday! She’s changed so much since last Christmas when we took her newborn photos.  Elin’s mommy and daddy are good friends of ours and we have enjoyed photographing her over the last year. Look at those sweet baby blues!

Don’t forget that you can see more photos by clicking the link at the bottom…