Since the last time I saw her, she has totally blossomed into the cutest, most adorable, chubby legged baby on the planet.  AND, she’s the spittin’ image of her daddy.  Crazy, isn’t it? 

I met up with her family of three in Harrah for a quick park session in the 100 degree heat.  McKenlyn smiled and smiled…

then she decided it was too hot to smile.  HA!  None of us blamed her, though, since we all agreed.

We were able to snap a whole bunch of happy shots before the sweat started dripping down our backs.  I guess if we were going to suffer in the HOT sun, it might as well be because we were hanging with this little gal.  She had us all smiling and laughing.  I can’t wait to hang out with her again sometime soon.

Until then, here are some more of my favorites.

It’s been so awesome to watch him grow and learn throughout this past year.  He was so tiny in the beginning and then a chubby bubby at only 3 months.  Now, he’s a perfect little man.

Landon was all smiles in the beginning (and most of the session) – this is one of my very first shots.  Talk about hamming it up! 

Our session started out at the local park here in town.  Afterward, we ventured into the old downtown/urban area.  I think the weathermen were playing a joke on us today, though, since we were expecting highs near 60 degrees.  BUT, we made-do with the chilly wind and clouds, and little Landon gave us his all. He even showed off in his totally AWESOME, oozing-with-coolness, hat that I wanted to steal for Wes.  HA!

Here are my favorites!

He sure can rock a serious look, can’t he!

BUT, those grins are full of sparkle…

By the way, any fella who wears John Deere boots is a fella after my own heart.  I happen to know a couple of boys who never remove theirs, which is just fine by me.

Little Landon had an entire fan club cheering him on during our session.  I was able to catch a couple with Momma, Daddy, and even another member of his crew!

I’d say he’s a momma’s boy all the way around.  He could turn on or off the charm the second she picked him up.  I have a feeling that’s how it is with all little boys…

AND, of course, we ended with a little red and white action.  After all, Valentine’s Day is coming up.

We’d all be pretty lucky to get a Valentine from this little guy!

Happy 6 months, Cutie Patootie!  I can’t wait to see how much you’ve grown in just a few more months.

He gave me a run for my money causing me to realize very quickly it was going to be a little tougher than I had originally thought.  But, I worked hard and we became “buds”.  In fact, at one point he became my next door neighbor.

The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Now, I can look back on that year, and I’m so thankful it all turned out the way it did.  The little boy became a man who has a family of his own and is serving our country with pride in what he does.  For that and much more, I am proud of him.

There are so many great things still to come for him and I can’t wait to see the rest of his life play out.  I plan to be watching, young man!

Again, we froze during our session, but didn’t really have a way to reschedule.  Daddy is only home on leave for a little while.  These are my favorites!

He had me so convinced he was a sweetheart, I was ready to take him home with me!  I don’t think his momma and daddy would have given him up, though.

He had us all laughing with his cute grins, squeals, and falling over (he wasn’t quite sitting up on his own yet).

We did feel a bit sorry for him, though.  After all, we forced him to smile for the camera on the COLDEST day of the year!  HA!  Just kidding.

It was cold, but not quite the coldest day of the year.  The funny part was he just kept on grinning, while the rest of us had chattering teeth….

Tough little guy…

Okay, by this point, I’m pretty sure he was starting to feel the cool air like the rest of us.  Time to get him warm!

I loved their matching Chuck Taylors!

I had no idea what to expect when I got a call from Ronne a few weeks ago.  You see, Ronne and I go WAY back…like WAY BACK as in I taught her son when he was in 4th grade.  Now he’s a big and strong and VERY grown-up Marine who I’m very proud to call my friend.  This session was originally supposed to include him and his family, but the military had other plans.

Unfortunately, my sweet grown up Marine had to put his scheduled leave on hold.  I plan to share photos of him soon, VERY soon I hope.  Until then, I couldn’t let the opportunity to catch some spectacular shots of his momma and her “biker dude” pass me by.

Ronne has a heart of gold.  She always has.

Life has thrown her plenty of curves, but somehow she’s bounced back with determined vigor.  She’s a lot like her son that way.  I’m proud of her, too.

And the happiness she’s found with this guy…

Have you ever seen a more genuine smile?  I’m not sure I have.  He could light a room with those pearly whites and big grin.  I liked him immediately.

Now, I know why Ronne has been smiling so much.  Together they made me smile.

Turns out they don’t live far from me.  They’ve found a spot in the country, too.  I may be dropping by when they least expect it just to catch a glimpse of those big dimples she’s sporting.  She deserves to be happy.

We all do.

As they drove off, I was left with the sound of a roaring Harley and a big smile on my face.  It feels good to feel HAPPINESS for someone else.

My heart smiled today.

Thanks, Ronne.  I owe you one.

Meet the Jacksons.

I loved how this crew interacted with each other.  The teasing never stopped, mostly from Dad…but the laughter never stopped either.  I did have to work hard to get a smile out of a couple of the guys – they were a tad on the shy side.  Leave it to me to break them right out of that shell!  I’ve never met a shy guy I didn’t like!  HA!

This one, though, made me work extra hard.  AND, I’m glad I picked on him a tiny bit, because look at the love he was giving my camera by the time we were through.

Sheesh!  Those eyes!

Watch out, girls!  That one’s gonna be a real heartbreaker!

In complete contrast, was this little gal.

She liked my camera so much I thought she might jump right in!

Actually, I’m pretty sure she was seeing her reflection in my lens.  Hilarious!  It was like she was modeling in front of her bedroom mirror!  Work it, girl!

They’re a pretty cool looking group, wouldn’t you say?  Just wait until you see their basketball moves!

Can you feel the brotherly love in that one?  Poor guys – I bet that sister really gives ‘em a run for their money.

I knew there was more than one reason I loved this group – it wasn’t just their charming personalities…  Just look at that awesome basketball!  Go pokes!

See?  I told you I had them laughing the whole time.  OR was that someone behind me being extra ornery?  I’ll never know…

Speaking of ornery…can you tell who the big cheese is in this family?  Just look at that mess of a dad!  He was incorrigible!

He was even picking on his sister!  Luckily, she could handle it and gave back plenty of what he was dishing out!

Those two had a pretty neat bond that was noticeable from a mile away.

We enjoyed our time at the park, but had to stop several times for the macho men to have a few contests.  Who’s your money on?

Their momma must be raising these two right.  I’ve never met a sweeter couple of guys.  They were so well-behaved and willing to smile for my camera.  I wish they’d come give Ty a pep-talk since he’s still hiding EVERY time I get the camera out!

AND….we finished up with a little hoop action as the sun started to set.

Have a great Monday!

Luckily, I have a great husband who, even on a worknight, is willing to relieve me a bit now and then.  Thank you, honey.

I have so many photos to post for you, but today, I’m going to post Cole’s sneak peek.  His session was nearly a week ago.  Poor guy.

Luckily, Cole has a Facebook page and I was able to upload some of these shots there.  He may have actually gotten a sneak peek earlier than today – thank goodness!

Cole was the other half of Melissa’s senior session.  The two of them made the hour drive out to visit me even though it was very overcast and very wet.  It was pretty chilly, too.  Poor Melissa was nearly frozen by the time we were finished shooting.  During the entire session, we kept waiting for another downpour.  It didn’t happen though and we made it safely through our session.

Cole was a trooper.  He smiled a lot, looked great, and made my job really easy!

It’s funny but he was a huge smile kinda guy.  I kept telling him to give me the “brooding male” look  you’d see in a magazine ad for Abercrombie.  He kept trying but would break into a huge grin before I could press the shutter!  Finally, I had him close his eyes until we were ready.  I’d count, he’d open those pretty eyes, and snap!  I’d get the best photo.  It was perfect!

He has a great serious look, too!  I had to be careful not to make him serious in every shot!  He worked it out though and we got a ton of both.

And a couple showcasing that BIG grin I mentioned…

Alright…it’s naptime for me.  If I don’t squeeze in some shut eye while Wes might doze off for more than 5 minutes at a time, I’m going to start looking like a zombie.  Wish me luck!

REMEMBER – I’m offering a great sale on senior sessions booked together!  So, grab a friend and give me a call.  You’ll SAVE $100 each and still get your 56 FREE wallets!

Melissa is an absolute sweetheart!  I loved everything about her – from her great smile to her warm and genuine demeanor.  She is the real deal and gorgeous to boot!

Just take a look!

We met up at a park here in town to get some traditional shots.  Then, headed downtown to get a little fun and colorful.  It was really dark and dreary out due to all the storm clouds, but we made the best of it and had a TON of fun!

The nice thing about shooting two seniors at once is the great candid shots I get while they’re tormenting each other.  It really does change the whole dynamics of a senior session.

I’ll have Cole’s sneak peek up soon.  So, keep an eye our for another good-looking guy!

I seriously LOVED her dress – so much so that I might actually have worn it!  I’m not really a dress kinda gal, more like a jeans and t-shirt kind.  But, this dress called out to me for some reason!  So, funky and cool!

Such a pretty girl!  Melissa, I had a super time with you and Cole!  I can’t wait for you to see the rest!

This pretty girl is Lindsay.  Lindsay was a bit quiet at first, but then she got to know me and figured out quickly what a super COOl gal I am!  Okay, well, maybe it didn’t go quite like that….  BUT, she did loosen up really quickly.  I like to think it was my charming personality!

Isn’t she adorable!  Yet another senior girl with gorgeous eyes – how do I get so lucky!

Lindsay and I were supposed to meet up at her house and shoot her entire session on her land.  BUT,  we got a wild hair at the very last minute and decided on a local park.  I’m glad we did, too.  It was SUPER windy during her session and the park provided lots of hidden nooks to shield her.  Still, I couldn’t help playing with the wind a bit before we headed home!

AND, you all know I can’t pass up railroad tracks!

Lindsay was such a sweet girl.  I really enjoyed getting to know her – but, the main thing I’ll remember about her session is how sweet her dad was…  I’m kicking myself now for not getting a photo with him in it!  He walked around with us to each spot and did his own thing, but made sure to comment on how pretty his daughter was or what a great shot that was going to make.  He was so nice…  AND, I could totally see the relationship she had with him.  It was pretty neat.  You just don’t get to witness that very often.  I’m glad I noticed…  So, Lindsay, be sure to hug your dad today.  He’s a special guy!

Okay, back to the photos!

Alright girl, that’s it for now!  Stay tuned folks, I’ve got some family photos to post…FINALLY!  I’ll be back soon!