This year, I noticed how much they’d grown.  This year, they were talking my ears off and laughing at my jokes.  I love that!

I’ve been photographing this little bunch of gals for three years now and, just like with any other client I’ve been shooting a long time, it’s so cool to notice the changes in each of them.  To be able to see them improve in their ball skills and to see the way they’re all becoming great friends.  It really is awesome.  I can’t wait to see how they’ll all look and act when they are playing 10 years from now!

For now, these will have to hold me over.  Here are a few of my favorites!

I talked the moms into jumping in a few shots, grabbed some shots of the coaches, and yes, even parents, too!

But, my TOP shots are always the action ones.  They rule!

I’m hoping to catch one of the games in their post-season tournament this week (if they don’t all get rained out!).   Wish them luck!

I know I keep promising NO MORE tee-ball photos, but gosh these kids are too darn cute to withhold!  Plus, what else am I supposed to show you if I’m mostly shooting tee-ball?  I’ve barely had time to eat, much less snap any family photos.  It looks like you’re stuck with these adorable kiddos for now.  Just two more games, though, and I’m all done with summertime sports for this year.

Have you ever tried to get 11 four year olds to line up in a straight line?  What about kneel down on one knee?  It’s not easy.  That’s all I’m going to say about that.  Whew!  Thank you, Coach Scot, for all your help tonight!

So, you’ve seen lots of the action shots, but tonight we spent an evening at the park getting some cuties to grin back at us for a few seconds.  Here’s a peek at what we got for all you Outlaw parents out there!

All you other folks out there reading this blog will just have to endure!  I know you’ll barely be able to handle it.  Try to be tough.

Why, you ask, is Ty the only one wearing shades?  Well, for those of you who aren’t on my Facebook friend list…he has a major case of pink eye or something like it.  I really didn’t want to gross anyone out with eye goo.  Therefore, I allowed him to bless you with his batman sunglasses!

Remember, he hates for me to take his picture.  So, while every other child is showing me some sort of grin, mine is giving me the stink-eye look – LITERALLY!  Ha!

Much love to you guys on this Terrific Tuesday!  I’m glad you all survived to the end of the post.

Have a great day!

Last night, I finished two sessions, got the CDs in the mail today, and even got some prop shopping done!  With all that off my mind, I guess the fog began to lift.  THEN, a little lightbulb moment.  Uhm…HELLO, loser photographer lady….YOU HAVE A CONTEST WINNER TO ANNOUNCE!!!!

Please forgive “loser photographer lady” for not announcing the beautiful mom winner on the day I was supposed to announce her.  I’m over a week late.  I know this.  Since you’ve had to wait so long, I think I’ll also throw in a few FREE prints with this winner’s session.  [**big smile, wink wink**]

Before I announce the winner for this month, please remember I am still accepting nominations for beautiful women you know.  YOU CAN NOMINATE YOURSELF.  The session’s focus will be on the winner, not on her family.  However, if it’s important to her, she can choose to include her family in a few of the shots.  I’m totally okay with that!  I simply want this to be about HER.  To read more about this contest, go HERE.  You may nominate women by emailing me or by messaging me on Facebook.

Here’s the letter I received nominating this beautiful mom winner:

“Just a few reasons why my mom is so special to me…

Having survived Hemangiosarcoma twice, a very rare and deadly cancer, my mother will never be the same. Not only was her strength and unwavering faith in our Lord Jesus Christ revealed, but also her abounding care and compassion for others. On the chemo floor, my mother was enduring 5 days of 24-hour treatment every 21 days for many months. She was one of the favorite patients because of her humor and determination to beat this battle with cancer. During this past year, I have seen my mother grow so much in her faith. Christ has worked through her in so many different ways. If you need something, she is the first to volunteer. If you need prayers, your name is at the top of her list. My mother is my best friend. I can’t say enough about the many different ways I love her! With the 1 year anniversary of her 2nd diagnosis approaching, I can’t help but to reflect on what a miracle it is that she is with us today making a difference in so many lives through her testimony of faith.”

After reading that letter, I was thinking how weak a person I am…How I sometimes complain about random things beyond my control…Or how I gripe about being too busy…etc…etc…

After reading that letter, I started to feel very thankful for my health, my friends, and my family.  I began to feel a bit silly for complaining about such small, mundane things.  I stopped, if only for a few minutes, to breathe in everything that is good in my life.  Because, truly, I have nothing to complain about.

This month’s winner is Bonnie Bower.

Congratulations, Bonnie.  AND, thank you, Lindsay, for nominating such an inspirational woman for this contest.  I can’t wait to meet her and photograph her beautiful smile from the inside out.

See you soon!

BONUS Post!!

More Tee-ball.  Meet Pryce!

You know I can’t write a post without including some sort of photos for your enjoyment, right?  I know you may be tired of all the tee-ball photos, but that’s what my life consists of right now.  It’s June and tee-ball is in full swing.  This time around, though, I wasn’t snapping photos of Ty.  I was snapping photos of this green-eyed cutie!

When Pryce’s mom saw the photos I’d posted of Ty’s tee-ball team and of the Sweet Cleats, she emailed and asked if I’d be willing to shoot some photos of Pryce’s game.  I thought about it for a split second and then figured, why not!  I love me some baseball!

If you are interested in having some action shots taken of your son or daughter during their favorite sport, you can!  Email me and I’ll give you a personal quote based on the sport and location.  Minimum charge is $100 for 45 minutes worth of action. AND, yes, you will receive a disc including print release which allows you to make as many reprints as you’d like for personal use.

Okay, enough about me.  Back to Pryce!

What is it about baseball players and their hat?  I always seem to get this shot.  It’s perfect, though, isn’t it.

Pryce was all business in that green uniform.  It’s obvious, he has “baseball fever” bad.  I can’t wait to see what he looks like on the field in a few more years!

That was so funny!  Every time the ball was hit, he’d bounce in the air just a bit from the exhileration of it all.  Hilarious!

Here he is running the bases after a pretty good hit, himself!

On first base.

Made it to second base!

Headed for third!

Go, Pryce, go!

I promised you’d be seeing pink polka-dots today!  You know I’m always one to deliver…

Meet Katie.  Katie is Spencer’s (a.k.a. runs-like-wind) sister from yesterday’s post.

Katie is a LOT like Spencer when it comes to hustling.  She plays first base, but I’m pretty sure she covered EVERY base at some point during the game.  I’m not exaggerating either!  Notice, she’s covering home plate in the shot above.  She’s swings the bat pretty well, too.

Go, Katie, go!

All the girls did a really great job!  I wish I’d gotten this many good shots during Ty’s game.  Unfortunately, there’s not quite as much action since they’re a bit younger and less experienced.  Instead of throwing the ball to whatever base, they run over with the ball and stand in front of the batter to block the baseline.  It’s pretty funny!

These cute gals were running, throwing, tagging, and hitting like crazy!

Just look at the concentration on her face.  She’s throwing from 3rd base all the way to 1st!

Even the outfielders were always ready!

I guess pink doesn’t make you wimpy after all…these girls were rough and tough AND ready to play some baseball!

Batter up, Emerie!  SUH-WING!

Emerie’s mom, Amy, is one of the coaches and a good friend of mine.  She’s gonna like these pics of her daughter swinging like a pro!  Wait!  There she is right now!

Whew!  Made it to first base!  I guess it’s not just the boys that like to stick out their tongues…

And here she is plowing into home plate – she made it all the way around to score!  Way to go, Emerie!

Addie’s up!

Addie’s mom, Lindsay, is another one of the coaches.  She’s also a friend of mine!  In fact, both ladies are in my bunko group…I could tell you all kinds of crazy stories.  BUT, I’ll save that for another day….

Oh, look.  There’s Lindsay now!  She’s gonna love that shot!  HEE HEE!

In the meantime…here’s what was going on behind me while I wasn’t paying attention.  Yes, I did have the boys with me.  Remember?

Jaxon is Amy’s little one (6 weeks younger than Wes, but MUCH MUCH bigger!), Harry is Lindsay’s little guy, and we all know who Wes is – he’s pretty well-known around these here parts.  What you don’t know is Joanna (Kensy’s momma) is supposed to be dugout mom.  Instead, she’s having to watch my kid so I can take photos.  I was snapping shots and hollering out batting order all at the same time!  Sheesh!

Ty was running around chasing Spencer (since he obviously stayed for the second game, too) somewhere…I’m sure someone was watching him!

I did have one dugout buddy besides all the girls dressed in pink…

I can’t go without sharing some photos of Kensy.  Now, can I?  She is a cousin, after all!  AND, she’s super cute to boot!

Here she is in all her baseball glory…

and heading back in to rest after a nice run of the bases…

Okay, I promise that’s all the tee ball for a while…we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.  Have a great day!

At any rate, I’ve mostly left the camera at home since I usually have a two year old attached to my hip.  But, for a couple of games, I’ve made a pretty decent effort to get some good photos of the players in action.  It’s a bit of a challenge for me since I’ve never really been much of a sports photographer.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done my fair share of team photos – just not action shots.  So, here we go…

This is how Ty usually looks when in the outfield.  He really doesn’t move a whole lot – even when the ball comes his direction.  Hopefully, he’ll figure it out one of these days.

This week’s game was a scorcher.  Most of the kids were really hot and tired by the time “game over” was called.  I couldn’t  tell you who won and I don’t think most of them could either.

I took a million different photos, but I won’t be sharing all of them since I’m not sure their parents would love having the photos here on my blog.   However, many of the families are past clients of mine and I figure they know the routine and will get over it.  HA!

Keep in mind there was no shade whatsoever and the lighting was changing constantly.  Some shots are really blown out, while others seem dark.  BUT, I love them all the same!  Just look at this little cutie!

It’s so funny how the boys seem to have their tongues out in nearly every shot!  I wonder if that makes them run faster, hit the ball harder, or concentrate any better…

I guess I’ll have to ask them.

Spencer would run the entire field after a ball if you’d let him… AND, watch out once he gets it because the little guy can run like the wind!

Speaking of Spencer, here’s his big sis who I just happened to have in class a very long time ago…  She’s a pretty good score-keeper, too!  Love ya, Miss Lydia!

Ty got to be one of the team captains at this week’s game.  I’m pretty sure all that meant was he helped decide who took the field first…  Way to go, Ty!

Did I mention it was a HOT game?  Just look at that red face!  Oh, and don’t forget to check out the cool Batman sunglasses…you wouldn’t want to miss those.More action from Spencer!

Way to keep an eye on him boys!

Hey!  The girls can move quick, too, ya know!

Once the game was over, Ty decided to give up his team coke in exchange for a fruit punch snow cone!  Probably not a bad idea…This week we stayed late to see his cousin, Kensy, play.  You’ll see more of her team tomorrow…but, for now, here’s a tiny peek of what’s to come!

Kensy is on the right acting like a goofball.  Can you tell she’s related?  Be sure to take notice of the polka-dot socks and the name…Sweet Cleats!

Lordy be!  Thank goodness I have boys!

I met up with this group of gals at a local park for some very untraditional (is that a word?) HS Pom pics.  I was pretty excited to get to do something a little different and to have a LOT of fun with these girls (there were 22 of them!).

They are having to wait quite a while to get their proofs, so for fun I thought I'd give them a bit of a sneak peek into our crazy session! 

Here ya go girls!


That was the most traditional shot – now it's out of the way…

those are shoes they're throwing in the air (they decided they didn't need them for the next few shots)






they requested that one…kinda cool with such a large group…


and now, some of the beautiful girls themselves!














































Okay, I think that's ALL of them!  Whew!  I'm worn out after that post!

I promise to do a real post (with photos of something besides little girls in pink) tonight.  Until then, enjoy.

But, seriously, I had a great time!  I can't wait to get them all proofed and online for the parents to see.  My biggest problem now is deciding which pose to use for each girl's package.  I'm thinking I'm gonna have to upload them all and let them pick.  I know, I know… that's not how it's usually done, but who said I was the usual kind of photographer!

Anyway, I happen to be good buddies with a couple of the parents and my neice Kensy is on the team, too.  That means I get to post a sneak peek (I didn't get releases from any of the other parents)!  There are some super cool shots you won't get to see, but I can give you a little taste of how I spent my evening. 

By the way, if you're a parent from the team and want to see a sneak peek of your own kiddo, feel free to email me and I'll get one posted!