So, this was a big week over here in my household!  My daughter, my only child, has started kindergarten.  It’s been a huge transition because in our district, it’s all day kindergarten.  It’s a very fun and exciting time for all of us, but I can’t help but feel a little sad that she’s growing up too quickly.  I was telling Brent that I feel like we only get them for 5 short years, and then the schools get them for the rest.  A little unfair and slightly exaggerated, I know,  but I know it’s for her best.

She did really well this week and in fact by day 3 would run through the gate so that she could be the first one on the swings.  She just learned how to swing on her own, and she’s so proud of herself!  The only really hard day was yesterday when it dawned on her that this is an everyday thing.  She cried and begged to come home with me.  I held it together until she was out of site, then I cried.  I know it will get easier, and I’m so thankful for her amazing teacher, who is so sweet and caring, just as I hoped she would be for my daughter.

Here are some pictures of her on her first day of school.

I love this age!  They are so full of innocence and sweetness plus they are usually past the I’m going to run away from the camera stage too which is great!  I love these Mother Daughter pictures and would adore having some of my very own like these too.  How special it is for them to have these!  Hmmm….do you think my daughter will sit still enough for me to run back and forth from behind the camera to in front of camera?  This location I found on one of my location hunts and it’s a real gem.  I’m thinking I want my fall family pictures done here.  Now, I just need to figure out our outfits.   My Husband is going to love me!!

These guys were so much fun!  Even though they hate having pictures done…. well let’s be honest all guys hate it…. they were great and were still smiling at the end of it all.  I joked with them that my Husband HATES pictures and the poor guy is always getting suckered into having pictures taken.  I’m sure they were thinking, “I’m not marrying or even dating a photographer!!!”   The light was beautiful this day and I’m in love with the spring weather.  Enjoy!

These kids have the most amazing eyes!  As a photographer I’m in love with great eyes and these kiddos have it!  We had a lot of fun at this session and the kids were full of energy as well as wanting to play at the park instead of pictures, but we managed well and the pictures turned out beautiful.  The little lady’s dress is to die for and I asked her if I could borrow it, but she told me I was too big.  Oh if only I could shrink, in more then one way mind you!    Do you think maybe she would let me borrow her shoes?

Alright!!, I have way to many sessions to post and I promise I will get to them, but for now, here is one of my new favorites!

This amazing family told me they were up for anything so I took that to heart and took them to one of my new favorite places I like to call the Junkyard.  These kiddos were soooo good!  I could have taken their picutres all day, but towards the end, bathroom breaks were a must and we had to call it quits.   With all the rain we’ve been having, the weeds are out of control and they are so much fun to have in photographs.  I really wished they would stick around all year. 

Every year I take Ashlee out in her new Easter Dress and do a mini shoot with her.  I can not believe how much she has grown up this past year.  When I look at her pictures she seems so much older and mature than I realized.  It’s so sad, yet I’m excited for her and the new things she learns every day.

She has been such a strength for me these past weeks.  I’m beyond blessed to have her as my daughter.  It’s amazing how much kids can teach you.

A few things I never want to forget about my daughter:

• Her sweet laugh
• Her perfect “blueberry” eyes
• The gleam she gets in her eyes when she’s about to say something funny
• How excited she gets when we make goodies together
• The way she holds and takes care of her own baby dolls, she’s going to be an amazing mother someday
• She is always caring and asking us if she can help, a true sweetheart.
• How little she is at this very moment.

Here is her slideshow…ENJOY!

Here are some of my favorites….

My sweet sister in law has been waiting so patiently for these pictures.  I’ve had these sitting on my computer and waiting to be edited since November when I was no longer able to take pictures because of my pregnancy.  It was just a quick 5 min shoot in the backyard, but those are always the best and I love them. *sigh*

*Update* on me….I’m doing a lot better.  I still have my good days and bad days, but there seem to be more good days than bad.  Ashlee and I just received our “Cade” necklaces that I will have to show off here soon.  They are adorable and I love that I have something to wear that will not only literally keep him close to my heart but it also gives me something to remember him.

I will also be doing some business changes here soon that I  KNOW everyone will be so excited about and love.

Thank you again for all the emails, comments and cards that were sent to us.  We feel so loved and are so blessed to have so many people who care about us.  Thank you again!

Okay, so I’m wayyyy behind!  The Winter/Fall gave me and my daughter a BIG welcome by supplying us with a flu/cold that most definitely isn’t 24 hours!!!   I’m just now able to function enough to do what I can to catch up.  An ER visit was almost a must for me, but I was able to push through it and here I am still trying to stay afloat!  I’ve had to rejuggle so many sessions, thank goodness for wonderful understanding clients!  Boo on you flu season!  Here is a sneak peek that I know Mom is super excited to see!

So, this session was supposed to be held in this gorgeous field that I had specifically scouted out for this particular family….well, when we got there on there session day, someone decided they needed to mow down the entire field leaving only the brownest dirt and trees.  CRAP!!!  So, we improvised and it turned out gorgeous!  I love the fall feel to these.  Of course this gorgeous family can outshine any background I put them in!   Love you guys!

PS. Remember to Enter the contest a post down from this one!

If you don’t know already….I ADORE pictures that show family connection and love!  They are so sweet and priceless and every time you walk by it hanging on your wall, it will put a smile on your face regardless of the mood you may be in. 

This one is my FAVORITE!  Makes me smile everytime I see it!  I love that you can tell what each kid is thinking!

I am fully into the Christmas season and trying so hard to keep my head afloat.  I love this time of year working with past and new clients.

For those of you who don’t follow me on facebook here are some recent pictures that I haven’t had a chance to post here.  We went out on a location scout and I LOVE this place.  The lighting was beautiful and so was “Tinkerbell”

It’s a bittersweet moment when you send your child off to school for the first time and watch them walk away into a new and exciting adventure.  My daughter is in her last year of preschool.  I am savoring every moment of this year before I have to send her to Kindergarten.  As a read the blogs of other fellow Moms who are sending their kids off to Kindergarten for the first time, it makes me excited, anxious and scared all at the same time to think of the fact that I will be on that same path next year.  You Moms out there….any advice? Is it as hard as I’m thinking it will be?

Ashlee is one of my dearest blessings in my life.  She and I do everything together.  I’m so proud of the young lady she is turning into and I know she will excel at whatever she sets her mind to.  I am so grateful for pictures that have captured each and every milestone she has gone through. I hold them close to my heart.

Here she is on her first day of Pre-K.