Lucas and Grant June 2013

Lucas and Grant.  Let me introduce you to Lucas... he's 4 years old, has big huge eyes, a killer smile, lots of energy and melts your heart when you talk to him AND his brother, Grant... he's 1 year old, has big blue eyes, likes to be chased, looks up to his big brother and is pretty much adorable with a capital A!

I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with these 2 little boys earlier this week.  We met at the park and "played" for over an hour.  I was so impressed because 45 minutes seems to be the magic time period for photographing kids under 5 and these boys stayed with me for almost 90 minutes!

I got a work out chasing them around the park and of course, snapping away to capture their cute personalities!  I even got a hug from Lucas at the end... aw, so sweet!!  Grant was way too busy running off to explore (I bet his Mom gets a daily work out - smile!).

I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!

Thanks for playing at the park with me Lucas and Grant (and thanks to Mom and cousin Amanda for all their help during the session!!).

Chapman Family

Oh my goodness, my FIRST class of first graders is all grown up and now have children that may be in my class next year!!  I know that should make me feel old, but honestly, it just  makes me feel proud and happy that they have become wonderful, successful adults.

Jessica was a first grader in my VERY first group of first graders.  This year I'm finishing up my 24th year of teaching first grade, so I guess it was inevitable that I would start seeing children from my former students.

I was thrilled when Jessica contacted me to take her family photos.  Seeing her with her family made it obvious that she is happy and an amazing mother... and has found true love with her husband.  Nothing could make me more proud and happy of my former student.  ...and though she is all grown up, I can still see the tiny, beautiful, very quiet little girl who stepped into my classroom many years ago.

We decided to have our session at the park in Tiffin and it turned out to be a beautiful morning!  We hung out at the park for about an hour and got some great shots.  The little boys were adorable and anxious to help me out by carrying stools and helping to make someone smile.   Even her sweet little 11 month old baby girl was just perfect.  This is a such a close knit, loving family and it's easy to see that in their photos!

I hope the Chapman family photos put a smile on your face... I know they did for me!!

Shayla

My most recent photo session took place on a very cold Saturday morning in April.  My subject was a lovely young girl who I've known for a very long time.  Many years ago, she was a student in my first grade classroom.  It's hard to believe that the cute little girl who loved to be silly and had a great imagination has grown up to be a confident young woman who is on her way to becoming an amazing adult!

After a bit of scheduling and re-scheduling (due to the removal of her braces) we finally set a date for our photo session... and wouldn't you know it, the temperatures DROPPED considerably and provided a very chilly day for our session.  Not to worry though, Shayla was such a pro and you'd never know she was shivering and covered with goose bumps in between shots!

I love shooting individuals and especially close up face shots.  While Shayla is lovely on the outside, her inner beauty comes through when she smiles or laughs!  After many clothing changes and a variety of settings, I learned that my former little first grader has grown into a delightful young teen.  She was a JOY to photograph... and if we all weren't FREEZING, I could have worked with her all day!!

You will see in some of the photos below that Shayla is participating in the Miss Teen Ohio Scholarship pageant.  She told me that she is having a lot of fun being part of this program and you can check out her website here (Shayla Thomas).  I'm sure that being part of this program will enable her to develop many skills that will help her succeed in all that she does.  I wish her luck... but more importantly, I hope that she finds joy and happiness in all that she chooses to do!

I hope you enjoy the pictures from her photo session!

Winter 2013

Is winter 2013 really coming to an end?  I know that most people are cheering the arrival of spring... but not me.  Ever since my husband and I started skiing, I LOVE winter!  Every week end feels like a little mini vacation and I'm missing it already - sigh.

Over the past 3 months I've taken a variety of family photos.  Birthday parties, dance competitions, Easter, a ski trip...  and haven't had a chance to blog until now.

The photos below are just a some random images from winter 2013!  I hope you enjoy them.  I'm looking forward to MORE snow next winter!!

My husband and I after a day of skiing at Holimont in Ellicottville, NY.     BLISS!

My beloved K2 skis... I call them my "magic skis" because I had the most amazing day on the slopes the first time I wore them.  I got them as demos (but I was the only person to demo them so they were actually BRAND NEW) for half price!  What a deal!!  LOVE MY SKIS!

My nephew's birthday celebration!  Can he really be 7 years old already!  Isn't he adorable?!!!

My youngest niece - check out the hair bow, she LOVES to accessorize.  In fact, she sometimes wears MANY, MANY accessories! (smile)  Gotta love a girl with her own sense of style!!

The nieces and nephews ready to hunt for Easter Eggs!

Wow, everyone is looking at me AND smiling... I don't know how I managed to get this shot!

This shows my brother and his family last year compared to this year.  I wanted to see how the kids had changed (but I can also see how my photography skills have changed... oh my, a new camera and a year's experience make a HUGE difference)!

Another brother and his family... my niece and nephew are all grown up!  Yikes, how did that happen so fast!?

My lovely niece in her dance costume.  She is an amazing dancer!!

More nieces... having a silly photo shoot with me on Easter!  (all dressed up in their Buckeye gear so they could cheer for the basketball team that night)

Ethan's Winter Photo Session

Ethan and I got together again for the winter part of his senior picture session.  Over our Christmas break we got some GREAT snow so I set up a day for Ethan and I to meet at the park.  It was a GLORIOUS winter day... blue sky, snow on the ground and COLD (very, very cold - which I LOVE but makes for a chilly subject standing in the snow without a coat at times).  Ethan as a good sport and we got some amazing photos (at least I think so)!  

I so loved all the black and white versions of these photos that I am only posting those versions below.  There is just something about white snow and stark trees that makes me LOVE the black and white images better than the color versions.  

Ethan's mom (my friend and colleague) came along and was completely frozen by the finish (and I think Ethan was pretty chilly too :-).  I have to say THANKS to my friend for zipping off to get some hot cocoa for us so we could all warm up.  

I hope you enjoy looking at Ethan's winter Senior pictures.  I still can't believe he will be graduating in May... there will definitely be a void in my classroom next year when he is off at college!!