claire | 9 months

Claire has so many expressions! I think you’ll enjoy seeing a variety of flavors from her. We spent Saturday afternoon at the canal downtown, and it was packed!! I think that everyone got out of hibernation mode and headed to the canal since it was 70 degrees outside. Claire brought her dog Boris along for the shoot. Lots of cute shots of him below too.

So, Miss Claire is 9 months old, and you can definitely tell she’s got a mind of her own. She has very animated facial expressions. It was her first time to get a taste of strawberries today! Judging by the faces she made after she tasted them, it looks like they were a little too sweet for her. However, if you had been there with us, you would know that she LOVES them! She was upset when we put them away. Jess, Brian, Claire and Boris--I hope you like your pictures! I enjoyed our time together!

olivia

Today I got the opportunity to take pictures of Olivia again! I first met the Mills family when Olivia was only about 3 or 4 months old. It was fun to see how big she has gotten. Olivia is one of the best tempered babies I have been around. That makes my job pretty easy! Not to mention she is always dressed to a T. So really, all I have to do is show up with my camera, and I know I’m guaranteed good shots! Today we were at the IMA for the pictures. We weren’t sure how the weather would end up, so we knew this was a beautiful place indoors and outdoors. As you’ll see, most of them were taken inside, but we did brave the cold, wind and snow for several outdoor pictures at the end of our time together. I am privileged to get to take Olivia’s pictures and watch her grow. I am still working on all of the photos, but I wanted to share some of my favorites so far with you. Enjoy!

60th wedding anniversary

On March 5th, my entire family got together to celebrate my grandparent’s 60th wedding anniversary! We all met at Ruby Tuesday’s where we had our own room to enjoy lunch. It was great to see everyone, and it was fun to see the excitement in my grandparent’s eyes. My grandma’s favorite things in life are spending time with family, helping others, and having pictures of her family to share with her buddies! (In the pictures, you’ll see that she’s even wearing a shirt with a picture on it that I took of her, grandpa and the 5 great-grandkids). So we thought the perfect gift for their anniversary would be a huge frame with a big matte that everyone in the family was able to sign and write their congratulatory wishes. In the center was a picture of the two of them from this past Christmas looking so happy. Even those family members that live out of state wrote their messages, and we made sure they were all attached. 60 years together is something that a lot of people never get to experience. I admire their respect for one another and for raising 5 wonderful kids. They have always put family first throughout their lives, and I thank them for all of their support that they have shown each and every one of us.

My grandparents were married 60 years ago at their preacher’s house. Yep, that’s right! No big wedding, no huge reception, no expensive wedding dress; just the two of them, the preacher, the best man and maid of honor. Afterwards, they drove into downtown Anderson to get their wedding pictures taken. I love hearing my grandpa tell that story, because it always reminds me that all good marriages cannot be based on material things. They have to be built on trust and respect for one another. Congratulations, Grandma and Grandpa! I hope we celebrate many more with you! (Oh, and Grandma, your prints have all been ordered, so you should be able to show all of your friends soon!!!)