:: future NBA All-Star ::

This boy obviously practices passing the ball with his dad ... he's got quite the throw. I playfully asked him to toss it to me thinking it'd travel a few feet. Instead I found myself protecting my head. :)

Luke is so cute though that I told his mom and dad that they were free to drop him off at my house anytime. His laugh is infectious and his typical three year old pronunciations had me smiling from ear to ear.

:: full of personality ::

I photographed these two with their four other brothers and sisters this summer so I was excited to have them back. Talk about a family full of fun personality!!

:: good neighbors ... great friends ::

I think anyone who has had a conversation with me about Byron knows that I LOVE my neighborhood. We have been very lucky to live by young families who have grown to become great friends. McKenna, Tyler and their parents fall into that category. Tyler is about a year and a half older than Riley and McKenna is only about 2 months younger than Paige so we've gotten to know them very well via visits to the "Knudson Park" and many summer nights around the firepit.

I totally believe in a little bribery every once in a while. I discovered McKenna loves cheese and suckers. I offered both ... but she only took me up on the suckers. I hope mom and dad weren't too upset with me ... I think I sent their kids home totally sugared up from suckers. Ha ha.

:: meet alex ::

I love new clients! I have to admit, I get really nervous before any session (you'd think the whole nervous thing would have stopped once I got 10, 20 or 30 sessions under my belt but it hasn't) but I'm even more nervous before a session with a new family. I always want people to feel comfortable and relaxed. My sessions aren't timed so I try to make sure to give plenty of time for the kids (and parents) to warm up.

Well, my nerves were put to rest when I actually met Alex and his family. After giving him a little time to warm up (with a little help from dad singing some Wiggles and various other songs), we had an awesome session. Laughing, dancing, singing ... we had it all. By the time they left I was getting "high-fives" from him. He did GREAT! And to top it all off, his big sister was sitting on my lap by the end while I talked to mom. This is why I love photography. It lets me meet really cool families that I otherwise wouldn't have the chance to.

So thank you to Alex and his family ... I hope you enjoy all your images!!

Special thank you to Bella for showing little brother that having your picture taken wasn't all bad.

:: let's dust this thing off ::

Hello out there? Is anyone around?

No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth ... I just needed a little break after the fall/Christmas rush. I was so, SO blessed with such awesome clients who wanted Christmas photos and cards that I kind of wore myself out. It's a common occurrence with photographers ... even my husbands cousin commented that she'd noticed some of my photographer friends had slowed down their blog postings.

I am, however, back with some really exciting news. All my clients will now be able to place their own orders via my proofing website!! I was a bit hesitant at first about doing this ... I feel like I'm giving up part of my service towards you, my clients. But after having a few clients test the ordering process, they actually came up with some great pro's to placing their own orders. Here is some info for those of you who haven't tried it yet.

• When in your gallery, you'll see an "Add to Cart" button in the upper right hand corner of your screen. Once you add the photo you'd like to purchase to your cart, you'll be able to select the sizes you'd like to order. Please note: Additional sizes and products can be found under the drop down menu at the top of your screen. The default is set for "Smaller Prints" (8 x 12's and smaller).
• Payments are made directly to the website by credit card ... which, if you're like me, you'll love because of earning credit card rewards points. Ha ha
• Prints can be sent directly to you. No need to come out to Byron to pick up your prints.
• I often hear that "My mom hasn't let me know which prints she'd like" and I totally get that. This way, if mom doesn't let you know ... mom can order her OWN prints herself. :) Anyone you give the link and password to will be able to order prints.
  
• I will be making sure to confirm all orders before they're sent off to the printer. This is just to make sure that all the cropping and settings are okay before being printed.

I'd love to hear feedback once you've had a chance to order through the site!

And because a post on a photography blog with out actual photos just doesn't seem right, here is some of what kept me busy in November and December ...