I have had the pleasure of knowing Kate, Ellen & Audrey since birth and can honestly say that they only seem to geet sweeter with time! If you’ve been visiting here for a while, you might remember their session with mom & dad about this time last year. And let’s take a minute to discuss their momma, my dear friend Deanna. Deanna is truly one of the most creative individuals that I have ever had the honor to work with. She has the best, most fun ideas and this session was no exception. This time around, she decided that she wanted to use three 36″ balloons in the photos, an idea that  I loved, loved, loved.

The day of the shoot, I arrived to find Deanna inflating balloons with her own helium tank out of the trunk of her car – Crazy girl! Things were going along just perfectly when the tank ran out of helium after having only inflated two of the balloons. I would have crumpled to a heap in the parking lot, but being the good sport that she is, Deanna just shrugged it off and we set about taking some pictures. But then – as luck would have it, one of the balloons caught the breeze and flew away after only a few clicks of the shutter! Again, this could have been a deal breaker, but you know what? As cool as it would have been to have three big balloons, these lovelies proved what I truly believe – It’s not about the props, it’s about the people! And speaking of people, let’s take a look at these sweet sisters, shall we?

Oh Kate, you are delightful! So very lovely, so full of personality – and growing up so fast!

This next one might just be my favorite of the day:

Ellen, you are a little peach! So, so, so spunky and vivacious! I have no choice but to smile when I’m around you.

Audrey, you are the perfect little sister. Sassy & sweet, that’s what you are! And those big eyes of yours? Wow.

Audrey’s face in these next two is priceless. Don’t you agree?

I can not imagine what it is going to be like at Jon & Deanna’s house in 10 years or so. The one thing I’m pretty sure of is Jon might have to arm himself and sleep on the porch to keep all the potential suitors away! These girls are amazing and I always love spending time with them and their wonderful momma. Deanna, I hope you enjoy your little peek and I’ll have the rest ready soon!

We shot these images in Midway, a sweet little town not far from Lexington. Had it not been about 1,000 degrees outside that day, I daresay we would have walked around and played for hours – but because we are all sweating profusely, we got the job done in less than an hour. Not bad, if I do say so myself!

I miss this precious family more than I can say. Thankfully, though, one of the beautiful things about lifelong friendships is that you always pick up right where you left off the last time you were together. That’s what we have, and I am so grateful for that.

Jenni, I love you and your boys so much. Thanks for being patient with me as I worked on these images for you. I hope you love them and can see youselves the way I do – You are magic!

Oh, and in case you missed it, there are a few more of Jenni and Phillip from this session that I posted here. Enjoy!

The morning we were scheduled to shoot was absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful sunshine all around … for about the first 30 minutes or so … then the dark clouds appeared and the bottom fell out! We hid out in our cars for a few minutes before making the call to reschedule for the next day. Thankfully, it was the right call and we were able to finish up  - this time with the help of Cameron’s bubble machine!

Do you see what I mean about her eyes???

Time for bubbles! Bubbles + Cameron = Delightful Perfection!

Lorie, I hope you enjoy this little peek! Cameron is such a beautiful, charming little girl and I am having so much fun working on these for you. I will be in touch very soon when everything is ready to view!

I absolutely, positively and completely adore this family. Being with them feels like being with my own family, so it’s always laid back and fun. Lots and lots of laughter and smiles this time around - and more laughter, and more laughter … so much laughter, in fact, I am shocked that they didn’t shoo us right out of the library! But seriously – once you see the expressions and poses we were getting out of Miss Sophie Brown, I am willing to bet you’ll be smiling and laughing, too!

At one point during our time together, Matt & Emily put on quite the puppet show. Sophie was completely engrossed in their antics, just as they are both completely engrossed in her. What a delight to watch! And thanks to that puppet show, we got my very favorite shot of the day – the 4th image below. Are you kidding me?

Now let’s discuss these next two images, shall we? Emily brought along this precious (and oh, so appropriate!) book that was a gift from a good friend. It was hilarious watching Sophie try and hold it up since it’s nearly as big as she is! And that expression on the right? Totally Sophie – I do believe I had tears streaming down my face at that point, I was laughing so hard!

Oh my, what fun can be had at the library! Of course, this sweet family would be fun standing in a cardboard box! And if you can’t get enough of sweet Sophie and her parents, you can see more of them here – when Sophie was still a bun in the oven, a newborn and three months old. It’s almost too much sweetness to take in! BUT – just in case it’s not enough for you – you really, really, really must check out Emily’s website, little e studio! Sophie’s mom is a gifted artist  and her mixed-media paintings are incredible. Each piece she creates is so full of love and passion – So please be sure and check her out. And treat yourself to a painting by a local artist!!

Emily, as always, I was honored to photograph Sophie for you. I hope you enjoy this little sneak peek and I’ll have the rest ready for you soon!

What a joy it has been to watch her grow! I can hardly get over how much she has changed since I first photographed her at home at three months old. And then there were the fun six month shots we did in my dining room! When she turned nine months old, I headed back to her house to catch her in her own environment. And now she is ONE. I can hardly believe it! This time, we were able to head outside for the first time and I must say, I think these are my favorites of the year!

Angie, it has been such a pleasure capturing your beautiful little girl over the last year. She is a treasure, just like you! Enjoy these images and I’ll have the rest to you soon!

Permission to Create. Now there’s an interesting idea. Her words struck me as I began to realize that somewhere along the way, I stopped doing just that. When I started this business a little over a year ago, I wasn’t afraid to try new things, to experiment, to succeed – or even to fail. At some point, I started measuring my success by how well I pleased everyone else, and in so doing I lost myself. I stopped experimenting – stopped playing – stopped having fun!

I had been thinking a lot about this idea of giving myself Permission to Create when we took a weekend trip to Kentucky to visit our dear friends who recently moved there. Jenni has always been a huge support and encouragement to me and part of the reason for our trip was a family photo shoot. I remember asking what kind of “feel” she was looking for in her photographs – If she had any specific editing style she wanted me to use. She responded with these words: “You just do your creative Mary Alice thing, and I am sure that I will love it!” And with that sentence, Jenni had done for me what I hadn’t figured out how to do for myself. So, thanks for the permission, Jenni – I love you!

That said, here are a few images of Jenni and her Phillip. I love the soft, vintage-y feel – very different from my usual style! I have lots more of the whole family to share, but I’m not quite done with those yet.

This next  image makes me really, really happy. And not only because my sweet friends were willing to risk ticks and chiggers for me but because normally, I would have only posted this image in color (because it’s oh, so bright and lovely in color). Also, I had intended for it to be flipped the other way, but I was watching Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” while I was editing and well…looking at this image sort of made me feel like they’re falling down the rabbit hole. Which is kind of like being in love, right?

Thank you, Jenni and Phillip for being such willing subjects. I love you both, and I’ll have the ones with the kids up soon!

Brandon’s lovely wife, Sheryl, is also incredibly gifted. That girl can sing like an absolute angel and has also begun her own floral design business. So if you are looking for stunning arrangements for your wedding or another occasion, you should definitely check out her website here. I can’t recommend her enough, for both her talent and her sweet spirit.

And now, without further ado, I give you some of my favorite images of my friend – the one and only BST. Check them out, leave a little comment love if you are so inclined and go check out Brandon and Sheryl on the web!

I hope everyone is well and having a great summer.  I know it’s been a little quiet on the ol’ blog as of late, but that’s about to change. I’ll be back soon with a couple of sweet girlies, some silly boys and a wonderful family close to my heart. So, please come back soon!

OK. I have to pause your swooning to say how much I love, love, love what bright beautiful sunlight can do to a photograph. It doesn’t always work out, but every now and then, I get a shot like this and it makes my heart sing:

Oh Elizabeth, I had so much fun with you guys at the park! I’ll be in touch ASAP about the rest of your images. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy looking at and sharing these. Give Harper a big kiss for me!

Have a beautiful day, everyone. Until next time . . .

This little lady absolutely melts my heart. I could go on and on, but I am trying to get this post up for her wonderful mommy, who is anxious to see a little peek! Angie, I am so sorry we missed each other at church yesterday, but you’ll be seeing the rest very soon!

Much love, everyone!

In thirteen days, he will be six.

S I X .

He’s been counting down since April 1st.

He is growing up before my very eyes.

I know every parent feels that way, but seriously.

He has been expressing lots of emotion lately and is really attached to us.

He loves his friends fiercely and has been blessed with many who love him in return.

He has a bright spirit and a beautiful, compassionate heart.

He still asks God every night to take care of the earthquake victims in Haiti and Chile.

This morning he read 27 pages of Green Eggs and Ham to me.

He would have finished had we not had to leave for school.

He gives the BEST hugs and kisses.

And I mean the BEST.

He asks LOTS of questions.

And I mean LOTS.

He is anxiously awaiting his first loose tooth.

He is incredibly polite and well-spoken.

He no longer wants to be a Paleontologist when he grows up.

He wants to be a Paleontologist and a Monster Truck driver.

His sweet raspy voice and southern drawl melt my heart.

His daddy is his hero.

And he is his daddy’s pride and joy.

He loves Jesus.

He’s head-over-heels for a girl named Emmy.

It’s a good thing she’s crazy about him too.

His laughter is contagious.

He loves playing PlayStation 2, Wii and the DS.

He kicks my tail in every single game we play.

He has an unbelievable sense of humor.

Seriously, little dude is side-splitting hilarious.

He always reaches up to take our hands in public and still screams “I LOVE YOU!” as he runs up the steps to school.

He loves basketball and will be going to basketball camp this summer.

He is very concerned with eating healthy food so that he can grow up big and strong like his daddy.

He also wants us to eat healthy food so that we don’t die.

I’m totally with him on that one.

I am blessed to be able to watch who he is becoming.

His big brown eyes reflect the person I want to be.

He holds my heart in his hands.

He is my one and only.

And he is almost six.