DON'T Smile!!!

My session tonight with the Davis family was so much fun and ended up being a parenting lesson in the fine art of reverse psychology!  :)  Lala is a family friend (in fact, was my mom's best friend since childhood) and her son Brian is my age.  He now has a daughter Kelsey's age, and Lala wanted to do a group photo session of the family.  Brian schooled me in the use of reverse psychology to get Elizabeth to show her winning smile by demanding that she NOT smile at all.  It was so funny and we took some great pictures.  She is a such a sweet little girl, so smart and talkative, and I had lots of fun with her.  The whole family is special to us and I am grateful they trusted me to take their pictures.  Lala, Lynn, Brian, Amanda, and Elizabeth-- thanks for letting me hang out tonight and snap some pics!  I'm so glad we did it.

Mother/Daughter Time...

Tina's a coworker of mine and she had asked me to take some pictures of her and her mom while her mom is in town this summer.  I had done a fall shoot of Tina and her husband this past year.  I was so honored to get to spend an afternoon (that was, thankfully, cloudy) with them and snap some sweet pictures of them.  Thanks, Tina, and Mom, it was great to meet you too!  

They're Just Summer Girls--

they wear their flip-flops, when they get together, the party never stops!  

My two babies... growing up too fast... radiant in red... winsome in white... perfect together... precious little feet... silly crooked grins... wouldn't trade them for the world!

I Love My Life...

and all the people in it!  My little family of four did our own beach session, which actually didn't go so well due to the harsh sunlight (the last day, so no afternoon was possible) and my childrens' inability to keep their eyes open in said sunlight.  However, we got a very few good ones, so I thought I would include them on here.  I often imagined my "grown up life" as a child, and I don't think even I could ever imagine that it would be as good as it is.  These girls are the most precious things in the world to me and I can't imagine life without them.  Being married to Kraig, my very best friend, is something that I cherish every day.  We have such a great time together, all four of us.  (Though the other three would tell you that those great times typically do not take place when I am taking pictures of them!)

These are Our People

This was not the best one, as far as everyone looking at the camera, but I LOVE the moment captured between the two littlest, Kelsey and Kaleb.  They will probably always have a bond as the two youngest of the clan.  

It's the way we were made, wouldn't have it any other way... These are our people!  

Sing it, Rodney Atkins!  We had our Davis Family Beach Vacation this past week to our typical location, Indian Shores, FL.  This is such a fun week for all of us, to get to spend time relaxing with our West Virginia family on the beach.  The cousins have a ball fighting playing together and we adults like to shop and go to casinos spend quality time on the beach.  I am so blessed to have married into a family like Kraig's that is so much like my own.  I love them all very much and am privileged to be part of them.

A Mom and Her Girl

Just before we left for our vacation (hours before, in fact!), the Varners came over for a mother-daughter session.  They were a lot of fun for me to photograph and had a great bond with each other.  Thankfully, the weather was overcast and not as hot as it had been, so we were pretty comfortable getting our great pictures!  Here they are, ladies.  Hope you love them!

Shiny Happy People

Last Thursday night I had a great time taking some pictures of some of my favorite people (and family members!).  The light was perfect, the family was beautiful, the shade was magnificent and made it 105º instead of 110º slightly cooler.  Michelle and Freddy, Chloe and Kassidy, I had a wonderful time taking your pictures and I hope you just love them.  Believe me when I say that in a day of families tearing each other apart, often on national television, you all are a great example of God's version of the family.

Royal Family Kids Camp

This is basically how Todd and I spent our week.  (Not of each other, but you get the idea.)
The Sheepfold was the drama this year.  The kids LOVED it.
The staff had a lot of fun too!
THE QUEEN.  Enough said.  :)
The Sheepfold shirts for the kids.
The tree that we plant every year to bury the childrens' bad memories.  This year it was in honor of Uncle Dennis, who had been at RFKC every year since its inception and went on to be with Jesus two weeks before camp this year.
KEENS!  Soles for Souls partnered with RFKC this year and gave each camper a new pair of shoes!  There were several of these adorable Keens in the mix.  Nike also gave each camper an awesome bathing suit.
Craft time is a favorite among RFKC campers!
We have an Everybody's Birthday Party every year.  The kids get a present and have cake and ice cream.  This year was a beach theme party.
The beautiful cakes.
Archery, though an iffy event for the photographer standing beside them taking the photo, is an activity on the top of most campers' lists.
Arrival of the big yellow bus into camp is my favorite part of camp.
This year's staff shirt.
Canoeing is a lot of fun for everyone (usually especially adults!).  :)
Reflective canoeing time.

Royal Family Kids Camp is an organization that my church has been involved with for eleven years now.  This year was my first year to attend camp as the official photographer rather than as a counselor, a role I have played for seven years.  The children each leave camp with a photo album of their week of positive memories.  It's kind of complex, however, because no other children can be pictured in their albums.  I obviously cannot post any photos that show the children, but here are a few I took that might tell a little of the story of camp.  If you are interested in learning more about this camp, in donating, or anything else, please feel free to contact me.  This is probably the ministry closest to my heart and I love to talk about it!  :)