Lavynder Family {Anytime}

I love unique names...and this family is chalk full of them! Let's start with Betty, who is also know as "Big Momma". Betty is the matriarch of the family. She's fun, she's blunt, she's fierce and she loves her family - period. Then there's Lavynder, who is the mother of a sweeter than sweet 4 month old, Echo. Lavynder's brother, Fathom, and their two sisters, Journey and Carousel were also at this shoot along with Betty's husband, Mike and Betty's parents. What a session!

Big group sessions are usually hard to coordinate...and outside of weddings, I don't do a lot of group shots. You have to snap, snap, snap and KEEP snapping that shutter to make sure you get a shot that is good of everybody. It's awful when you have the perfect photo sitting in front of you, but somebody's eyes are shut. So I snapped away on this session and I am happy with the results. We had a great time, aside from a sticker fiasco, and we shot until the sun went down!

Avery {Anytime}

Warning: This will be a long post!

Avery is Freddy's Goddaughter and, let me tell you, she is one awesome girl! She's become like a little sister to me and we had SO MUCH FUN on our shoot. Avery recently graduated from 5th grade and turned 11 on the same day! So now, she's moving on to bigger and better things in middle school...and after looking at some of these pictures, Mom and Dad better watch out! Little Miss Avery is growing up!

While Freddy and his parents were in Miami...(BOO!)..for his brother's graduation...(YAY!), Avery and I spent a little QT together. Before Avery's and my session in Austin, I stopped by the Tropical Smoothie Cafe and picked up a couple of Sunrise Sunset smoothies. They were so yummy! After talking a bit about Avery's different outfits, we started off our session at a white fence. After having fun and playing with scarves for awhile, we ended up at a nearby lake. It began to cool off and it started getting windy. And windier...and WINDIER. We looked up and the sky was BLACK. I said, "Okay, Avery! We will pick this up tomorrow...time to go home!" As we were walking to the car, Avery's dad called and told us about the TORNADO only 15 miles away from us! EEeeeeekkkkk!

We rushed to Freddy's parents' house and we ended up in the bath tub with flashlights, candles, the dogs and Bob Marley (Freddy's mom's bird). It ended up hailing cats and dogs and the tornado came right over the house. The power went out and we held each other's hands so tight! Thankfully, the tornado flew over without touching in our area.

Needless to say, Avery felt like she needed to stay the night...so we had a sleepover! How fun! I haven't had one of those in a VERY long time! By the next day, the darkness had lifted, the sun came out and we had a perfect day to resume our shoot! After a long day, we wrapped up at a neighborhood park. We set up the tripod a snapped a few goofy pictures of the both of us. I even taught Avery how to focus the camera and she did a pretty great job taking a few shots of me! As we drove home, my heart melted as Avery told me that I was the big sister she always wanted...sniff, sniff! It couldn't have ended on a better note.

Avery, I know you follow my blog...I love you and you are a beautiful gal!

Now, here is the tornado that flew over the house (this was taken with a point and shoot as the local news warned that the tornado shown was directly over our subdivision):



Without further adieu, AVERY!!!







































Avery even snapped a couple of me after I taught her how to focus the camera!







We set up a tripod and took a few to document the occasion!

Abby {Anytime}

Abby is my newest, youngest cousin. Her mother recently married my uncle and I am so ecstatic to have such a sweet, young and vibrant little girl in the family. Kids are funny, the way they have the ability to take you back to when you didn't have bills to pay, work to do or a lawn to mow! It seems like when you are young, you are in such a rush to grow up, but once you are a full-fledged adult, you miss the simplicity of being a kid!! What a Catch-22!

I took these pictures of Abby on Easter Sunday after dinner. She is such a doll...she even offered to help me decorate my studio out back! Uh-oh, here comes another design star!

Fortunes

I love Chinese food. I really do. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that you always get a treat at the end of your meal that comes in the form of your fortune. I've always thought they kinda taste like Nilla Wafers. But, anyhow, no matter how much I have stuffed myself with yummy orange chicken, spring rolls and chow mein, I ALWAYS have room to crack open that little cookie that holds my future inside! Sometimes it's way off and sometimes it's just plain weird and confusing, but every once in awhile I get a fortune that is so right on that I stuff it in my purse and keep it forever. I still have a few fortunes from high school stuffed in an old jewelry box somewhere. But the point is, is that fortune cookies are fun! I have never known anyone to turn one down and since I am such a meddler, I always make everyone at the table read theirs out loud - so what if most boys like to add "in bed" at the end of the fortune.

Well, this last weekend, we ordered in and watched movies. I love doing that. I finally saw Bride Wars, by the way, and I don't care what the critics say, I loved it! My best friend Lynette keeps repeating that she is Kate Hudson and I am Anne Hathaway. Anyway, getting off track. I reached for my fortune (which should always be the cookie that is positioned closest to you according to fortune cookie etiquette 101) and cracked it open anticipating what I would get this time. I popped half of the cookie in my mouth and crunched away while reading this one. It's nothing profound...just a simple reminder that love is precious gift. It can't be forced, it can't be manipulated, it just is. Sometimes it's the little things that can give you the most insight.

Sarah & Oscar {Engagement}

Sarah and Oscar were just on FIRE for their engagement shoot! Well, it can't hurt when they are just so fun-loving, fashionable and beautiful in so many ways. Oscar is a super talented DJ (if you are in town, you should go watch him work his magic at the Warehouse Martini Bar downtown) and Sarah is one bombshell of a little lady with some singing chops!!! They are each on the path to success, and what's so awesome is that they are on that path together - through the thick, through the thin and through the in-between, they are there for each other every step of they way.

There is something so special about the way that Sarah and Oscar unabashedly love each other. Passion is the only word I can use to describe it. As we made our way around town, in the chilly, windy weather, the love Sarah holds for Oscar grew more and more evident, as was the love he so obviously holds for her. I could see it when he admired her laugh and I could see it when she got lost in his eyes.

As the day drew to a close and the sun set on the outskirts of town, the weather grew cold and Oscar held Sarah in his arms shielding her from the brisk air. Those are the treasured moments. The moments where you can see and feel true love, true loyalty and true commitment.

Sarah and Oscar, my heart is overwhelmed with joy for the two of you. I am so thrilled to be documenting your love!

Here are some favs from the session! Check our their slideshow under the "favorites" session on the website!