I put our Christmas tree up REALLY early – before Thanksgiving – I just had to!

LOOK AT THAT HAPPY FACE!

Fitzy is doing so awesome! He LOVES to play with his little kitchen! He loves to carry balls of yarn around and unroll them – much to my dismay! He carries around Jared’s striped shirt and says – daddy’s shirt! He points to himself and says – Fitzy’s shirt – but he says his name like – Itzy! SO CUTE!

He isn’t really running – just walking really fast. He LOVES cheese and marshmallows – the two words he says ALL DAY!

I cannot WAIT to experience Christmas with him!

For the month of December – we are doing a 25 days of kindness for Christmas!

Share on INSTAGRAM when you participate with us – #ADVENT #SHAREADVENT #25DAYSOFKINDNESS #25DAYSOFCHRISTMAS

1. CHRISTMAS CARDS TO SOLDIERS

2. FOOD TO LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTER – PLAY WITH ANIMALS

3. DONATE ITEMS TO PREGNANCY CENTERS

4. ANGEL TREE

5. DONATE CRAYONS AND COLORING BOOKS TO CHILDRENS HOSPITAL

6. DONATE ITEMS TO GOODWILL

7. DONATE ITEMS TO HOMELESS SHELTER

8. HOT CHOCOLATE TO BELL RINGERS

9. CHRISTMAS CARDS TO STRANGERS WITH $ IN THEM

10. HOT CHOCOLATE TO CROSSING GUARDS

11. COOKIES AND COFFEE TO POST OFFICE

12. COOKIES AND COFFEE TO MAIL DELIVERY

13. COOKIES TO GARBAGE MEN

14. PAY FOR SOMEONES MEAL

15. QUARTERS AT LAUNDROMAT

16. QUARTERS AT GUMBALL MACHINES

17. FOOD PANTRY

18. COUPONS AT GAS PUMPS

19. COOKIES FOR NEIGHBORS

20. DONUTS TO POLICE OFFICERS

21. VOLUNTEER AT NURSING HOME

22. LEAVE A TIP THAT EQUALS THE BILL

23. COOKIES TO LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT

24. LEAVE QUARTERS AT CAR WASH

25. $ AT GAS PUMPS

I am SO excited to start this tradition and waive gifts for Jared and I (which we normally do anyway) in place of sharing the LOVE and JOY of Jesus during the month of December!

I can’t wait to see the excitement on Fitzy’s face as he gets older and can really understand the season of giving and love!

I met Ericka through FACEBOOK initially! We found out that we had some friends in common and then I started going to MOPS and we became great friends! Her daughter is the same age Enoch would have been – so I always get to imagine what he is like in heaven!

Last year I took pictures of just her daughter – this year she brought her husband along (he was *SO* excited) for a family session!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE those shots!

Oh wait – THOSE are my favorites!

I am LOVING the leaves this year!

I haven’t been editing many pictures into black & white this fall – just because the colors are SO fantastic – but I KNEW this one would be BEAUTIFUL!

I LOVE those ones!

Ericka & Jeff – we LOVE you guys! I am so thankful God has placed you in our lives – and in front of my camera!

I’ve known Belinda since 8th grade! We both went to Mansfield and now live close to each other! We both struggled with loss and the inability to get pregnant.

Her sweet one is 3 months older than Fitzy. They are beautiful miracles! I am SO thankful we walk this road together!

Those shots make me tear up. Neither of us ever really thought we would be holding babies in our arms – and here they are!

SO SERIOUS!

OH MY WORD!

I LOVE YOU GUYS!

I met Ashley on FACEBOOK – but I’m not really sure how!

We have the same love for “guy” movies and all things nerdy. She was due with her little guy on Fitzy’s birthday. I was due on her little guy’s birthday.

She is GORGEOUS and I had a pin-up style “halloween” shoot in my head that I knew she would be PERFECT for!

SERIOUSLY!

Ashley – thank you SO much for being my model and totally capturing what I had in my head!

I can’t wait till our next session – be on the lookout in November – it’s gonna be AWESOME!

Tifany & Ron were the winners of a FREE engagement session from the 2012 BRIDAL EXPO at the Arnot Mall in January!

We had originally scheduled our session for the spring – it rained. We rescheduled for August – it rained. We FINALLY got a beautiful day in October – I’m glad we had to wait!

GORGEOUS!

I LOVE those shots!

I hope you guys LOVE your photos! I’m so happy we finally worked it out!

I’ve known Amy & Jim for 8 years – which is CRAZY!

We worked together at Phoenix until I pursued photography as my full-time career!

When I met Amy – their daughter *E* was just a little thing.

It was a FRIGID morning – can you see the frost on the ground?

And the twins – OH MY WORD! How it is they’ve gotten so big?

You can totally see the frost in those shots!

Thanks for asking me to capture another year in your life! Love you guys!

I love when clients say – put us down for every June and October (or whatever months they happen to choose) – it makes my heart happy!

This family has become a favorite of mine!

*L* is SO cute! She just melts my heart!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE those shots!

OH MY WORD!

Thank you SO much for having me over again! I love capturing your growing family!

I met *K* and her family through our MOPS group! She is so sweet and kind and has some MEGA cute kiddos!

Her family welcomed a little boy in early October and she asked me to capture this moment in time for them!

HOW CUTE ARE THEY!?!?!?

And that chair! I’m having major chair envy lately!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE seeing two older sisters with a little brother – melts my heart and reminds of me and my little sister and brother!

OH MY WORD!

These shots are TOO cute!

We had to get some shots of the little guy!

I love those last shots!

*K* – I had such a great time with you guys! I hope you love your pictures as much as I do!

I know Kara’s mom – Crystal – and we’ve been talking about setting up a session for quite some time! Thankfully I had a spot open up and we fit her in!

BEAUTIFUL!

I think she looks like a young Robin Wright in that shot on the right! I LOVE it!

I LOVE THOSE SHOTS!

The reflection shot was all Kara! It turned out GREAT!

I saw this on our way back home and HAD to stop! I love the light and the road – EVERYTHING!

I LOVE the way they turned out!

Crystal & Kara – thanks for setting this up at the last minute! I’m SO glad it worked out!

KT and I met in 2005 – I think. We immediately connected and became really close friends. In 2007 – she lived with us for a semester while attending college at Mansfield. In early 2010 – things got crazy. It doesn’t matter what happened – but we stopped talking. We were both very hurt and angry and confused. I missed her. I missed out on her pregnancy and birth of *O*. I missed her being there while I was pregnant with Fitzy. I had photographed her so many times – just for fun – her engagement to *C* – her wedding. I was sad. We had been such close friends and then nothing but hurt and anger.

I don’t remember exactly how we started talking again. I had some albums of her that I didn’t use anymore and wanted to make sure they were in her hands and not just in my closet collecting dust. I emailed her and asked if she wanted them. We talked about how much we missed our friendship. We said we were sorry. We admitted our wrongs and asked for forgiveness.

We finally met at a park over the summer with our sweet children. Jared and I stayed with them in September and they came down to see us last month.

I’m SO excited to have this friendship back – and equally excited to post these photos!

She is SO cute! Fitzy loves her and they get along so well!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE those shots!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE those ones too! I want that top picture on MY wall!

KT – I LOVE YOU. I am so thankful that we got over ourselves and reconnected.

I’m so excited you were finally in front of my camera again!