Sneak Peek: Newborn Ashlyn

It was so sweet watching Tricia with her baby Ashlyn at our newborn studio session this week. You could tell just how much she has longed for this baby and it was so neat to see the special bond that they have. Ashlyn did a great job. She slept almost the whole time and barely fussed at all! I enjoyed using my new prop- a doll bed that I used as a child for my little dollies!

Sneak Peek: DuVall Family

I had a great time chasing around my cousin's two year old daughter in Piedmont Park last weekend. We had fun on the seesaw and slide while I made these portraits. What a sweet little girl! She's not too excited about becoming a big sister in two months, but maybe she'll warm up to the idea. :)

5 Babies is a Lot of Babies

At our family reunion I attempted to make some portraits of all the babies in our family at once (ages 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years old). It was quite a feat. Next time I don't think I would have used this white quilt for a backdrop. It came out all wrinkly, but by the time I realized it wasn't a good idea, all the kids were on it and there was no way I could move them all without a meltdown.

We had a time trying to keep everyone still!

Waiting patiently for all the girls to get ready....

"I thought I liked dog kisses, but maybe not!"

Family Reunion

Every summer my extended family gets together in South Georgia for one big weekend of food, fun, and fellowship. This year we also celebrated two birthdays and there were a LOT of new babies in the family to play with. (Stay tuned for my upcoming post where I attempted to photograph 5 babies at once, ranging in age from 4 months to 3 years old. It was CRAZY...) There's nothing like spending some quality time with family!

Sarah is such a Ham!

Aunt Cindy's famous sourdough bread

"Why did I have to get stuck in a family of all GIRLS?"

Designer Birth Announcements

I have a new line of designer birth announcements. They are so sweet! I LOVE photographing babies. It is so special capturing their first days when they are so tiny. (There are even more birth announcement designs to choose from than this.)

Favorite Artist of the Week: Sarah Harber

I have to brag on my cousin, Sarah Harber. She made my son the CUTEST animal baby quilt. Some of the animals are even made out of African fabric from the clothing our grandfather wore as a missionary in Nigeria in the 1960s. That really makes it special to me. All the animals are cut free-hand, without any patterns or templates... and my son's name is hidden amongst the animals' names. It's SO COOL!

In this last picture here you can see some of the outfits my grandmother and grandfather would wear in Nigeria, West Africa (1967). They would only dress the family up in matching outfits for special occasions. This is right before they came back to America on furlough. (My Mom is the tall brunette on the left.)

Orange Jello Salad

There aren't very many times when I'm cooking that I feel the urge to lick the bowl clean. But when I'm making Orange Jello Salad, it's definitely one of those times. I don't know whether it's the tangy orange or the fluffy marshmallows or the creamy cool whip, but I can't get enough of the stuff. It is one of those recipes I always asked my Mom to make for me for my birthday as a kid. Then one day I realized that it is so easy to make, I could do it for myself!

Maybe you'd like to whip up some of your own fluffy goodness.

Orange Jello Salad:

6 oz. pkg. Orange Jello powder
16 oz. carton of reduced fat sour cream
8 oz. carton of lite Cool Whip
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 can mandarin oranges (drained)
1 small can crushed pineapple (squeezed out)

Mix Cool Whip, sour cream, and jello powder. Add fruit and marshmallows. Mix and pour into dish. Refridgerate overnight. Makes about 8 servings.