Can you believe the weather lately?  It was just a bit chilly for my portrait session with the M family, but not too bad at all.  It was close to sunset, so the light was beautiful outside.

This is Henry and Hayley with their pup. So sweet.

Their nanny has been with them since Hayley was just a toddler….lots of love there.  Mom didn’t want to be in the photos, but maybe I can catch her next time!Father and son….Check out those beautiful eyes!

You may remember Mae and Fred’s fabulous DC wedding in 2008. I was so excited to meet up with them and their one year-old recently for some family portraits. Noah is so stinkin’ cute that I wanted to take him home with me.

I loved these red Christmas lights!  It was a challenge to shoot there though as there were tons of people walking by doing their holiday shopping. Aren’t they an adorable family?

Noah and his daddy.  Whenever Noah would smile big, he would also lean forward like this….so squirmy and sweet!Noah and his mommy!  He is not quite ready to walk on his own yet, which I guess is a good thing because he refuses to wear shoes.Santa just happened to be walking by and stopped to say hello!

Happy Holidays to all!

Meet sweet Baby EJ!  I’ll be sharing more photos of him as he grows, so be sure to check back. He came into the world a few weeks earlier than expected and I can tell that he will continue to keep his parents on their toes from now on. EJ was three weeks old when I took these photos and he was really alert.  Kari and Kris could snuggle or feed him to get him to doze, but not for long!EJ loves bath-time…he was just relaxin’ in the warm water.So cold!  Life is tough, huh?One of my favorite moments happened right at the very end….I love how Kari is watching her boys from the background.

I was lucky to have another beautiful day at Patapsco State Park with another adorable family.  You may remember them from my post a year ago just after little Bennett was born.  He is on-the-go now chasing after his big brother, Carson, now almost 4.  Check out how cute they are…Bennett’s face here makes me melt!The boys love riding in their wagon together!The happy couple was celebrating their 7th wedding anniversary the day we did these portraits…they first met in high school!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone!

Cara and I go way back to middle school, but we really got to know each other as roommates at Salisbury State (now Salisbury University…fancy name) for a semester of our freshman year.  We were dorm neighbors by coincidence, and neither of us were terribly pleased with our assigned roommates.  Sooo, we did a switcheroo the next semester and lived happily (despite her being neat and me being messy) until Cara transferred to James Madison the next year.  I stuck around another year and a half and then transferred to the Savannah College of Art & Design in Georgia.

Anyway, I was thrilled when Cara asked me to take some photos of her adorable family. We had the most perfect Fall day at Patapsco. Here are some of my faves!

They’re all watching the train go by on the hill behind us….

Andrew is starting to look grown up already!Ryan recently turned 1 and is just the happiest little guy…How old are you?!
We just had one moment of tears after Andrew took a tumble.  Mommy to the rescue…Gorgeous smiles!Gotta love ‘em…

I’m always asked for advice on what families should wear for portraits, so here are some fun ideas to point you in the right direction.  I usually say that you should all dress like you’re going to the same place (like picking a theme….you’re all outdoorsy, or dressed up for a nice dinner, casual for lying around the house, etc), but don’t get all matchy-matchy.  Avoid big logos, graphics, or loud patterns.  One pattern is okay, like someone in plaid or stripes….but keep that very limited. Again, not too matchy-matchy, but find colors that compliment each other like in the color palettes below:

I had the pleasure of hanging out with this sweet family last weekend. Susan set this up for when her sister would be in town from Florida so that they could get the whole fam in the photos.  Their cute little boys kept me moving the whole time.

Here is 3 year-old, Josh, getting his game-face on for portrait time.The growing family!Here’s Susan and her brood.  I love the smile on 1 year-old Jack.Here’s 6 year-old Max and his parents.  He knows how to work that smile for the camera!
Ah, brothers.  I’m not sure if Josh is getting a kiss or a lick….or both.Here’s a brief moment when I had Jack’s attention.  He learned to walk recently and just goes and goes and goes.Grandpa and his two big boys.Max and his dad showing off their high-flying skills….Susan ended our time with lollipop rewards which make for cute photos, too!

Giancarlo finally reached the ripe old age of one!  Happy Birthday little man.  I look forward to watching you continue to grow.

Here he is as a newborn and now.  Check out my past blog posts of him here:  Newborn, Six Months

He has his serious face on here, but he really is such a happy little guy.Big bro and little bro!Here’s Julian on the swinging bridge in Patapsco State Park…Here’s the whole fam.  Julia is an expert outfit-coordinator!Happy Birthday, Giancarlo!!

I can’t call him “Baby Nicholas” anymore I suppose.  Little man is a big boy who just turned 3!  It’s been an honor to watch him grow. Remember Jen & Bob’s wedding?  What a difference four years make.  I’m starting out with a comparison shot from his newborn photos:Helping mommy and daddy get ready for the party:Watching for the guests to arrive:It was a fun-filled backyard BBQ with the whole family…It was a hot day as it usually is for his birthday, but Nicholas kept his energy up with no problem.Sharing a laugh with his grandpa…The photo on the right below cracks me up.  Nicholas was trying to stick his finger in his firetruck cake every chance he got and this is Jen trying to get him to wait just one more minute!
Hugs!Yum, cake and Rita’s Italian Ice…Happy 3rd Birthday Nicholas!

Casey and Bryan’s wedding is coming up very soon, so I was excited to meet up with them at the Howard County Conservancy to shoot some portraits. Despite crazy thunderstorms in the surrounding areas, the weather was warm and sunny for us. Maybe a bit too warm (and buggy), but Casey and Bryan hung in there. The sun was close to setting, so the light across the fields was gorgeous. Here are a few of my faves….Bryan always inspires this adorable smile from Casey!Practicing for their first dance…. Can’t wait for the wedding!