After a whirlwind holiday season (crazy fun might be an understatement) and an already busy first month of 2012, I’m *finally* taking a moment to peek into the blog.  And then I look and think, “eek!  has it been that long since I checked in last?!”.  And yes, it has.  I can post about how busy the schedule was keeping me, how much was going on, etc, etc.  Which is all true.  The other truth is that these days, so much of life is tied to technology and technology can be tiring.  Much of what I do daily is not only going out to photograph gorgeous clients.  But then, back at the office, there are hours of editing, answering emails, going thru orders, and on and on.  All of that equals a lot of time spent on the computer.  So when I’ve made sure everyone is taken care of and happy, I try to step away from the technology.  I’m not big on facebook and only use my personal page for occasional updates and to tag clients so their friends can enjoy their photos as well.  I’m asked time and again if I have a business page and the answer is always the same.  I can barely keep up with a blog and my personal facebook page, so I’ll stick to using the personal one for business purposes as well.  (I’m under Amy Bransford Smith if you’re a client and don’t have me added as a friend yet).  I know social media is huge and maybe I’m missing the boat there.  But at the same time, I’m ok with it.  I stay busy, my clients seem happy, and stepping away from the computer when I need to gives me room to breath.  I have a feeling there are a few of you nodding your head in agreement behind your own computer screens.  I’m thrilled to be greeting 2012 and have enjoyed a great start already (I can’t believe we’re already a month down!).  I look forward to meeting new families and watching others grow.  I truly have an amazing job.

Photographing this momma and her lovelies is a clear example of just how amazing it is.  Three truly sweet kiddos, a beautiful momma, and the most gorgeous afternoon light.  I think there were a few moments in this session where things seemed a little crazy (as is usually the case when you’re photographing little ones), but the quiet moments and the giggles over ruled all of that.  Years down the road, the stress of getting everyone dressed and hair fixed tends to fade from memory and all that remains are these little moments.  Moments when they were so little they could still fit in your lap.  Moments when a kiss from momma was all that was needed.  Moments when their comments would make you laugh till your stomach hurt.  Moments in the quiet when no words were needed.

Moments like these with my own girls is why I sometimes step away from the technology of today’s world.  Those moments aren’t tied up in the social media.  They’re right in front of me and I’ll take every one of them that I can get.

I’ll admit I’m not the best at updating my dear old blog, but the holiday season adds a whole new element of neglect.  We’re here, we’re busy, we’re singing Christmas carols while we prepare holiday orders and cards and photograph oh so many beautiful families (ok, so not really on the singing part because I’m a terrible singer, but everything else applies).  The rest of the year is pretty full but if you’re flexible on dates and times and want to try and squeeze in a session, let me know and I’ll see what we can do.  If you have a newborn, it’s super important during this time of year that you contact me as soon as possible.  Since newborn sessions take quite a bit of time, squeezing you is a bit trickier.  And I hate to turn down a newborn, so please don’t make me do it  On that note, I’ll share this little cutie.  She’s been on my ‘to share’ list for a while but, well, you already know how I’m doing in that department.  I’ve got quite a list going and hopefully one day I’ll get thru all the lovelies I want you to see.  Back to my holiday cheer, singing loud for all to hear

I’m off to NYC to meet some fabulous clients this weekend and have lots of fun photographing them in their great city.  I’m excited for a change of scenery, and even more so, a change of weather!   I’ll enjoy the few days of it that I can get.  But really, I love that the city is going to be my backdrop for these families.  So fun!  I’ll be back Monday but I’ll be checking email and voicemail as I’m able.  Julia will be holding down the office so she’ll be assisting in keeping things moving along as normal.

That’s likely enough boring text for now, so lets move on to some cute babies!  I’ll share this little guy.  I’d photographed his big sister as a newborn and now she’s toddling about and talking too.  She was quite smitten with her baby brother and he was a sweet as could be.

I know I’ve said it before, but I love one year olds!  The last time I saw this little guy he was a sweet, sleepy newborn.  So to see him all smiles and full of personality was so fun.  And he definitely has a personality!  A boy of many, many expressions.  I loved it!

This little cutie belongs to the lovely couple a few posts down.  After meeting them at their maternity session, I knew I was sure to meet a beautiful baby in a few months.  And I was right.  We had a few different newborn sessions for this little guy and the results from all of them were pure sweetness.  With so many images it was hard to narrow down for a blog post.  I tried to select just a little variety but with so much sweetness, it was a tough job.