I had been wanting to do a smash the cake session for quite some time so, I called up a friend of mine who’s little girl I knew was turning one.  We had so much fun!  It is always funny to see how the little ones react to a cake in front of them.  Some dive right in while others don’t seem to know what to make of it.  This little girl is a bit of a girly girl I think and didn’t want to get her hands too dirty.

Having a sister is like having a best friend you can’t get rid of. You know whatever you do, they’ll still be there.
- Amy Li

I love this quote.  Sister’s are so much fun to photograph because they are almost always opposites in some way, and their dynamics of  how they interact with each other is always fun to watch.  These two were no different.  One was a definite girly girl who I think might have posed for me all day had I asked her really nicely.  The other was a bit of a pixy with no real desire to be in front of the camera at all.  However, both were equally fun!  I hope to see them again next year and who wouldn’t, they are both beautiful girls!

It has already been six months.  Six months since the first time that I saw you.  Six months since the first time that I heard you cry.  Six months since the first time that I was able to hold you in my arms and say that you were mine.  Within the blink of an eye, you are already smiling, cooing, and eating from a spoon.  Within a few more weeks you will be sitting, and I know that not long after that the world will be yours to explore as you begin to crawl.  It is then, that you will only be a mere glimpse of what was my baby.  You will begin to approach toddlerhood.  And while it excites me to think of all that you will become and do, I am wanting to hold onto this month with all my strength and will.  To hold you in this moment that I know all too well will be fleeting and then gone.  You are wonderful and amazing and so much more then I could have ever hoped for.  I love you Brooklyn.

I had a new family find me on the internet.  They signed up for my baby plan so I will be able to watch their newest edition grow over the next year or so.  These are always my favorite sessions to photograph because the little ones change so much from month to month.  This session was taken when she was three weeks old, so not exactly a newborn session, but we were still able to get some sweet sleeping shots.  As always, I am so appreciative when people trust me enough to bring their littlest treasures to me to photograph.  Thank you, and I can’t wait to capture her first year!

I bought a new background specifically for this winter.  I was hoping to put it to use not only for Christmas pictures but more specifically for a newborn.  I know that  might sound crazy to buy a whole set with just the hopes of having the right subject come in my doors, but I did.  So in comes this beautiful baby boy.  I was so eager to get him to fall asleep so that I could take all of these beautiful pictures of him.  However, he had other plans and after almost an hour we had to bag the session.  Thankfully he came back a few days later and was a completely different baby.  Very sleepy and so much more content.  We were able to get some really beautiful shots.  Here are my two favorite from the session…

I was blessed with getting to be one of the first people to meet this little boy.  It always amazes me with how little newborn babies are.  Even though I had just had my own baby a few months prior, he still seemed so small.  I just love how sweet they are when they are so new.  They make such cute faces and these adorable little noises.  More pictures to come soon of this little man.

A few weeks ago I finally started back to work and had so much fun because I got to spend it with another one of Elkin’s High School seniors.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE photographing high school seniors because they listen to direction and actually want their pictures to be great.  I actually get giddy when I begin uploading images from these sessions.  Sarah was a natural in front of the camera and I couldn’t have been more pleased with what I saw when putting together her images for her.  Thank you for choosing me to photograph this special year of your life.

It always amazes me how quickly time goes.  People always talk about it and yet time didn’t truly start flying for me until I had children.  All of the sudden, every month is marked by either a milestone or a holiday it seems.  The fall/winter holidays that seem to take forever to get here as a child now seem to be upon me within only a few months of the last years, and now I have another new person to mark my life by.  Her name is Brooklyn Taylor Kleinheksel and she is the reason for my absence.  I find it hard to tear myself away from her but, I am slowly making my way back to the second thing that I love so much, my photography.  She is three months now and we are finally getting into a pretty good rhythm which is allowing me to make time to finally sit down for a bit and catch up on my blog and business as a whole.

So hello again!  I can’t say how often I will post.  I’m sure it will go in spurts.  I still have photographs to post from sessions that I did before I had her.  All in good time I guess!  Here she is….Miss Brooklyn…

So today is the day!  I launched my first High School Senior Model Contest.  The contestants were recommend from last years ambassador and I hope to do the same in the years to come.  After all, who better to recommend you then your peers?  This years contestants are Mary Tayloe, Hayden Snow, Aidan McRitchie and Sarah Gwyn.  I currently am running the contest on my business facebook page and everyone is welcome to vote.  To cast your ballot just go to http://apps.facebook.com/my-polls/elkinhigh .  All votes are anonymous and after voting you can see where each contestant is in the running.  I will also be updating my fanpage to let everyone know who is in the lead.  The person that gets the most votes will be this years senior ambassador and will be eligible for a  bunch of great incentive items as well as discounted and free photos.  Please do take the time to vote for one of these individuals!

Whe will be next years 2012 Senior Ambassador?