Valentine Love | Wilmington, NC area photographer

There were some cute kids in my studio on Friday! We had so much fun with the Valentine Mini-sessions.


First two kiddos - Miss M has gotten so big - it's hard to believe it was 2 years ago when I did her newborn portraits!


Everytime we tried to get big brothers shots - she had to be right there - I mean right there! Made for some great captures!

I managed to get big brother alone for a moment - and he gave me this amazing look. I couldn't resist black/white for this one.
Little sister was BUSY - but she was stalled slightly while playing with my umbrella!
And then the next set of cuties!!!! Mr. V also made his debut here - about 6 months ago. Anyone remember a super cute green hat - or a baby in a hammock? That was him!

I love, love the way the two boys are looking at each other in the middle picture.

Ummm - I did mention there were cute kiddos in the studio, right?

Ahhh - and then Miss A - she was 8 months old on Friday. If you've seen the most recent Wilma! magazine - you might recognize her in there with my ad. Usually - she is so smiley - I mean - super smiley - but today, ummm, not so much. She wasn't feeling well, and didn't get her normal afternoon nap - so we got moody Miss A pictures this time.

But she is still cute as a button!

And really - I feel inclined to post a more smiley Miss A.....this was from our mini-session back in the fall. I don't know that I ever posted them here because we ended up doing the session after my blog. So, here's what Miss A is normally like. We'll see her again soon for her 1 year portraits - and I'm sure she'll be back to smiley again!

Thanks for a fun day everyone! Keep watching the blog for more information on my next mini-session series - sometime this spring!

A mother and her son | Wrightsville Beach Family Photographer

I try to celebrate life every day, and I love being able to do that for others through my lens. Sometimes it's harder than others, because sometimes, well sometimes that celebration only comes after lots of heartache and grief.

Last February, Molly was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell Lymphoma. She was 5. In kindergarten. And just 5 short months she lost her battle with cancer. Like her dad, Buck said, "life is cruel."

Yet, this family, this amazing family, still finds reasons to celebrate. If you aren't familiar with Molly's website http://mollyrowlee.com/ please bookmark it now. Check it often. It will change your life. I think Buck said it well on the site:
"Her battle with cancer sparked the love of a community and thousands of people have rallied behind Molly, as well as our family, throughout this entire ordeal. Molly has taught us many things throughout this journey. We understand too well how very precious life is and we have come to redefine the priorities in all of our lives. Suddenly, we are able to find more time to spend with our families. We hug each other more tightly, kiss each other more passionately, and we're focused on being better parents....better people."

Now that's something to celebrate!

Meg and K are spending the month in NC - and while they were here I really wanted to capture some of their strength, energy, love, and laughter. I had such a great time and could have spend the whole day with them. K is the same age as my Silas - and their interests are the same - so it was fun to talk about Batman, Transformers, and Bakugans.

They started with a puzzle - and it didn't take long before the sillies overtook!
I love K's concentration while putting this puzzle together. I also LOVE his eye lashes here! Oh, and the hands in the overalls - perfect!
Then we headed for the beach. We were hoping for a beautiful warm January day, but, ummmm, well, we just bundled up and went for it! We stopped at the playground first - and K was too cute. He was so proud of himself jumping up to that monkey bar and holding on!

This boy makes me smile!!!!! So silly and so full of energy!

They were looking at how the birds were standing - and the K had to try it out!

I just liked this one!

K was telling me about how his mommy is such a good artist! They love drawing hearts in the sand with Jesus on the cross. I wish I could have recorded K telling me about it - it was a great story.

A little spinning fun - that made Meg very dizzy!!!! I love the shot.....

But also love the fall down afterwards. This makes my heart smile. I know that was a lot of pictures for a blog - but this is one of those sessions that can't be summed up in 4 or 5 images. So thank you for looking.

I hope the support for this family and the Molly Fund can continue to be as strong as it is right now. Meg would like to thank all those that have contributed to the Molly Fund. She knows there are so many that they don't even know and can't thank personally.

Celebrate Life!