What little girl wouldn’t love one of these outfits? And because there are so many beautiful fabrics in the clothes, it will be easy to coordinate brothers, cousins, friends, mom and dad for a photo. Just think everyone will be happy in their outfits and smiling.

A spring photo can inspire you to create your Holiday Card for 2012 in April! *grin*

Be sure to order your favorite pieces from Persnickety quickly before they are gone. Schedule your LifeXpressions photo session as soon as your order arrives!

First try the traditional red and green. Don’t be afraid of color. Festive hues can really add something special to your photos. For your littlest little, put her in this adorable classic holiday red plaid from Janie & Jack. For dad add some green with this stylish sweater in green from JCrew.

Another trend this season is fur. Fur is so popular I even saw fur legwarmers in a store display. I am not recommending the fur legwarmers necessarily, unless it really works with your outfit! “grin”  BUT….I do recommend adding this popular fashion trend to your wardrobe selections. For mom or an older sister, add something from Ann Taylor like this fabulous fur scarf to a simple outfit. Add a fur vest from JCrew for your girl that coordinates with the family. The look is really something special and unexpected, especially in Florida.

I am always reminding you to accessorize for your photos. Add an overstated necklace or sparkle headband to your wardrobe for a real bang. I love how accessorizing can really make a drab outfit a really fab outfit! Don’t be afraid to make a statement, these accessories will sure to be a conversation piece. All of these accessories can be found online or in the store at Anthropologie.

Or my last trend to try…. my personal favorite  for the season, be your own trendsetter! Boys will be boys and the best pictures sometimes happen just because you let them be who they are! Here are some fun fashion ideas from Mini Boden, that will let your “all boy” boy be who he wants to for the holiday photos with a bit of fashion that he won’t even notice! (hint: the color green)

Happy Holidays to all my wonderful Trendy Tuesday fashion followers. Another great year of fashion, photos and fun. I look forward to all that 2012 has to offer for my clients and in the world of fashion. Have a safe and happy holiday season, I can’t wait to see all your smiles in the New Year.

Just add some big earrings with some color to a simple dress or outfit. Or I love the idea of adding a scarf to your favorite plain dress. Try this fun gold scarf from Ruche it has some sparkle to it! Shoes are always a great way to surprise someone with your daring fashion sense! Love, love any kind of boot this season!

Color block, lace and belted dresses are all hot this season. All these dresses are an accessory in themselves and will look beautiful in a photo when everyone else is wearing something simple. Love the idea of headbands on moms and girls. Don’t over power your outfit with your hair accessories, but certainly if you can “rock it”, wear it! Try a Pancho or cape jacket which are all the rage this season. They certainly will hide any extra pounds we all wish we didn’t have during the holiday season!

Be delightful this season, accessorize with something fabulous and all the details will look amazing in your photo!

What could be more adorable than a bunch of girly girls dressed up and ready to celebrate all things festive? I love this combination of outfits from Next Direct. A simple combination of fun tights, skirts, borrowed costume jewelry and super cute shoes make for a perfect photo! Anyone can create this adorable look and add a fun caption for the perfect Holiday Card. I love how happy and comfortable these girls look in their outfits. Comfort makes for the best photos because no one is itchy, fidgety, or miserable in their clothing choices. Add a pop of color, lots of texture and some stripes or dots too, it really work together for these girls.

Dress up for a holiday fun photo, even mom get in on this photo it will make this image even more special. Next Direct has clothes for the whole family at extremely affordable prices.

Enjoy your turkey day and get ready for the holidays with a special photo session from LifeXpressions.

I’ve told the story before so I’ll be brief in my explanation. For those who don’t know their story, you can read about Paxton’s birth here. Paxton was born with a very serious heart condition know as Hypoplastic left heart syndrome. But as you can see from the photos below, Paxton’s condition does not define the West family. Oh no, they are stronger, wackier, and have more love to share than ever before! Make no mistake, this family is blessed. Okay, time to share some of my favorite people with you all…Dave, you will not escape next time!! Ahh, the joys of little boys…

…Austin…

…Mason…

…Paxton…

We added a new member to the family, meet our newest lovable Golden Retriever – Roxy! Sandy (our other golden retriever) is being a very good Momma to the new addition and everyone just loves her to pieces. Take a peek for yourself, can you blame us?!

Olivia (my not-such-a-baby-anymore-little girl) decided to try her hand -or would that be feet?- at Dance Camp over the summer and had a blast! Michelle from the I Love To Dance Studio was absolutely wonderful to her. Olivia is hoping to continue with her dance classes on the weekends now that we’re back in school. I reluctantly admit that even I have been found bouncing along to the Jonah’s Brothers with her. Shameful I know but dang those songs are kinda catchy!

Nick (my middle guy) decided to take up Tae Kwon Do at Tae Kwon Do United over the summer and both of them have elected to pursue this sport after school. Nick is gearing up for his first belt test and very proud of his accomplishments so far. Olivia will be joining him for her first classes soon and well, we’re just kinda hoping she won’t ‘share’ her new found knowledge on her brother at home. That child can be awfully sneaky though! hehe

I said my goodbyes and I love yous to my oldest son who traveled to New York to start college this year. Yes, I cried. LOTS. I’m not ashamed to admit it. In fact, I still get a little teary just thinking about him. We protect them, love them, cherish them…then they learn to speak and we can’t wait for some peace and quiet but when the time comes to say goodbye it’s just never that easy. I’m very proud of my handsome young man though and I am certain he is going to do wonderful things in the great state of New York! In fact, I’m already planning a trip to visit him this fall so he can show ME all the sights for a change.

I’ll share a few snapshots from the day he left, grab myself some tissue, then come back to finish this post.

*sniff*sniff* Okay. Drying my tears again. Let’s get back to the reason you visit this blog, session highlights! I wasn’t kidding when I said “this photographer gets around”, I’ve been to almost every beach between Fort Myers and Marco Island over the summer with several sessions at my favorite beach in Naples and on the beautiful Sanibel and Captiva Islands. When I wasn’t up to my elbows in sand and salt water I was photographing the overwhelming number of newborns that came my way this summer. It certainly has been busy, but tons of fun too. See for yourself!

And that’s a wrap folks! Thanks so much for stopping by!

*thud*

The good news is that there are lots of available options on the market this time of year for red, white and blue clothing. With lots of choices on sale too! Even Old Navy has an entire section of their website dedicated to American Clothing! In my searches for today’s Trendy Tuesday blog, I found these adorable outfits at Janie & Jack in the “All American Style” section. Your girls will look so cute in a blue dress or red halter and plaid skirt. And because Janie & Jack is so great, they have coordinating sibling outfits for brother. Try your little boy in coveralls or a bigger boy in a plaid shirt and a polo.

Mom try this beautiful dress from The Gap. I really love how this dress works with the plaids everyone in the family is wearing. It is so unexpected but ends up looking so beautiful with everyone. A simple necklace or bracelet will make you look effortless, mom. Also from The Gap (I love one stop shopping!)….dress your man in shorts and a plaid button down. Again, an effortless look that pairs perfectly with the family.

Enjoy dressing for an All American Session for the 4th of July with LifeXpressions!

Well, okay not just babies although they do happen to have taken up most of my May and June session dates. Before the babies came the vacationing families and totally fun beach sessions. You’ll have to stay tuned and hope that I get back in here to post some of those images. <wink> The outtakes are hysterical and the rest, well, just great times with families on our beautiful Southwest Florida Coastline. And can I just say, WELCOME BACK SNOWBIRDS! I know that I am just tickled pink (as are most of the hotel managers I’ve spoken to recently) to see so many families making their way back to the Naples area for their vacations, some for the first time in two years.

Yes, busy is good! Unfortunately (or would that be fortunately?!) just when I thought I’d have a chance to come up for air I was hit with the Southwest Florida Baby Boom! What were all you crazy kids up to last fall?? Never mind, some things are better left unsaid! <grin> I have to admit, I am thoroughly enjoying all the squishy baby goodness coming my way so I thought I’d share some of the adorable little ones I’ve had the pleasure of photographing over the last few weeks in one post. As always, don’t forget to visit our facebook fan page as I’m known for popping up a sneak peek or session outtake there most every day. Ooo and there is a super easy to win contest going on right now too!

CAUTION: Cuteness overload below! =)

…Sweet Baby Laura…

…The Little Heart-breaker Chase…

…Grant The Champ (I say because this adorable little guy was born weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs 4 oz -OUCH! haha)…

…Josh, my little rock ‘n roller…

…Last, but certainly not least, sweet baby boy Taylor…

This year although the forecast said rain, we had a beautiful day. It was super windy, but that couldn’t keep us from having our session. In 20 minutes flat we got photos of the kids in 2 outfits each, a few kisses for mom and lots and lots of smiles. Big brother, Kevin showed me a few teeth missing since the last time I photographed him and is becoming so tall it is hard to believe he will soon by 7 years old. But you have to love this boy, he could charm anyone with those huge blue eyes I love to photograph. Little sister, Riley who never wants to smile for me, had a whole new personality this year! She had so much fun letting me chase her and play hide and seek. And smiles, smiles and more smiles.

Thank you mom for sharing your beautiful family and friendship with me year after year, enjoy your sneak peek!

All done with this session….but one little grin left even with a thumb!

Murphy’s Law – You promise a newsletter and more frequent blog updates and then end up with two busted up fingers that make typing on the keyboard all but impossible. Yikes! Hang in there though, I will be good as new and back in action real soon!!

So now you know why I’ve been so quiet…trust me…it’s not a pretty site. Since I’ve managed to simultaneously damage one finger on EACH hand I’ve been reduced to hen pecking the keys with my index fingers. Owie!! Still, I have to share a few from a very fun session I recently photographed on Fort Myers Beach. They’ve been so patient, thank you guys! Here’s a little peek of the most adorable Johnny and his family. WHAT A HOOT they were to photograph, Johnny has energy to spare, bottle it up and sell it I say. Ha-ha

Thanks so much for having me capture your precious memories, I can’t wait to see you again and meet the rest of the family in the coming months! * Note to self – by new running shoes ’cause if the rest of the little ones are as fast as Johnny here I’m gonna need ‘em!