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!

Today I’m going to sneak peek the totally adorable Miss Berklie (and her Mommy & Daddy too)! She’s three now, full of spirit and energy. In fact I’m fairly certain she could out run the road runner! I first met little B’s Mom and Dad when she was the bun in the oven back in 2007. Oh yeah, they totally rocked their maternity portraits on the beach in Naples…

Yep, they sure did! Simply, beautiful! Then little baby B. stole the show for her newborn portrait session in their home. You might recognize this shot from the opening sequence shown on the lifeXpressions photography main website…

Then there was the totally fun session for her first birthday. Mom has a rockin’ sense of style as you’ll see below. How fun was this outfit?!

See, told ya she was ADORABLE! Oh but the fun doesn’t stop there. I’ve been enjoying the trip down memory lane, if you want to follow along here’s our little star on the beach in 2008 and the whole family for their 2008 Holiday Portraits at one of my favorite places to photograph families in Estero. There’s no denying we had a total blast during our 2009 mini session at the Secret Garden. The style and sass in this little girl never cease to amaze me! Little B, you are a SUPA-STAR!! A big thank you to you for coming out to the beach to play with me and to your Mommy and Daddy for letting me be the one to document your family all these years. I can’t wait to meet the new addition!!

Drats! Sorry, I got side tracked again! haha Scroll down for that sneak peek I promised. Little Berklie you are growing up SO fast!

Happy belated birthday to you sweet Judson!! I can’t believe it’s been one year already. What a cutie you’ve grown into too! Thank you Mom and Dad for inviting me to share these precious memories with your family. I look forward to seeing you all again real soon!!

Today I have a very special family to share with you, Mom commissioned me to capture her family as they start down a new path in life and look forward to the future and all it’s possibilities. Tall order I know, but Tyler and Alexis are the most amazing children; confident, respectful, FUN – all around GREAT kids. Of course after spending a little time chatting with their beautiful Mom I can totally see why. We met just a few weeks ago on what I would have to say was the perfect morning for a family photo session on Sanibel Island. The softly lit overcast skies, a near perfect 76 degrees, the light sea breeze blowing through…ahhh…paradise! Thanks so much for spending the morning with me and inviting me to capture these family memories for you all, I hope we meet again real soon!

aww, aren’t big brothers the bestest?!

You can see more photos of this lovely family (and peek at other lifeXpressions sessions) by visiting the lifeXpressions photography Facebook Fan Page.

Now if only I could get someone to beam me out of all of these boxes and plop me back on the island….

I think I’ve lost count of how many sessions I’ve had with this fabulous family over the years and that’s a-okay with me ’cause I seriously think they get cuter every.single.time I see them!I remember little Zachary was just 6 months old when we first met. He had/has the most AMAZING big blue eyes. Such a cutie but  just look at him now, 3 years old sporting that big boy haircut and everything. …sigh… Where does the time go??Then we have sweet little Sophia. Those blue eyes and full lips, I have to admit I’m just slightly jealous, isn’t she beautiful?? Sophia graduated from our JOY program earlier this year. Mom warned me at the start of the session that Sophia never smiles for pictures and that I shouldn’t take it personally.  Hmm, really? What’s that old saying?? “Never Say Never”? <grin>I love being there to capture a family so in love with each other, it makes my job such a treat. Happy Parents = Happy Children = BEAUTIFUL FAMILY MEMORIES CAPTURED which equals one very happy photographer and, as my lovely assistant Kelly will attest, when Terrilyn is happy everyone is happy! *giggle*Okay…okay…back to work I go….

Today I’ve got a sneak peek for a completely adorable family with two of the most spunky, totally entertaining little boys I’ve ever met. It’s really no wonder Mom stays so slim and trim chasing after these two cuties, they managed to wear ME out inside of an hour! *whew*

Totally worth it though, the way I see it playing with these guys on the beach for an hour or two is LOADS funner than going to the gym.

Um yeah, it’s safe to assume these two LOVE the water…as prooven during our session together back in June. I think the hardest part is actually keeping them OUT of the water for any length of time. I admire Mom and Dad’s ability to go with the flow. When Trevor dove into the water 15 minutes into the session and started laughing Dad just grinned and said, “Look at that smile!”. I firmly believe happy parents make happy children, the proof is in the pictures… Cue the JAWS music…dda nuh…da nuh…da nuh da nuh da nuh da NUH! <giggle>Awwww!

Our new toll-free number is: 1-800-487-0064

And since no post is complete without a photo, and partly because I’m terribly behind on sneak peeks due to the holiday portrait season wrapping up here in the land of lifeXpressions, I’d like to share this one from a recent sunset session with a most adorable young couple. We had already said our goodbyes but when I turned back and saw them cuddled up to watch their first Florida sunset together I couldn’t resist snapping just one more. Yeah, sometimes I’m a little sneaky like that. Hang in there Jamie and Phil, I’ll have those proofs ready for you two REAL soon!

And since I’m on a roll right now <grin> I’ll share a few here from Max & Mimi’s recent family session at Wiggins Pass…so sweet! If you’re a fan of lifeXpressions on Facebook these last couple won’t be new to you but they’re cute enough to be worth a second look. If you’re not a fan of lifeXpressions on Facebook I have just two words for you: WHY NOT??!

Let me tell ya, more often than not the hardest subject to get natural, relaxed smiles from is usually DAD! Betchya never would have guessed that! Let me tell ya, there ain’t nothin’ better than capturing a Daddy’s honest to goodness REAL smile.One of my favorite parts of the session happens about half way through when we all get to let our hair down and have some fun – some of us more than others! When Charlotte lets her hair down, she REALLY lets her hair down! Look at that beautiful full head of hair! So jealous!!

You are so very blessed Mr & Mrs S. It was truly my honor and privilege to meet you all. Thank you for sharing your beautiful family with me.

I’d swear he was talking about Florida. I’ve repeated that very quote to my clients more than a few times and it certainly held true for the session I’m sharing today. This gorgeous Mom and her handsome boys showed up for their session and the weather was unbelievably perfect. Sunny, but not too sunny, not too hot or humid and just a few clouds over head. Within five minutes of arrival the drops started coming down. Drop…drop…drop…BOOM! I managed to snap exactly two shots before the clouds opened up and the rain came pouring down on our heads.We waited a moment or two to see if it would start to let up, unfortunately it only rained harder. I have to admit, I was starting to get a little nervous. I know how much effort goes into preparing for your family portraits and I know Mom had been looking forward to our session together for weeks now. Yet here it is rain coming down hard but that sun was still out there shining. Their flight was leaving that afternoon so I knew this was our only chance. Nothing like a little pressure to get the creative juices flowing eh?!

I could tell the rain wasn’t stopping any time soon but this is Florida, it can (and often does) rain on one side of the street and leave the other side dry as a bone. With that in mind we decided to take our chances and beach hop our way down the coast until we found a spot that wasn’t getting poured on. I’d like to think there was some cosmic force at work that day because if we had stayed at the first location I would’ve never been able to capture this moment in time…

Seriously, how often do you get the opportunity to photograph a family with rainbow in the background? So beautiful! Speaking of beautiful, can I say I’m more than just a little jealous of Mom right now. Geeze, put me in the rain for five seconds I look like a frizzy drowned rat yet Mom manages to look absolutely flawless throughout our session. I have GOT to get her secrets. I love that her boys are completely soaked, it shows that they were playing hard and having fun – boys being boys – as it should be!

Thanks for hanging out in the rain with me guys, you were AWESOME!!

One more quick reminder to my readers before I go… October is National Family Portrait month!! I’ve got just four more session dates available with guaranteed holiday delivery for portraits. Call soon to claim your spot on the calendar!