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Well alright - now this is what summer is all about! Oh and yes, Rebecca is just as much fun as she appears to be in pictures. 
We had a little time to chat between clothing changes and I have to tell you, I am seriously impressed with this little lady, she has a heart of pure gold. She seems so much more grown up that I remember ten being. Thanks for humoring me Rebecca, I told you you’d look awesome in the dress!
Mom, keep your eyes on your inbox…proofs are coming your way VERY soon!!
Two totally adorable toddlers - yep TWINS! I always loved the thought of having twins, even though my own chance of ever having twins rested somewhere between zero and ziltch. ha ha Well, let me tell ya, when I left their home after our session together I walked away with a new appreciation for what parents of multiples must go through on a daily basis. My hats off to you guys, that is seriously tiring work!
Allow me to introduce to you…
Aidan & Ashton {then} as published in The Big Book of Babies:
and here are Aidan & Ashton {now}:
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So cute! They were just as fun (and just as tiring) as when I first met them two years before! Thanks for coming out to play with my guys, I hope I’ll see you both again very soon!
Sorry for the delay in the Then & Now postings gang, things got a little backed up for a while there but we seem to be back on track now and I have some very important little Big Book of Babies stars to showcase in the coming weeks! This week I’d like to introduce little Miss Lauren to you. She first stole my heart more than two years ago now during a beach session that to this day showcases some of my favorite sunset images of all time. Since then I’ve had the joy of watching her blossom into this adorable spunky little preschooler with a heart of gold.
Here is Lauren {then} as published in The Big Book of Babies:
and here she is {now}:
We asked Lauren’s Mom to answer a few questions for the blog, here’s what she had to say:
What is your favorite children’s boutique?
Photographs are important to me because…
“I enjoy seeing all the changes the kids go thru. It also brings back wonderful memories of a particular time in my life and their life.”
One thing I hope to always remember…
“The way it felt to see and hold my children for the first time.”
A night out with the children? It can be done! What is your favorite child-friendly restaurant?
“Bayfront in Venetian Village, out on the patio.The kids love to look over the railing and watch for dolphins.
Mom’s need TLC too, where do you go to be pampered?
“Spa Blue, Naples”
An awesome, child-friendly place that theres may not have heard of is…
“Sun -n- Fun Lagoon (Naples) and My Gym (Naples)”
What do you love about lifeXpressions? { Hey, you know you would ask too! }.
“Working with you! You NEVER hurry the session which is so important when dealing with children. You are always available for questions on ordering, wardrobe, etc. And of course, LOVE the photos and slideshows!!”
Note from Terrilyn: Thank you Mom! I have to say you have been a complete JOY to work with too! I’m looking forward to seeing you all very soon and meeting the newest member of the family!!
Ha ha ha, ok, not really but I do love working with creative parents who aren’t afraid to step out of the box when it comes to their family portraits. With two tots under 3 years old I’m betting Mom is used to having to improvise to make things work. Totally worth the effort, in fact, I often feel like it’s those fantastic ‘every day’ moments that just happen during your session that make the most memorable images.
Meet Brandon (3 yrs) and Chloe (1 yr), two gorgeous little children with boundless amounts of energy. While we did capture some adorable more ‘planned’ images during this session, without a doubt my absolute favorites are the images I was able to capture after the children thought “picture day” was over. They put on their swimsuits and totally let loose in the water.
One thought comes to mind as I proof these images - they capture what’s real. Real life with two toddlers isn’t peaceful, it isn’t clean, they don’t usually do what you want them to do when you want them to do it. That’s ok!! Enjoy their spunky little personalities! I hope that when the dust settles (say in about 18 or 20 years -ha ha ha) Mom & Dad will look back at the images captured remembering the chaos. Then, as they look up at each other, they’ll smile with pride because they survived! 
Meet Dario and Kristina - full of spunk and energy and their session proofs certainly showcase that! Dario was such a ham I swear he looked at me like I had two heads when I started teasing him and said, “Betchya can’t splash me!”. ha ha It was all in good fun, it’s HOT this time of year, I’ll find any excuse to get in the water!
Kristina is my beautiful beach ballerina, isn’t she lovely? Mom wasn’t entirely sure about leaving her long curly hair down but I’m so glad she did, at least for part of the session. It’s the beach after all and long wavy beach blown hair just seems natural. I just adore, I mean seriously LOVE the shot of her running away and laughing! The small web-sized image can’t do it justice, this playful expression and the beautiful skyline deserve to be enlarged. I’m thinking maybe I need a new canvas sample!
What’s even more fun is that they brought along their Grandma and Grandpa to get in on the action. I love sessions with extended family members, especially in this type of setting where they can play with the children and just do what they do best as opposed to sitting and smiling at the camera the whole time. I know as time goes by and I pull out the photo album I’ll have tons of snapshots showing me what my parents look like, but the images I truly treasure are the ones that show WHO they are and how much my children love them, the amazing connection that spans generations. To this day I get goosebumps when my little girl runs to my Daddy and he swoops her up in his arms. So much strength and wisdom- I’m getting all sentimental just thinking about it now.
Well Mr & Mrs L. I hope I was able to capture a bit of that for you!
I believe I can fly…
I had my first opportunity to meet this little guy last year ….
Little Seth was so tiny he curled up in the palms of Daddy’s hands just perfectly, what a little sweetheart! Needless to say, when his Mommy called to book his 1 year session I jumped at the chance, there is something so special about having the opportunity to capture a sweet little soul when they’re first born and then having the honor of visiting with them again as they hit that milestone first birthday! They grow so quickly as it is but that first year goes by in a blink of an eye, it never ceases to amaze me how much they change in such a short period of time.
I am so NOT a foot person, ok, that’s putting it mildly. Yet for some reason I totally adore baby toes! I’m also a huge fan of tubby baby Buddha bellies, which means it was only natural for me to instantly fall in love with this shot.
Future heartbreaker alert - check out those baby blues!!
Yep - The salt water is fun but I’m guessing from the look on his face it’s not all the tasty!
One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish…this bunch of cuties had the most adorable coordinated clothing. I’ve really got to hand it to Mom, she totally outdid herself! Ahhh, I wish I had time to share more but it’s after 5:00 pm and I’ve got to go pick up my own little monkeys.
