Love Bug Photos

WE MOVED

2011-07-25T07:41:00.000-04:00

This blog is full of lots of old fun entries, but I've moved. Check me out at...

http://www.lovebugphotos.net

and on facebook

http://www.facebook.com/lovebugphotosbymaryhorne

:)

My first senior session! (pic heavy)

2011-04-14T14:18:00.000-04:00

A little background info: Savannah (the gorgeous gal in the photos) is the daughter of my very favortie teacher's assistant ever. Yes, I'm partial. I adored her then and I adore her now. I have met few people in my life with a heart as huge as hers. When she asked me to do her daughter's senior portraits, I was over the moon excited! I was even more thrilled after our shoots were over! These images are some of my absolute favorites that I've taken to date. I got to play around a lot with my camera and with the light (which was perfect both days!) and Savannah was oh-so-patient. I couldn't have asked for a better subject. She smiled easily and seemed so carefree. I remember myself at that age, feeling so unsure of myself and awkward in my own skin. If she felt that way, I certainly never saw it.

The first photo session was down at Fort Fisher. What an amazing location! If someone knows of a place similar to this in Charleston, please do tell! Love, love, LOVE this images...

This is where I started to really enjoy the beautiful light...

Savannah and her mom...

Their love for one another was so inspiring. I can only hope to have such a wonderful relationship with my own daughters when they are this age.

Our second photo shoot was at the Carolina Beach boardwalk. The color at this place is fabulous!

Savannah and her dad...

So simple and sweet. You can easily tell that these two adore eachother and it melts my heart.

This session was awesome on so many levels...the people, the photos, the love...and I got to be a part of it! Yay me! :)

A few tips for beginners

2011-04-10T21:10:00.001-04:00

One of the best things about learning something new is getting to share that with other people. Maybe it's just the teacher in me, but I adore it! While it seems kind of odd to be giving tips, since I'm only a beginner myself, I thought it'd be fun. Here goes...

* Natural light is almost always the best light (in my opinion). If you can't get outside, shoot near a window.

* If you are shooting outside, the best time would be early in the morning and late in the evening. Bryan Peterson said it best in "Understanding Exposure" (buy this book! it's fabulous!) when he said that 11am-3pm are poolside hours...meaning that if you have a pool, that's where you should be. It's not a great time for photo ops.

* Play with your light...use it for front light, side light, or back light.

*Focus on your subject. Get rid of background clutter and distracting items.

*Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Shoot away and LEARN from the bad ones...and then delete them! No one has to see your photo failures.

And as always, I'll save the best for last...

*READ YOUR MANUAL!!! If you don't know how to use your camera, nothing is going to make you a better photographer.

Oh, and just because I hate to post without a picture...

Here's a recent favorite from my very first senior session. I'll be posting about it soon!! :)

cameras and such

2011-03-31T11:21:00.000-04:00

I can't tell you the number of times someone has seen a picture that I took and immediately said, "Wow, you must have a really nice camera! What is it?". Some people have a HUGE misconception that once you own an expensive camera, then you'll take beautiful photographs. The truth is, you won't...at least not consistently. My answer to the question above is this...I have a very basic DSLR - a Canon Rebel. It is not considered a "professional" camera, but more of a hobbyist or beginner camera. Sure, it was expensive, but it is not even comparable to my dream camera!

I also have an 80 dollar Canon that I bought on sale at WalMart. The pictures in this post are from my little camera. While I'm not claiming to be an amazing photog, I adore these photos...just as much as those that I have taken with my DSLR.

I am oh-so-tempted to go off on a tangent here and explain that cameras don't make photographs, people do. If you'd like to read more about that topic, read here: http://www.ourlittlethings.com/?p=2370 Natalie sums it up just right! My husband would swear that I wrote that post :)

But my point of this post is not that....it's this: YOU can take great pictures too! You just can't expect the camera to do it for you. You'll have to read and educate yourself, ask questions, experiment, and then do it all over again. I still consider myself to be a beginner when it comes to photography. I have learned SO much in the past few years, but I know I have so much more to learn. One of the things I enjoy most about photography is that you never know it all. You can always learn more, you can always grow, you can always adjust your style, you can always be better tomorrow than you are today.

This topic is to be continued...but for now, enjoy some photos from my cheap camera! :)

It's been some time

2011-02-09T14:26:00.000-05:00

...since I've had a few quiet moments to update this blog. Ah, the life of a stay-at-home-mom to three little ones, is certainly a busy one...but I can't imagine enjoying another job quite this much! Oh sure, there are days when I simply can't wait until 7pm rolls arounds and the house is quiet for at least a few hours, but all in all, staying at home with my girls is the most amazing and rewarding job there is. Plus, they get to be the center of all of my photography antics :) I've been really working hard the last few months in learning more about my camera, the post-editing, and even some website work (my next big goal). Here is some of my recent work...

Mal Grace is up first. I can't believe this little girl is already 3...and going on 13! :) It is SUPER hard to get any shots of her lately so I'm always thrilled when I get just a few!

And here's Madison, my almost 2 year old!!! Yikes! This kid is talking up a storm and her personality is hysterical! She's also pretty non-stop action so getting photos of her isn't much easier!

And finally, Morgan. She gets the most pictures because she sits still :) I forgot how fun it was to take photos of kids that couldn't run away!!

Oh and just for fun, here are a few photos I took when we were on vacation in Beech Mountain. They are all taken from the front porch of our little condo :)

Baby Morgan

2010-11-20T13:07:00.001-05:00

We welcomed our third little love bug into the world on October 14th! It's hard to believe that she's already a month old. It's safe to say that her big sisters love her to pieces and are beyond smitten! They are constantly hugging, kissing, and cuddling with her. It gets a little crazy sometimes, but it melts my heart to see my three little loves all together. I've been slacking on the photos, but I'm trying to do better. Here's a few of the wee one...

LOVE piggy toes!

sweet sweet little lips

Much thanks to my friend, Lyndsey, for this adorable blanket...and thanks to baby Morgan for hanging in there until my c-section date so we didn't have to have the blanket re-monogrammed :)

Let the kisses begin...

Me and my "Momo" (Madison named her) ha!

Where does the time go?

2010-08-07T13:25:00.000-04:00

Whoa! What a wild and crazy month this has been. We went from vacationing in the mountains to hitting the ground running when we got home. There's never a dull moment in the Horne house! :) For those that don't know, we moved this past week. Our new house is only about a mile down the road and it is fabulous! I am SO excited to have everything on one floor now and my husband has a man-room in the garage. The girls love it too! ...speaking of, I took lots of photos of them a couple of weeks ago and never got around to posting them, so here they are. I'm currently having a love-LOVE relationship with black/white and sepia photos as you'll see.

These two seriously snuggle all the time. It's adorable and it makes my heart melt. I love my sister to pieces, but I don't think we ever got along this well :)

Fish face!

I've gotten a lot of questions recently about Madison's necklace. It's an amber teething necklace from http://hyenacart.com/inspiredbyfinn/ and we love it! I can't say for sure that it has helped her pain, but it has certainly helped her cranky pants :) She loves it! ...which means mommy and daddy do too!

Here's Mallory striking a pose for once :) She'll proudly tell anyone that this is her new Beatles shirt and she love it sooooo much. She makes her daddy proud!

What you can't hear when you look at this picture is Madison saying "awwww. awww. awwww" :)

Family Vacation

2010-07-09T13:06:00.001-04:00

Hooray!! For the first time ever, we were able to sneak away for a week long family vacation! I tried my best to blog while we were gone, but alas, the internet connection wasn't having it. Oh well, here's the post from earlier this week...

Our trip has been amazing! We are staying on Beech Mountain in NC and it is adorable. There is SO much to do this time of year and the girls are loving it. ....Loving it so much that they've been taking almost 3 hours naps every day (this NEVER happens at our house!). The girls got to go their very first parade which was surely the highlight of their trip. That or one of the free concerts we've been to. Our kiddos LOVE to dance! We've been fish-feeding, duck-chasing, and "bear-hunting" too! :) That's what Mallory calls our hiking trips. The weather here is perfect...I've even been wearing long pants! Ahh. I don't have them all on my computer yet, but I thought I'd share just a few.

This little guy is our newest mountain neighbor. Mallory loved him!!

I had such a fun time playing with my macro lens some more...

Fish feeding time...

This little lady LOVES her daddy!!!

The girls' first parade :)

A family photo!!! These are too few and far between!

Macro fun!!

2010-06-23T12:40:00.001-04:00

Giddy doesn't begin to describe how ridiculously excited I was to get my new macro lens! I know, I'm a dork, but I'm cool with that. I had so much fun playing with it and I cannot wait to take more photos with it! Here are a few of my first shots.

Love these shells...

If you've never had Silver Coast wine, you should. It's quite delicious!

This little fly was SO teeny! Thankfully his feet were stuck in a spider web so he stayed pretty still for me...until I bumped him with my lens hood and set him free. Oops!

I have a good dozen or so more photos like these. Sometimes I get a wee bit carried away in my post processing. :)

The coolest spider I've ever seen...

I love the little seedling just barely hanging on.

And, well, this wasn't a macro shot...just a cute pig tail shot :) I love this little girl!

The Lewis girls

2010-06-16T13:45:00.000-04:00

I had heard lots of good things about Azalea Park, but I had never ventured out to Summerville to check it out....until last week. Boy, was I in luck! This place is adorable! There's tons of soft green grass, big trees, a couple little bridges, park benches, and lots of other fun things, but the star of the show was surely the ponds with turtles and fish. The girls had so much fun peeking in the water and it was a beautiful setting. I had so much fun on this shoot and I took a ton of pictures! Here are just a ~~few~~ lot of my favorites :)

Playing catch up...

2010-06-10T13:29:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I didn't make a single post for a whole month! SO much has been going on. As most of you know, we found out a few weeks ago that we are having another little girl. We're pretty positive she's going to be Morgan Brooke, but we still have a while to make that final :) We're due October 20th. The girls, especially Mallory, are so tickled! She asks every day to see the baby and sings to her through my belly button. Madison gives her loads and loads of raspberries which gives all of us the giggles! We are staying pretty busy with trips to the area parks, playdates, the Children's Museum downtown, the beach, and FINALLY dips in the pool!

Here's the closest thing to a belly picture I have so far. The girls and I were at the museum...one of their absolute favorite places ever!

Mallory just recently learned how to make "smiley faces" and nothing could make that kid happier! She draws every single day and is always so proud of her beautiful pictures. And we are too! I may have actually shed a tear or two the first time she drew a face. Oh, pregnancy hormones, you make me mushier than normal :)

Miss Madison is growing so much! It won't be long before she's as tall as her big sister. She's 15 months now and while she's not walking, she gets around fast! One of her newest favorites is climbing the stairs before naptime, bath time, or bedtime. She still LOVES to dance and most of the time she'll sing right along too. "Beba" is really growing into her own personality and I adore it. It's so amazing to see how two kids, so close together, can be so different.

We painted for Mommy's Day and it was a blast! I didn't get too many photos though because I was pretty worried about paint covering my entire kitchen :)

Last time I was home I discovered some of my old dance recital costumes from when I was a wee one. Mallory loves loves loves them! This one is her favorite "police man" outfit! ha!

Madison thinks sparkly headbands are super fun and mommy thinks they are super fun-ny :)

Oh, she'll kill me one day for this one, but it makes me laugh!

Mallory learned how to blow bubbles! ...I'm pretty sure I cried here too :)

Sullivan's Island

2010-06-09T07:50:00.000-04:00

Sullivan's Island has so many nice beach areas, but I just discovered this adorable location a couple of weeks ago. I was so excited to get to do a shoot there! I was just as excited to see how the photos turned out! Love them! I can't wait to get back to Sullivan's and scope out some more cute locations!

I heart piggy toes...especially sandy ones!

Right where she wanted to be the whole time... :)

My M and M - April

2010-05-02T14:15:00.001-04:00

Wow! What a busy month this has been! I didn't take many photos at all this month, but I wanted to share some of my favorites from the ones I did take. My little ladies are growing up SO fast.

Here's Mal Grace at the beach, sporting her favorite outfit (her swimsuit!)

And here's her second favorite outift, the tutu :)

Bath time is fun time!

Mallory, right before her hair cut. I'll have to post some new pictures of her cutie pie hair do soon!

My gals, cute in yellow...

Madison is going to be....

2010-04-14T13:40:00.000-04:00

...a big sister too!! :)

Hooray! The Horne house is so excited we can hardly stand it. Mallory loves to talk to "baby amazing" (I think she's trying to say baby Mason - a possible name if baby is a boy) in the most hysterical high pitched voice ever! She talks right into my belly button. Adorable. Both girls are great at giving baby sloppy wet kisses and lots of hugs! This is such a fun time for us all!!

The countdown is on to find out whether baby is a boy or girl...5 more weeks! :)

And on to the pictures I promised weeks ago...

(She's saying shhhh! It's a secret!)

Oh, I couldn't resist adding these pictures too. For those that don't know, this is Mallory Grace when she found out she was going to be a big sister!! They grow up so fast!

baby Ava

2010-03-24T19:27:00.000-04:00

I had the absolute pleasure of babysitting this little lady last week. She is such a fun kiddo and already has a great personailty. Naturally, I wanted to snap away tons of photos of this cutie, but I only got about 20...before my camera died. Boo! I learned that I really really really need a backup battery. I can't believe I've gotten by without one this long. Anyway, enough of my rants, on to the adorable-ness... :)

Drool is cool!

Mal Grace

2010-03-22T14:02:00.000-04:00

The weather here (with the exception of that yucky rainy day we had yesterday) has been SO wonderful. I heart Spring! And my girls do too!! We have spent so much time outside lately and it is lovely. A few days ago the girls and I sat in the front yard and just enjoyed the sunshine. I took lots of photos of the girls that day. These are just Mallory's pictures so you'll have to stay tuned for Madison's :)

While we were all getting ready that morning, Mal asked for me to fix her hair. I laughed because I didn't think she'd sit still for more than a second, but I thought I'd try anyway. To my suprise, she sat patiently and LOVED getting her hair done :) Maybe I made a preppy one after all! So here she is with her hair did!

And here's the sad reality of what most of my photos look like :)

And on to the outside fun. Here's Mal, mid-dance. She is obsessed with being a ballerina and twirling these days. I love her.

She's saying "Ewe, yuck! Swing soooo dirty". I guess I should clean that :)

Strike a pose...

yard birds

2010-03-17T16:39:00.001-04:00

Allow me to introduce you to our very own yard birds :) Mallory and Madison LOVE looking at these cute little fellas, but I've never actualy gotten around to taking pictures of them. These birds are faster than my kids, but I still got some pretty cute shots of them. Enjoy!

Our lovey doveys...

A woodpecker! He's so fun to watch!

This fella scared away all my other birdies. Mallory said he has grumpy pants :)

peek-a-boo

A finch, perhaps? I need to brush up on my bird knowledge!

Happy Birthday Madison!

2010-03-03T13:57:00.001-05:00

Oh, I can't believe my little Beba is a year old! It is so cliche to say, but the time really does fly by. This kid has so much personality these days...and she's a wild one :) Her birthday was a fun one. Mallory Grace sang Happy Birthday a good 3 or 4 dozen times and Madison wiggled and giggled and danced every single time :) Have I mentioned how adorable they are together?!?! Seriously. Adorable!

Here's the birthday girl chasing down the camera. She's fast!

Uh-oh. It's her birthday and she can cry if she wants to??

But it didn't last long. She's easily distracted :)

Here's Mallory and Madison "making birthday cake" in the kitchen.

She got an ice cream cake and it was just a wee bit messy :)

Oops. She was trying to clap, but missed her hands!

She LOVED it!

She's saying...I'm one!

Mallory Grace says "Beba make mess". She did. :)

Going in for one last bite...

A full house! :)

2010-02-18T14:14:00.000-05:00

A full house indeed. We had friends in town last weekend with their three kids, ages 3, 2, and almost 1. Pair that with our 2 year old and almost 1 year old and let your imagination run wild! :) It was loud, but it was a blast. The kids had so much fun playing together and I had so much fun talking with other adults!! Yeah! This family is adorable and I had such fun photographing them.

My little ladies

2010-02-11T14:12:00.001-05:00

These are a few of my favorites from the past week or so. Some are fun, some are sweet, but they all make my heart pitter patter a bit faster. I am so in love with these two!!

Mallory and Madison's first duet...many many more to come :)

Madison on guitar.

Mallory on drums.

She's peek-a-boo-ing at big sister :)

Is it just me, or did this kid get bigger over night?!?

Oh, I love love love her giggles. One of her newest favorite things is saying "tickle mommy"...meaning she WANTS to be tickled. Most of the time she starts laughing before I even get close to her :)

This kid is so talented she can take pictures with the camera upside down!

Now here's a look of concentration. For those that don't know. Madison has finally decided to start crawling...and she is everywhere!! She is such a happy babe now!

They adore eachother.

"pat pat pat" says Mal Grace :)

If you're happy and you know it...clap your hands!

Going in for a smoochie!

I was trying a bit of reverse psychology to get Mal to smile. "Don't you dare smile" I said. It didn't work. :)

She's a funny one.

See all my teeth?!?

the end.

Rooster :)

2010-02-09T08:49:00.000-05:00

So last night "Rooster" (that's his name...Mallory is pretty creative when it comes to naming things) got to take his first trip to the beach. It was pretty hysterical :) I love that my kids think that family outings to the beach with a rooster is completely normal. Rooster seemed to like the beach, except for the wind part. Next time, I'll bring my big girl camera and I'll put Madison in the front pack. These were all taken with my 20-lb baby in one hand and my point and shoot in the other. You should be very very impressed! ha! :)

Mallory was feeding Rooster crackers...

His little beard was blowing all over the place.

Blurry, yes. But I like it. :)

Good night beach.

Fabulous at 40!!

2010-02-07T14:21:00.002-05:00

I did a photoshoot way back in September (when I first got my fancy dancy lens) for a friend of mine who was turning 40. I came across them today as I was cleaning up my computer and couldn't believe I'd forgotten all about them. I love these photos and the shoot was SO much fun! I can only hope to look this fabulous when I'm 40!

This may be one of my favortie photos ever...

She's not just posing on a motorcycle...she actually drives them :)

And another one of my favorites. Simply beautiful.

Beba and Mal Grace

2010-02-02T08:06:00.000-05:00

Yes, Beba. It's pronounced bee (like the buzzy bug) - baa (what lambs say). :) This is the name that Mallory gave Madison the day we came home from the hospital with her....11 months ago! When I was pregnant, Mallory always rubbed by belly and said "baby", but I guess she changed her mind when Madison made her debut. I can't tell you the number of funny looks I've gotten or the people that have actually said "oh, what's her name?!". It kind of makes me laugh! To be honest, I didn't think "Beba" would stick around too long, but I was wrong. Some part of me feels a little bad that Madison will respond to Beba, but not so much to Madison. Oh well. I don't think it makes me a bad mother...just a mother with a sense of humor.

I think this is one of my favorite photos to date.

Ah, the lip.

It's hard to tell, but this face is as fake as they come...

...and here's the proof. This one was taken seconds later.

Mal Grace. I swore when Mallory was named that I'd never call her anything but Mallory. I hated the name "Mal". A few months later, I thought Mal wasn't such a bad name after all...or maybe it's just easier to say :) Either way, this little beauty these days is mostly "Mal Grace". She makes my day, every day. She is hysterical! And I'm sure most parents say that about their kids, but she really is :)

As I'm typing this Mallory and Madison are having a most interesting conversation. Madison is babbling her normal babbles "dadadadada" and Mallory keeps saying "Daddy work boat, member?". "Member?" is her new favorite word.

Here's Mal "helping" me do the laundry.

Her giggles make me the happiest woman in the world!

And this one, well, this one is my child's personality to a tee :)

My-rene

2010-02-01T13:44:00.001-05:00

Well, her name is really Irene....Mary Irene. I was named after her and my late grandmother, Helen. We have always called her Irene and as a little kid I wondered why everyone else's grandmothers were granny or nana. Surely there had to be some Irenes too :)

As a mother, I am learning more and more about the incredible bond that kids have with their grandparents. My girls love love love their grandparents, and great-grandparents!! I so wish I had remembered to take my camera with me more while I was home and get photos with all the grandparents.

I was so glad I was able to get some shots with Irene though. This fabulous woman, who I love to no end, will be 88 on February 22nd! 88! She is one of the funniest, most sincere, selfless people I know. It breaks my heart to only be able to see her an hour or so, a couple of times a year. Oh goodness, it's making me teary eyed as I type this. One thing that I absolutely adore about Irene is that she still writes letters. They make my day! Not only does she write letters, but she often apologizes for not writing enough! She is so appreciative of every phone call, every visit, every card, every picture...it makes my heart melt.

Madison was obsessed with Irene's fun necklace. I love that even in her late-80s she is more fashionable than I have or ever will be :)

Mallory, putting chapstick on Irene. Love.

Here is Irene and Big Pop (his real name was Ashley) in 1945. Adorable, aren't they??

Marley Grace

2010-01-29T13:36:00.000-05:00

Marley Grace and her mommy (one of my absolute bestest friends ever) came for a visit and I couldn't help but snap some of this beautiful little lady. She has the most amazing brown eyes and long eyelashes! I'm fairly jealous of those :)

Ah, those eyelashes...

Angel Oak

2010-01-27T09:42:00.000-05:00

We took a family outing to John's Island to see this beautiful Angel Oak tree. This beauty is believed to be over 1500 years old!! If you ever get the chance to head that way, you should! There's plenty of room for the kids to run. Mal had the BEST time playing "over the branches, under the branches" :)

Today the live oak has a diameter of spread reaching 160 feet, a circumference of nearly 25 feet, and covers 17,100 square feet of ground. I need to buy a serious wide angle lens to get all that tree in one photo!

She's a tree hugger. :)

This is my favorite!

Yea, she has branches sprouting from her head, but she's still adorable :)

Ha! LOVE that face!

Man oh man, I LOVE these girls!!!

That little pink dot is Mallory Grace :)

All of my loves...

I'm desperately trying to be in more photos!

a sunset with the girls

2010-01-25T09:06:00.000-05:00

A week or so ago (I have no concept of time anymore!) I took the girls out for a walk. We were having so much fun that we stayed until the sun went down. Mallory loved saying "night night, sleep tight" to the sun :) Madison just loved hanging out in the front pack. It's her favorite place to be!

Mallory "making sandcastles".

The clouds were so cool looking.

Hehe! Those poor poor birds.

"Uh-oh. Make mess" - Mal Grace

Here's a few of us at the park earlier that day...

Madison, showing off her new teeth!

Me and my little ladies!

Mommy Time!

2010-01-13T14:05:00.000-05:00

When I was younger and I needed some me time, I'd simply get in my car and just drive. It was easy in a small town to drive for a few minutes and find a peaceful place to relax. While I love Charleston, it's just not that easy to find a place without the hustle and bustle. I was so pleased when I took a drive a few days ago (all alone!!) and found peace and quiet. A few minutes up highway 17 and a few wrong turns led me to a beautiful location on the sound. For 20 whole minutes (in mommy time, that is A LOT!), I got to relax and just have me time. The pictures don't really do justice to how lovely this place was, but I hope you enjoy them anyway.

the many faces of Madison

2010-01-09T16:40:00.001-05:00

One thing (out of a billion or two) that I really adore about kids is their wide variety of facial expressions. The following photos were all taken in about a 5 minute window. I love every one of them, but I think my favorite must be the pretend pouty face. She makes the most adorable noise in the world when making this face and it always makes me smile.

the deer-in-the-headlights look

the look-how-sweet-and-innocent-I-am face

the giggle face

the laugh-so-hard-I-can't-keep-my-eyes-open face

the deep-in-thought look

the pretend pouty face

and alas, the distracted-by-the-big-sister look

Hello 2010!!

2010-01-04T21:02:00.000-05:00

My, oh my, time is flying by! I can't believe 2010 is already here...and even more than that, I can't believe how big my little gals are getting. Mallory Grace turned 2 in November and Miss Madison is 10 months! They are growing so much every day and it is simply amazing.

My conversations with Mallory become more and more...ummm...interesting :) OK, and hillarious too! Just today she kept telling Madison "bless your heart, bless your heart" when she was feeling yucky. She is such an awesome big sister and the smartest 2 year old I know! Love her!!

My little "Beba" is getting bigger and bigger every second! She has 4 teeth now and from the looks of her swollen gums, she's getting about 10 more :) She is so full of personality. She LOVES to dance and is the best waver around!

OK, Mallory Grace gets two photos this entry because I couldn't pick just one :)

A few snapshots from our Christmas

2009-12-26T11:05:00.000-05:00

This was my absolute most favorite Christmas to date...I feel like I say that every year :) We had such a wonderful time together. Mallory was so excited about "baby Jesus coming to his birthday party" and Madison got her two front teeth!

Here we are at the Festival of Lights. Mal's favorite was the big big choo choo train (it wasn't big at all, but it was a ton of fun!).

Mallory Grace and I made a gingerbread house. Thank goodness for such fabulous kits!! At first I really really tried to make it look nice and pretty and then...Mallory took over.

Our gingerbread family.

This little beauty is so close to crawling it's ridiculous. Mostly she just squirms backwards and spins in circles. I am very very thankful for these days. I can only imagine how interesting life will be with two walkers!

Taking a photo of these two together is pretty much impossible :)

Someone was a little sleepy on Christmas.

They love eachother!!

Someone else was sleepy too :)

Hampton Park - part 2

2009-12-20T20:00:00.001-05:00

Here are a few more from Hampton Park...

Hampton Park

2009-12-18T21:02:00.000-05:00

This shoot was one of my absolute favorites yet! The weather was perfect and the family was adorable. They smiled easily and were so natural in front of the camera (which I know is not an easy thing to do!). You could see their love for one another written all over their faces. I'm only half way through the pictures, but I was too antsy to wait to share some.

another cute babe...

2009-12-16T14:04:00.000-05:00

I just can't get enough of these cute little babies!! How adorable is this little man? ...and his big brother is pretty precious too :)

Is it me or is this little fella winking at me and giving me the "ok"?

This one was just too funny not to share...

baby fever

2009-12-14T19:22:00.002-05:00

I got it. Oh yes, yes I do! Seriously. I know, I know...I have a 2 year old and a 9 month old, but I tell ya...seeing babies this cute and snuggly just make me want another! :)

the best time of the year

2009-12-11T09:40:00.000-05:00

Christmas time is one of my most favorite times of the year! And I'm not the only one who is enjoying it this year...my 2 year old is SO in love with our Christmas tree and the seashell ornaments. She is always stopping to kiss them and "rock" them and hug them :) I love it!

And this one loves it too...

More beach photos

2009-12-07T09:07:00.000-05:00

The girls and I have been going for walks on the beach almost every day. Yesterday I took along my little point and shoot Canon or my "little bitty baby camera" (as Mallory calls it). I was suprised and actually really pleased with a lot of my images.

Santa baby :)

2009-12-06T13:28:00.002-05:00

I'm sure there will be lots and lots more of these to come...

I adore this one...

All of our seashell finds are well on their way to becoming our Christmas ornaments this year...

November favorites

2009-12-01T14:13:00.000-05:00

I can't believe how fast November flew by! Wow! Here are some of my favorites from this month.

Madison, in mid-wiggle :)

Mallory's wild hair at the park!

Not the greatest photo ever, but it makes me laugh :)

I have a piggy toe obsession!

Not bad for my pocket sized Canon...

I have a 2 year old!!!

My most favortie cell phone photo ever!

Another beach shoot

2009-11-29T13:14:00.001-05:00

This morning my littlest one woke up before the sun so I decided to just take advantage of it. I put her in my front carrier, grabbed the camera, and went for a nice long walk on the beach. The beach is always relaxing to me, and getting to see the sunrise made it even better.

I'm loving the black and white here...

This little guy was trying to sneak into all of my shots...

A few hours later, the whole family went out. I could get used to this weather!!

We found a sand dollar!

...and then Mallory ate it :)

Eyes

2009-11-29T12:57:00.000-05:00

Maybe I'm partial (ok, I know I'm partial) but my little girls have the most gorgeous eyes and eyelashes. Yesterday I bugged them both for a couple of up close shots...

Madison Taylor

Mallory Grace

I'm normally not a fan of this kinda of post processing, but it was fun to play with and I must admit, I kinda like how it turned out...

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

2009-11-28T13:02:00.000-05:00

What a beeeeeeeeautiful day it is! I took the girls out to the beach this morning and finally remembered to bring along my camera. I love low tide on the Isle of Palms because there is SO much beach!

Riverfront Park

2009-11-26T12:53:00.002-05:00

Today I am thankful for sunshine!! The past few days have been so gloomy (see picture 1) but that didn't stop me from getting a TON of cute photos of this adorable family. They really brightened my day! I am so excited to share these!

And on to the good stuff...

I LOVE this smile...

Hampton Park

2009-11-22T13:39:00.000-05:00

The hubby and I took the girls downtown yesterday to Hampton Park. I love downtown anyway (even though I hate to drive there), but this park was just darling. It had gorgeous trees, flowers, ducks and geese (and seagulls!), a walking path, and lots more. It was a photographer's dream outing! While I spent most of our trip chasing my 2 year old around, I also managed to take a couple of cute shots.

This little fella hopped right out of the water when we walked up. I think he was disapointed when we didn't have food though.

I just loved these trees...

Mallory looked so teeny under these trees.

I couldn't believe how many beautiful flowers there were.

Super Dad!! I love love love this man!

Rusty

2009-11-09T14:32:00.000-05:00

I had the best time with this little man. He is such a cutie! I was so excited that I got a few cute ones of his big brother too. Enjoy!

I love all of his facial expressions!

LOVE this one...

Brotherly love. awe!

Madison Taylor

2009-10-29T14:20:00.002-04:00

Little Miss Madison is turning into such a BIG girl. Here are a few of my favorites from the past couple of weeks...

She was SO adorable is her baptism gown...

There's 2 teeth in there!

I wish I was this cute when I was grumpy :)

It's been a while...

2009-10-28T14:44:00.002-04:00

I did a little photo shoot with Mallory a couple of days ago and here are some of my favorites.

I know this one is blurry, but it is still my absolute favorite. Pure joy is written all over her face.

her model pose...

trying to fix her broken flower

Another cute belly!! - take 2

2009-10-02T21:22:00.001-04:00

Even more cute shots from my last maternity session...

I adore the look Bret is giving Nina...

Another cute belly!!

2009-10-02T13:03:00.001-04:00

I had so much fun photographing (it sounds too wierd to say "shooting") these 2 (and a half)!! :) I have so many favorites it was hard to choose, but here are a few...

my first maternity session - part 2

2009-09-27T13:09:00.001-04:00

I couldn't resist sharing a few more... :)

my first maternity session!!!

2009-09-27T10:51:00.001-04:00

I can't even begin to explain how excited I was about this session! I love pregnant ladies and cute bellies! Here are a few from our beach shoot...I'm sure there'll be a couple more to come.

Natalie and Hannah

2009-09-26T09:49:00.001-04:00

I love these little ladies!! Natalie is Mallory's best buddy and baby Hannah is soon to be Madison's :) I adore these photos in black and white.

A day with the old car

2009-09-13T08:27:00.013-04:00

I have to admit, when my husband first said "It's a 65 Galaxie!", my first response was "a 65 what??". Like we need more man toys! Then she (the old car) arrived...and well, it wasn't love at first sight. It was an old car and I liked that, but that was it. I just liked her. But I'm a nice gal so I was willing to give her some time to grow on me. And grow on me, she did! The first time I rode in the Galaxie with the top down, listening to the am radio, I grinned so much my face hurt. I liked her a lot! Then I got to drive her and that was it. I was in love. :) And I'm not the only one...Mallory is sooo in love with "ol ca" it's a little ridiculous. Just a mention of the old car can rid her of the grumpies. We spent a whole day last week with the old car and got plenty of cute photos of her, and the kids. Enjoy!

the whole clan

trouble

giving the "ol ca" a little love...

Madison turned 6 (months)...

2009-09-04T08:21:00.005-04:00

...and it was a great excuse for a little photo session. Here are a few that I just adore...

An evening at the beach - take 2

2009-08-31T12:51:00.004-04:00

Here are a few more of my favs from the Overman kids :)

An evening at the beach - take 1

2009-08-29T13:02:00.007-04:00

This was my first multiple-kid session and I have to say, it was a blast! Not only were these kiddos cute, they were also bursting with personality! It was a cloudy evening and the lighting was awful, but we still got a ton of cute shots. More to come...

Ava, a bit older :)

2009-08-29T08:15:00.006-04:00

I can't believe this little bundle of love is almost 1 month old! She just gets cuter every time I see her! This time we took her out for her first trip to the beach...

baby Ava

2009-08-26T13:08:00.004-04:00

Thanks to my wonderful friends, I am starting to get some experience under my belt. Here are a couple photos of Baby Ava, almost 2 weeks old. This is such a sweet age...so teeny and so lovable! She is A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!

daddy/daughter love

2009-08-26T08:03:00.006-04:00

There are few things in the world that melt my heart more than seeing a daddy with his kids. My babes are SO in love with their daddy...and I think he's a bit smitten too!

My little one...

2009-08-25T08:05:00.006-04:00

It's hard to believe that this lil' lady is almost 6 months old! Time is flying by! Unlike Mallory, Miss Madison LOVES the camera. She thinks the noises that it makes are cool and the faces that I make behind it, funny :) She is a perfect model.

A first post! EEK!

2009-08-24T12:38:00.010-04:00

The vast majority of my photos these days are of my own children. Hopefully in the near future, you'll be seeing a lot more cute faces! In the meantime though, here are a couple of recent ones of my oldest daughter...