[Children] Blondies | Portageville Missouri Child Photography

Four true blondes. How times have you seen that at one time???

Meet these little blonde beauties. Mom has her hands full now, but Dad will be in big trouble when they are teens.

When Heather contacted me for a session, I felt a sense of pride. I've known her since high school(read: the crazy days!) and Facebook allowed us to reconnect. And I got to follow her journey as a mother as well. When I found out she was pregnant with twins(and her two oldest were just barely out of diapers), I felt overwhelmed for her. I mean, really, four girls under 4? That just sounds hard.

But I tell ya, watching her interact with her girls, even when the babies got upset, you couldn't tell that it's a hard job. Probably because moms know what it takes to take care of our babies, but also because we have to be the leader, sometimes even the dictator. So, we do what we have to do to make our lives with our children function sanely. And Heather is no exception. She is a rockin' momma to her four darlings.

These girls were simply sweet and loving and so entertaining. The oldest kept me quite entertained, as she was the supermodel of the crew and ready to strike a pose at any given moment. Heather, thank you for choosing me to capture your four non-NON-blondes. It was nice to catch up, if even for only a few moments, since motherhood has now consumed our lives.

Wonderfully consumed, might I add.

[Children] Super Heroes | Portageville Missouri Children's Photographer

Boys. I love little boys.

They love to get dirty. Play in mudholes. Strip down when it's hot. Or cold. Love on their mommas. They can pee outside and they don't care who's watchin'.

And they all want to be super heroes.

These boys encompassed all of the above, except for the whole using the bathroom thing. They were sweet, a little shy, playful and ever so into the dirt. Just good ol' country boys. (Dad is a farmer.)

The day was hot one, even for early morning time. But thank goodness, fun can always be had with mud, dirt, bare feet, and costumes. Mom suggested bringing these, and since I'm always up for something different and fun, so I let the hero-ness ensue! Mom also wanted a different and fun family photo, and that we did--see image #2, crazy boys in the front, oblivious Mom and Dad enjoying themselves in the back! I loved it!

We finally headed out to a field. By this time, the boys were ready to pull the shirts off and, well, be boys. The finishing touch was the adorable red wagon.

Warren Family, thank you. Thank you for the fun boy time, the awesome planning, the faith you put in me to capture your sweet family. I had a great time and I look forward to working together again!

[Family] For the Love | Southeast Missouri Photographer

Meet this adorable little family.

Something tells me, though, that Dad may have to be giving the smack-down on a few boys in about 10 years. And Mom, well, I'm sure she'll be fielding a lot of calls from giddy girls calling past bed time.

We decided on shooting at the urban setting for this family's session. Mom and I discussed our session and made a quick collaboration of perfectly coordinated outfits. Perfect for them, perfect with the backdrop. And since this was their first session as a family, she couldn't have done a better job.

The little ones were a little shy with me at first. But you know, once kids get used to my jolly-good-time personality, it doesn't take much to start crackin' smiles for me. Oh, and have I ever mentioned my mad dance skills? You know, version of the throwback kind. That always gets a laugh or twenty. Even with seniors. Who me? Embarassed? Never.

You guys were too much fun and the kiddos were pure sweetness. Thank you for an awesome session! Enjoy your back to school days!

[Sneak Peek] Family | Kennett Missouri Photographer

I've got another one! These kids were too cute!

[Sneak Peek] Children | Hayti Missouri Child Photographer

How cute are these kids? Seriously. You should see their mom.

[Children] Fun But Hot| Hayti Missouri Children Photographer

First let me apologize for the long absence in blogging. I try to keep up, but with a job, 4 kids, vacation, business, and such, it gets hard to keep up. I've also been in the process of designing a new blog for a few months now, but again, I have too many irons in the fire. For now, here's a recent session.

My session with these cuties took place on one of the hottest days of the year! Late afternoons in the Bootheel are not pleasant. And I certainly looked the part, with my red face and slick arms!

These two cuties enjoyed being in front of the camera, well Miss M did, especially when I showed her some old school dance moves. Little man wasn't as interested in me as he was the surroundings, so we played little games and that seemed to keep him interested in me, the gal with the big ol' camera.

We later hit up a field for some family shots and I just love the processing on them. And though it looked like a storm was brewing, we managed to get our session completed without anyone getting drenched. However, I wouldn't have minded since I was literally a hot mess! (But the equipment would've suffered big time!)

Thank you, G family! I had a great time at our session and I enjoyed getting to meet and play with your children!

[Children] Curls | Caruthersville Missouri Children's Photographer

The first thing you notice about these little cuties is their awesome blonde curls! There's something about those curls, you just have to touch them. And I did. Having kids with straight-as-a-board hair, I just had to feel their locks and admire how Mom keeps their coifs looking so good.

Miss E wasn't feeling well all week, so she was still feeling some of the remnants of her sickness. But she champed up to give some of the sweetest smiles. And I loved getting to talk to her about her lip gloss. I even tried to coax her to let me have a little bit of it. No dice.

She wore an adorable tutu dress and had the matching accessories. What 3 year old princess doesn't have a wand? She also had a cute green tutu that matched her birthday month and paired with those curls, she totally stole my heart.

Big brother B was a little shy, but working my mad social skills, he came out of his shell. He let me capture some of his cuteness, all while being a helpful big brother.

Mom, I had a great time! Thank you for planning ahead with the adorable outfits and I hope you love the images! Enjoy!

[Children] Sweetness | Hayti Missouri Baby Photographer

What I love about children is their unpredictability. I mean, what's fun about knowing that they will always act the same in every situation? Boooorrrringgg.

Miss O didn't disappoint. According to her momma, she's quite outgoing and talkative. But on this day, Miss O wasn't having any of my shenanigans. Uh-unh, no way. She was quite demure and quiet and shy. So, we chilled and we talked and she picked pretty yellow flowers. Sometimes, you just have to go with the flow and no one can understand that more than me. What Miss O didn't know is that I'm fairly good at capturing quiet moments as well as the wild and crazy ones. And she didn't realize that I got a few smiles, too.

Her little sister, Miss E, is 3 months old and for some reason, I felt that baby itch. What, you say? Yes, the itch. But not the kind, like I'm-ready-for-another-baby, just the my-baby-is-almost-8-months-old-where-did-the-time-go kind of itch. But, you heard it here, I'm not having another baby anytime soon. Miss E was so calm and good and smelled so sweet as precious babies do. I even managed to hold her on my shoulder and shoot Mom and Miss O. And if I had a stove, I may have even whipped up some breakfast, because you know, mommas are born multitaskers.

Mom, thank you for the great morning. I know O was not in normal character, but I can't stress to you enough how beautiful she is and these images of her are so insightful and gorgeous, especially the last one. Your girls are beautiful and if they are half as good as a person as you are, you are blessed beyond measure. (Now, make sure Dad keeps those bad boys away!) Enjoy!

[Sneak Peek] Children | Hayti Missouri Child Photographer

A little flower princess...

[Children] Rollin' on a River | Caruthersville Missouri Children's Photographer

I'm always amazed at children's lack of fear and inquisitive nature about things that should be feared. Namely, the mighty Mississippi River.

I don't know when my fear for the river kicked in, but it is there. From crossing the bridge to Tennessee to just looking at the whirling currents from land, I find myself imagining being swallowed by an elephant-sized catfish. Point is, don't ever ask me if I want to take a boat ride on the Mississippi River or head over to a sand barge. Not only will I laugh at you from the security of dry land, I'll also warn to you wear your life jacket in hopes that if your boat sinks, maybe the elephant catfish won't drag you under.

Anyways, back to the story. Mom informed me that little man B absolutely loves the river! She really wanted some milestone images of them down there, and climbing over the recently flooded rocks made me fully aware that the river is no friggin' joke. Yep, I said it. The kids had a great time, but I believe Mom and I were a little nervous about falling, falling off of the rocks, falling into...nevermind. I don't even need to go there.

We actually started out at their home, playing and getting to know one another. These pretty little gals were not shy in the least and we all ready to pimp themselves in front of my camera. I love it when kids are not shy. Reminds me of my own flamboyant children.

Miss E and Miss M were all about playing, hugging, even throwing a football. Of course, we did a family shot and all I can say is: Mommas, you don't have to be part of the session, but you'll never regret having a nice image of you with your kids. I don't care how you look or feel, just make sure you try to jump in just one picture, even if you're getting tickled by them and you just pee'd your pants. Disclaimer: That did NOT happen at this session. Nor did it happen to me. Uh-hmm.

M family, thank you so much for inviting me to your home and getting to know all of you. I love shooting the relationships between children and you all didn't let me down. I hope you love your images and hope you all have a great summer!