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Welp, Junior year was insane. Hopefully senior year isn’t as crazy. Cross your fingers it doesn’t get any weirder—I mean how could it. Let’s create something amazing instead! Something to look back on other than cancelled plans and face masks. You have one hell of a story to tell future generations, let’s document it.
“I got you Boo.”
-Me, to every senior client past, present, and future
Today was the last day of National Pizza Week, and we almost missed it. Disaster, I know.
If you’re in Oklahoma, we are having some cracked out weather rn. Thunderstorms, tornados, ice and snow, in about 18 hours. So yeah, my daughter and I were at Sam’s getting cereal. Lord help me if I run out of cereal on the weekend. My children might die. As we shopped we could hear the rain coming down hard, so naturally we took our time and waited for it to pass. It’s getting closer and closer to the time she usually eats lunch. As any mama second guesses every decision (no? just me? cooooool), do I wait it out and make her something at home—and risk a PISSED off 5 year old? Or bite the bullet and make her dreams come true and let her get her own giant slice of cheese pizza and way too big half lemonade/half tea. OH.THE.DRAMA.
The rain slows, and we head to self check out. It’s National Pizza Week. I have to let her. I got her to wait to eat until we got home, and I asked if I could take her picture. She was pumped. This super shy thing, comes out of her shell when a pizza slice the size of her head is involved.
No, she did not eat all of it. There was more left than actually pictured. Yes, her shirt says exactly what you think it does. We made it over Christmas break. She loves it, and plans on wearing to more even though the holidays are over. At any given time you’ll hear her singing THAT ONE LINE, as well as “Hair toss, check my nails, baby how you feeling? IT’S SUMMER!” I’m totally cool with heriot knowing all the lyrics just yet.
Happy National Pizza Week friends. Hope you got to enjoy some pizza…hopefully better than the cheap $2 pizza I bought my daughter. She loved it, and that’s all that matters.
xo, L.
Truth? New year; Same me. But I’m gonna try to be more organized and blog every.session. Eek! First blog of the 20’s—Here we go!
Sweet Baby M was the cutest little squish at her in home newborn session. LOOK AT THOSE CHEEKS. I mean come on. Plus, ALL THAT HAIR. My own babes had the littlest bit of fuzz for hair when they were born, so yeah. I was in love.
What I love the most about lifestyle newborn sessions is that it’s so natural. They can stretch, yawn, go cross eyed for a second, cry, find their fingers, smile, burp, spit up, poop and it’s all game for the final images in their gallery. I think Baby M hit every one on that list in the 90 minutes we had together…a couple things she did more than once. Read: she pooped four times on me. LOL! Brand new babies are perfect and amazing all on their own. A beautiful start—yet sometime messy and chaotic, to a new story.
How does that saying go? “Where you are now, is exactly where you were meant to be.” Baby M’s story is just that for her and her family. Even in the hardest days, this family’s story is one of love and life. Watching Mama soak in her new baby, seeing a new chapter of her own story unfold, is one that so many can relate too.
Baby M, you are loved more than you know. I’ll leave you with a favorite short story of mine.
xo, L.
If you were born with
the weakness to fall
you were born with
the strength to rise
-rupi kaur
Three completely unrelated things happened this week and it made me want to have a Ted Talk. So welcome to my Ted Talk! Thanks for listening!
Time. I've been trying to edit whenever I get free moment these past few weeks; and it's hard. You get it. Your time is valuable to so many who depend on you. It makes your day to day hectic. Or life can just be too crazy. But my family still needs me, and daily things sometimes get put on hold.
I'd love to meet the mom or dad who works full time or stays at home full time to raise children, who says, "Yes we're free; We have nothing going on!" 😂
Riiiiight. Maybe after practice, lessons, tournaments, school, activities, homework, feeding the children (all.the.time) and lord knows what else. Hell, I feel like I have barley enough time to finish a REPLY text, before I get interrupted...and NEVER get the text sent. I don't know about you, but come Friday after work or Saturday morning, there is nothing else I want to do, besides NOT cook dinner and sink into my bed and watch my favorite movie.
But here's the thing. We only have so much time.
The three unrelated things:
1. My town had a teen killed in a car accident. When I heard, the boy's name and age wasn't given. My heart sank like anyone else's and I prayed it wasn't one of my seniors. He wasn’t a client of mine. But for someone, somewhere, he was. Almost daily I can go in a photography group, and find a story of “These are his last photos.” “She passed before we could get the session scheduled.” I could go on.
2. I had an inquiry for an extended family session. It was the first time this potential clients children were going to meet their (just shy of 100!) great grand mother. In her email the client wrote, "the sad likelihood that this is the last time we all will be together."
3. My middle child, and his wiggly tooth. He has been waiting and waiting for that first wiggly tooth to fall out. He's in first grade and feeling the pressure of not missing any teeth. 🙈 You know, once the first one falls out, they all start going. As much as I love those toothless grins, I LOVE more that we got photos of his (probably last) smile with all his baby teeth. I know he's growing up, but losing those baby teeth confirm how much time as really passed.
So yes, jumping into jammies, getting take out, mixing up candy corn and popcorn, and watching Harry Potter with my family on the couch sounds incredible. But the time we take to remember what's valuable and means the most to us, is worth YOUR time. The couch will still be there tomorrow. It'll be fine without us for one night.
Last thing, I promise. When I scheduled our family photos, it was a bit out of our budget. I went back and forth over if I wanted to spend that much. Then my budget conscience husband, came in with the ringer. "They're only this little once." He's right. Once in a life time.
Recent clients who made the time (and made the couch wait!) for the ones we love most, pictured below.
Have you been to Mad Eats in Owasso yet? If you haven’t, you can stop reading and just go now. I’ll wait. :)
But in case you’re like me, and the only free moments you get to yourself are at the end of the day; You’re probably in bed, exhausted with a million and one things on your mind and aimlessly scrolling on your phone is so much more appealing than leaving the house. Please enjoy the deliciousness of Mad Eats milkshakes via this adorable sister session. No shame.
These sisters are the sweetest pair! We shared secrets, skipped, twirled and of course made friends with the friendly staff at Mad Eats. We had so much fun, you can see the sugar high in the last couple photos. What you can’t see is the wind…while we were shooting outside it was very cold and so strong. We ended up on the opposite of the building I wanted to shoot but keeping the girls happy and not shivering was worth it.
Thanks for letting us play Mad Eats! You’re the best!
I know, right.
We fancy.
If you are ready to stop scrolling (drooling) over Mad Eats shakes…they have boozy shakes too. And pie. And all day brunch. I mean YUM.
SUGAR. HIGH.
Thanks a bunch Mad Eats!
We had permission to shoot at Mad Eats. If you’re a newer photographer or don’t know; please, please, please go through the right channels and get permission first when shooting at private locations and businesses.
xo, L.
I have a lot of pictures on our walls at home. I like to rearrange our wall art and photos every now and then. During the last revamp I took down my gallery wall, and limited myself to one framed photo of each kid…shocking, I know. It’s been that way for about a year, and I think it’s time to rearrange again.
I’m still working on my boys, but I got my youngest to play around for about 2.5 minutes with me. I can see a gallery wall coming together with just that couple minutes. Now to pick which one(s) make the wall. Sigh, decisions, decisions.
Sofiya was SUCH.A.MODEL. She needed hardly any direction—she just posed away! She’d smile <snap>, sassy <snap>, hair flip <snap>. Dang girl. You killed your senior photos. So impressed!
Mommy & Me session at the Restore House in Broken Arrow, OK
Read moreI fell in love with Lainee and her sweet family the moment I read their client questionnaire. Amid all the junk going on in the world, work, family and our personal lives, the last thing Lainee wrote in the questionnaire was spot on. I get bogged down by life but her words are ones to truly live by.
"Our life is exhausting. Especially this year, but there is SO much to celebrate. That's what I want, pictures to celebrate what our life is like today, because honestly for us, we don't know what life will look like next year."
So much love to this family. I admire your honest and beautiful words <3
xo, L.
I love this little family & so happy I got to meet some extended family! I feel like this post is going to be filled with Miss Sherry...my 4 year old is in her prek class and MIGHT just have a little crush on her. He did make her a Christmas card ;)
I don't always shoot seniors...but when I do, I hope they are always as awesome as this chick! She is straight up sunshine. <3 Hope your year is amazing!
