Well of course it is Gator Gameday here in the Swamp, and since I got to watch my neice and nephew while my family went off to the game, I had to take advantage of having the kiddos together to do a quick photo session. Let’s just say it took longer to set up then it did to shoot these photos- I guess that is what you get when trying to work with an 18 month old, a two and a half year old, and a three and a half year old with no help!

Here are some cute pics that we got…. and GO GATORS!

Future Gator cheerleader here- she has been practicing saying “TOUCHDOWN” since the National Championship game last year.

My most favorite two little girls in the world. And they love each other soooo much.

My sassy little neice.

And my darling little nephew.

Go Gators! Madalyn decided it was time to cheer for a touchdown here!

Just a little bit of bribery is involved in mini photo shoots with Madalyn (can you sense the sarcasm here?) Now that she knows that you can see a picture on the viewfinder she is more interested in the camera then letting me take her photo. But if I come up with something to distract her (like a fantastic pink lollipop!) she will pose for about 15 minutes. So here are our fifteen minutes of Family Friday photos.

The pettiskirt is a perfect prop for photos of girls of all ages. They make them for as small as newborn up to adults. If your little girl would like to schedule a Petticoat Session please let me know. Sessions must be booked at least 3 weeks in advance to ensure that I have the correct size pettiskirt on hand.

And for your mommies with a camera who love to take your own pictures of your little ones, I’ll describe my setup. One of the things I love the MOST about our home is that the entire front of the house is windows, so we having amazing natural light in our living room. Since my two year old has an attention span of about 2.5 seconds, I just sat her on a stool, then later on her beach chair (whatever works!) with her face towards the window at a slight angle and my back to the window. That’s how you get some amazing catchlights in their eyes.

These are pretty grainy since it was an impromptu session and I didn’t lower my ISO, and I am playing with a new processing technique that is vastly different from my normal style, and I wanted to add some texture to these…. hey, it’s MY kid so I get to play! In case you were wondering they were shot with a Canon 5D, 85 mm 1.8 lens (my FAVORITE LENS!) with apertures between 1.8 – 4.5 and varying shutter speeds.

And first, our family’s newest addition- Ralph. We aren’t sure what breed he but the vet guesses he is just under a year old. He is Allie’s best friend, and Madalyn’s as well.

The view from my parent’s dock.

And later with the sun a little lower….

Madalyn playing on the dock, or the “beach” as she called it.

And later, watching the fireworks over the lake.

The countdown has begun for Madalyn’s second birthday…. in two weeks she will be two! I can’t believe how fast the last two years have flown by… and how she has gone from helpless infant to independent toddler in such a short time. And she has such a huge vocabulary… it is amazing to listen to her chatter on and on. She LOVEs princesses- and one of the best $10 toys that she has is a princess pack from Target that has Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Ariel. She carries them around the house all day- and today she actually spent a great deal of time putting her princesses in her farm house and playing. I think its time for a dollhouse, what do you think?

My husband now has Mondays off- due to cut backs with hours at his company, and it is kind of a blessing in disguise. Now he gets three day weekend, and we get more family time together… so since M was feeling better we headed to Kanapaha Botanical Gardens for her 23 month pictures. We also took our other daughter, a three year old Boxer named Allie, and it was a great family outing.

I was lucky enough to catch this moment…. and this is certainly one that will be a keeper on the wall for awhile.

Playing in a bird bath….

Technically speaking, not the best picture, but I love her smooshed up face trying to blow bubbles.

My little girl is going to turn two this Spring. Amazing, isnt it? I never thought that time would fly by this fast…. but it does! I just celebrated my 29th birthday, and while I still feel very young, there are days where I can definitely see how grown up I have become. Especially when I look at how big my little one is getting, and how she isnt technically a baby anymore (well, let’s be honest… she will always be my baby!) It amazes me how many words she can say, and how she is able to put her thoughts into words- even sentences!- now. She knows what she likes and what she doesn’t, and she isn not afraid to speak her opinion.

We are defintiely beginning to struggle with the terrible twos- but mostly because I have to remember to be the adult and not give in to her every time. But even as frustrated as I sometimes get, I cannot help but be completely in awe of her spirit and her tenacity, and I hope that those are qualities that she never, ever loses.

And in honor of my new camera, here are a few pictures we took in the backyard the other day with it. I hope you enjoyed the very first edition of Family Fridays…. and keep checking back. This blog will soon be hopping with activity as I enter the busy Spring wedding season ( between now and May I have several engagement sessions and 4 more weddings, as well as some portrait sessions, so there will be LOTS to look at!)

And don’t forget- you can subscribe to new posts, and if you would like to be added to the JLS Photography mailing list, just click on the CONTACT button at the top of this page to send me an email.