Evelyn Laws.

Cajuns Return to Pensacola.......

 Fat. Stuffed. And Happy.

 

And ready for a routine!  Spring Break was a wonderful time spent shooting a wedding on an amazing plantation, another bride, babies, and more cajun babies........and of course, eating crawfish and chocolate around the clock with my wonderful and adorable family. I miss them so much it hurts sometimes.  The autism hurt a lot this time too.

 

 It doesn't always, but this time it did.  The 5th birthday is fast approaching and it's got me twisted. Things aren't clicking for him now, but I know soon we'll break through again and will feel more triumphant than I did before.  The outburst and tantrums are driving me in the ground. For now, I'm exhausted with a list I'll never finish and a grand plan to FIX my baby.  To help him enjoy all of the things that everyone else gets to enjoy. Organically.

 I wanted to share some of my edited fotos from my family time and have many more to show from Josh and Robin's wedding and from my sessions with little Miss Julia (3 months).  Here are some of our Chauvin babies and of course, our newest little Chauvin.......Noah. (also 3 months, who is without a doubt....NOT LITTLE. the rolls are endless.)  who I just cannot resist posting about tonight.  The cuteness of his little face just wears me slap out. TRULY.  I think he just reminds me so much of Lily when she was a baby.....I don't know......but someone help me out!!!

 

And here's one more of my baby JohnDavid "wrastling" with my Lawsy boy.  This photograph is not only one of my all time favorite but is a memory and a moment that is so profound. So simple. So mundane. But SO profound. This moment is a glimpse of normalcy for Laws. For me. For us. 

A photograph like this could never have a pricetag in my book. Never.  Up until now, Laws has been afraid of JohnDavid. He winces and puts his skinny little arms up at the rambunctious, vivacious, and tough little 2 year old cousin who tries to enter his personal space much to much for his liking.  He has started to actually enjoy it and we are teaching him to really fight back and stand up to that little 2 year old cajun who has stolen the heart of everyone around him. 

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Hickman-Hebert Wedding Sneak Peek below.........Nite Nite!!

BOO!

 

Scared you didn't I?  And it's not even Halloween! (much to the dismay of my little Rain Man of a son who becomes regularly OBSESSED with pumpkins every November. And for the next 6-8 months afteward. Only to do it all over again the next November.)

The poor. Wretched. little. Neglected. BLOG.  Let me just say a few words without any more explanations that no one will believe anyway....(insert chuckle)

1. I'm "working" on new branding.

2. And two new blog (s).  Yes, two of them. Working is sort of a relative term at this point. But working, nonetheless. Wink.

3. I'm going to be published.

4. I've traveled to DC twice in 3 weeks. Being published is associated with said traveling. Modern Portrait Workshop is also associated with said traveling. 

5. I've traveled TWICE since my kids were born.

6. Not really. That was a sarcastic joke. But you get the point. ;)

7. Being published took me by surprise.  And I love it. More to come.....on that front. Soon. 

8. I'm booking weddings left and right. 

9. I think I'm going to LOVE shooting weddings. A year ago, I said you couldn't pay me enough money to shoot them. Go figure.

10. I have a pet mouse. 

11.  Ok. So that was a joke too. He lives in my office. I think he may have friends. I'm reconsidering the office/studio. ;)

12. And not reconsidering the dog. Franklin. Still love the dog. Very much a miracle, I tell you.

12. Still haven't found a suitable Kindergarten for my Kindergarten age son. He doesn't fit in. Anywhere.  Too autistic to be typical. Too typical to be obviously autistic. Well, sometimes anway.

13. The Modern Portrait Workshop in DC rocked. I can't wait to implement ALL of what Justine and Diana taught. The journey is just simply....so much fun. :) 

14. I am sick of taxes.  DC was a reminder.

15. I love watching my children roll around in the bed together. Happy. Happy. Happy.

16. I will post photographs below.  Random favorites from recent.  Aside from the amazing bridals at Houmas House in Baton Rouge. More on those once the wedding is over. This next weekend!

17. I feel like a real photographer. Finally. Now only if I would also feel like a business woman......wonder when THAT will happen?

18.  I love other people's babies. Infants, I mean. Well, you know what I MEAN!!  They are just so dang soft and squishy and fragile and precious and for someone ELSE! One of my BFF's had her darling and ever so beautiful daughter on St. Patrick's Day. We welcome you Miss Rice!

19. They named her Eleanor. Here she is.....

 

Makes me grit my teeth. Hard.

 

 

20. Speaking of gritting my teeth.....have you ever in your life seen a cuter or fatter 4 month old. EVER?  I received this photo from my brother a few days ago and I have not stopped chuckling since. Well, more like......laughing until I choke. But that's beside the point.

 

We love you Noah Man....we are coming to squeeze your guts out soon. Very soon.  We will hurt you, I'm afraid!!  So get ready, my little cajun Chauvin bebe!

e.

Trying to find the track. The right one.

 

2009 is still yelling at me.  It's saying, "Helllloooooooooo in there. I've arrived and you're ignoring me and I don't like it. Not one little teensy tiny bit!"  You know, it's probably karma nudging me in the cheek.  It's probably exactly how my children feel when I bury my face in this thing they (the computer people) call an Apple, which I would have appreciated or would have thought it to be something healthy to ingest. Apples are healthy, aren't they?  Oh wait.....wrong Apple.  I bet this one that I digest on a regular basis has more significant, yet invisible consequences than the UNorganic ones that I buy at the store. (first note to self: start buying organic. no matter how much it cost. it'll make you feel better. less guilty, you know? toxins are BAD.)  Like a dirty house, unpaid bills, cancerous Gamma or Beta or X or Radiowaves being emitted through my skin, neglected children, take out food more than 4 times per week.............this Apple might just be throwing my BALANCE off a bit.  Balance. Hmmmm.  Now that's a thought, isn't it.  I've been looking for it for, I don't know, for forever.  I think even when I was young I was unknowingly searching for that feeling of what I'm sure I couldn't describe then, but what I know now is balance.  I have a pair of New Balance tennis shoes.  I don't play tennis though.  And I for darn sure don't have balance. It's funny though, because the moms that I see and that I meet and that I am friends with (or pretend to be friends with, which is disgusting to me, but they do it too. it's part of being in a community of moms. women. united, yet so divided.  heehee.  where do i come up with this stuff?) seem to have it. And I feel so out of place. But I feel happy too. Most of the time.  I guess I'm not sure what real happiness is either. And being out of place feels common to me.  I'm a Dory in a see of Nemo's, I tell you.  Again, my brain is so warped. But at least it's real, I guess. Insert wink.

So,we have quite a journey ahead of us don't we?  Evy will try to find balance and peace and happiness in 2009.  You know, I can be a little overly optimistic at times.  My glass really is half full most of the time.  And yes, I called myself Evy.  Laws has been hearing the little ones in my family call me that recently and he has taken a liking to calling me by my name. Sometimes Evelyn, sometimes Evy.  It's the FUN me. The CHILD me. It's MOM to Laws.  And I love it.  But I digress. I wonder if the woman I am named after, who I've recently wondered a WHOLE LOT about had anyone call her Evy?  She was Evelyn Laws also.  She gave birth to my father and when he was just 3 months old she died. Of polio. Shortly before Mr. Salk invented the vaccine. 

 
You start to realize, as another one of my mom blog friends says.....Life really just isn't fair.  But once you accept that, it can almost be freeing. Bad things happen to good people all the time and it's awful.  But it's life. Nothing is constant. Everything changes. Everything. At some point it all changes. OR dies. Or just goes away.  Living in the present has got to be part of that whole balance thing I was just talking about.  Just appreciating the moment or moments for what they are. And most of the time, they are a hodge podge, a medley, a gumbo, if you will, of miracles.  Little tiny miracles that go unnoticed.  Oh, this digression problem again!

 

Being thankful is part of that balance piece too.  Every single day, on more than one occasion, we can all.....at some point find something to be thankful for.  There was a period in my life when my mom bought me this Gratitude Journal that I wrote in to help me through a difficult time and I still have it. I have a few journals that I've been toying with reading these days but just can't bring myself to open the pages.  It's simply fear.  But, being gracious and thankful can really carry you through life.  It doesn't even take much effort.  So....I will add that to my list of things to blog about.  Hey, maybe I'll have a weekly list of things that I am thankful for.  Let's build a blog "TO DO"  list NOW. 

So, new "to do" blog list....here we go.

1. Offer up things, at least once a week that I am thankful for.
(ps. music is one of them.)

2.Discuss at least one thing during that week that I learned. Good, Bad or Ugly.  Whatever it is. Just talk about it.  If I don't learn one new thing per week, then Houston has a problem. (this week...i've learned that sometimes a martini is best.)

3.Word of the week. I know, I'm weird.  I just love words, New ones. Big ones. Fun ones. I've thought about busting out the dictionary once a week and learning a new word with Lily. One that we will use a lot during that week. Being able to describe who you are, what you want, and how you want it is power.  Words can bring you a lot of places you know.  Even the presidency. :)

4.Try to mention at least one book per week. Children's book, article, or one that I am currently reading.  This is a big feat, but am gonna STILL add it to the list. (second note to self.  rather question:  why are you so damn stubborn girl?)

5. Post my most favorite photographs. Even if they are from last year.  Only the ones that speak to me. That have emotion somewhere in them. That tell a story. That show who I am as an artist. If that's what you call me, anyway.

6.Create a love/hate list. I've been working on this list for years. Mentally, at least. And well, if you know me.....my mental memory doesn't perform quite as it should since having my children. Hence, the WRITTEN down list. I've started writing down a list of all of the people, places, moments, things, stuff that I love. Or even that I like a lot.  Those little things that happen that are so small.....every single day....that make up me.  I think when the year is over, I'll have a clearer picture. No pun intended.  The hate part....well maybe I should say, DISLIKE or the NOT SO MUCH" list. I am proud to say though, that I usually focus on the LOVE list more often than I do the other. But we're searching for balance here, correct?  The yin and yang. The black and white. The plus and the minus. For example........one little thing that comes to mind that is silly but that irks the doodle out of me is.....sheets not being fully dried when retreived from the dryer. The corners are always twisted and bunched up and still WET. ugh. ugh. ugh. They need two, and sometimes three rounds. You know, the fluff cycle. I don't know why. The darn sheets. Insert chuckle.

 

7.Isn't SIX enough for now?


8.OH wait....need to hold myself accountable for my health. i.e.going to the gym. I love going to the gym. I really do. I love being fit and healthy. Unfortunately, for the past 9 months I've take a hiatus and it's not good. Not good for my brain or my body. Trust me. So, I'll drink more water and go to the gym. Tomorrow.  Insert CRACK UP LAUGHING.
9.Try to post photographs that are relevant to the post if I can. Unlike I did today.  Sometimes eye candy is all we need right?

2009....is that YOU?

Guess it is.  It really is. Wheeeewwwww.....that was quick.  Didn't I JUST say a few days ago that my renewed spirit of 2009 was kicking in and I would try to be blogging about every other day or so?  Oh, yeah.  That was about 4 weeks ago. Wow.  Gotta love being too busy to blog. Or breathe, for that matter.  So, 2008 left and 2009 has blown on in here with gusts up to 120 miles per hour.  Wreaking havoc on everything in it's path. Well, mainly just my sense of time and obligations.  Once you fall off the band wagon though, it's hard to get back up because you feel so......behind. Like no matter how much and how fast you type, you'll never be able to convey all that's been happening.  Big things, small things, irrelevant and mundane things, profound things.  All of it seems to matter enough to blog about and if I don't get with it I won't even have a band wagon to jump on anymore!   So , here's the rundown.....

I became an aunt. Again.  I missed the birth.  And hated that.  He is beautiful and happy and healthy and is gracing the face of my first post of the year.  Because he deserves it! More on him in a minute. Christmas came and went.  Santa was good. Not great, but GOOD.  He brought the Wii which I vivaciously fought off the urge to pursue in previous years but fell ubundantly short on this year. And you know what?  The kids love. I LOVE it.  Everyone seems to love it. Even if it tells me my Wii Age is 43.  And EVEN if it was only a few days before my 33rd BIRTHDAY. (insert ugly and nasty comment with eyes rolling into back of head here) Celebrated that 33rd birthday on the 3rd, which you all know will be my last magical birthday.  Unless, of course......I make it to 333 on the 3rd of January in the year........2342.  Well, maybe if Barrack plans on doling out those miracle he talked about, I might have a chance to make it that long but no one is holding their breath here. HeeHee.  Just kidding my lovely little Dem Friends.  Back to my point......it was a magical birthday indeed.  I spent the weekend in Atlanta shopping at one of my new favorite places, IKEA, for the better part of my day (organizational heaven and massive visual overload all at once), then had lunch alone at Whole Foods, and then went to see my sweet BFF in Midtown and we shared stories over....none other than the scrumptious Yoforia.  I dream about Yoforia.  Often. Shopping alone all day, having a peaceful lunch and then spending the night with a BFF on a full tummy of froyo.  Pure heaven.  Mom and Lily rode up to the ATL with me but spent time north of the city with relatives who we just love. It was nice to make the trip with them and was so glad mom got to see some of the big city.  But she has big plans for next time....as long as she doesn't have to drive!  Anything more than two lanes of traffic gets her upset, so you can imagine the fun of us driving up into about 6 or 7 seven lanes of interstate late on Friday night. Gulp. She says, "And to think that YOU would grow up to be a big city girl.  I just can't beleive it!"  Gotta love mom.  SMOOCH.  New Year's eve was low key and we spent it with some great friends. Didn't make it to midnight though. What's new?  Now about that..........NOAH MICHAEL CHAUVIN.   My little brother (well, at my age, 30 seems little doesn't it?) and his darling wife brought the most precious little bundle of Chauvin love into the world that  you can imagine.  He is like a little ball of blonde FUR. JUST like Jay Michael when he was born. And we have the photographs to prove it.  It is amazing how much he looks like my brother but manages to squeeze some of that adorable mom of his in there!

I've blogged about siblings having babies before...when my little tiger of a kid, JohnDavid snagged a big chunk of my heart over two years ago.  It truly is the closes thing you can imagine to loving your own children. It is undeniable and unmistaken.....the feeling you have when you get to hold and look at your siblings children. Jay Michael and Kristin are BURSTING with love for this little guy.  To hear my brother talk about his baby boy with such vigor and pride and flawless love and..........ahhhh......it's just beautiful. He is the most beautiful little creature who will be one of the lucky ones.  One of the children who were chosen to have selfless and open and loving parents to bring them into the world. To shelter, protect, and to encourage. Miracles abound as 2008 floats away and 2009 plops itself right down in my lap.

And thank goodness for that.

 

  It was a tough one gang that 2008.  BUT...as 2009 wraps it's big
snuggly wuggly self around me, I am happy to feel warm (well, NOT in JANUARY in FLORIDA for
> 'peeps" sake....as my daughter would say when she was a tot) and cozy and
content with embracing everything that I HOPE 2009 will be.  This poor little
thing I call a blog and has been horribly neglected, but no more my
friends......it's on THE LIST.  Again. (after I promised on the 15th of december. remember?) You know, that amazing list that everyone starts
out the year with.  The one that holds you to higher standards than you are
usually willing to be held to.  Because it's a New Year and it feels GOOD to
start over.  Be fresh. Be clear. Be fun. Be new.  Get organized.  Figure out
what's really important.  Reinvent yourself.  Or your priorities. Or both. 
Learn something new and exciting.  Push the limits. 

>
>Speaking of that. ..... La 182 already has 5 weddings on the books for 2009....Yipppeeee!!!   My sister and I will be traveling to Vegas in
February to the WPPI convention, which happened on a whim sometime last
week.......a spontaneous combustion of our blog stalking, forum scouring, and
exhaustion.  One night late when we found tickets to vegas half off we decided
that we would take 48 measly little hours and fly off to THE photography
convention of the year!!   Apparently it is the place to be, so we've decided that if we're gonna do it, we might as well get busy doing it  Some sort of wedding workshop will be in order as
well this coming year, along with new pricing and offerings.  Did I mention I have two kids?  Oh,
yeah.....them.  Those two are something else.  I have them on the list too. Well, I have trying to be a better mom on the list. But goodness, I don't need a new year to try and convince myself to be better.  I do that daily. REally.  LIke yesterday when I swore I would trade them both in for cats.  And I don't like CATS.  So there.........good mom sometimes, bad mom sometimes.  It's all I can muster up right now.  But.......took them bowling for the first time (well, it was Laws' idea...for the first time) this past Sunday night and it was a lot of fun.  Maybe the obsession with pumpkins and pretending to be Stella Luna will subside and the bowling alley will take their place.  Lord knows, I could use a reprieve from the pumpkins. ;)

Enjoy these sweet, sweet photographs of the newest addition to my family and hold on tight as I try to get a grip.  A new fancy blog with bigger and better pictures is in the works as well as a new brand for my wedding side of the business.......so much in store!  I have LOADS of photos to share with you guys from previous sessions and hope to wrap all of those up by the first of Feb. WEddings and all new sessions will start up on the 1st of Feb....with the exception of an egagement session this coming weekend in Baton Rouge at Houmas House Plantation. Yummy!

Welcome back....to any and all of the patient and diligent follower's of Evelyn Laws PHotography.  And just plain 'ol evelyn laws.  Love you guys and it's gonna be a wild ride this coming year, but hop on board and let's see what this thing called life has to offer this time around. Gulp.

I'm here. It's official......no wait....I'M OFFICIAL!!!

SO, ingnoring the total fact that I've been completely absent from my blog for almost a month (sigh) I am FINALLY at a place where I have a minute (but watch out....they go fast, my friends!) to post a few sneek peek collages for my recent clients to see their beautiful photographs!!  You see.......along with staying rediculously busy (almost too busy and too embarrising to discuss) I have become OFFICIAL!!!  I really took the plunge on this one and rented a building close to downtown in Pensacola and it's ALL MINE...ALL THE TIME!!!  STRICTLY MY BUSINESS!!!  An adorable building that I have been eyeing for about 5 years now when Barrett McClean of Mclean Photography was housed here.  I had always said to myself that if ever became available for sale or for rent I would do my best to snatch it up. And there you have it folks.  I'm going all the way this time...

It is the most adorable shade of mossy green with red trim and red concrete post and sidewalk...ahhhh.....it's just so.....ME.  A tiny place to be with me and my beloved.......my art. 

 YAAAAHHHHOOOOOOO.......YIIIIIPPPPPPEEEEE................
So, yeah...I've been a little tied up.  We've had lots of changes going on around here with everyone and everything it seems like. But it's all good and moving in the right direction.  I think. ;) I believe after all of these years of hoping that one day I would/could really make it as a photographer is finally in front of me.  It's difficult to know how I'll balance all of my responsibilities out, you know?  I've been doing this for so long now and have never tired of it one bit.  But it truly is work and hard work. And it's time that I have to steal from my children..........so there's the guilt creeping in again.  I'm convinced balance is something that you get control of in another life.  The next one maybe. Or the one after that.  Hopefully if I end up in heaven, I'll find it there.

 

All in good time, I tell myself.  I have a feeling I might continue to make that my mantra forever. HeeHee.  So, in light of all that has been taken place I am scattered, smothered, diced, chunked, chopped.....you name it.  I'm all over the board here but just had to share with you all my good news and hope that all of you have a chance to come and visit what I hope to be my little humble beginnings in the tiny streets of Pensacola, Florida someday soon!

More to come now that I am settling in the new place and have internet back again. I am totally swamped with sessions for this holiday season and have no idea how I will actually fit everyone in that has requested slots....whew....it's a good feeling....and just hope I can deliver!!!  So many adorable families so far and looking forward to capturing an abundance of memories for the families looking ahead.
 

 

I have much more to post and will have my first wedding in Pensacola this coming weekend at the Pensacola Yacht Club!  Will report on that soon....also have some fun shots of the bride and groom here....

 

OH...and just had to share this one below.  I love puddles. I thought of this one thing after taking this photo......that once married we become a reflection of our spouse.  A way for that person to see themselves in someone else.   Some marriages gain so much from that one facet of the union while others find in that reflection a way out.  Sometimes too, while looking at this photo, I have the thought that sometimes we are one person when we get married and then after years of children and forgotten dreams and bills and repetition and redundance.............we become just the opposite of who we once were.  Hopefully a little wiser.  But always much older. ;)

WEBsite reconfiguration!

Hey there everyone....we (i.e. ME) are currently lost in a black hole of changes being made to the sites, so things are going to be a tad bit crazy for a few days. New and exciting things are happening and I cannot wait to show off the finished products!!! A new wedding website dedicated solely to lifestyle wedding photography brides....yup...you heard me right.  I said WEDDING photography!  My lovely, and pleasantly confident younger sister will be coming on board this new adventure with me as we travel the gulf coast in search of artsy and discerning brides.  Brides who want something REAL.  Something FUN. We have adopted the "LA182 foto" name for that part of our business and you can view the beginning stages of our work here..... www.LA!182foto.com  Beware and Enter at your own RisK!!!  WE ARE NOT FINISHED with this site quite yet.  The creative juices are flowing faster than our fingers will let us type and than photoshop will let us edit and prepare the images JUST SO. ;)

 

As you all know, LA182 had been the name given to my commercial site, but have since decided to keep my work under the Evelyn Laws name and give that name to our wedding work.

 

So many more things in store as I create the new and wonderful Evelyn Laws Photography portrait website and include all of my commercial/advertising work under one "roof"!!!  Still have not finalized logos/colors/packaging yet but once it's done it's going to be F-A-B!!  Still not finished disecting my book that we discussed last post.  The awesome co author, Amy Nobile, somehow found my blog and read my post, then left a comment!! YAHOOOOO!! How cool is that??? Will have to post about that as soon as I can see straight.....heehee.  More soon.

e.

Chapter One

NOW....as I was saying about that book......Before every chapter there is a checklist/QUIZ that starts things off and why not start from the beginning.  (To take our minds off of this for a while, don't mind more photos from Mrs. Daniel and little "L".....k?) The first quiz has 11 questions to determine if any of them happen to sound like YOU.  One being the "Target browsing as therapy" comment on my last post and some others like, "You secretly wish you had your own apartment" and "You plan to get control of your life....NEXT WEEK."   Now, we all know that we would double check all of these and so we move on.  The two authors go on to say that the inspiration behind them writing the book was the salvation that their phone conversations brought to one another after the birth of one of their children.........i.e. venting sessions.  Venting about guilt, questioning their choices, and wondering if the other moms that they knew where struggling to keep it together too.  Sound familiar?  I know if it weren't for my few select PARTNERS IN CRIME......I would be toast! Burnt, that it. It helps to know not that your fellow teammates are in the trenches and down in the dumps also, but that we are in fact a team.  All in this together, doing so many of the same things.  Feeling guilty, missing the passions that we once had, failing to meet the high expectations that we put on ourselves, feeling alone and out of balance, blah, blah, blah.......Granted, some teams seem to be a tad bit more balanced and coordinated than others, but hey....can't win 'em all they say.(Whose "THEY" anyway?) So, they decided to make it their mission to talk to as many moms (and some dads) about how they were feeling.  Moms from both big cities and small, tiny towns.  SAH MOMS and Working Moms alike. Young moms, older moms, and single moms.  What they found was the same general feelings of inadequacy and guilt.  So many of the moms were quoted saying things like, "A lot of time, if I need to cry, I'll just do it alone. We feel like we dont' have permission to say, "Wait a minute....this isn't all it was supposed to be." Or "I don't have the right training for this job!"

 That's one of the ones that stuck with me.....the right training! HeeHee.  Where's the manual here guys?  And wasn't this supposed to be BLISS?  I know, I know....sometimes it is.  And all of the negative feelings that we tend to have more days than not are worth all of the LOVE that now lives in our hearts because of our children.  Sometimes I just can't help but think some of us are made for the job more than others, you know?  And despite loving my children with every single solitary ounce of my being and would not trade their sweet souls for ANYTHING..........sometimes I just don't think I was necessarily cut from the domestic pattern of DNA. ;)  I need sleep.  I crave alone time. I need peace and quiet. I want to travel. I want to relax.  I want some modicum of control over my day.........but as most of you know, that's not gonna happen.  I'm trying to learn how to let it go and take things as they come.  Every day is going to be different and every day is an opportunity to LEARN more about ME and about my CHILDREN.  And opportunity to do things a new way or an old way.  Whichever way leads to being at peace with the honest truth and knowing that I am doing the best that I absolutely can.  The responsibility is what, I believe, gets to me the most.  The idea that someone's whole entire life and well being depend on ME.  WOW.  So, I guess I'll get into chapter two a bit in the next few days.....but for now.....let's talk about how TOGETHER and incredibly HAPPY and BEAUTIFUL THIS MOM IS!  I showed up today to do some headshot/portrait work for mom and her new website and happen to get some great ones of her and little "L" hanging out together.  Cannot wait to have a chance to do this little gal's one year photographs.  She's such a happy little thing.  Checking me out the entire time, wondering just why on Earth she wasn't in front of the camera!!  It was so nice to meet you guys today.  You have a precious family and cannot wait to show you the rest......

 

 
  

e.
 

Pleasant Surprise with little Miss "K"

How LOVELY these photographs turned out of Miss K and oh how surprising.........because......I was really supposed to be there to photograph her new little brother Jack!  Goodness, it was fun too!  A totally different outcome than I had expected, but with no agenda and no goal as to what the final image would be it made the creative process a little more.....

CREATIVE, I guess!  Just look how cool this image turned out of her and can you tell she's CUTE?! :)

 

We just went into her room and floated around the house playing and having a good time while mom tried to soothe baby Jack.  Poor little guy was having such a hard time and I felt so bad for him. 

Jack was born prematurely and has grown wonderfully but is still just working out some of those reflux/tummy issues that so often creep up around this time.  I did however, manage to get a FEW of him that I will also post below.

 

He is SUCH a precious little bundle and I was reminded just how incredible, how draining, how succulent and sweet, and how miraculous infants REALLY are! They are fragile yet resilient. They are angelic yet maddening at times.  I know his parents have worked SO hard to be the BEST that they can for Jack.  It's been a rough road for them so far, but man are they doing GREAT.  So many sleepless nights and so many unknowns, yet in the stillness that lies when you are holding your child in your arms and they seem so content.............NOTHING can feel more reassuring and peaceful as THAT.

e.

 

 
 

 

THE TUCKER CLAN......I mentioned in my wedding post a few days ago that I got to see one of my dearest friends while in Lafayette and got to take some fun photos of Lily with her children having fun and playing alondside the Vermillion river. We joined one another at her sister Molly's house, so I snuck a few of her two beauties, May and Trip. AHHHH.......this family is to die for!  I carry on such a beautiful and interesting relationship with so many of my friends from afar and on the telephone.......that when I see them it makes me miss them even more.  It imprints the bond that we have from so far away with a FACE. And it is wonderful. Wonderful to have gotten such a rare treat for such a short visit. I busted out that camera of mine when no one really was expecting it.  Drank wine. And shot away.

 

Sure had a ball too!! I MISS YOU JULES!!  Way up in darn Charlotte and she's a Louisiana girl y'all!!!!  One of these days.....we'll be going to the drive through the Daquiri Shop together thinking about the good 'ol days most likely wondering why we thought moving back home was such a great idea in the first place!  We're good like that....Me and Jules.....we just can't seem to make sense of it all, but are always aware that when we think we've LOST IT.......we should just pick up that telephone! Most likely the other one has a story that should make the caller who thought their life or their day was crazy feel a whole lot better! LOL!! 

  Julie will be spending the next two weeks in Louisiana soaking up the hot, muggy,  downhome, cajun Louisiana lifestyle with all of her family.  She is salt of the earth and one of the people who I can call with the REAL DEAL. You know those folks I'm talking about. The ones who KNOW you, but love you anyway.  Crazy or not. HEEHEE.

I simply cannot wait to get back down there to have a real session with little May and Mr. Trip.......should be lining that up soon!  As for Caroline and Stuart.....well guys, just tell your mom and dad to come on back home and we take all the photos you like. Hint, Hint. 

 

 

And a rare occurence when something like this happens....May was outside playing with her grandmother and the big kids when she walked up the bedroom window checking out her baby brother!  She's probably thinking....."Why did YOU have to come along and take over the thrown, you little....THING!" ;) 

And he's going, "Joke's on Her gang!"  Gosh I love these photos......

Gimme Some.......