I love a LOT of different kinds of photography but BABIES have my heart. They’re so cute and so tiny and smell so yummy (most of the time). The mamas of these 2 sweet boys are friends. It makes my heart so happy when I see friends having babies close to the same time so their kids have a chance to grow up together just like they did. I was so blessed to have 2 of my babies at the same time as my best friends. My oldest daughter was born 4 hours before my best friend (Jessie) delivered her identical twin girls miles away. They each have a special place in their heart for one another. Because of distance they don’t get to see each other in person too often, but they still (11 years later) FaceTime each other regularily to just to together.
I was also blessed to be in the same hospital on the same day as other bestie (Stacy) when we were having our babies (both were our 3rd baby and both were boys). They weren’t born on the same day (a day apart) but it was so special to go through such an important time in your life with your best friend not only being there but doing the same thing. It is a sweet memory that I will always hold near.
Anyway- back to these boys. I would just stare at their little faces all day if I could. Their Mommies and Daddies sure are lucky to be able to do just that. Now- you have the next best thing! I hope you enjoy looking at these sweet babes as much as I did getting to snuggle each of them.

October is here!

I wait all year long for October to make its arrival. It’s my favorite month of the year… by leaps and bounds! I love the crisp mornings I spend drinking my coffee while we get ready for school. I love it when the kids take breaks during our school days and go outside and run around. They always come back in smelling like fall. It’s a particular smell I have grown fond of. I love cool late nights sitting on the front porch with my husband in hoodies after the kids are all tucked into bed. I can’t forget to mention that October is the month of our anniversary. So, celebrating our marriage makes it even sweeter.

Fall really IS sweet time (And I don’t just mean Pumpkin Spice Latte sweet). Fall is always my busiest time of year for my photography. This is when I get the biggest push for senior sessions. It’s also a time when a lot of families want pictures with the changing leaves or big piles of leaves for their kiddos to jump in. I love seeing those sweet kids in their sweaters, scarves, and flannel. It’s just precious! Here are just a few sneaks from a couple of family sessions I’ve had really recently.

I’m 100% guilty of not publishing my work each time I do it. With that said, I thought I would add on an extra post today that was strictly for honorable mentions and some of the work I’ve done recently.

I had a wonderful time doing this photo shoot. I know I always say that, but I honestly always have such a great time. As usual, I watched the weather closely and got my hopes up as I saw that it was supposed to be on the cooler side (for Aug) and cloudy. Perfect. Or not. On the drive to our location it started to rain. I kept checking the radar and seeing no rain. So I held out hope. Unfortunately the first 20 or so mins of our session was in sprinkles but we weren’t about to let that stop us.

I’m blessed beyond measure to have my Gram & Papa alive and well. They are the rock that holds our family together! When I was a little girl I used to ride the bus home from Kindergarten and would get dropped off at their house. I have such fond memories of my Gram standing in the front door waiting and watching for me as I arrived. She always had something fun for me to do. It might have been to go out and help her pick raspberries or maybe go out into the woods and sit on a big rock and read stories. That rock became known as the reading rock. I remember being so small that it took all that I had to climb up onto that big rock. There was a smaller rock next to it that Gram would sit on while she read to me. Seeing that same rock now as an adult makes me realize how small I must have been when we would go out there. I’m able to walk over to the rock and sit right down. No climbing necessary any longer. I could go on and on with the list of memories I have of time spent with my Gram. She’s a rockstar to me!
My Papa is equally wonderful. He would also be waiting for me as I climbed off of that bus when I finished each day of Kindergarten. When I wasn’t spending time with Gram I was spending it with Papa. He has a love for all things fishing. I remember many days spent sitting next to him in a chair next to their pond as we anxiously awaited for a bite on our line. I would catch them and he would take care of the rest. I wasn’t a huge fan of touching the fish. I’m still not. When he wasn’t fishing he was taking care of their farm buildings or riding his tractor. I loved to ride that tractor with him!
I don’t need to continue for you to know that I adore my grandparents and their zeal for life.
Recently my cousin and I did a mini session with my grandparents. It was so fun and they were the best participants. They did anything and everything we asked them to do and giggled the whole time. Here are a few shots from our little session. They even threw in a few ideas of their own (or just goofed off).

Guess what??? MMP has a new mascot!
This week we became puppy parents. We have a sweet little goldendoodle named Geppetto. He’s often called “Jep” too. For now I’m trying to stick to Geppetto to keep him from getting too confused. 

He’s absolutely WONDERFUL! We’ve waited on this pup for so long and we are thrilled to have him as a part of our family now. I’m realizing how much bringing a new puppy home is like bringing a newborn baby home. I did so much prepping and purchasing before this little puppy got here. About a week prior to getting him I could hardly contain my excitement. The anticipation was killer. I had everything we needed for him, read books, watched videos and got all kinds of advise from family and friends. All I was missing was the baby. 

The day he came home was a rough day for the little guy. He was pretty stressed out with all of the changes going on. The car ride home was not very friendly to him (or me). As my husband drove I held onto him and tried to comfort him. Let me leave it at this… I’m glad I brought numerous towels and paper towels. 

After almost 1 week of being home he’s doing great. He’s already getting the hang of housebreaking. Praise the Lord! I have been so nervous about that. But he’s a smart dude and is picking everything up quickly. He’s even (mostly) sleeping through the night. 

As I write this he’s snuggled right up next to me, sound asleep. We couldn’t be happier. Everyday this week at least one of us has made a remark about not even believing he’s here because we’ve waited so long. Some days I could just pinch myself. 

Here are a few pictures. I’m sure there will be more to come. 

Have a fantastic weekend, be safe, and may God show you his many blessings! 

A wonderful friend of mine is staying around here for her annual summer trip up this way. We both have 9 year old daughters. When we found out we were pregnant around the same time, we were so excited. Her little ladies wanted out a little earlier than planned. And it just so happened that they were born on the same day as my oldest daughter. About 4 hours after I gave birth, so did she. It’s a really special thing to share that with someone you’re so close to. 

Anyhow, with the combination of beautiful weather, beautiful ladies and some dance costumes, we were able to sneak some picture into our time of being together. I brought my daughter along and they each played together between shots. It was precious. 

These two are so fun to watch. They do all of the cliche things people think twins do. Finish each other’s sentences, stand casually in the exact same position, or, my favorite, say complete sentences as the exact same time (and much more). It’s so great!!! 

They were so fun to take pictures of. They got to play with my daughter and I got to spend time with my dear friend. It was a pretty great day. Although I’m already planning for the next time we get together before they make the trek back home (10+ hours away 😞), it was still hard to say goodbye to them. 

Until then, I’ll look at these pictures and remember that day. It’s sure to put a smile on my face. 

I honestly don’t have a great reason to being away from my website for so long besides being consumed by the ebb and flow of daily life.
I have had the wonderful opportunity to step into the life of many people who have graciously allowed me to be a part of special events and moments in their lives to capture it for a lifelong remembrance.
I’m looking forward to being able to share a few of those moments with you in this post.
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This family has a special place in my heart. I was thankful to be able to squeeze this shoot in at Christmas time. Christmas Eve to be exact. It was CRAZY warm for Christmas time in Pennsylvania so it provided the prime opportunity to ditch the coats and enjoy the sun.
We had so much fun that day. Lots and lots of laughs! We did this shoot then got back home and only hours later saw each other again at the Christmas Eve service at church.

I was so honored to be able to capture this next set of images. A First Holy Communion is such a special moment. This family did a wonderful thing by planning ahead and arranging to have these photos done in enough time to not only have them as a keepsake but to also use as a part of the celebration. Think ahead, folks 😉

This little dude was a man on a mission during our whole shoot. His mission was to get away from me. He was pretty darn successful at it too. I’m usually able to act goofy enough to make a child smile, but he was a hard sell. Thankfully he has a great mommy and daddy who were there to help out and turn him into the happy boy he always is. He just wasn’t super impressed with me that day. He sure was a sweetheart though!

Well, folks, I’m too tired to keep posting tonight. More photos will have to come later.
Until then… Peace out, Cub Scout!!!

I had a GREAT time with my first shot at mini sessions. It was a LOT of work, but quickly paid off. I had a fantastic set designer (Tammy) working with me. She absolutely rocked the set and made it look exactly the way I wanted it. Between her and my dear friend Alison the shoot turned out great!

I’m so thankful for the people that came out and took on the cold, eastern weather. YOU GUYS ROCK!!!