Christmas Part II

The remainder of our Christmas was spent with my family. There are 5 grandchildren and 6 adult children plus my parents...so it is always a full house. Lila and Sadie, both 16 months, were definitely the entertainment during the holiday but the older kids had a blast too!

Here's Lila posing, without prompting, to look just like her mother...


The older girls, Abby and Gracie, with their barbie dream car


Taking a step back from the chaos of Christmas


And my favorite photo, Sadie's new strategy for opening presents

Christmas Part I

The holidays are a hectic time that often overwhelm me. There is a lot of build up and it takes a lot of scheduling, however when all is said and done it is always a great time of celebration. I am thankful that I spent this holiday with the people I care most about and the people I know will be in my life forever. I am also grateful that I got to sit back with my camera and capture these moments that I know we will remember forever. Here is a glimpse.

Christmas at my In-laws was especially festive because my sister and brother-in-law came to town with there two children.

You may remember Bo...the 1st grandchild and sweetest boy I know



Presents for me???


With his fun Uncle Kevan...




And although he will hate this when he is older, I could not resist posting my favorite shot of the week!


Christmas was also so memorable because we were able to meet our newest nephew for the first time.
Welcome to the world of blogging Briar Michael....







Briar and his grampa...


Kevan and I got plenty of time with Briar too!





Overall, the holidays were a success and minus the lingering colds, I wish we could start the week over again! Unfortunately, Bo and Briar went back to Iowa so I will have to wait till our next gathering to capture more shots of my boys!

Birthday Fun

My niece turned one a few months ago and I was able to catch a few shots of her birthday party. You cannot beat a 1 year old's party not to mention their love for cake.







I love this child!

~All boy!

First, let me apologize for my long absence. I must confess that I have not been lacking in picture taking, but instead in the time to upload and sort all the images. That being said, these photos will take us back to a brisk fall day in Iowa. We traveled for a wedding, however my darling nephew became the focus of my photos in no time.

Bo and I spent the afternoon playing and running around is his beautiful yard.





I just can't get enough of this smile...




He's also a born athlete, I can't wait to see what this kid can do!

~Overflowing with Pink

So one might wonder if the novelty of becoming an aunt might wear off, due to the recent blessings in my life. But I want to assure you that upon meeting my third niece last week, I was just as overjoyed as the day I drove from Knoxville after class to meet Abigail within hours of her birth.

Lila Bea Thigpen was born September 17 at 4:21am at a wonderful 6lbs 13oz. We made the trip to Atlanta and captured some great 2.5 week old pictures...







Needless to say we had a great weekend with Laura, Matthew, Lila, and Maggie. We took a walk in the park, watched lots of football, and of course snuggled with Lila!

Lila loves to lay on her daddy's chest...




Then she spends time with my sister, who is one of the most natural mothers that I have ever seen. No stress, thoughtful actions, and everything that this little girl needs...






The other 95% of the weekend, you could find Ms. Lila Bea snuggled up in one of these comfy places...






I would prepare yourself to see a lot of this little one because she moves me to get out the camera and try to capture her tiny features! Plus, did I mention Lila and her mommy are spending this week in Franklin?!

~Birth Day

My newest niece, Sadie Michael Williams, was born on August 21, 2009. She joined a family that is in constant motion with the lively action of two five year old girls and a very tolerant 8 year old boy. I cannot even imagine the life Sadie has ahead of her or the torture she will receive from these older siblings, but I know she has been loved since the moment she arrived.

All the kids wanting to meet their sister...



Beautiful girl



Brian and Jesse seem okay with adding another girl to their household...



...and the girls are thrilled to have a younger sister!

~Little lady

If Marley's mother had her way, this little girl would wear cargo shorts, a t-shirt, and a baseball cap every day of her life. However on this particular afternoon in late April, she was the prettiest little lady at the entire Main Street Carnival!

~Sweet Girl

Lillian has not yet turned one but is already running everywhere. I enjoyed a great evening with Lillian and her parents last week and even managed to capture a few photos. She loved to play with the bean bags and corn hole game but I am not sure what she thought of all the photos!

~Summer days

Bo Hyde may be one of the kindest souls I have ever met. He is always loving, incredibly adorable, quick to give big hugs, and he's also amazingly photogenic! Did I mention he is also my nephew?