Marlee & Emmarie {Valentine's Day Children's Portraits}

We had planned on offering Valentine's Day Mini Sessions this year, so I set up some test shots for our advertisement.  Unfortunately, circumstances beyond our control intervened, and we were unable to do the mini sessions.  Since it's Valentine's Day, I thought I would share a few pictures of these two little cuties.  It just seemed like a shame to let these waste away in the dusty confines of my hard drive.

We started off shooting outside.  It was a pretty day in late January, and I had everything ready for an outdoor session.  Then Texas weather stepped in and messed it up.  The wind started to blow so hard that it started blowing the pennants off of the trees.  Then the girls' noses started to run, and I knew this rodeo was going to have to be moved indoors.



Emmarie was not happy about the scene change, so I gave her to my mom and worked with Marlee first.  She was 7 months in these shots.





We finally got Emmy to come back and pose for a couple of shots.



This is probably one of my favorite shots from the entire day.  I love how blue Marlee's eyes look.



She was a little somber that day, so we really had to work to coax a smile out of her.



Then she started eating the props, so we knew it was time for an outfit change.



I knew from the beginning that I wanted to get shots of the two girls in these petti rompers. Marlee was not as excited about this idea.  This fact may or may not have given Emmy some joy.



Emmy finally decided to act like a sweet girl for a few minutes.



After that, Marlee perked up as well.



Here is a copy of the card that these two little cute cousins sent out.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Ella & Emma {Twin Newborn Portrait Session}

Ella & Emma are two super cute identical twins that we had the great honor to photograph.  Usually newborn pictures are taken within the first 10-14 days for the best results.  Babies still have that "fetal curl" and are easier to pose within that window.  They also seem to sleep a little deeper still, which definitely makes all of the set-ups easier.  Ella & Emma were born early, and they started life with some health issues stacked against them.  Thankfully, they had a lot of prayer warriors that were sending up constant prayers for them, and they are both home and doing great now.  Because of those issues, they were already a little over a month old when we took their newborn pictures.

Their age combined with the fact that they are both very advanced in their motor skills added some complications to the shoot.  They were already old enough to stay wide awake for long periods of time.  They also were fully able to pick up their arms and heads and move them around.  These were not big issues though, and I think the end results accurately depicted the girls at that stage.

At the very beginning of the shoot, the girls were taking turns keeping their eyes open.  I just happened to snap this one when all four eyes were closed.



I love sweet baby yawns.



I ordered these owl hats as soon as I found out we would be taking photos of the twins.  Their nursery is decorated in pink and green owls.  It took me a little while to find them, but I knew Etsy wouldn't let me down!













Next, we decided to try some purple on purple shots.



I absolutely love these knit crowns.  They were so easy to use, and they fit their heads perfectly.





This was our last set-up, and we had already lost our light source.  The twins' dad is an avid hunter, so Lacey thought it would be a nice shot for Daddy's Girls.  Both girls were tired out, so they laid together perfectly.