Welcoming Baby K! {Cypress TX Newborn Photographer}

I was so thrilled when Mom contacted me back in the fall about doing newborn portraits for her sweet baby due in December. After taking her engagement pictures a couple years ago, as well as bridal portraits, it was so exciting for me to then have the opportunity to capture the beginning of her first child's new life.

Look at that smile!

Kelly is amazing, E and T! I'm so happy for you!

Santa Baby {Cypress TX Newborn Photographer}

I worked with this beautiful boy's mom, dad and big brothers just a few months ago, and was so excited to hear that he had arrived! I just can't imagine a better Christmas gift than the birth of a precious baby. I'm so happy for you, L Family!

Our Personal Holiday Card {Cypress, TX Children's Photographer}

I saw a template for a Christmas card on Etsy that I immediately knew I wanted to use. I was inspired by the message talking about twinkling stars, and instantly had a vision of my girls in front of white twinkle lights.

Outfits were assembled, the backdrop was set up, and after lots and lots of outtakes we finally had our shot! Whew!


Here's what it looked like originally. I draped white icicle lights on a white background. My hubby is standing to the side hanging the stars over the girls. I shot super wide open (f/1.4) so that the lights would be blurry in the background.





After cropping to the size I needed for our card:




Our final product!




Merry Christmas, everyone!! I truly hope you all have a very blessed holiday!!

Photographing Kids in in Front of a Christmas Tree {Cypress, TX Children's Photographer}

Hey there! Check out my updated post with way more details on how to achieve this look! It's right HERE!

If you have a camera that allows you to manually control your settings, you can get a shot like this, too!

There are a variety of setting combinations that will produce similar results, but here's what I did:

Turned off all of the lights in the house except for the tree.

Set my aperture at f/1.4. (I looove to shoot wide open when I can.)

Set my ISO low, at 160. I wanted the shutter speed to have to compensate for the low light. (More on that in a minute.)

Metered for the tree, not the girls.

Because there was such little light in the room, and I wasn't allowing much more in with my low ISO, my shutter speed had to be slow. The slower it is, the more light the camera lets in. (That's when you get that long click when you press the button to take the picture instead of a quick, sharp click.) This is also what makes the lights on the tree look so pretty. Mine SS ended up being 1/15! Yes, that is crazy slow!

I also bribed my girls to stand very still for a minute. When you use a shutter speed (SS) that is that slow, movement will be blurry.

Finally, I took this image into Photoshop's Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) because I shoot RAW, and bumped up the exposure just a bit to make it brighter. Voila!!

So, here's the cheat sheet:

Dark room.
f-stop 1.4
ISO 160
SS 1/15


Try it. Play around with your settings a bit. Use a doll or large stuffed animal in front of the tree if

your kids won't be still. Have fun!!!

Visions of Sugar Plums {Cypress, TX Children's Photographer}

After watching enraptured as the Sugar Plum fairy twirled across the stage tonight, it's possible she's dreaming of the queen of all dancing queens.

But it's more likely she's sweetly imagining her fifth visit from the Tooth Fairy, the surprise she'll bring, and the magic of believing.

Barret Turns One! {Cypress, TX Children's Photographer}

I've had the absolute honor (and TRUE pleasure) of taking this little guy's photos every three months. It's been so much fun watching him grow and change. I think he is seriously one of the happiest babies I've ever met, and I just love spending time with him!

I can't thank you enough, H and T, for choosing me to capture Barret's first year!

Advent Scripture Countdown

Last year I really wanted our family to anticipate Christmas morning as the greatest gift God gave to us, rather than anticipating how many great gifts WE would get. I figured that as we opened each door to our Advent calendar, that would be the perfect time to read a part of the Christmas story together, building excitement for Jesus' birthday.

So, I typed up a Word document that I could just print and cut out, then stuff into the appropriate opening.

Last year I paired the daily scripture with a small treat hidden in there, too. I must admit, my then 5 and 2 year olds were more excited about the treats than the messages! That's OK, though, because we're going to do it again this year (probably without the candy.)

Here it is for anyone who would like to copy it and use it for your own family! If you'd like the actual Word format, just send me a message with your email address and I'd be happy to forward it onto you! Merry Christmas!

Dec. 1

1 John 1:1-5

¹The Word that gives life was from the beginning, and this is the one our message is about. Our ears have heard, our own eyes have seen, and our hands touched this Word. ²The one who gives life appeared! We saw it happen, and we are witnesses to what we have seen. Now we are telling you about this eternal life that was with the Father and appeared to us. ³We are telling you what we have seen and heard, so that you may share in this life with us. And we share in it with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴We are writing to tell you these things, because this makes us ^[a] truly happy. ⁵Jesus told us that God is light and doesn't have any darkness in him. Now we are telling you.

Dec. 2

Isaiah 9:6-7

⁶A child has been born for us. We have been given a son who will be our ruler. His names will be Wonderful Advisor and Mighty God, Eternal Father and Prince of Peace. ⁷His power will never end; peace will last forever. He will rule David's kingdom and make it grow strong. He will always rule with honesty and justice. The LORD All-Powerful will make certain that all of this is done.

Dec. 3

Isaiah 11:2-3, 9

²The Spirit of the LORD will be with him to give him understanding, wisdom, and insight. He will be powerful, and he will know and honor the LORD. ³His greatest joy will be to obey the LORD. This king won't judge by appearances or listen to rumors. ⁹Nothing harmful will take place on the LORD's holy mountain. Just as water fills the sea, the land will be filled with people who know and honor the LORD.

Dec. 4

Jeremiah 33:14-15

¹⁴The LORD said: I made a wonderful promise to Israel and Judah, ^[a] and the days are coming when I will keep it. ¹⁵I promise that the time will come when I will appoint a king from the family of David, a king who will be honest and rule with justice.

Dec. 5

Luke 1:5-10

⁵When Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest by the name of Zechariah from the priestly group of Abijah. His wife Elizabeth was from the family of Aaron. ^{[a] 6}Both of them were good people and pleased the Lord God by obeying all that he had commanded. ⁷But they did not have children. Elizabeth could not have any, and both Zechariah and Elizabeth were already old. ⁸One day Zechariah's group of priests were on duty, and he was serving God as a priest. ⁹According to the custom of the priests, he had been chosen to go into the Lord's temple that day and to burn incense, ^{[b] 10}while the people stood outside praying.

Dec. 6

Luke 1:11-17

¹¹All at once an angel from the Lord appeared to Zechariah at the right side of the altar. ¹²Zechariah was confused and afraid when he saw the angel. ¹³But the angel told him: Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayers. Your wife Elizabeth will have a son, and you must name him John. ¹⁴His birth will make you very happy, and many people will be glad. ¹⁵Your son will be a great servant of the Lord. He must never drink wine or beer, and the power of the Holy Spirit will be with him from the time he is born. ¹⁶John will lead many people in Israel to turn back to the Lord their God. ¹⁷He will go ahead of the Lord with the same power and spirit that Elijah ^[a] had. And because of John, parents will be more thoughtful of their children. And people who now disobey God will begin to think as they ought to. That is how John will get people ready for the Lord.

Dec. 7

Luke 1:18-25

¹⁸Zechariah said to the angel, "How will I know this is going to happen? My wife and I are both very old." ¹⁹The angel answered, "I am Gabriel, God's servant, and I was sent to tell you this good news. ²⁰You have not believed what I have said. So you will not be able to say a thing until all this happens. But everything will take place when it is supposed to." ²¹The crowd was waiting for Zechariah and kept wondering why he was staying so long in the temple. ²²When he did come out, he could not speak, and they knew he had seen a vision. He motioned to them with his hands, but did not say a thing.

²³When Zechariah's time of service in the temple was over, he went home. ²⁴Soon after that, his wife was expecting a baby, and for five months she did not leave the house. She said to herself, ²⁵"What the Lord has done for me will keep people from looking down on me." ^[a]

Dec. 8

Luke 1:26-38

²⁶One month later God sent the angel Gabriel to the town of Nazareth in Galilee ²⁷with a message for a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to Joseph from the family of King David. ²⁸The angel greeted Mary and said, "You are truly blessed! The Lord is with you."

²⁹Mary was confused by the angel's words and wondered what they meant. ³⁰Then the angel told Mary, "Don't be afraid! God is pleased with you, ³¹and you will have a son. His name will be Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High. The Lord God will make him king, as his ancestor David was. ³³He will rule the people of Israel forever, and his kingdom will never end."

³⁴Mary asked the angel, "How can this happen? I am not married!" ³⁵The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come down to you, and God's power will come over you. So your child will be called the holy Son of God. ³⁶Your relative Elizabeth is also going to have a son, even though she is old. No one thought she could ever have a baby, but in three months she will have a son. ³⁷Nothing is impossible for God!"

³⁸Mary said, "I am the Lord's servant! Let it happen as you have said." And the angel left her.

Dec. 9

Matthew 1:18-21

¹⁸This is how Jesus Christ was born. A young woman named Mary was engaged to Joseph from King David's family. But before they were married, she learned that she was going to have a baby by God's Holy Spirit. ¹⁹Joseph was a good man ^[a] and did not want to embarrass Mary in front of everyone. So he decided to quietly call off the wedding. ²⁰While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, "Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her. ²¹Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus, ^[b] because he will save his people from their sins."

Dec. 10

Matthew 1:22-26

²²So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, ²³"A virgin will have a baby boy, and he will be called Immanuel," which means "God is with us."

²⁴After Joseph woke up, he and Mary were soon married, just as the Lord's angel had told him to do. ²⁵But they did not sleep together before her baby was born. Then Joseph named him Jesus.

Dec. 11

Luke 1:39-45

³⁹A short time later Mary hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea. ⁴⁰She went into Zechariah's home, where she greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, her baby moved within her. The Holy Spirit came upon Elizabeth. ⁴²Then in a loud voice she said to Mary: God has blessed you more than any other woman! He has also blessed the child you will have. ⁴³Why should the mother of my Lord come to me? ⁴⁴As soon as I heard your greeting, my baby became happy and moved within me. ⁴⁵The Lord has blessed you because you believed that he will keep his promise.

Dec. 12

Luke 1:46-56

⁴⁶Mary said: With all my heart I praise the Lord, ⁴⁷and I am glad because of God my Savior. ⁴⁸He cares for me, his humble servant. From now on, all people will say God has blessed me. ⁴⁹God All-Powerful has done great things for me, and his name is holy. ⁵⁰He always shows mercy to everyone who worships him. ⁵¹The Lord has used his powerful arm to scatter those who are proud. ⁵²He drags strong rulers from their thrones and puts humble people in places of power. ⁵³God gives the hungry good things to eat, and sends the rich away with nothing. ⁵⁴He helps his servant Israel and is always merciful to his people. ⁵⁵The Lord made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his family forever!

⁵⁶Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months. Then she went back home.

Dec. 13

Luke 2:1,3-5

¹About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books.

³Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be listed. ⁴So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David's hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David's family.

Dec. 14

Luke 2:6-7

⁶and while they were there, ⁷Mary gave birth to her first-born ^[a] son. She dressed him in baby clothes ^[b] and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Dec. 15

Luke 2:8-12

⁸That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. ⁹All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord's glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. ¹⁰But the angel said, "Don't be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. ¹¹This very day in King David's hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. ¹²You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay."

Dec. 16

Luke 2:13-14

¹³Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said: ¹⁴"Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God."

Dec. 17

Luke 2:15-18

¹⁵After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about." ¹⁶They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and they saw the baby lying on a bed of hay. ¹⁷When the shepherds saw Jesus, they told his parents what the angel had said about him. ¹⁸Everyone listened and was surprised.

Dec. 18

Luke 2:19-20

¹⁹But Mary kept thinking about all this and wondering what it meant. ²⁰As the shepherds returned to their sheep, they were praising God and saying wonderful things about him. Everything they had seen and heard was just as the angel had said.

Dec. 19

Micah 5:2-5

²Bethlehem Ephrath, you are one of the smallest towns in the nation of Judah. But the LORD will choose one of your people to rule the nation-- someone whose family goes back to ancient times. ^{[a] 3}The LORD will abandon Israel only until this ruler is born, and the rest of his family returns to Israel. ⁴Like a shepherd taking care of his sheep, this ruler will lead and care for his people by the power and glorious name of the LORD his God. His people will live securely, and the whole earth will know his true greatness, ⁵because he will bring peace.

Dec. 20

Matthew 2:1-2

¹When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men ^[a] from the east came to Jerusalem ²and said, "Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east ^[b] and have come to worship him."

Dec. 21

Matthew 2:3-6

³When King Herod heard about this, he was worried, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem. ⁴Herod brought together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them, "Where will the Messiah be born?" ⁵They told him, "He will be born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote, ⁶'Bethlehem in the land of Judea, you are very important among the towns of Judea. From your town will come a leader, who will be like a shepherd for my people Israel.' "

Dec. 22

Matthew 2:7-8

⁷Herod secretly called in the wise men and asked them when they had first seen the star. ⁸He told them, "Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, let me know. I want to go and worship him too."

Dec. 23

Matthew 2:9-12

⁹The wise men listened to what the king said and then left. And the star they had seen in the east went on ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰They were thrilled and excited to see the star. ¹¹When the men went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they knelt down and worshiped him. They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh ^[a] and gave them to him. ¹²Later they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went back home by another road.

Dec. 24

John 1:14

¹⁴The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us.

The "G" Family {Cypress, TX Family Photographer}

It was great getting to see this beautiful family again. Last time I worked with them, sweet little A was only 9 months old. Thanks for visiting me again, G Family!

The "K" Family {Tomball, TX Family Photographer}

It's always so much fun working with friends, especially when they have two absolutely gorgeous little girls who were all smiles for the camera. We got so many great photos, but as is usual for this time of year, I can't show the best ones because it's Christmas card season!

This is her baptism gown, which was made from her grandmother's wedding dress. How cool!

If you've been on my website, this cutie-pie posed by a fence may look familiar. :)

The "K" Family {Cypress, TX Family and Children's Photographer}

I'm so happy to have gotten the chance to meet and play around with this family! Little L is such a cutie.

I LOVE this laughing image of her!

We got some great family shots, too, but I don't want to ruin any Christmas card opportunities! :)

Miracle Baby {Spring, TX Child Photographer}

This sweet girl has overcome many obstacles in her short life but is now thriving, healthy and oh, so happy. What a precious angel!

Two Times the Cuteness {Cypress, TX Family Photographer}

I have the BEST clients, and this family was no exception. Sweet ... fun ... laid-back ... oh yeah, and so incredibly darn adorable!!!

Aren't they CUTE?!? Loved 'em! :)

The "W" Family {Cypress, Texas Family Photographer}

It was wonderful catching up with one of my former teacher friends and seeing her super cute 3 1/2 and 19 month old daughters! How cute are they?!? Their outfit choices should be featured on a "What to Wear" post! :)

The "B" Family {Cypress, TX Family Photographer}

We dodged rain showers, mud, and the wind of the cool front blowing in for this session. I'm so glad we were able to make it happen! It turned out to be a great evening!