What you don’t see is…
Behind the Scenes with my boys
Personal Pictures: August 2018
Yep… it’s December. Enjoy :)
Halloween 2018
Happy Halloween from my two boys!
Ice Cream, horses and marsh - A very Charleston birthday session | Charleston Family Photographer
My son turned 4 in April so it was finally time to get his birthday pictures done. I couldn't settle on a location so I promised him a bunch of treats and we hit three charming spots.
Our first stop was the Market downtown for ice cream and horses.
Then we headed over to Mt. Pleasant. Our first stop was at the Pitt Street Bridge. After walking up and down the path, we had about 30 minutes left before the sun would set so we raced over to Shem Creek Park for a little dolphin watching.
It was such a good, classically Charleston, evening. And to all of my clients who feel bad about bribing their children in front of me. Let me just tell you, L had ice cream and a cookie for dinner.
What he wore:
L's first outfit was a simple cotton t-shirt from Baby Gap and a pair of khaki shorts from Target.
The lobster shirt is from J. Crew Factory and his red shorts are from Janie and Jack Outlet.
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Donut date with my biggest little
I got brave and brought my camera to our donut date. This might have to become a thing... donut dates and taking my camera to "normal" places.
October 2017
Another month has come and gone. I'm not even really sure what we did this month besides buy an excessive number of Halloween costumes, eat way too much candy and not get enough sleep.
Yes, each boy had two costumes. We weren't going to let Landon be a Stormtrooper, so he picked Mickey. In a moment of weakness, Trip took Landon back to Target to grab a (way too big) Stormtrooper costume. He was Mickey and the Roadster Racer for our neighborhood Fall Fest and a Stormtrooper on Halloween night.
Rhett is in a weird phase for costumes. He's still pretty little so he needed an infant size costume. However, most infant costumes are the sleep sacks - and he's too old for that. Landon and I picked out a Narwhal costume which was really cute... however with that tail, there was no way to transport him while trick-or-treating. So, I sewed some ears on a hat and he was the mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.
September 2017
I can't believe September has already come and gone! This month started my peak season with everyone getting in their pictures while the weather is "cooler" for Holiday cards so I didn't pull out my camera as much for the boys. However, a few days ago Landon was telling Rhett about the letters he was going to mail and it was just the cutest thing. Rhett thinks Landon is the greatest. Landon loves that he can "make Rhett's heart feel happy". The third picture, the one of him stretching, kills me. It could just as easily be a picture of Landon at that age.
Gigi and Granddad came for a weekend visit. When I was newly pregnant with Rhett, I got really sick and my mom came to help me with Landon while Trip worked nights. Landon remembered how Gigi drew a puppy dog face on him from all those months ago. This time, he requested a cat face. He came downstairs beaming with pride over his "kitty cat face... with Gigi's makeup!"
I took these next two of Landon while my parents were in town. We let Landon sleep in our room while my parents slept in his bed. He started out in his sleeping bag, but I woke up to this. He's always been a wild sleeper. Being the first one up has it's perks.
When I say Rhett could sit in his swing all day, I'm not kidding. I was getting all of my camera gear packed up for a session and I was struck by how the window was casting such pretty light on him. He just seemed so peaceful in the dark room.
The end of September means that Rhett is 3 months old. He's still a peanut - this onesie is a size 0-3 months. I did pack away all of his newborn size clothes, which were working really hard to start fastened due to his length. I know we are getting ready to enter such a fun phase of babbles, sitting up, playing, etc but I love the newborn phase so much. He's been such a great baby (already sleeping through the night and so happy!) that I wish I could freeze this phase.
You can see more from Rhett's 3 month session, here.
Three month milestone session | West Ashley Baby Photographer
It feels like only yesterday I was in the hospital with him, but in reality it's been three whole months. He has brought so much joy to our family and his big personality is fitting in perfectly to our circus! Last month he found his tongue, but this month (really in the past few days) he's learned how to make spit bubbles. He's starting to work his hands and catch a hold of anything in their path. During this quick little session he actually laughed for the first time!
August 2017
I think I blinked my eyes and August came and went. It feels like we spent most of the month inside because a newborn and a heat index of 110 degrees don't mix too well.
I did get a new toy, a Go Pro. I have been wanting to do underwater photography, but the housing units for DSLR cameras are scary expensive. As soon as I got the "all clear" from my OB, I took Landon to the pool to play. He wasn't too into taking pictures, but I did get a few that I liked.
The eclipse was incredible. All morning it felt like the day before Christmas. After lunch, I told Landon he needed to do quiet time so he'd be ready for the eclipse. As soon as his timer went off he came running down the hall yelling, "it's time for the eclipse!!!" I downloaded an app on my phone that would tell us each phase and what to look for. Landon went crazy as soon as we got the 5 minute warning. He thought we were going to a parade - I guess because I kept saying we were going to go outside to watch the eclipse. This first set of pictures was taken right when the eclipse started (at 1:15pm).
Trip planned to stay at work, but he decided to come home. He made it back right after it started.
This next set of pictures was taken as we were getting closer to totality. It got so cloudy and we could hear thunder in the distance. All of our friends a little further inland were posting on Facebook about the rain and overcast. We were just praying we would be able to see something. These were around 2:40pm. Notice how the house lights start to show as it got darker outside.
As we got closer and closer to totality, the clouds began to part and we had a perfect little gap to watch the eclipse. There is only a 2.5 minute difference between the last picture (above) and the picture below. I even had to brighten this picture in photoshop so you could see the boys.
We didn't notice a temperature drop, but we could hear the crickets chirp. I know I'm super hormonal still, but seeing the ring of light around the moon brought tears to my eyes. I think it was the build up of hoping we would see it and then to actually be standing in your own backyard watching it - it was incredible. I just stood there in awe. I wasn't going to attempt any pictures, but Trip quickly told me to just snap one really quick...
Honestly, the pictures don't even do it justice - there was a purple glow on the lower half. It only lasted about 1.5 minutes where we live, and Trip and I were both surprised how quickly it got bright outside again. And just as the sunlight came back a huge thunderstorm rolled in. We weren't able to watch the moon leave the sun, but I am so thankful we were able to see totality. Landon literally had a meltdown because he wanted to watch the eclipse again. He has a crazy memory so it will be interesting to see if he'll remember this day.
Update: he is still talking about the eclipse.
And finally, the month ended with this little peanut turning 2 months old. He's up to 9lbs, 2oz and 22.5 in long. He seems SO BIG to us, but I know he is still tiny compared to most two month olds. The good thing about small babies is that you get to keep your "newborn" around longer. Rhett is starting to show us his little personality. He loves a good diaper change - he literally smiles the entire time. He also loves fake sneezes and his "panda fire" (pacifier). Rhett found his tongue and loves to show it off. More pictures will follow...you know I took way more than 2 pictures of this sweet thing.
