CCJames Photography » the blog

Meet baby “g”.  He arrived 3 weeks early and he’s two weeks old now – and he’s so sweet and tiny!  His parents have been married for NINE years – woo-hoo for them!  They were so relaxed with their new bundle of joy, we had a great time this morning.  Thank you for coming all the way here from Cumming with your beautiful baby boy!

Love this one – he was asleep most of the time, but when he was awake he was quite the little wiggle worm.  I couldn’t believe how alert he was for two weeks old!

Look at Dad – he did GREAT maneuvering his sweet son into all my crazy positions and you can tell he’s so in love.

The new parents – even though we all know how sleep deprived they are – they looked so happy and proud.

And finally, the perfect sleepy shot….

Honestly, I have no idea how I will narrow down the picture selection for this gallery!  There are such a variety of funny shots, as well as the sweet smiles for both kids.    It’s been almost exactly one year since I last photographed these two and it’s amazing to see the changes.  They both had the best funny faces for me – and the tongue sticking out all the time!  Dad says little sis is a big KISS fan! 

So – here they are!

I thought this was so sweet how little sister is looking up to big brother and holding his hand.

Had to include this sweet serious face – didn’t see too many of those.

See what I mean about the tongue?  Only an 18month old can find such a creative way to eat a lollipop! 

More sweet girls.  Their mother is also a good friend of mine (I know I keep saying that – but I have so many wonderful friends with awesome kids!).  I love that she is not afraid of color – the girls looked so adorable and even Mom had on cool pants with martini glasses on them!  So, without further ado (because I know Mom is one of my blog stalkers)……..

First up – miss Julia, big sister.   At first we thought she wasn’t gonna go for the whole “picture thing” but she got into it (especially when Jeff kept telling her NOT to smile). 

Next up, miss Annabelle, little sister.  She definitely loves the camera – she was all smiles – as long as we let her do exactly what she wanted! 

The whole beautiful family (minus Dad) – not sure how all the Dads got out of the picture taking this year…..

I don’t know what it is about this picture that I love so much.  Maybe it’s Julia’s hair flying in the wind – or the serious look on both of their faces while they eat their lollipops.  I just think it’s so interesting. 

Another one of my very good friends (and neighbors) – you might recognize this little one since I did her first year photographs as well. I can’t believe how big she is already – and how full of personality!  Mom dressed her SO cute and she was hamming it up for the camera.

She loved the chair – she pushed it, carried it, stood on it, danced on it – and basically insisted that it be in most every shot. 

Just look at these BOOTS!  I remember when my daughter was too young to have an opinion about her clothes……. ahhhh the memories! 

And one of the lovely family.

This was a fun session – both kids were such good sports first thing in the morning and it was pretty cold and windy with the sun behind the clouds.  I love watching this sibling relationship since they are almost the exact spacing that my two little ones will be (about 3 years).  Their mom is a good friend of mine and we have very similar parenting philosophies (a little “shout out” to John Rosemond).  While we both realize that his style isn’t perfect and not everything works (because ALL children are different) – at least it gives us a place to start.  I’ll give a little plug to Mom too – she is a wonderful writer and you can read some of her stuff here:  Finicky Files

Okay – enough of the advertising…. on with the session!   I have to thank my husband once again for some of these awesome smiles.  The horse puppet was a BIG HIT with these two!    I wish I always had an assistant! 

I love this smile – you may think it’s fake but it really is genuine – she’s so sweet and cooperative. 

And Mr. “D” – isn’t he handsome?

Loved this mother/daughter shot.  I regret to say we didn’t get a mother/son shot (or a father shot for that matter since he was MIA that morning…..)

And since I’m a fan of the kisses I had to include this one.  I don’t know at what age they won’t do this anymore.  I assume at some point there will be an exclamation like:  ”GROSS – I’m not kissing my brother/sister!”  But, until then, I think it’s the sweetest thing ever!

I thought it might be funny to share some “bloopers” I’ve had recently.  Dealing with young kids is so much fun to me.  I really do find beauty in all the moments - not just the perfect smiles.   So here’s a few funny interactions for you to enjoy!

This is what happens when there is a “treat” on the line and little brother isn’t smiling.  Big sister is trying to help him out…..

This is what big brothers teach their little sisters…. (and much more I’m sure)

This is the first clue that your’e raising a ROCK STAR!

This is what it looks like when you tell the kids to look for Elmo in the camera – they REALLY LOOK CLOSELY!

Just look at these two little sweeties!  We had a lovely morning – crisp, cool and sunny.  Miss “M” and Miss “Z” were your typical two-year-olds – not interested at looking at me or my camera but very interested in having fun! 

Here’s a few previews for mom (and CC too)…..

Aawwwwww – love this!

fun on the tire swing!  look at those adorable smiles!

Miss “Z” and her little little dimple….

Miss “M” giving me “the eyes”….. 

Aawwwwww again – soooo sweet!

And this is one of my favorites.  I love shots with mom – since I know how hard it is to get a picture with yourself in it!  Isn’t mom a beauty? 

Sometimes I get distracted by old pictures.  It’s amazing what a picture can do.   It can bring back memories, feelings, smiles – real emotions from moments that passed years, even decades ago.   I don’t know what I would do without my pictures – I treasure them so much. 

So with a little nostalgia I post a few pictures for your entertainment enjoyment.

This is me – age 5ish – I TOTALLY remember those sandals – I hated them!  I was even mad to have my picture taken with them – can you tell?  And I have memories of riding in the big red car in the background before we got our VW bug.

Everything about this picture speaks to me.  The black satin, flowered dress my grandma made for me.  Sitting at my table that my grandpa made for me – just my size.  That’s my grandma’s house in the background – she still lives there.  And I remember the collies she had that I was so in love with.  When I look at myself in this picture it’s the first time I really see myself in Kylie.  The shape of our faces as little girls – the hair parted on the same side.  Is it possible she really IS mine – even with her blonde hair and blue eyes???    

And for me, the pictures below are very nostalgic – although not that long ago.  My sweet baby when she was only 6 months old.  Before I started my photography business, before I could even CONTEMPLATE a sibling for her, before I knew how amazing parenthood could really be (and before she fell off the pumpkin and hit her head while I was taking pictures of her……)   Ahhh, the things you remember when you see a picture – it’s the story, the moment, the secret behind the image that truly makes it special.

Some more friends from this weekend - and fellow poker players! 

This little guy was just so happy – you would never know he had a horrible rash all over his body from an allergic reaction to antibiotics!  Poor Mr. “J”.   We had a great time though – and got some great pics!

Just look at that adorable smile!!

I have to give some kudos to my husband who was my “assistant” for the day.  He was great at making the kids (and sometimes even the adults) smile and laugh.   Thanks for lugging my stuff around and making the day easier!  XOXO

Another one of my dear friends and neighbors from this weekend……

I don’t know what it is about this picture but I thought is was so sweet – the breeze and the sweet look on miss “L’s” face. 

Her happiest moments were when she was holding hands with mommy & daddy…..