ok, i admit it, i have been a bit obsessed with red, white and blue this summer, but i just can’t help it.  good ole’ red, white and blue evokes such a feeling of nostalgia and good times, and they sure do photograph nicely too.

i am in love with katie and eddie’s, sweeter than apple pie, americana maternity session.  luca is a doll in his overalls too!

this tiny little bundle of sweetness just melted my heart.  this little girl was soooo good during her newborn shoot.  i look forward to seeing how much she changes and grows before her six month shoot!

i always have fun when i visit with the green pond boys!  this year between fake mustaches, american flags, a dock diving contest and a super-dog named grover we snapped some shots that really capture the fun of summer and the carefree spirit of childhood.  this family knows how to do summertime!

i am sorry, but the show “jersey shore” has really given the jersey shore a bad rap.  check out this beautiful mother and daughter that i photographed on the lovely beaches of seabright, nj.  this is a taste of the real jersey shore!

i remember shooting courtney and jeff’s wedding like it was yesterday.  it seems like it was not that long ago, but now they are celebrating their second kiddo’s first birthday.  happy birthday henry!

who could resist snapping a few shots of henry’s sister sam?  henry looks like the boy version of his big sis.  they are two seriously cute kids!

i love this little family and their americana photoshoot.  mateo celebrated his big 01 this july!

welcome to the world harlem!  a big congrats to carmen, kirk and big brother klei as they welcome their new little man to the world.

this is one of my all time favorite newborn shots!!

mommy getting squished in a family hug….i love it!

just for fun, this last shot is a photo from klei’s newborn shoot 5 years ago.  they look so much alike!

i absolutely love that klei showed up for carmen’s maternity shoot in his pirate costume.  : )  and i love that carmen is the kind of mom that embraces her son’s creativity.

carmen looks absolutely beautiful as she and her sweet family gets ready to welcome another baby to the world!

i loved working with this family on their red, white and blue inspired shoot.  the carter’s are celebrating a few milestones this year.  their sweet baby boy is turning one and their big baby girl is heading off to her senior year in high school.

this family shoot is as yummy as a slice of apple pie.  check out a few of my favorites.

i have to give myself a little pat on the back for making my kid’s birthday photo book in the same year that they celebrated their birthday!  eliza turned 8 in may and ryder turned 3 in may.  the last birthday book i made was when eliza turned 1.  : (

it is really challenging for any parent to keep up with their kids photo albums, but i think it is even more challenging for a professional photographer.  the sheer number of photos i have of my kids is astronomical.  plus, i admit it, i am a bit (understatement) of a perfectionist.  for years i have photographed my kids as if their life was an editorial spread for a magazine.  i have tons of images from their milestones that i never printed because i wanted to go back and photoshop them and “make them perfect”.  guess what?  life is not perfect.  in fact, the life of a self employed mom of two is pretty darn crazy at times.  one of my resolutions for the new year was to “let it go”.  i wanted to stop trying to make the perfect life and just live the life that i love.  this year there might be a few more dust bunnies rolling around the floor, a lot more weeds in the garden and whole lot of photos taken with instagram instead of my mark II, but i am ok with that.  i am happy.

here are a few instagram collages and a few snapshots that i took during the camping birthday extravaganza of 2012.  birthdays seem to last for weeks around our house.  part one of the camping birthday party extravaganza was also our first trip in our winnebago.  we went to carolina beach to celebrate the big 08 and 03 for the kids.

part two of the camping birthday extravaganza was at our lake house, which is called “hobcaw”.  welcome to “camp hobcaw”!

i know it might seem like i did not “let it go” when it came to planning this birthday party, but eliza and i had a great time painting all of the signs and thinking of fun campy things to do.  my overachieving side is a plus when it comes to having good parties.  ; )  i must also credit pinterest for making the camping party such a hit!