In September, dad will be taking a trip up to Georgia to photograph Kelly and Ryan's wedding.  From the details Kelly has shared about the ceremony, it is going to be a very sentimental day.  She is planning it to be meaningful and special for her and Ryan, and of course their family and friends there to celebrate with them.

Kelly and Ryan just came for a visit to Florida and dad met them in Sarasota on Sunday for their engagement session.  Despite having a suspicious security guard check up on them several times, the session was a good time.  The light was great that evening, and Ryan even faced his fear of heights to climb a tree for a few pictures!  Here are some images from the session:

Ryan might be a little nervous, but at least he's still smiling!

Mom thinks the warm sunset lighting is beautiful!

Mom's favorite:

Dad is excited to visit Kelly's home town and photograph her and Ryan's wedding day!  Just a little over a month to go!

Georgia of Weddings by Georgia always plans beautiful events so dad was happy to be working with her for Jen and Chris's wedding.  They were married on Saturday at the Sandpearl Resort in Clearwater.

Flowers by  Northside Florist

Dad gets to capture the emotion of a wedding day so couples see the pictures and "feel" the day again years down the road.  It is an amazing job!  Jen was so happy and her tears started early.

Georgia also officiated the ceremony which was held outside by the beach.  Starfish were tied to the chairs to mark the aisle, and large flower arrangements sat on fabric covered pillars where the bride and groom said their vows.  Dad said the flower girl was so cool!  She did a great job reading a poem during the ceremony.

Jen and Chris:

Jen really did wear a big smile through her whole day!

The reception room had long tables decorated with green linens and chair covers.  There were tall and short floral centerpieces alternating down the table with starfish and candles between them.

When mom talked to dad after the wedding the first thing he mentioned was the lobster tail!  He said it was too good!  It does look yummy.

Jen, Chris, and their friends and family all partied through the reception.  At sunset, dad took Jen and Chris for a few pictures and grabbed this image when they were heading back in.  It is one of mom's favorites.

Almost as if they were meant for Jen and Chris, as the reception was coming to an end there was a pretty fireworks show nearby next to the water.  What a great way to end such a fun celebration.

On Thursday dad met Brie and Rich in Orlando for their engagement session.  Their wedding is coming up next month!  After spending some time with them, dad can tell the wedding is going to be lots of fun.

Brie, Rich, and dad found a turtle who was crawling right toward the street.  They wanted to try to move it, but when Rich touched it the turtle flailed and looked like it was having a convulsion!  They also weren't sure if it was a snapping turtle, a fact that a police officer came up and warned them about.  The officer was going to try to get the turtle in a box to move it but a park ranger came up.  He said this turtle had been trying to cross the street to lay eggs and no matter how many times they move her she keeps trying.  He picked up the turtle and threw her into the water for now.  I hope she finds some where safer to lay eggs!

Too bad it wasn't an alligator since Brie and Rich are big Gator fans!  But they found a fake gator to take pictures with later.

Dad, Brie, and Rich walked around the streets of Orlando, stopping at nice places for pictures.

Mom thinks this picture doesn't look like it was taken in Florida.  With the dry leaves on the steps and the style of the staircase, it looks like it could be some where up north in the fall.

Dad gets to see Brie again soon for her bridal portraits and he's excited for that session as well.  Brie and Rich are such a nice couple.  Thanks for a fun afternoon!

Before Kristi was called home to God (see last month's blog, the June 24th entry) she told us that even if she had to have Jason go to the hospital and set up his backdrop there, she was going to be sure her daughter had her one year session.  She passed just days after her daughter turned one.

It was such a privilege for us not only to carry out Kristi's wish, but to see her beautiful daughter growing (she has hair now!) and finding her own personality.

Here is Kristi and Gary's daughter in Gary's arms at one month:

6 months:

9 Months:

And on Wednesday at her 1 year session:

This is mom's favorite picture from the session.  Gary is a tender and patient and loving dad, not to mention an incredible person.  He has been inspiring in sharing his faith and love.

Who's one year old?  Peek-a-boo, I am!

After the session we spent some time just hanging out and playing which was lots of fun.  We are truly blessed to have their friendship.  Can't wait to see you both again soon!

My great-uncle and aunt are huge Yankee fans so I know they are going to love hearing about Kristina and Mark's wedding.  Their day had a Yankee's theme! There were pendants as favors, a Yankee's emblem on the ring bearer pillow, a unique Yankee's cake topper...they even worked the Yankees into their vows! 

Kristina and Mark had an awesome group of vendors working together for their day.  The wedding planner was the "simply fabulous" Charity from A Charmed Event.  She always has her heart into every event she plans.  For hair and makeup, the talented and kind Darla Stafford was there.  Darla has such a good heart, and she always does a terrific job.  The DJ for the event was Rob Sword.  Dad enjoys working with him and says he is one of the best.  So the Yankees have a great team, and Kristina and Mark put together a great wedding team!

Kristina getting ready:

Mom thought her pink shoes were so cute.

The ceremony and reception were at The Chelsea Center in Sarasota.  Before the processional, the flower girl was getting upset that people were trying to take her DS (or some game thing like that) away, so they let her hold it when she came down the aisle.  She walked right up to the bride and groom (her mom and dad) and stayed there between them the whole time.  Too adorable!!  Mom thought that was really sweet. 

After the ceremony:

The cake topper:

At the reception, dad got to see Rob Sword's new lighting system.  Pretty cool!

With a Yankee wedding, where else would you go for your honeymoon except to New York City to see a Yankee game?!  Congratulations, and have a great time in the city Kristina and Mark!

I blogged about Cindy and Damien once before when they came over to meet with dad and I took a picture of them with my own camera:

Saturday was their wedding day and sadly I was unable to make it to photograph them, but dad went and said it was a great day.  Cindy had her hair and makeup done at LolaJane's Beauty Lounge in St. Pete before going to the Vinoy to get dressed.  Dad said Cindy was so happy and excited all day and you couldn't help but smile when you were around her. 

Dad was happy to see Lori Schaneville again.  She is another local photographer and is Cindy's cousin, so she was a bridesmaid in the wedding.  Lori, you'll have to let us know what it was like to be on the other side of the camera!

The ceremony took place at St. Mary Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church.  The architecture and stained glass in old churches are so beautiful. 

 One of mom's favorites of Cindy and Damien:

By the docks:

The reception was at the St. Pete Yacht Club and Ward from Grant Hemond was the DJ.

Dad took Cindy and Damien back outside for a few quick pictures during the reception:

When you have an awesome mode of transportation, everyone wants to use it.  At the end of the night, Cindy and Damien had their departure through showers of bird seed thrown by guests.  The only problem was that nothing was there to pick them up!  After a short while their carriage was seen down the street dropping some other people off before it came to pick up Cindy and Damien for their get away.  Cindy looked like a princess all day so the carriage was a perfect ending.

Congratulations newlyweds!  Thanks for having dad there to photograph your day.

Sanibel Island is such a pretty location!  Dad was excited to meet Carolyn and Todd for their engagement session at Casa Ybel.  Todd proposed to Carolyn there and they will be getting married there next July so of course their engagement session had to be there as well! 

Mom loved Carolyn's little white sundress which went well with Todd's white polo shirt and khakis.  

So pretty!

Dad loves when a couple is up for anything, and if you couldn't already tell from the roof picture this couple definitely was!  The water was too nice not to go in.

Carolyn and Todd took dad to one of their favorite places.

Dad says you two were so great and he can't wait to get you up on the roof again next July in your wedding attire!  Thanks for a fun session.

When Christina was planning her engagement session with dad, she told him that she loved the look of city lights.  Well the best time to get lights is after dark!  Wednesday night Christina and Michael drove down from Lake Mary to have their engagement session in downtown Tampa. 

As dad was getting ready that evening, it started thundering and the skies got cloudy.  It was definitely going to rain.  Dad called Christina who was already driving down and they decided to just go for it.  It soon was raining hard and dad was worried but by the time they started the session it had gone from hard rain to a steady drizzle.  And as a bonus the puddles on the ground reflected more of those street lights Christina liked .

Mom likes the dramatic lighting for this picture:

Christina and Michael are getting married in just 2 months at the Lake Mary Events Center.  It is going to be great!  See you two again soon!

Every mom longs for a little peace and quiet from time to time.  The problem is that most of the time when your kids are quiet, it is that foreboding silence that comes before you go to check and see what they've been doing that's kept them so quiet.

You know when you leave a bathroom stall with a bit of tissue stuck to the bottom of your foot?

See, the problem is when you figure all you can do is laugh and you take out the camera for pictures and even let the baby play with the pile of toilet paper afterwards, they think it was a fun time and there's lots of great stuff to do in the bathroom.  And then, later in the evening when your husband is supposedly watching the boys, you go to the bathroom and...

And the other problem comes the next day when your 3 year old sees how much the baby got everyone laughing with the toilet paper so he empties the roll in the other bathroom and you have to explain to him that it might have been funny for his brother to do it but he isn't allowed.  You can't punish him even though you know he knew better, but by now you've learned at least not to give it as much attention or take any pictures.  Sigh.

On Friday dad took us out for the day so mom could get some work done.  We went to Dinosaur World! 

Everett meets his first dinosaur:

Mom thinks some of it was a little too graphic for little boys.

The park wasn't very big, but dad kept us entertained (and I hope he stays in a good mood when he sees that I put this video on the blog!)

Click the picture to see how silly my dad is!

I got to do a fossil dig with a sifter and keep three little pieces of "dinosaur bones" that I found.

After Dinosaur World, dad wanted mom to have the rest of the evening to herself too (isn't he the BEST??!!!) so he took me and my brother to Downtown Disney!  We ate dinner and looked around at the toy stores.  I saw this lego building of New York City which was cool since we were just there.  Notice the alligator in the water?  Mom says she read some where that the first day of the job interviews to be a lego builder they give you a bunch of square legos and tell you to make a round ball. 

Anyone who knows me will know how much I LOVED having my picture taken with Buzz Lightyear!  Toy Story is one of my very favorite movies ever!  But Buzz can't fly; he's just a toy (I told mom that it was very important for everyone to know that so it has to be on my blog).

Dad, thanks for a really fun day (and mom thanks you too!)

Erin and Matt have the most happy little girl ever!  They brought her over for her 6 month session on Monday and she was laughing through the whole thing!  Mom says she is a star in the making.

Mom says she gets even more sentimental than usual seeing how much Erin and Matt's daughter is changing and growing.  She says it is a reminder of how big I am getting.  Mom went into labor with me while dad was photographing Erin and Matt's wedding and now they have their own daughter who is sitting up and laughing and playing. 

I think Erin and Matt might possibly be Bulls fans.  Otherwise there is a whole different interpretation for their daughter's "Future Bull" onesie!  Okay, that was not a good joke. 

One of mom's favorites:

Mom says boys never have clothes as cute as the clothes they make for little girls!

Erin made the tutus and the hair bows to match!

Tired out from all the modeling:

Erin, Matt, and their daughter are a great family and so much fun to be around!  We are blessed to have become friends with them, and we can't wait to have a play date in the fountains with them some time soon!

The 4th of July was the first holiday I celebrated after being born, and it is the last holiday my brother celebrated before turning one.  It was his very first Independence Day! 

We spent part of the afternoon visiting Nonna at the rehabilitation center.  Just 2 weeks before she was on life support in ICU and doctors were saying things did not look good.  God was with her and in just two weeks she is already out of the hospital! 

After visiting Nonna we went back home and my aunts came over for dinner.  We of course had the traditional 4th of July dinner of macaroni salad, hot dogs, and corn on the cob.  We were also going to have hamburgers but if you read mom's Twitter the day before the 4th you'll understand when I say the meat just didn't make it.

After dinner we wanted to go swimming.  Mom told dad to take a couple quick pictures of me and my brother in our 4th of July outfits before we changed into our bathing suits.

Then it was time to swim which is always lots of fun.  I've gotten so good this summer!  Last year I had to be held the whole time I was in the water, but now with my floaties on I am swimming by myself all over the pool.  Safety first, of course...I am never allowed in the pool without an adult (we have a pool fence just to be sure).  By next year I might be swimming without floaties!  I still don't like going under water though.  Dad and Aunt Kellie don't mind; they had fun posing under the water.

We swam until it was almost dark outside and then came in to get our PJs on and get ready for fireworks.  Grandma and pop pop came over to join us for the fireworks.  It is cool to have all the neighbors outside at the same time.  Mom says it is almost like a block party.  Dad put on our own fireworks show.  We also did sparklers which I was really excited about.  The first person to do a sparkler was my brother since this was his first time ever getting to do one.

As you can see, he wasn't really impressed.  In fact, after a short time outside with the fireworks he got fussy.  It was past his bedtime and every time he was almost asleep a loud firework would wake him up.  When he started crying grandma took him inside.

Here I am with my sparkler:

Mom:

And mom making the JA box from our logo:

I asked mom if Yankee Doodle had a beard but mom said she didn't really know what Yankee Doodle looked like.  So that is something I want to find out before the next 4th of July.

It is wonderful to be living in America where we have opportunities and freedoms that we often take for granted.  Thank you to everyone who has served or is serving in our military to protect those rights for us.  God bless America!  Hope all of you enjoyed your Independence Day as well!

Though mom doesn't usually get to meet the couples dad photographs, sometimes she does get to know some of them through email.  Heidi is so sweet and has her heart into her plans for her marriage.  Mom says that through talking to her, she is planning for a marriage and not just a wedding and it is so touching to hear her talk about her future with Steve and how they will build a family together.

Unfortunately dad was booked for Heidi and Steve's wedding this August but he met up with them on Monday for their engagement session in Sarasota.  They are a good looking couple!  The session started at the beach:

Then Heidi, Steve, and dad went for a walk for pictures around town.

Thanks for having us as a part of your wedding plans even if we couldn't be there on the day itself!  Be sure to keep in touch and share pictures of your wedding day!

The day after Heidi and Steve's engagement session was an engagement session for Kira and Peter.  Coincidentally, the day after Heidi and Steve's wedding is the day Kira and Peter will be married!  Dad will be photographing Kira and Peter's wedding this August.

Dad met Kira and Peter in Ybor for their urban session.  Dad said it was a relaxed, comfortable type of session.  He felt like he was hanging out talking with a couple of his friends and just happened to stop for some pictures on the way.  It rained a bit during the session but they just waited a little while and it mostly cleared up.  Here are a few from their session:

Waiting for the rain to stop...

Dad was walking up the alley and saw a cage.  He gave Kira and Peter a look and said, "Is that a dancing cage?"  Peter walked right up to it and said, "Okay, where do you want it?"  He knew dad wasn't going to pass this by without some pictures!

One of mom's favorites:

Thanks for a fun session!  See you next month!

We hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th of July!  This is my brother's first Independence Day and we are having some family over for hot dogs, hamburgers, swimming, and fireworks.  Everyone enjoy yourselves but also be safe!