Judson | One Year

     This session and blog post is bittersweet. It has been so exciting to watch little Judson grow this past year. When I first met him he was only seven days old. He was so tiny that he could fit inside of a baseball glove. Now he’s crawling all over the place and will stand up holding on to his mama and daddy. I can't express how much fun it is to watch my little clients grow. It is such a wonderful experience. I love seeing how much they change from session to session.

     I've had the privilege of photographing Judson every three months over the course of the last year.  I've had so much fun with Judson, Lindsay and Justin at every session that we have done together. I loved talking with Lindsay and Justin and getting to know them. I've always incorporated a few complete family images with each session. Those are always my favorite images. You can tell how much they love their little man. I love the way Judson lights up and giggles when they talk to him. His laugh is contagious for sure.

     One of my favorite things we have incorporated into each photo session is taking a picture of Judson sitting in a black leather chair with a onesie on that shows the number of his age at the time. I love this sequence so much. He went from barely being able to sit up by himself to standing next to the chair in this session. It’s so sweet to see how much he has changed.

     Here are just a few of my favorites from Judson’s One Year Session. Hopefully it won't be too long before we see this little guy and his awesome parents again. Enjoy and Happy Friday! 

Look how Judson has grown! 

Lily & Leah | Newborn

     What’s sweeter than one Baby Girl Trantham? TWO! TWO baby girls! Lily and Leah, the Trantham twins, are absolutely precious! They came into the world a little earlier than expected … three weeks early to be exact. They are happy, healthy, and loved by so many!

     Their parents are Stephanie and Bryan. I had the privilege of photographing their beautiful wedding day back in April of 2013.  Stephanie and I have been friends for ten years. I have loved watching her grow as a young woman, into a wife and now a mom. She is an incredible mother to her baby girls. I love receiving pictures throughout the day of the sweet little things they are doing or funny faces they make. When she and Bryan talk about the girls they beam with joy. It’s so awesome to see!

     Lily and Leah did so well during their session!  They were so content sitting through all the hair bow and blanket changes and as we maneuvered them in and out of tiny little baskets.  When we would lay them next to each other Lily would always have her hand on Leah. It was so precious to see how big sister is already looking out for little sister! It just proves that the bond of sisterhood starts early!

     Thankfully we will be seeing even more of Lily and Leah in the future. I love being able to watch my little clients grow! Here are just a few of my favorites of the Trantham twins! Enjoy and Happy Thursday!  

The Dotson Family

     The Dotson Family is definitely a fan favorite here at Steph Layne Photography! I’ve had the privilege of photographing this family for three years now. I look forward to each and every time we are together. Within minutes of meeting Kim and Aaron the first time I felt like I had know them for years. Kim is absolutely beautiful inside and out. I feel like her and I could be long lost sisters. When we start planning the details of their session the ideas just get bigger and bigger with every conversation we have and I love it! Aaron knows how much these photo sessions mean to his wife and he is always up for whatever ideas her and I conjure up. He is such a great sport! He just smiles and says, “Whatever you think Steph”. Watching the interaction between him and his little boys is so sweet. You can tell they adore their daddy for sure. I love when I am able to sneak in a few shots of just Kim and Aaron. You can tell how much they love each other and the little looks and giggles they give each other are so cute to watch. They are so easy to photograph!

     This session was even more special because Kim’s mom Suh was able to jump in for a little bit of their session. She is just as sweet as her daughter and the boys love their “Mimi”! There are so many great images from this session and here are just a few of my favorites. Enjoy and Happy Wednesday! 

Judson | Nine Months

     Judson is growing so fast! It’s hard to believe that this is his Nine Month Old blog post. If I could describe this session in one word it would be “happy”!  Judson is such a sweet little boy and with every session that passes his personality shows more and more. He giggled and giggled the entire time we were together.  It was a little chilly during his session, but that wasn't going to bring him down. He still had the best time! If he got a little chilly Lindsay and Justin would wrap him up in the blanket for a little bit and he would be good to go. What a little trooper!

     There are so many adorable images of Judson that I had a hard time narrowing it down to my favorites for this post. I can promise you that as you scroll down to view all of his images you will find yourself smiling more and more. His laugh and smile are totally contagious! The next time you see this little guy he will be turning ONE! I can't wait! Enjoy and Happy Tuesday!

Caylee & Cash

     My photo sessions with Caylee and Cash are always entertaining. There is only a three-year age difference between these two cuties. Caylee is definitely the quintessential “big sister”, always making sure he is okay and keeping him in line. Cash is a classic little brother who loves to tease her, but you can tell that he absolutely adores her as well. There is never a dull moment when they are together. Their sessions are always so much fun because they are never lacking in hugs and laughs. It never fails that they will start giggling and it turns into full blow laughter. Those images are always my favorite. I love those BIG smiles!  Smiles so big that you can’t even see their eyes anymore. I catch myself giggling along with them every time. Caylee isn’t shy at all. She doesn’t mind being photographed or is never embarrassed if there’s a crowd in the park. Cash on the other hand is a bit more timid. Caylee does an awesome job making him laugh and getting him to cut loose. I can always tell when Caylee is standing behind me doing something silly. Cash’s face just lights up! They are a great little “Brother-Sister” team!

      We caught the last little bit of fall color in the trees for their session. There is no denying that fall in Missouri is beautiful. Sabrina (their mom) always does the most amazing job at coordinating just the right outfits. It was a cool crisp fall evening and with a beautiful sunset I was able to get some wonderful shots.  Here are just a few of my favorites! Enjoy and Happy Tuesday! 

Caylee & Cash | A Weekend With Our Niece & Nephew

     The best part about being an Aunt and Uncle is being able to spoil your niece and nephew as much as you want! We have been planning this weekend with Caylee and Cash for a while now. A few weeks ago we asked them to pick a theme for the weekend. It could be anything they wanted. Caylee picked “Black and White” and Cash picked “Pirate’s”. These two themes went together PERFECTLY because almost all pirate items are black and white.

     For those who know Justan and I, you know how much “themed parties” are our forte. Together we are a deadly combination because every minute we are planning a party, the ideas seem to get bigger and bigger! I walked in the door from getting everything for the weekend and said to him, “there is a chance that I may have went a little overboard", he just smiled and said, “Nah! I don’t think so”! We both know that these little weekends at Uncle Justan and Aunt Steph’s won't be as cool in the next few years. We want to take full advantage of our time with them while we can and while they still think we are “cool and fun”!

     When Saturday morning arrived I’m not sure who was more excited the kids or Justan and I! Justan and I stayed up late the night before decorating the house and getting everything together. We heard them pulling up the driveway. So we peeked out the windows and, as they were getting out of their vehicle, you could tell they were pumped to be here. Once they got a little closer to the house and saw their “Pirate’s Only” sign, they REALLY got excited! What they didn't know was that Justan and I were waiting for them behind the door dressed in black and white, red bandannas, and of course, our pirate eye patches! We swung open the door and yelled “ARRRRRR MATEY” and they just squealed!! They were overjoyed to say the least!

     We had the entire living room covered in black and white balloons, a table full of pirate themed snacks and of course lots of presents for them throughout the day. Justan hooked Cash up with some awesome Nerf Guns and some pretty cool pirate schwag. Sticking with Caylee’s theme, I got her all black and white items including a notebook, scarf and some adorable headbands. We introduced them to Saved By The Bell this weekend as well (so sorry Sabrina)! I was obsessed with this show growing up and I knew they would love it too. Needless to say Sunday was a perfect lazy day with lots of laughs from The Bayside Tigers. We ended the weekend with dinner and UNO! The kids did not want to go home and honestly we weren't ready for them to leave either. It was a great weekend with Caylee and Cash and one we will never forget! As they were walking out the door on Sunday night, they gave us big hugs and said “BEST WEEKEND EVER”!! We completely agreed and can't wait to do it again!

     Here are just a few images from Saturday morning when they arrived! Enjoy! 

The House Family

     I've had the privilege of photographing The House Family on several occasions now. When I first met little Jude he was only six months old. He is now two years old. This little guy always gets lots of attention when I post their images. He has such a sweet smile that lights up his entire face. I can't believe how much he has grown since his One Year Session. Last year he was crawling all over the place and if he could hold on to something you better believe he was standing up. He would always smile and giggle when he was standing up by himself. This year he is not only walking but also running around the park and talking too! I can't believe how much he has changed.  He is no longer the little baby I met, but a toddler now and I love being able to watch him grow!

     It was so much fun to run around the park with him and his big brother, Jacob, while photographing them playing together.  You can tell that Jude adores his big brother. It was so sweet every time that Jacob was a short distance from Jude, he would scream “bubby” and get the biggest smile on his face. He is Jacob’s number one fan that is for sure. Jacob is also growing so much from session to session. I swear the next time I see him he is going to be taller than me. Honestly, he is almost there now! He is such a sweet kid and is always on board for being a little silly to keep everyone laughing!

     That brings us to Jenna and Ed. The “Mr. & Mrs.” of The House Family. If I were going to describe these two in just a few words they would be adorable, delightful, charming and the sweetest couple you will meet. I love every session I get to do with them. They are so mellow and easy going. They are a very go-with-the-flow couple. They will just sit back and laugh at the boys while they are being silly and are constantly sneaking in little hugs throughout the session. I was able to snap just a few images of the two of them during this session. Within seconds of looking at those images you can tell how much they love one another. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that one day I will be able to do a couples session with just the two of them. I think that every married couple needs a romantic photo session from time to time. These two are such a breeze to photograph and I know that a photo session with just the two of them would be so much fun!

     I just love The House Family! Counting down the days until their next session already. Here are just a few of my favorite images from their fall photo session. Enjoy and Happy Friday!  

Emily | Senior 2015

     Emily may look familiar to you, my awesome blog readers! That is because she and her family were on a post just a few months ago. I had the privilege of photographing their Family Session at the end of the summer. Halfway through their session we began to talk about how Emily was weeks away from starting her Senior Year of High School. It was then that we begin to think of places we could go for her Senior Session. Emily said that she didn’t have a preference on the location, but she knew that she wanted to be outdoors, surrounded by as much nature as possible and wanted it in the fall. Well I don’t think I could have envisioned a better evening for her session. It was simply perfect. For us here in Missouri, the leaves didn’t start changing until the last of October, they traditionally begin to change at the beginning of the month. That day the leaves were so bright and colorful, the temperature was perfect, and Emily was stunning … just stunning.

     “Emily you are absolutely beautiful”. I have uttered that phrase a hundred times. I said it over and over during her session and every single time she would just give me a shy smile and say “thanks”. She is such a beautiful young lady inside and out. She is very easy to photograph that is for sure. She brought with her a few items that she wanted to have photographed with her that day. My favorite was her dog Maggie. I’m such a dog lover that when my clients inquire about bringing their pets along for their sessions I am always on board with it. Maggie is precious and did such a wonderful job. She sat perfectly still and it was almost like she knew to look right at the camera. What a little cutie!

     Picking out my favorites was a little harder when it came to Emily’s session, because I love each and every one of them. I narrowed it down to the ones that were always at the top of my list and I wanted to share them with you today. Emily, I hope you have an awesome Senior Year. Enjoy every minute of it. Graduation will be here before you know it! I wish you the very best as you embark on this new chapter in your life. Enjoy and Happy Wednesday!