Elisabeth Nixon Photography

A new website & blog...all in one!

2012-01-19T09:27:00.000-05:00

My sweet husband just asked me..."Do you have a link from your old blog to your new site?" What a smarty-pants he is! I do not! (yet)

So yes, the reason this blog has been abandoned is because there is a brand spankin' new website for Elisabeth Nixon Photography. A website and blog all in one - a blogsite! Come visit and see what's happening right here at Elisabeth Nixon Photography! :)

Olivia the Music Artist

2011-11-02T08:41:00.000-04:00

We don't know what she's singing but it happened just after church a few weeks ago - so maybe it has something to do with a song from her class?? :) Either way, it was REALLY loud and all of the people at the tables around us had to listen to it too...

Halloween (EARLY) 2011

2011-10-30T08:03:00.001-04:00

Yes, I know it's not YET Halloween...but we already got dressed up once and took pictures - so I'm being proactive and blogging them NOW before it becomes Easter and I realize I never shared these. :) (See Aunties S, J & L - I am not ALWAYS late!!)

I had every intention of making our costumes this year. In fact, we were ALL going to be "angry birds" - biggest to smallest starting with dad and ending with Olive...but that idea tanked early on because when do I have time to make five costumes?!? :) (Even if they were going to be big t-shirts with a shape and a face on them.) Then I was going to make the kids' costumes - pirate, unicorn and "who knows" what Olive wanted to be. But that was thrown by the wayside when I found clearanced costumes at Gymboree for $10 bucks for the girls. Then it was left to me to CONVINCE Ella she wanted to be "whatever this was"....and I have NO idea what she was. But it was cute and suited her. :) Because truth be told, we have no idea who Ella is! It changes moment by moment...

Olive was easy - tell her she's some sort of princess (even though she was a peacock, sort of) and she's happy. Micah was harder. I didn't WANT to make a pirate costume. I didn't have to make the others - so I was getting lazier by the minute and about to offer him candy or something to just be something easy he already had in the dress-up box. (Yes, we have a dress-up box for the kids - it's AWESOME so no judging!) He decided yesterday to be a knight (he was a knight at 3 so yes, you've seen this costume before but it still fit!!) and I told him he couldn't change his mind anymore. (go me!) So that took care of that!!

I assume we'll dress up tomorrow as well - but the highlight of October 31 around here is not actually Halloween - it's the fact that the NEXT day, November 1, is Ella's birthday. :) And that is a day that she thinks about every SINGLE day of the year, wondering how far away it is, planning far in advance....for a party that never actually seems to happen as planned. ;)

Wedding Love {Joshua + Emily } July 29, 2011

2011-09-13T15:24:00.000-04:00

I grew up with Emily...I credit her dad for the reason I was allowed to listen to FINALLY listen to contemporary Christian music in middle school! :) Her dad and my dad met out walking one day and became fast friends - and went on to encourage each other as they sought to become not only men of God, but Godly husbands and fathers. I'm so thankful for Emily's dad in my dad's life....OH dear, I digress....

So I feel like I've known Emily for, well, ever. And when she moved back to our area over a year ago, I was so excited to reconnect with her and see the beautiful woman she had grown into! (Definately the COOLEST math teacher - EVER!) I clearly remember a particular Facebook message from her..."Something's happened" she wrote...and when I asked good or bad, she responded with "VERY good...." Turns out that "something" that was "very good" was Joshua. And yes, he definately is very good, where Emily is concerned. :)

I had heard ALL about him but didn't get to meet him until we met for their engagement session. I wasn't sure what to expect - I knew he was SUPER smart, funny but could be serious...and that he loved Emily and wanted to be her husband. Turns out, he was HYSTERICAL (especially when watching the two of them together), definately smarter than me - he's like a real NASA person!! - and he didn't just love Emily. He adored her.

Fast-forward to their wedding day....two people could not have been more excited to get married than these two. They had waited their whole lives for each other...and to be there to witness as they pledged their vows to each other, held each other close, and didn't let go....it was a really REALLY good "something".

Joshua and Emily, I cannot tell you how honored I am that you would ask me to document this day for you both. I am thrilled beyond words that you have found each other and am excited to see what God has in store for your lives together. Thanks for everything!! :)

ps (to you, blog visitors) - sorry there are like a MILLION pictures. I'll put the slideshow in first...that way you can just watch that if you don't want to wait for PAGES and pages of pictures to load. :)

pps - I'm not actually sorry that there are a lot of pictures. But I am. But I'm not. You know what I mean...

Emily was all smiles as she was getting ready...surrounded by family and friends, all playfully teasing her and watching as she {impatiently} waited for the time to come to be married!! Texts went back and forth - "we'll be married in less than 3 hours!!" and "I can't wait to see you!"......laughter and joy filled this room.

I've never seen the bridesmaids write messages on the bottom of the bride's shoe - how sweet and meaningful!! And my wonderful partner-in-crime (aka 2nd photographer) for the day, Jennifer Goodlet, showed up with the.most.amazing.hanger. EVER! :)

The ring pillow was made by Joshua's mom out of material from her wedding dress!

They asked to do a "first look" session so that they could really enjoy that moment and sneak some quiet time before the day REALLY started. I'm not crazy, I didn't say no! :) I said YES YES YES!!

After their "first look" pictures, we headed back to the venue for the ceremony. They were SO excited. :)

And then it was off to the {hot} outside for some group pictures!

A second serving of OJ...

2011-08-26T13:54:00.000-04:00

Yeah....I wasn't done yet either. :) Two helpings of OJ are definately better than one!

OJ

2011-08-26T13:26:00.000-04:00

Today I needed me some OJ....Olive Juice...and she's sleeping. SO I dug through some past month archives in the computer. And came across this rather odd number. Oh she is just so cute!

A new friend {Children's Photography}

2011-07-31T16:08:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago I made a new friend. He wasn't sure about me right off the bat - I'll be the first to admit I can come on a little strong - but in my defense, it was pretty early in the morning and I think he was still waking up. (OK, it's a weak defense...) Anyway, he and I rolled the ball a bit, he showed me his mad walking skills, he explored the park long before any other kids showed up....he even got to swing a bit! All in all, it was a successful morning! That sweet little dude earned his morning nap. :) And SO DID I....well, that's what I told myself when I also had an early morning nap!

Mom and dad - hope you enjoy these - thanks for letting us hang out for a bit!

Little Jimmy {Newborn Photographer}

2011-07-28T19:35:00.000-04:00

So this morning I played with sweet little Jimmy for a while. :) What a cutie! That little boy snuggled right up into the blankets and went to sleep so quickly. Unfortunately I tuckered him out with all the snuggles BUT the good news is he gave us some awesome shots before he wore out. Best part? I get to see him again. :) Mama & Dad....Grandma, Grandpa and Auntie....enjoy! :)

For Levi....

2011-07-26T08:08:00.000-04:00

We heard you were wondering what Micah has been up to with his legos and Micah wanted you to see.... we wish you were here to play with us!! :) Someday!

We love you, Levi!

Sweet baby brother {Newborn Photography}

2011-07-21T16:15:00.001-04:00

I had the incredible...no, that's not the word. EXTREME .... not sure that covers it either...Well, let's keep it simple. I was blessed last week when, early Monday morning, I received a phone call from a dear friend - she was in labor. We had planned to do her maternity pictures in just two days but that baby was coming NOW. We had talked about me photographing the birth of little Max (a home birth) and I had hoped that he would come at a time when I would have a babysitter for my kids. What better time than 3 am? :)

I threw on some clothes, grabbed my gear and ran out the door. I had NO idea what to expect. I had 3 c-sections, never once experience a REAL contraction, and the entire "labor and delivery" process was a great mystery to me. Movies do not do it justice. :) Max's mom was...awe-inspiring. And it's not because she quietly focused and labored with her loved ones nearby...although I must say PEACEFUL was the word of the hour. :) We smiled and laughed in between contactions and then gradually they became stronger. Soon Max's mom had hardly any time to rest in between and the midwife quietly let her know that if she didn't try to get over to the birthing chair soon, she just might have that little boy right where she was. (Which was fine, of course!)

Max's dad and their friend/doula carefully guided his beloved into the next room where just moments passed and Max had arrived. Tears all around, smiles and hushed praise and thanksgiving to the One who had created this tiny miracle. (Not to mention YAY! Mama did it!) :)

One week has passed and I have not yet lost my wonder at the miracle of birth - how amazingly and wonderfully our bodies are made! And not just the tiny newbies but their incredible mothers as well! And for the record - I know that PHYSICALLY it's not as hard on the fathers but emotionally and mentally, they are involved. Watching Max's dad encourage and strengthen his sweet wife - knowing he'd do more if only he could - but this was HER time to be hurting and HIS time to support her....yes the fathers are amazing as well. :)

Little Max and his mom and older brother came to visit one week after he was born...he's only gotten cuter. :) A couple favorites and a slideshow because I am not capable of choosing just one or two... I have to say, I'm disappointed in the colors of the slideshow but eh...he's just so cute :)

You can see the slideshow at http://www.elisabethnixonphotography.com/MartinezNB

Boo-yaaahhhhhhhhh!

2011-06-24T13:40:00.002-04:00

Joshua&Emily-124, a photo by elisabethnixon on Flickr.

So I have....well....about two years (at LEAST) of blogging to catch up on. I'll get to that later. But I want to share one picture - just one. :) I'm insanely/rediculously/totally/*insert other "-ly" type words* PROUD of this picture. I can't even remember how it happened - but these two were SO much fun to photograph. :) Then we pulled out the super cool Samurai-sword-style-umbrella and as the sun flashed through it when they opened the umbrella, IT HIT ME. Make out behind the umbrella. Yup, been done before - even by me - but I've never had it turn out this good for me. :) So yeah, here's me - proclaiming my love for a photo I recently took. I don't do this often....and you can ask Joshua and Emily - I totally shouted, punched my fist into the air like *THIS*, twirled around and then jumped A.LOT. The whole time saying, "Yes! YES! I got it! YAAAYYY!" :) Very non-humble of me, I know. At least I can admit it, right? ;)

And baby makes three...

2011-04-25T11:57:00.000-04:00

It has taken me far too long to share images from these sessions...but better late than never, right? :) Leslie and Harry, this little man is simply precious and I hope you are enjoying your snuggles, smiles & even the sleepless moments together!! It's a long post...sorry, but I had too many favorites to cut it down any further...

2 Year Slideshow

2011-04-23T22:00:00.000-04:00

Yes I know - shocker - two posts in just a couple of days! :) I wanted to share this - yes, the cuteness that IS Olive Juice - but also, the sweet talent of a dear friend, Amy Thomas. She and I spent a lot of time oohing and ahhing over Olive when she was really little and Amy would sing for me the newest song she had written. Then I selfishly asked her to write one for me, never thinking she'd really have time to do it. She surprised me not even one week later with it.

And on Olivia's birthday Thursday Amy came with her gift - a CD with this song, Olive Juice....seriously the best gift EVER. She took my babbling "new mommy words" and sentiments and turned it into the sweetest song ever. Thank you SO MUCH, Amy. I don't know if you realize how much this means to me...

Happy Birthday to our sweet Olive Juice...Oliva :)

2011-04-20T22:50:00.000-04:00

Olivia is a little girl known by several names. Olivia. Oliva. Olive. Olive Juice. O. There are more but I can't think of them all right now. Tomorrow is her birthday and I absolutely cannot believe two years have gone by. It all makes me SO sad, and yet really excited. Of course, the fact that she is two means Micah is almost 8 and Ella is getting closer to 6. WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN? :)

In honor of her birthday I'm bringing back the little slideshow I made last year out of the images Matthew took on her birth day. :) Thank you AGAIN Matthew, for such a lovely gift. I didn't know those pictures were even there until a year ago and I'm so thankful for that little present! :)

Day One of Project LTBW2YL

2011-03-14T11:41:00.002-04:00

What?!? You say? You don't know what LTBW2YL means? You're not the only one - I promise. It only means something to me. (And every other mom who is possibly in my shoes!!) I have been SUCH a lazy bum and two years have gone by since Olivia's birth - well, almost two. Do you know where I'm going with this yet? Project LTBW2YL stands for "Lose-The-Baby-Weight-2-Years-Later!" :) It's time. It's past time.

Oh and this is part THREE. Because I've done this. Twice before. And after each kid I birthed, it took me two years to bother to even care. And now, this third (and most likely final) time around....it's again been two years. And now I care. :) Sort of. I figure if I make it public perhaps I will shame myself into actually doing it? Nah. Probably not. I'm a big enough girl (obviously - and yes the pun is intended!) to admit when I mess up or don't keep my word so there's a really good chance that I will eventually screw this up too.

But in case I don't, here's to DAY ONE of this journey. It took me a long time to get here (you don't think it's EASY maintaining this weight, do you? It takes a LOT of calories/snacks/downright laziness to keep it up!!) and it's not going to be gone tomorrow. Oh if only it would be gone tomorrow. ;) Alas, the ice cream calls my name and I have told myself I can have a HALF CUP of it later this afternoon WHEN I GET HUNGRY. We'll see if that ever happens. The 'land' that I have available to live off of is vast and could last me a while....

Baby Jaxson {Central Florida Newborn Photographer}

2011-03-12T12:43:00.004-05:00

Sweet little Jaxson, snug as a bug and beloved by his adorable big brother. We met shortly after his birth and OHH I can honestly say that each and every baby I have the opportunity to photograph makes my heart skip a beat! Honestly, if it weren't for all these little ones to cuddle - even for a few minutes at a time - I think I would have to immediately embark on a quest for Nixon baby #4. (Penny the dog does NOT count!) :) Fortunately for my hubby, these sweet little ones satisfy ALMOST all of that "baby fever" I suffer from so frequently.

To Jaxson's mama & daddy - thank you SO SO much for the pleasure of photographing Jaxson and for some time with the little dude! I hope these pictures bring you joy as you remember these early days for years to come!

Eylin, you are one stunning mama :)

Happy Saturday! :)

Chubby Cheeks {Central Florida Baby Photographer}

2011-03-09T16:18:00.002-05:00

This chubby-cheeked stud spent some time with me a while back. OH did he make my day! He smiles and smiles and smiles and smiles and....yes, smiles some more. :) I can totally see why his mama is just infatuated with him. Little Rhett is on his way to becoming the FL Gator's cutest fan - along with being voted the sloberiest. I JUST LOVE this age when the drool leaks out and the smiles are constant. (I'm a firm believer that the drool is actually sweetness just oozing right out of them...)

Sweet Love ~ The M Family {Central Florida Family Photography}

2011-03-07T20:13:00.002-05:00

This beautiful family has given me the pleasure of watching their little one grow up. Little Tate and I spent a couple of hours together after he was born and while he was SO SO tiny! And then, just after their newborn session, they moved to New York. I really didn't expect to get to see them again and you can imagine how thrilled I was when they emailed to say they were coming to Florida to visit family and to see about a One-Year-Old Session with Tate and their little family. YAY for me! :)

This little boy is one lucky dude. His mama and daddy CLEARLY adore him and I am so excited to show them this little peek into their session! Tate wasn't QUITE walking yet which was AWESOME for me because that means I didn't have to run the whole time to keep up with him. I did, however, have to do some serious deep squats and crazy jumps to keep his attention. The best workout I have had in a while...and since too!

Daddy and Tate "box" together which elicits squeals of joy from Tate, Mama gets the BEST open-mouth kisses from Tate and all three of them snuggle and cuddle together so naturally because it's just that...natural to them. :) So much sweet love and a blessing for me to get to be a part of it for JUST a few minutes!

Baby Ruthie {Florida Newborn Photographer}

2011-03-04T23:22:00.003-05:00

So this post is about my sweet little sort-of-niece, Ruthie. She's got the best name. We share it. :) Except hers is backwards...or is mine backwards?? Regardless, she gets to go by Ruthie, which is awesome.

Ruthie's mama is well-known here on my blog because she's my cousin's wife AND a phenomenal photographer that lives in Canada. And we flew up to visit them after Ruthie's arrival (she was born on Valentine's Day!) so that Heather could have some pictures of her AND her baby. The records now show that Heather was indeed a part of this little miracle. ;) (We moms tend to be behind the cameras instead of in front of them and aside from taking our word for it, our children might think we are lying about us being there for those early years!)

Anyway, these are just a few. Ok they are quite a few. There will be more. These are just of Ruthie by herself. And these also took place immediately before she relieved herself (in more ways than one!) ALL over me. It was by far the best job any little person has done on me to date. ;)

And if you're wondering, OH HECK YEAH, we totally rocked the "baby leaning forward on her hands" shot. But it definately took TWO of us - all four hands. :)

Matt & Tory ~ Part I {Florida Wedding Photographer}

2011-03-01T09:04:00.002-05:00

New Years Eve 2010. Matt and Tory had been waiting for this day for a long time. :) A year before, in early 2010, we met at The Hyatt Grand Cypress Hotel for their engagement pictures. Several months before this they were the maid of honor and best man at another Lavery wedding. :) This day was a long time coming - with a ton of hard work and preparation - and it was my incredible pleasure to be a part of their special day.

We'll start Part I out with my personal favorites from the time spent getting ready. :)

Keep checking back for additional installments of Matt & Tory's gorgeous wedding day!!

This is why I'm here...

2011-02-22T17:53:00.000-05:00

...in Canada. Smile. :)

Sigh....

Noah {Central Florida Newborn Photographer}

2011-02-19T17:41:00.002-05:00

Noah and his mommy came over for a last minute session the other day. His mom is a wonderful photographer and she had the SAME trouble that I did when Olivia was born...getting that PERFECT new baby shot! There was something about posing my OWN baby, and when I heard Melissa hadn't yet scored THE shot, I invited them over to play. :) Hopefully she loves the ones we came up with - and if nothing else, I got to snuggle another new baby!!

MINE

2011-02-10T11:26:00.002-05:00

Micah has recently taken to spending time with Olivia, reading. Olivia will sit for a long time with anybody who is reading to her, and that includes Micah. I came upstairs the other night and spied the two of them sitting on his bed and in a burst of nostalgia and panic that these moments are fleeing by so fast, I ran downstairs to grab my camera and document at least this one moment in time. (I don't do this enough.)

Yes, Micah's bed is on his floor. (it's easier to change the sheets this way when you have a bed-wetter!) Yes, the paint is peeling off the wall. (Apparently Micah does this as some sort of soothing ritual?!?) Yes, there are legos and knex all over the floor...along with clean clothes ready to be put away. (No excuses here!) But instead of making him do THAT on this night, I climbed onto the bed with both of them and let them read to me. :)

Nicco, 2 Weeks {Central Florida Newborn Photographer}

2011-02-07T19:15:00.003-05:00

Nicco and I got to play together today and I couldn't help myself when I got home...for the first time in a long time, I sat down and was not able to stop editing! (It helped that I had one daughter "down" for the day watching movies non-stop because she's still resting from being sick and a sweet Aunt and Uncle playing with the other daughter!) It never happens anymore though...not without some serious child-neglect! ;)

I could not believe how MUCH little Nicco looks like his two big brothers! And at one point he smiled for just a moment...and I saw his beautiful mama in that smile. :) So all in all, today was a WONDERFUL day..."sick" day and all!!

Nicco's mama won't BELIEVE how fast she's seeing these...yay for surprises! :)

I think this one is my favorite...on account of the smushy face. :)

And in THIS one....it's ALL big brother 1 & 2! :)

I DO: Chris & Amanda {Central Florida Wedding Photographer}

2011-02-04T12:24:00.002-05:00

Chris and Amanda have been patiently waiting for a preview of what's to come. Let me tell you - I had goosebumps at their ceremony. Actually...most of the time we were outside. The light was AH-MAZING! After the ceremony was over and we were working on their portraits, Amanda turned to me and said, "How was it? How are the pictures going?" :) I got a little giddy and said (honestly!) that a couple of times I had to stop myself from taking TOO many pictures because the light was so awesome. Goosebumps...and I could barely keep from jumping up and down a couple of times. Seriously.

Then we proceeded with their portraits and THIS is the result of that gorgeous light mixed with some FIERCE modeling by Amanda and her absolutely handsome husband. (by the way...check the way they look at each other - complete adoration on both parts and I was so honored to be a part of their wedding day!)

JONAH {Central Florida Newborn Photography}

2011-01-10T18:05:00.004-05:00

UPDATE: This sweet little boy is NOT Noah! He is JONAH. Yes, I totally messed up! His sweet mama quietly corrected me - I'm so sorry Ana!! :) I couldn't tell you where it came from but I do this stuff ALL the time - I don't even know my own children's names!! LOL

I got to spend a morning with Jonah and his parents a couple weeks ago - our original date was cancelled because I had pneumonia and of course was not going to go snuggle with this sweet newbie.....and then a couple weeks later when we were able to get together I was so afraid that (1) he'd be big already! and (2) that he wouldn't want to sleep! :)

Well....he didn't really want to sleep. Not with daddy around to play with - and especially not with me there all wierd and loud. :) Fortunately, we tired him out, mama tanked him up and with the help of our "magic heater" he drifted off to sleep eventually. YES! This tiny bundle of love had the sweetest "thinking" face - the occasional smile - and yes, a good 'ol fashioned GRUMPY grimace whenever I moved him. :)

Mama's been waiting on a little peek of what's to come - and it's about time already! Oh - and you might recognize his stunning mommy - she modeled for us with the Babyourself Magazine for the December issue. Her maternity pictures may not be your typical type but she sure is one HAWT mama!! (A little peek at that below...) ;)

And yes, his GORGEOUS mama....

Oh yeah - if you've wondered where the heck I've gone?? I'm right HERE....www.babyourself.com :)

Penny for your thoughts?

2011-01-05T14:54:00.004-05:00

We have a new family member. :) Her name is Penny. Penny Lane. Penny Lane Nixon. Well she has lots of names...Pen-pen, P, Penny-penny, sometimes we still call her Scarlet too. Poor girl - she must be so confused!

She came home to live with us a week ago and we are really enjoying her addition to our family! She's sleeping through the night now - yay! - and the accidents in the house are finally few and far between. She came to us from the shelter over near Daytona Beach and while we thought she might be around 2 years old, it turns out she's more like 11 months....so she's maybe about to celebrate her first birthday. :) (or seventh????)

Welcome to the family Penny Lane!!

(Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes, There beneath the blue suburban skies I sit, and meanwhile back...) -The Beatles....listen here :) YES, we are Beatles fans....

The Lugo Family {Central Florida Family Photographer}

2010-12-28T16:23:00.002-05:00

Ahh....my face hurts. At least, this is what I posted on my dear friend Veronica's facebook page a couple hours ago. This morning I was able to meet up with her and THE FAM and take some pictures for them - what a fun Christmas present idea, huh? I should totally do this next year for MYSELF! haha!

Anyway, my face hurts because as I sat here going through the images my smile got bigger...and bigger....and eventually I had to stop myself and massage my cheeks, reminding myself that I do NOT need to grin like a cheshire cat at the computer screen! Alas, that stern talking-to only lasted about 30 seconds because as soon as I resumed my "work" the smile came back. :)

A quick "Merry Christmas" to my sweet, wonderful friend....I hope your family loves them and that you do too!

Let me start by mentioning how COLD it was out this morning! We met at 9am and it was STILL freezing!!

So we took lots of these...

And then of course some of these :)

And ooh-la-la some of THESE....

And anyone who knows the Lugo family KNOWS that a LOT of "this" was involved! :)

Oh those Lugo kids...they're so much fun :)

Marco + Briley {Central FL Wedding Photographer}

2010-12-20T19:06:00.002-05:00

Just a quick sneak peek from a wedding... I have so much catching up to do in blogging, but right now it's just one step at a time. :) Isn't young love sweet?!

A mess of things...

2010-12-17T12:52:00.004-05:00

That's what I've made. :) A big messy mess of things. I won't go into detail - at least not right now....but I'm making some changes. Personally, professionally...well, basically I'm taking a big step back and looking at things with some perspective. At least I'm going to try to. :)

I'm the kind of person who can't say no....and because of that I've said yes to about 30 things too many, so now my goal is to get through ALL of those things and then STOP.

Full stop. Recharge. Restore. Remove the unnecessary - that which is keeping me from enjoying moments with my little ones, my husband, my family, my friends...and then Restart. We'll see how it goes but for now, aside from the occasional professional post, I'm going to be me - Elisabeth, mom to Micah, Ella & Olive Juice. :) Regrouping.....

In the spirit of regrouping and restarting - it's about time I share something of Olive Juice, don't you think? She had a lot of fun with a bag of homemade hot chocolate mix that I was given as a gift....needless to say I did NOT get to enjoy it in the way I thought i would. It was still sweet, but in a different way!

Who me??? Yes you, Olive Juice...yes YOU. :)

The Myrick Family {Central Florida Family Photographer}

2010-11-13T12:27:00.003-05:00

The Myrick family was in need of both pictures of their one year old daughter and pictures for their Christmas card. Of COURSE this is something I jumped at the opportunity to help them with! :) K is one of the sweetest little girls and also incredibly fun to photograph, and even though it was COLD by Florida standards, she trooped on and on much longer than I expected! In fact, the sun surprised us and set before we were done!

OH! And Cooper joined us...isn't he just so adorable? I want a "Cooper" so badly.....I'd totally let him live with me if he wanted to. :)

I was completely incapacitated when it came to narrowing this next series down...for both showing to the Myricks AND for sharing on the blog. So I decided to just show them ALL. :)

Probably my favorite family picture.....and it's BECAUSE of little K's face :) She did NOT want those shoes on...particularly the right shoe. If this was MY family it'd be big and on the wall when you first walk in the door. LOVE "real" moments! :) And yes, I do realize just how wierd I am. :)

Yes, there are more...but this is it for the blog. :)

Baby Liam {Central FL Newborn Photographer}

2010-11-03T16:01:00.002-04:00

There are several people waiting (probably impatiently!) to see these pictures of baby Liam. What a sweetheart! Day 1 of his pictures - well, didn't go so well. :) He was WIDE awake and hungry....and mom and I, "winging it" as we were...well, we weren't prepared. He just happily made googelie eyes at us and sucked on his fingers hungrily. :) We decided to give him another chance....a few days later, during his morning nap.

SUCCESS! Sweet Liam...almost 4 weeks old...slept as soundly as could be while we moved him around in various poses. :) What a snuggly little dude...I thoroughly enjoyed our time together. ;)

Sisters - {Central Florida Family Photographer}

2010-10-29T10:29:00.003-04:00

I know it's been so long that I've posted anything on this blog that most likely nobody even checks anymore. But I'm still here. Just working on some exciting things that are taking up all my time! I wanted to make sure to share these pictures today though because the mother of these lovely ladies is celebrating her birthday today!

Happy Birthday Mrs. H! Hoping today is a very special day for you. :)

Baby L {Central Florida Newborn Photographer}

2010-09-16T21:39:00.003-04:00

I got to snuggle a LOT with baby L today. :) I had to apologize to his mama because I couldn't seem to share him with her...at all! What a sweet baby! As soon as the warm air started blowing, as soon as his belly was full....OUT he went! One VERY silly thing about little L is that he does NOT like to be on his belly. AT ALL.

I kept saying, "OK, we'll try this...he'll never know..." and NOPE, as soon as I would ease him over he'd immediately wake up and cry. Turn him back around and INSTANTLY he was out again. SO funny! It was like one of those toys that you turn over and it makes noise, and as soon as you put it right-side-up it stops! I couldn't help but laugh...he truly does NOT like his tummy! OH well, we still managed to get lots of beautiful shots of this handsome boy. Here are a couple of my favorite.

Can you feel it? Do you know what I'm talking about when you see this picture? I can feel it. It makes me sigh and desperately want another little one in my arms again...

Another Newbie! {Central Florida Newborn Photographer}

2010-09-15T10:17:00.002-04:00

This little bundle came and visited me last week for a couple of hours. Since he's a little "older" (ha!) he wasn't quite interested in sleeping for us...although his mama is GREAT at calming him right down. Honestly, I've rarely seen such skill in a first-time mom (and I'm totally including myself in that statement!) with instantly calming her baby. I fumbled around for months! :)

Anyway, dadddy's a fireman and I asked him to bring along his hat. This probably would have been easier if the munchkin had been either a little younger & therefore smaller or MUCH sleepier! Instead he was WIDE awake and quite content to watch me. :) OH he's so cute! I love that he's watching me in each of the "out-takes"...so I will share with you my favorite "out-take" in B&W....where I like to think he's saying, "This crazy lady does NOT know what she's doing and I look rediculous!" and of course the final image - the one we worked for!! :)

I DO: {Thomas Wedding - Part I}

2010-09-01T17:28:00.003-04:00

Saturday was THE day for the Thomas & True clans... before their friends, their families and before their Lord, they were married. In a fairly short amount of time they had planned this wedding, pulled it all together with the help of their friends and family, and now was the day they had been waiting for. :)

I had the pleasure of photographing their special day and as I'm on an editing roll, I thought I'd go ahead and share part one of what could be several installments to their wedding preview. :)

First Day Of School: First Grade

2010-08-12T13:44:00.002-04:00

Today was the day. :) We were ready...excited...although these pictures don't exactly convey that emotion...

Getting the backpack on...

Phew! Did it!

All ready to go. Ella too. (Pre-school doesn't start for another two weeks...) She insisted on packing her lunch last night and her backpack today. Also, she insisted on the socks. AWESOME.

Excited to be up and out of the house by 7:30 in the morning!

Peek: The newest member of our family

2010-08-10T09:34:00.002-04:00

Hello everybody, meet Peek!

Micah and I met her yesterday and brought her home. It was the best day of his life (his words, not mine) and to be honest, I'm almost as excited as he is. :)

I never had a dog or a cat growing up....we lived in a building that had rules about pets. (ie: they had to be "flushable") We may have toed the line though. At one point I had some fish (they were flushable) but they proved to be more work than I was willing to put into them. (It could be that two of the guppies I brought home had babies the first night and I spent ALL NIGHT catching the silly little things so they wouldn't get eaten, only to have them ALL die within a week.) Eventually I only had a sucker fish left and he was going to live FOREVER, happily eating the scum that grew in the tank. After he "walked" across the floor (Yes they can do that - with their fins - it's Eeiry and scared the HECK out of me!) I turned him loose. Cut me some slack, internet - I was a kid and I couldn't sleep at night because I was afraid he'd get out, walk across the floor and "get" me!!

We did have lots of hampsters - which is why Peek is here today. Our hampsters had babies and then we had more hampsters. When all of those were gone I had a couple of mice (which stunk to HIGH heaven because they were both boys) and eventually I had to give them to a new home who didn't mind the stench because our room smelled like something had died in it.

I had a little hedgehog for a few months. That was probably my favorite pet EVER. A sweet friend of mine knew how much I wanted one and he got it for me...showed up at my door with this adorable baby hedgehog! His name was Taz. I think, however, that Taz was sold too young because unfortunately he didn't thrive....I'd take him for "walks" and he'd dig around in the dirt and grass. :) He'd puff up if he was scared but most of the time he just snuggled. OH man I loved that hedgehog!! But sadly, Taz seemed to get really sick...my friend took him to his house to see if he could help but eventually Taz died. :(

Oh and then there was What. "What?" you say....?? Yes, her name was "what" - at least, we think What was a girl. We still aren't sure WHAT What was. I worked for a long time at a church's childcare and one night a little boy came in with a box of baby guinea pigs. He was trying to sell them. I purchased What for $5 and she became one of the most beloved family members our family has ever known. She was mine until I graduated and went off to college, at which point she technically became Joanna's guinea pig.....although ALL of those years it was mom who took care of her so she REALLY belonged to my mom. :) What was awesome. Seriously. She's snuggle on my neck and watch TV with me. She'd squeak and squeal like CRAZY anytime the refrigerator opened - she knew INSIDE the fridge was the "good stuff". (lettuce, carrots, etc.) Even if we tried to SNEAK into the fridge she'd hear it and go wild. Ahh...What, you were so much fun!

Well, all of this to say - we never had dogs or cats. I don't really know what to do with those kinds of animals. Someday I hope our family will adopt a dog and the kdis will get to experience that - but for now, I'm starting out with what I know best. :) Rodents and other small creatures.

Peek is a Roborovski Hampster. She is tiny. VERY tiny. And she's full-grown. :) She's very curious (quite timid though, which is a funny mix) and she is very sweet. Roborovski hampsters rarely bite and we're hoping she stays as sweet as she is now. The kids LOVE her. Olivia thinks she's the best thing to have entered our home and I'm a little afraid she might try to EAT her. (She puts everything in her mouth, you know!)

So here are a couple more pictures of Peek - oh and one of Olivia because HONESTLY could she be any cuter??

Maternity SNEAK PEEK: Allyson & Baby L {Central Florida Photographer}

2010-08-01T22:04:00.004-04:00

Allyson and I finally were able to get together today for her maternity pictures - and while we were together I may or may not have experimented with her a little bit. I have to share, just a little bit. :)

Fun with Friends

2010-07-27T18:37:00.002-04:00

Last week we had some friends over and I found myself (for the first time in AGES) with my camera in hand. Little K is about to celebrate her first birthday and we were talking about pictures for the invitations. It occurred to me that I could possibly help her mommy out with this....and so I dragged out the camera that I have severely neglected all summer.

Olive Juice, Baby K and Baby A are all about the same age, well...Olive is the oldest, with Baby A about 3 months behind her. Then Baby K is just behind him....did you catch that? It's funny to watch them play together though...they're all at slightly different stages of development and it makes us mommies sigh with longing for the stages we've left behind and get excited about the stages to come. :)

Also notice my older children cannot keep their hands off other people's babies. Note to self: warn future visitors about possible mauling.

First up, Baby K - you may remember her from her six month pictures a while back. :)

THIS is how smiley she is. :) She had an ear infection when we did her six month pictures which totally made sense considering the solemn and sad looks she gave me!

No, Baby K is NOT trying to eat Baby A. (and yes her mommy does feed her regularly, evidenced by the lovely roundness in her arms and cheeks!) but rather, she was giving him sweet kisses. :)

Here's Baby A...the boy of the group....and yes, he IS all boy :)

You gotta watch out for those pesky Nixon kids...

And where is Olivia during all of this? Busy. Doin' her THANG . . . and yes that IS an "I love Olivia" shirt. (Thanks Elisabeth M!!)

And since the intention of me bringing the camera out WAS to grab a couple of pictures for baby K's mama, we'll end on this sweet note. :)

Have a great week and goodbye til next time (whenever THAT is....)

Maternity: Anna {Central Florida Photographer}

2010-07-17T12:23:00.004-04:00

Anna is a friend of mine from about 10 years ago - we were in Bible School together just after we'd both graduated. Since then we've only seen each other once but it's been fun to keep up on Facebook and watch each other's family grow.

She now has three beautiful kids and a fourth on the way - we thought this would be a great excuse to get together because she'd never had any maternity pictures done. Her husband is serving with the military in Afghanistan right now so these pictures are extra special (I hope!) because they will help include him in this pregnancy. Fortunately he should be here for the birth or at least a couple weeks of "new baby" time so that will be such a blessing for them!

Anna thanks for making the trip - I hope it was worth it for you to have the pictures taken AND to catch up a bit. Funny how time passes....but even ten years later you still look exactly the same to me :D Still so poised & even more beautiful if that's possible!!

Win a FREE SEAT to the Launch Workshop!

2010-07-10T13:28:00.002-04:00

My amazing friend - oh yeah, and incredible photographer - Stacy Larsen is giving away another seat to the Launch Workshop which will be in September of this year. The last seat giveaway was super popular and I know this one will be too. If you are interested in learning about how to run your own photography business - or just want to learn how to be a better photographer - consider this.

In fact, if you're like me, and are stumbling along "figuring it out as you go along" consider this workshop - Stacy is pouring her heart and all that she has learned in the past several years into these two days and IT.IS.WORTH.IT. Nobody who actually knows Stacy could say anything negative about her. She is truly one of the kindest, generous, sweetest people out there - and OH YEAH she's incredibly talented!

All you've got to do is visit the Launch website and leave a comment - SOO easy and it would be so cool to know "one of you" won! Plus, you have the added bonus of me harassing you for information on HOW AMAZING it was for the weeks following the workshop. ;)

Seriously. Go do it. Check it out. Win it and give it to me. JUST KIDDING! :)

Baby J {Central FL Newborn Photographer}

2010-06-24T17:05:00.003-04:00

Hello friends. Remember me? Long time no see, eh? This week is VBS (Vacation Bible School) at my church and I have been mia for good reason....all the planning & decorating...and then finally the actual VBS week...well, it's been a long couple of weeks but totally worth it. :) In the meantime, I have something special to share.

A sweet friend of mine - and when I say sweet I mean she actuallY IS the sweetest person on the entire planet - Kim - had her baby a couple of weeks ago. :) Last Thursday I went over to visit and take some pictures of her and little J. OH MY GOODNESS what a beautiful baby boy! His big sister and brother adore him and he is DEFINATELY part of that family. He looks JUST like his siblings did!

Kim and I decided to spend the time outside - which meant I was drenched in sweat by the time I finished - but the warmth just wasn't quiet enough to help little J drift off to dreamland. He was SO interested in listening to the outside sounds...cars going by, crickets & insects in the trees, birds chirping, the neighbor mowing....not to mention his brother and sister riding bikes and playing....there were FAR too many things going on for him to give it up and SLEEP.

You know what this means, right? YEP! I got LOOOOOTTTSSS of cuddles. The BEST kind! The whole, Oh it's OK Kim, I'll hold him....I'll rock him...here, you just rest and I'll snuggle him to sleep. ;) (Truth be told he probably would have drifted right off with his mama but I was just so desperate to keep him all to myself!)

OK this is far too long - this is what happens when I dont' have an outlet for "talking"....I then can't stop myself....I'll end with a BUNCH of pictures of the beautiful baby J. Congrats Uriah and Kim, we are rejoicing with you on this newest blessing from the Lord and I hope you like the pictures!

Let's start off with the big sister giving little J sweet kisses!

This next one...NOT easy to do...we didn't actually get it out of little J but we tried. After a couple of tries we managed to at least get this out of him - but then he got MAAADDDD!!

Uh-oh! Mama's got a thumb-sucker, just like my little one! :)

Close those peepers baby J!!

OK so I know this last one makes me "mean" - probably Kim too....but it makes me laugh. :) This is what you "do" to your third baby in the quest for THE perfect picture - ha!

Elijah {Senior Lifestyle Photography}

2010-06-15T19:41:00.001-04:00

Here's just a QUICK 30 second Animoto video of Elijah....trying to decide if I like Animoto enough to ditch the program I'm already using for videos. We'll see!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Win Tickets to Wonderland - Playing June 17-20

2010-06-15T12:19:00.006-04:00

This week - JUNE 17 - 20th - Wonderland is playing at the Wayne Densch Theater in Downtown Sanford. I know one of the actors (yay Rachel!) and am looking forward to taking my kids to this show!

Wonderland is a Junior production - meaning all cast members are ages 5 - 18 - and it's based on Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass". So look for Alice and the craziness of Wonderland. Definately family friendly - and a great way to spend an evening this week!

Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm. Sunday at 2:30pm.

The pass I'm giving away is for a FAMILY - so you and your immediate clan will get to go together and see this wonderful play!

Leave a comment to enter - and as always, leave a comment on the Facebook page for a second chance to win! I will pick the winner at random Wednesday evening at 10pm - you have until then to enter. Winner will be notified Wednesday night and I'll email you the flyer to print and take with you to the show of your choice! Good luck!!

Maddie {Senior Lifestyle Photographer}

2010-06-15T08:24:00.003-04:00

Maddie was one of my senior REPS this year - and I'm so excited to plaster her beautiful face (along with my other REPS!) all over the place. ;) She is also an aspiring photographer and is already getting started - even though she's in her senior year of High School. Man do I wish I'd known what I wanted to do when I was still in HS....I'd be so much farther ahead of the game right now! ;)

OK so I'm not complaining - my life's experiences have all been wonderful - and I am so thankful to be where I am...right now. HOwever - I'm excited to see where Maddie goes with her dreams....the road is wide open for her right now!

Maddie I'm SO pleased you happened across my website...and I'm SO honored that you asked me to work wtih you on your Senior pictures - congrats on FINALLY being a Senior and I'll be watching you to see where you go with your SKILZ! ;)

Logan - 19 Months {Central Florida Children's Photographer}

2010-06-09T11:39:00.002-04:00

Logan and his family met me at the beach a few weeks ago....my first "real" beach session - because I'll admit right now, I'm not really a beach person....but we had so much fun! I think my main problem with the beach is the sand....and salt.....and water.....and how hot it is.....but all of that is a "problem" because I'm usually there with my kids and it's sticky and hot and...well, just a LOT of work, you know?

THIS, however, was not work. This was FUN. Logan and I got super soaked together, he played in the sand (I rolled around in it too!) and it was totally worth it. What fun - I look forward to future beach sessions because it was not at all what I was expecting. ;)

Logan's been my little friend since before he was born - and I cannot tell you how honored I am to be still photographing him! I look forward to our sessions together, he just has the BEST smile and sweetest personality!

He talks to EVERYBODY he meets - I don't think he's ever met a stranger - and he laughs and smiles ALL the time. No wonder his parents adore him! I'd have taken him home with me if I'd thought it was possible to fit him in my camera bag and sneak off! ;)

Happy {early} Birthday Haidyn! {Central FL Children's Photographer}

2010-06-04T11:34:00.002-04:00

I finally got to spend some time with Haidyn this morning - the first time we were scheduled to meet we got rained out - six months ago. :) The second time we scheduled I showed up and forgot a super important piece of equipment. I still burn with embarassment whenever I think about it. FORTUNATELY Haidyn's mom is full of grace (and was willing to laugh with me rather than blame!) and we decided to wait for life to slow down for them a little bit.

We scheduled to meet last week - and we did - again - but the weather was NOT in our favor and we rescheduled...for today. :) Of course - this morning was so humid and the air so "thick" that we felt as though we were swimming (at least I did!) and the sky was covered with clouds - but we didn't give in this time! A few sprinkles did not stop us! :)

Haidyn's first birthday is tomorrow - and for her mama I have a few special "peeks" for her at Haidyn's pictures. The weather didn't cooperate but Haidyn sure did! :) And I'm so glad that we didn't give up because these pictures are totally worth it.... Haidyn's mom and dad - Enjoy!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAIDYN!!! :)

Happy (Late) Birthday to Olivia :)

2010-05-30T20:36:00.002-04:00

Yes, she's one year old - and over a month - and we took these pictures right around her first birthday. I'm just now getting around to sharing them and in true "elisabeth" form, I can't just share one. SO here's a slideshow. (I say it's for the AUnties but it's really for me! I just LOVE watching the pictures with sweet music.) Enjoy!!

Hopefully in the coming weeks I will be blogging not one...not two...but THREE weddings and about 8 children and families....sheesh. This photographer is a SLACKER when it comes to blogging! :) Good stuff coming up though. OH! And since I totally dropped the ball on March's giveaway I will be pulling the name out of those that participated - PLUS an extra name for an EXTRA giveaway. Hopefully later this week.... we'll see. :) But it's worth it and it's only for those who participated before - so lucky you, whoever you are! Two chances to win two fun prizes!

I give you.....

Olive Juice :)

Olive by Heather

2010-05-25T09:05:00.002-04:00

So this past weekend my cousin's wife, Heather Wilkinson, from Canada was here in Florida shooting a wedding. As in years past, if we're ever anywhere NEAR each other (or just can figure otu a way to make it work) we shoot together. What a blast! Last minute we found a great ticket for her hubby and little one, Levi, to join us as well. The weekend was full of late nights, trips to the outlet mall, TONS of pictures....and lots and lots of junk food. (I think we are all feeling it by now!)

One quick picture from yesterday - these are Heather's and I will have so many more that I will treasure for YEARS. :) Edit by me, but that's normal for us, we "shoot" each other and then edit ourselves....ha! Thank you so much Heather, I absolutely adore these pictures of my Olive Juice!!

The Myrick Family {Central Florida Lifestyle Photographer}

2010-05-11T14:26:00.004-04:00

I know, I know....worst blogger/photographer EVER. I can hear the shouts and see the rotten fruit and vegetables from here.....bear with me. I'm working it out. ;)

The Myrick family has been waiting for this slideshow and their gallery and I'm really pleased to finally have it ready for them. I have to say - Kendall was a little "out of it" with what turned out to be an ear infection - but she was still a trooper. Her smiles were saved especially for her parents....she was not too certain of me all the time but definately lovin' her mama and papa. 6 months old is SUCH a fun age - SO MUCH FUN. I think one of my favorite ages - and one of my favorite family sessions to date!

Myricks, I hope you enjoy this as much as I have enjoyed creating it!

Yay for Productivity!

2010-05-01T10:53:00.003-04:00

This has been a productive week for me (Yay!) and I'm pleased to have made some serious progress . . . and one fruit of all that labor I can share this morning. I already blogged about Keith & Sharon's wedding but I thought it was worth sharing a slideshow about....so Happy Saturday, and to the Wilsons - I hope you LOVE your wedding images as much as I loved creating them for you!

Happy Birthday Olivia Abigail!

2010-04-21T07:17:00.003-04:00

Today Olive Juice is one year old. I am absolutely shocked. One year has gone by?? I have more to say on the subject but I thought I'd start the day with a slideshow....yesterday I sat down to look at the pictures of her birth and do you know, I never saw these?? Matthew did an amazing job with them - he knew I wanted this badly!! - and I love each picture he took. :) I don't think I had seen more than a few of them, so it was really special to make this slideshow yesterday...

When I grow up I'm gonna have a daddy too.

2010-04-15T09:52:00.002-04:00

I was listening to Ella this morning (as I always do!) while we drove Micah to school...she was saying the funniest things.

"Mommy, when I'm growed up I gonna have a daddy too. He'll be my hubs-band and I'm going to give him my kisses and hugs. But I can give you my kisses and hugs too."

Me: Yes Ella :)

"Mommy, will I live far away from you when I'm growed up?"

Me: I don't know Ella...maybe, I don't know what will happen.

"But God knows. God knows where I'll live, right Mommy? God knows who my hubs-band will be too, right mommy?"

Me: Yes Ella. God does know. He has a plan for you and He loves you and wants HIS best for your life.

"Yeah. Mommy?"

Me: Yes Ella?

"That's a pretty big truck. Ours is big too. We shouldn't drive down this road. It's not allowed. You're breaking the law."

(I'm not breaking the law, by the way.)

Me: Yes Ella that's a big truck, bigger than ours. We are allowed to drive here, that's a sign for trucks that are HUGE....not ones like ours.

"Oh. OK. Do you think my babies will be in my stomach like you? I'd like a baby in my stomach. But not now. Not until I'm growed up. And when I have a hubs-band. He can play with my baby. Her name is going to be Ella. No......Olivia. Yeah. I'll name her Olivia."

Me: laugh :)

I Do - Keith & Sharon {Florida Wedding Photography}

2010-04-06T19:18:00.005-04:00

So Keith and Sharon have been patiently waiting for a sneak peek of their wedding...and I have been VERY behind in blogging (as anyone who frequents my site already knows)....can you almost hear the sound of crickets chirping??

Anyway, I'm sitting here at my church (another day of directory pictures) :) and Amy Thomas is entertaining me with her amazing song writing/vocal/guitar skills (this girls got SKILZ!) and I thought I'd quickly blog some pictures of Keith and Sharon together on their wedding day. :)

I don't think the weather could have possibly been better - it was about 75 - 80 degrees out, not a cloud in the sky. :) I hung out with the girls for a little bit and then Keith and I got ready for him to see Sharon for the first time that day. The venue was Leu Gardens, and we found a little spot tucked away - semi private :) - for them to have their "first look". Keith waited for Sharon with a huge smile on his face - practically jumping up and down as he waited - Sharon waited with a smile that easily matched the size of Keith's. He asked me what to do when he saw her and I told him to do whatever it was that he wanted to do. :) Spin her around, kiss her, hug her, run to her - ha! Whatever his heart led him to do.... What a sweet moment for the two of them... :)

We wandered around the gardens together and enjoyed the time we had for their portraits. :) Here's a preview for them AND a taste of their portraits together....Keith and Sharon, your wedding was amazing. :) Sharon you were STUNNING. Keith it was so much fun to watch you with your new bride, to see how excited both of you were....thank you both for having me photograph your wedding and be a part of that special day with you! May God bless you and your marriage, and I pray you will have many wonderful years together. :)

The Percy Family {Florida Family Photography}

2010-04-06T08:34:00.002-04:00

So just over a week ago I got to spend a beautiful sunny afternoon with the Percy family - and it was little J's first birthday! We had an easter egg hunt with L and J - which I will post pictures of soon because it was ADORABLE....and we walked around together, L telling me all kinds of interesting things and J practicing her steps.

I'm behind on peeks and previews on the blog - but I will catch up eventually. :) For the moment, since Marc and Sarah KNOW they are next......I'm lighting a little fire under myself to get this done for them. ;) Enjoy your preview you guys - it was great to meet you Sarah (and girls!) - I know it's a LITTLE preview but the best is still to come. ;) Here's the birthday girl, in all her cuteness and glory!!

Mother's Day Mini Sessions

2010-04-05T12:40:00.003-04:00

Here's the announcement of the month (and probably the only announcement of the month - so listen up!) ;) I know I said I'd get this information out a week ago or so, and I'm just now pulling it together - but I did not forget! Life is just...busy. As I write this, I'm sitting at my church working on getting through our entire congregation (or at least, those who signed up!) and we're going to put together a new church directory. So far it's going good - for a person who has NO idea what she's doing!(SSshhh.....don't tell anybody I said that!)

But alas, you are not here to read about my day...you want information about the Mini Sessions, right? Here it is -

Date: Saturday, April 24, 2010
Time: 4pm - 7pm
Where: Downtown Sanford
Cost: $125 for one person, $15 per additional person
Included in Mini: 20-25 minutes with MUAH!, 5 images on a DVD for personal use and printing (up to a 5x7 size), and your choice of one 8x10 print or 2 5x7 prints.

Want to earn an extra image on your DVD? "Share" the information about the Mother's Day Minis to your facebook! (Make sure you tell me that you shared it though so I can check - otherwise I won't know to look for it!)

Want to earn EVERY image on your DVD? Refer a friend for the Mini Sessions (who books AND keeps their appointment) and I'll put every single picture in your Session Gallery on your DVD, as my thank you to you for being so awesome. :)

Spots are limited although I will add time earlier in the afternoon as needed. You can call 407 739 6688 or email me at elisabethnixonphotography{at}gmail.com for more information or to book your Mini Session!

Mark & Jessica {Central Florida Engagement Photography}

2010-04-03T10:49:00.003-04:00

I had the pleasure of spending a beautiful evening with this gorgeous couple....and soon to be family. :) Mark and Jessica, it was a pleasure to meet you and I look forward to photographing your wedding in a couple of weeks! Boys...thanks for putting up with me and I'm sorry about all the kissing - but I promise you this, if you cherish and care for your future wives the way Mark does for your mama, she will love you dearly for it. I can't tell you how sweet it was to see Mark and Jessica interact together, the love they share for each other is obvious to anyone with eyes. ;) Enjoy! (Oh and because I couldn't possibly choose just a couple, there's a slideshow down below...seriously, one of my favorite sessions EVER.)

Another Newbie {Central Florida Newborn Photography}

2010-03-17T11:39:00.003-04:00

This little dude was my first newborn of the year, a couple weeks ago. :) (Of course I had to cancel on them due to the stomach flu but we managed to find time to reschedule) And check out all of his HAIR! I just love babies with hair...and babies without hair...OK so I just love babies. ;) So I want you to "meet" little Z - his newborn session was a gift to his mama at her baby shower, which of course, I thought was a FABULOUS idea. ;) Something special for the mom and dad, plus I get to play with a baby for a couple of hours - win/win, right?

Little Z did make us work for these picture but when he finally conked out, he was out. Near the end he woke up and was not pleased to see that I was still there, camera in his face. We went outside for a change of pace (and to see if he'd find the outside facinating and calming) and finished up with their family pictures in the beautiful back yard.

Andrea & Steve, I truly hope that you LOVE the images from Z's session. :) Thank you for your understanding with The Sickness situation....and thank you letting me snuggle with little Z!!

Sweet Little Baby T{Central Florida Newborn Photographer}

2010-03-13T16:50:00.005-05:00

I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing this little man yesterday morning. SUCH a rainy day but that didn't rain on our session. :) We found a spot on the back porch that was dry with lots of beautiful light and then waited for little T to fall asleep. Instead of sleeping, he participated with quiet wide eyes....listening to his family - mama, daddy, grandma and grandpa - talk to each other around him.

Eventually little T fell asleep for us and was out like a light. Near the end he thought about waking up but then a quick snuggle with mom and he drifted off again. These are just a couple of my favorite pictures so far....with a little bit of a vintage process to them. It makes me smile....they feel dreamy to me. Isn't he just BEAUTIFUL? Handsome, yes, but also so sweetly beautiful!

Brandi (NOT Mandi!) and Jeff, I hope you love your sneak peek and I will be in touch with more images for you to view in the near future. ;)

Matt & Tory {Central Florida Engagement Photography}

2010-03-03T14:17:00.003-05:00

I met up with Matt and Tory a week ago or so and am finally getting around to blogging about it. We went down to the Grand Cypress Hotel in Orlando (where the wedding will be on NEW YEAR EVE - woohoo!) and toured the hotel fora look around. At the last minute we decided to turn it into an impromptu engagement session so they'd have pictures to send with their Save the Dates...and what fun we had! It was a beautiful day and we found LOTS of nooks and crannies to snuggle into for some pictures....loved it!

Anyway - Matt and Tory, it was so much fun to spend that evening with you and I hope you had fun too. I hope you love your engagement pictures and I cannot for your wedding day! What a fabulous day it will be! :)

One of their favorites. :)

These two are so cute in person....the litte giggles from Tory as she looks at Matt, his quiet way of loving her....

Tory....you are sooooooooo incredibly beautiful! STUNNING. :)

A little BLING

I was surprised to see that this idea I had panned out! I know I'm not the first to do it but didn't think it'd actually work!

RAWR..............seriously Tory. Seriously.....Matt is one lucky dude.

I think he knows how lucky he is. :)

One of my favorites.

2010 Senior {lifestyle} Session - Alexys {Central Florida High School Senior Photography}

2010-03-01T14:15:00.002-05:00

Alexys and I met up last week (before the sickness descended upon my household!) and spent a bit of a beautiful afternoon together. :) She's one of my Senior REPS this year and if you are a friend of Alexys and want to book your Senior {lifestyle} Session with me - make SURE you talk to her! She will have REP cards and if you bring me one of these it'll be good for both of you! ;)

AND - if you're interested in being a Senior REP for ENPhotogaphy send me an email because I've still got a couple of openings available at a couple of high schools in the area! Click HERE for more information!

So Alexys is finishing up her year - we discussed her plans for the next few years...this girl is going to CHINA! :) It'll be exciting to see where she ends up and what she does with her life. Thanks for spending some time with me Alexys (and thanks to Tyler for chauffeuring us around!).

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Have you got a minute to spare?

2010-03-01T12:20:00.002-05:00

I'm sure you could find one....you are, after all, reading this, right? And you probably realize by now that I am long-winded and will waste far more than just one minute of your time before you're done...haha...there goes one minute right tere! Ok so - I challange you to vote, once a day, for the entire month of Marc, for THIS Children's Home - Homes of Hope for Children - to receive a $250K grant from Pepsi Refresh - they are giving the money away to the winner of the most votes - and we can totally make this happen for them! Spread the word - email, facebook, your blog....

I know (and grew up with) the wife of the couple who live at the Children's Home - or rather, the "parents" of the home. :) She's the older sister of one of my longest and best friends. She and her husband are now dorm parents and I am really excited about this new ministry for them. My family and I are praying for them as they live with these children and reach out to them each and every day that they are in the children's home. And for this month, we are committed to vote EVERY DAY and help spread the word! Would you join us? I won't waste ANY more of your time - here's the link, again...... Vote Here!!

And the winner is....

2010-02-25T11:14:00.002-05:00

YAAYY!! We have a winner! Janelle from California! :) Lucky #13 (go figure!) Hope you like it Janelle...well, actually I am pretty sure you will! You said your choice was "Savannah" so unless you've changed your mind, Savannah will be on her way to you! Thanks to everybody who played!! :) If you didn't win but have decided that, like me, you need one of these for yourself, visit the Scarlet Threads website and shop away!

Oh and if you want to know how I came to this....I put you all in a list, went down the line numbering you and then down again for those who left two comments (both blog and FB)....I think you can see how I did it. ;)

April's Giveaway - The Tie Chair

2010-02-24T11:59:00.005-05:00

No, not a chair made out of ties - believe me, that's what I envisioned at first and was like..."whaaa??" Anyway, it's WAY cooler than that. Came across this sweet idea and thought it was a PERFECT give-away, plus....I ordered it in "my" colors!

Here's what is up for grabs - to a very fortunate and completely random person! The Tie Chair and the color (sorry, I already chose and ordered it!) is "Sage Dot" - a pretty green with white polka dots. Fairly gender-neutral, and if you decide it's not the right color for you, a fabulous gift for one of your besties kiddos!

Here's the instructions for March's Tie Chair Giveaway....

(1) make sure you're super cool (I'm pretty sure you are if you're reading this - ha!)
(2) leave a comment on the blog

For an ADDITIONAL entry, leave a comment on the Elisabeth Nixon Photography Facebook Fan Page - say THAT five times fast! ;)

For a THIRD entry, "share" the link from the Facebook Fan page to your own page, spreading the word! (Oh and if you're going to share the link, please make sure you tell me that you did in your FB comment so I don't accidently miss it!)

You have until April 18th at midnight. ;) Good luck!

Time for a Give-Away!

2010-02-22T13:38:00.004-05:00

It's Monday...it's warm....and, well, I came across something VERY cool that I want to give away. Plus - you never need an excuse for that, do you? Here's what's coming to a randomly chosen person who leaves a comment here on the blog or on the facebook fan page - WITH THE PRODUCT YOU'D LIKE TO WIN in your coment! (Yes, if you leave a comment in both places, you get two entries to win!)

So - here's the give-away....Your choice of any apron from this organization - Scarlet Threads. Go HERE to pick on the one you'd like to win!
Here's some information about their organization, but check it out - I think it's awesome and am going to order two of these for myself and Ella to cook together - plus the winner's apron too! Something worth supporting. :)

Good luck and you have until Wednesday at Midnight EST to leave a comment here, on the ENP Fan Page or both - telling me which apron you'd like to win!

Have fun and of COURSE I will leave you with a picture :) Since it's a fairly domestic give-away....here's an old favorite - one of the few self-portraits I've ever taken. I was having trouble with my vacume that day....and I won.

Olivia is like Ice Cream.... - 10 months old {Central Florida Children's Photography}

2010-02-19T15:48:00.004-05:00

Olivia will be ten months old on Sunday...two days from today. I cannot believe that ten months have passed! I asked Ella, a I sat here getting ready to blog, what she thinks Olivia. This is her reply:

What? Why do I have to think about Olivia? I think about her, playing with her. And...what else? Hmmm...I like her when she plays dollies sometimes. Um, I think about playing with her. One minute....I like talking to her. Oooooo-livia, Livia, Livia, Livia...she's the best. That's the best of her.

Hmm....well, I'm not the only one who has trouble staying on task! Here's Micah's take on Olivia:

She's cute....she's funny.....Uhh. She dances funny. She, um, uh...um...uhhhh...is a fun little baby. Her favorite movie is Baby Einsteins. She can suck on my monster trucks - yeah, not very often, but sometimes I let her.

So....who is this little wonder, Olive Juice?

Standing with no help.
Will not take steps while we hold her hands - REFUSES to.
Sometimes will cruise ONE teeny step before giving up and crawling.
When you put her down she will sob like her heart is broken and fold over her legs to lay her pathetic little head on the floor.
Sometimes she does it in anger....and bangs her head on the floor.
It doesn't work.
At least not always.
Has two bottom teeth.
A third one is trying to come through.
As is one on the top.
Currently has a double ear-infection for the third week.
(First round of antibiotics did not work.)
Still smiles, still laughs....even though obviously miserable.
Claps her hands a lot.
Laughs at her sister's craziness.
Laughs through her nose (sniffing harshly is a better way to describe it)
Shrieks when Micah plays with her.
Reaches for daddy as soon as she spots him.
Then back to mommy.
Likes to play in the toilet.
Is not allowed to play in the toilet.
Likes to eat cheerios.
Also likes Gerber puffs....
does NOT like generic puffs!
Looks fabulous in her birthday suit.
Has thick hair growing in and scraggly long "original" hairs over the top of it all.
Perfect for pig-tails.
Hates when I do anything to her hair.
Loves chewing on nerf bullets from her brother's nerf gun.
Really prefers the ones with rubber "suckers" on the end.
Chews the rubber suckers off, and then chews on THEM until we dig them out of her mouth.
Loves fruit.
Gags on most vegetable baby foods that come in jars.
LOVES big people food and will eat almost anything from the table.

Hm...so much more but these are my current random thoughts about Olivia. I just love her so much! Micah is, and always will be, my baby boy. Ella keeps life interesting and fun. Olivia just fits. It's like ice cream. You're never too full for ice cream. Even when you think you don't need it, it just melts in and fills all the cracks. That's like Olivia. We didn't think we needed her, but she just has filled in all the cracks and we're perfectly, wondefully, satisfied. :)

Pig Tails for the first time today. :)

Little Sister {Central Florida Family Photography}

2010-02-16T14:30:00.003-05:00

These two re just too much fun. H, the oldest, was more than happy to sit quietly with me, playing with balloons & lollipops, while I photographed her. She'd stare solemnly into my lens, and then after a quick tease she'd light up with a beautiful smile. E, however....Oh little E. The younger of the two and yet the busiest little one in that family. She is just FUN to watch. I asked H if E makes her laugh, and she giggled and said yes. :)

Little E ..... I watched her parents as they watched her play. She stood off to the side, singing happily to herself, turning in circles and swirling around. Off in her own little world - and when we brought her back to our world she'd laugh and run with so much personality in her laughter. She reminds me a LOT of Ella....funny, how H, her older sister, is so like Micah. Perhaps it is an older/younger child thing... :)

Little Ham {Central Florida Children's Photographer}

2010-02-11T16:16:00.004-05:00

V's Valentins Day session went well....at least, he and his friend had a LOT of fun. They did make me work for these images though! I ran back and forth, back and forth....then sat down, stood up, sat down, stood up....et. :) Suffice it to say that I earned my nap that day! Sooo much of his mama and papa in thi little one...

Here's a little series that I asked specifically of V...we even practiced the day before. :)

V's mama tells me this is his snuggling face. :) AWESOME.....

Brotherly Love {Florida Children's Photography}

2010-02-09T12:39:00.002-05:00

These little dudes participated in the Valentines Day Mini Sessions this year. This is M and his little brother H....oh my goodness, they are so cute! And what's really funny is that this year, for the first time, I didn't have to work nearly as hard for M to smile at me. :) It's been almost 2 years and FINALLY I'm getting smiles out of him .... or perhaps it was the lollipop? Either way, he gave me huge smile after huge smile. I was so pleased. :)

I have to say though - the big solemn brown eyes staring at me just catches my heart....and his little brother, H, has the same gorgeous eyes. For as solemn as they both look, there's a twinkle there....and I LOVE mischievous little eyes!

(You'll notice I'm posting the picture with a little different format...just trying something out, attempting to make this a little easier or all to see on different computers with different size monitors.) :)

Sweet little C..... {Central Florida Newborn Photography}

2010-02-08T16:53:00.002-05:00

Saturday night we had our Sunday School class over for a time of eating, hanging out, you know....pretty much some nice adult time. Some of the families have new teeny ones and we ALWAYS say to bring the little babies. ;) Once they can walk we leave our kids at home...but we all enjoy each others newborns while we can!

Anyway, one of the couples came with their little girl - baby C. She's their fifth daughter and seriously - each little girl in their family is equally as adorable! Little C fell asleep later in the evening and there were just a few of us left....so I pulled out some "stuff" and took a few pictures of her. OH MY GOODNESS. I just love her! it's so fun to have friends with babies - we have THREE new babies in our class - with a brand new one arriving sometime this week. YAY!

Anyway, I wanted to share just a couple of little C. She's so pretty :) She looks just like a little person - and apparently all of her sisters have had the same pretty little girl face instead of baby-face :)

Valentines Mini Sessions 2010 - {Central Florida Children's Photography}

2010-02-05T18:12:00.002-05:00

I figure it won't hurt to get a little head start on these Valentines Day Sessions. :) I'll just share a couple of my favorites so far....and THANKS to the moms and dads who brought their kids out - it was so fun...I got REALLY sunburnt though. HOW?!? I don't know...but I did. I now look like a lobster, thanks to el sun-o burning in the sky-o. Sorry it's been a whole week since blogging...I'm SUCH a bad blogger!!

These two little ones are probably easily recognizable by now on the blog....I get to see them every year and a half or so for their mini sessions. :) They had their sessions back to back and it gave Little V and M some time to play. Ha! They also took most of V's session because they were having WAY too much fun. SO poor V has los of M in his pictures. Boy...that gets confusing, eh?

Our Sun-Shiney Day

2010-01-29T09:18:00.002-05:00

Yesterday when Olivia woke up the kids had been outside playing for a couple of hours. So, she wanted to join them. (of course.) Ella had her dollhouse & the doll family outside and Olivia LOVES to eat them. The two girls sat next to each other, Ella playing dollhouse, Olivia eating the dollhouse, Ella blowing bubbles, Olivia eating bubbles - fun, eh? :)

It was SO gorgeous - the sun was JUST perfect - and I realized, duh, THIS is why I have a camera! So I ran to grab a couple of pictures of my girls. :) Both are getting SO big, and this is the best I can do to slow them down....just preserve the moments when I get a chance!

Olive Juice - a little video

2010-01-27T12:05:00.001-05:00

I'm sharing this video of Olivia because I'm feeling a little nostalgic today. She's 6 months old in this - s 3 months ago I took this - and I'm just now seeing it. She's gotten so big since then! :) She still laughs through her nose though, which I ADORE about her. Ignore my annoying "baby" voice - I can't help myself!

Olivia is 9 Months Old!

2010-01-22T11:34:00.004-05:00

Well, she was yesterday. Today she is 9 months old and one day. It seems like just yesterday she arrived....well, anyway - in honor of her sweet little self, here are some pictures from yesterday - Enjoy! If you want some more, I'll be posting them on our "family/ministry" blog (here)....rather than all on one place, annoying you with a huge post. :) Happy Friday!!

Peek-a-boo!

Oh, those eyes. These are NOT enhanced - I swear!! :)

Nibbly little toes...

She's teething - so the tongue is ALWAYS out, pushing on her sore gums.

Olive's crazy hairs :)

Happy 9 Months, sweet baby girl!! iloveyousomuch

Cousin #3....Another Meisel Family {Central Florida Lifestyle Photographer}

2010-01-18T09:52:00.003-05:00

This is the last of the Meisel cousins...three cousins on the Meisel side of my family and we (the "rest" of the Meisel clan) are so pleased that the three of them were given such amazing wives and blessed with such precious families. Honestly...my family rocks. On "all" sides we are blessed.....the Jones side, the Meisel side...Nixon side...even the Rosvik side. (You all knwo who you are!!) It doesn't seem "right" that one family should have such awesome people in it...but then again, none of us are perfect. But we love each other just the way God made us. ;)

This is D's beautiful family. Little M is SUCH a hoot. She makes the BEST expressions (see the picture below where mom and dad are kissing her cheeks!) and she makes you work for her smiles. I love it when you work for a smile because that means it's a smile of great worth...unlike Olivia's - she just hands them out to anybody and everybody. ;) Shoot - I've seen her grinning away at the wall....seriously, that kids just thinks EVERYTHING is funny!

But little M thinks things through....needs to get to know you a little bit....but she lights up for her daddy and mommy!! So here's another installment from way back - Thanksgiving - it's sad it's taken me this long to post about it. :)

Hee hee!

And on a "business" note...the Valentines Day Mini Sessions are a great opportunity for a few pictures like this of your family. :) D & J's pictures (above) were all done in just a few minutes...it doesn't take long to get a few beautiful pictures of your family, loving on each other. Afterall, it is the holiday to celebrate love. :)

Valentines Day Mini Sessions - 2010 {Central Florida Photographer}

2010-01-11T22:59:00.002-05:00

I am SOO behind in getting this information out - but that isn't going to keep me from offering it. :) I'm doing two seperate days this year - each in a different location. Hopefully this will be good for those of you who want your images to look all "urban" and a little "funky" - and then another day for those of you who want the beautiful natural background. :)

Give me a call at 407 739 6688 or send me an email at elisabethnixonphotography(at)gmail.com - space is extremely limited so these will fill up fast! :) information below...

Another Meisel Family {Family Lifestyle Photography}

2010-01-11T16:26:00.003-05:00

I said last week that I would be blogging soon with some of the other pictures I've done the last few months - namely tons of family pictures we took over Thanksgiving and Christmas. :) Well, let it be said that while I may be late in doing what I say...I WILL do it!

This is another of my cousins (B) and his beautiful wife and daughter. They visited here over Thanksgiving along with the rest of the Meisel family and on Thanksgiving day I followed them out to the field where we did a little "mini" session - VERY mini. In fact - minier than my normal mini sessions! However, plenty of time to capture little K in all her glory! She has the prettiest eyes and sweetest little fingers! :) Enjoy!

Firstly, my FAVORITE image of all...

Which is followed closely by this one of baby K...

She really liked my necklace...and it did keep her in one place, who was I to complain? :)

The Meisel Family {Central Florida Family Photography}

2010-01-07T18:19:00.004-05:00

This family is very special to me....they share my maiden name. :) This is one of my cousins (J) and his family. They were visiting Florida at Christmas time (yes they got to come TWICE this year - both at Thanksgiving AND Christmas - how lucky are they??) and we made some time for some pictures. I was a TOTAL spazz and didn't take ANY pictures of their family while they were here at Thanksgiving and I desperately needed to make up for it. I have pictures of my other cousins (and their families) that I'll share as well - but I'll start with J's family since they are freshly edited and ready to go!

Poor little J was a bit tired but he pulled through and gave us some beautiful pictures. The sun was setting (my FAVORITE time of day!) and we were rushing to finish before dinner - a feast of venison with the family! - but I'm so glad we took the time that we did to do these. I was unable to post just one or two favorites - so you get the whole bunch - here's a slideshow for ya! Enjoy!

I Do: Kyle & Leslie {Central Florida Wedding Photography}

2010-01-06T17:34:00.005-05:00

This post is a LOONG time coming but I'm finally doing it - better late than never, right? I mentioned this before when I briefly posted about their wedding, but the day was GORGEOUS. The light was AaaaaaMAAAAAZING. I kept telling them throughout the day that it was just perfect...I can't be the ONLY nerd out there who wanders around muttering under her breath that "the light is just perfect"...

So Leslie & Kyle - thank you for having me photograph your very special day. I hope that you love your images and enjoy reliving the moment together!

The ceremony took place at the Dubsdread Tap Room and the girls got ready a friend's RV. LOTS of laughter and smiles in there!

Some details...

Seeing each other as she came down the aisle...and as they exchanged vows. :) I get all teary when I look at them!

Check out this GORGEOUS huge oak tree they were married under...it totally makes this location one of the most beautiful I've seen here in Central Florida!

How great does Kyle look? Oh - and if I didn't say it before - he and his brother have the best smiles. EVER. As I look through the pictures I find myself grinning and I see others in the pictures who can't help but smile back as well. :)

And the ever beautiful Leslie...she was so calm and ready for this day. :) I loved how quietly she took in the moments during the ceremony and after - and I LOVED watching them party during the reception. Here though, is a quiet moment or two. :)

The FABULOUS wedding party -

And at the end...they were Mr. and Mrs. Lavery :)

Disappear

2010-01-06T08:05:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I find it easier to just drop off the face of the earth...disappear for a little while...at least, I do that in the times when I can't quite pull myself together enough for "the outside world." Matthew asked me on Saturday if I intended to get out of my pajamas...he probably was wondering if his wife was ever going to leave the house again. I told him the truth - no. I didn't get out of my pajamas. I did EVENTUALLY...well, they frown on pajama-weaing at church....so I pulled myself together in time for Saturday evening and have done good every day since.

I find myself slipping back into the bad habit of ignoring everything around me so I don't have to deal with what is REALLY bothering me....all the while I'm miserable and would benefit from forcing myself to go one with life. But last week I didn't feel like it. And I totally indulged myself. I didn't get out of my pajamas. I didn't leave the house. I didn't cook supper...we ate a LOT of pb&j and cereal. The kids came and went with their grandmas and I worked - because I HAD to do that - but anything that I could let slide, I did. I'm better now though. :) Matthew's wife is now dressed again and leaves the house- ha! Poor guy....although he knows me, and he probably expected this out of me.

Last week when Sarah & Markus and the kids left I totally went into this wierd period. I think part of it, too, was because one week later (yesterday) I knew my other sisters, Joanna and Lydia, would be leaving as well. Fortunately, I got all of the sadness & whatnot out of my system last week. So far I'm good with this week. Joanna and Lydia left yesterday with my parents...it's so sad to see them go but I KNOW they are doing what is best for them. They'll have a great time in Chicago together, it'll give them time to reconnect...but now I'm losing both of them too. :) But - never fear - I'm not sayign this to complain. I'm just saying it to, well, explain. I didn't feel like blogging. I didn't hav anythign to say. (Obviously I still don't!) But I will. :)

I have several things to blog about and will be doign that this week....a couple of weddings, lots from the holidays with the kids...sessions that I've never gotten around to sharing....so I'm going to make a point to get out of bed each day, GET DRESSED, and move on with my day.

Oh. And one other thing. I'm working out with Kim Kimmig - she's the local "Baby Boot Camp" trainer and she's going to help me get back into shape. :) It's funny....I have forgotten what it feels like to have every single part of you - even your finger muscles! - hurt so bad. :) That's a good thing....and I'll blog about that too. Off to get out of my pjs and put little O down for her first nap of the day! :)

Sisters

2009-12-27T22:33:00.002-05:00

I have so many more pictures I want to share...but I'll start with just these two. :) Mostly because I want to give a HUGE amount of love to Kiona who owns LuckyAccessories on Etsy....check here out HERE!

We contacted her just a few days before Christmas after we found her beautiful necklaces on Etsy....we asked her if there was ANY way to have at least one of them before the 28th of December....and she surprised us by having all four necklaces to us on Christmas Eve. :) They are SO beautiful, so perfect for us. Four peas in a pod....and we proudly will wear them, remembering each other as we do.

Sarah leaves Tuesday . . . I can't believe that 6 months have gone by so quickly. Sadly Joanna and Lydia leave just one week after she does, they are both going back to Chicago for college. I'm excited for all three of them - but kinda sad for me. :) I've enjoyed having them around - more than I can ever say - and while I know that we are going to spend eternity together someday....my heart still longs for us to spend EVERY DAY here on earth together too. But, God has other plans for each of us -and I'd so much rather they be doing what He's led them to do, rather than ignore that to hang out with me. ;) (Well, MOST days I'd rather them be obedient to him...)

Thank you so much to Kiona - all for of us LOVE our necklaces, we are so happy to have found you! I hope others will see your beautiful jewelry and be able to use them for themselves!

Merry {early!} Christmas

2009-12-24T13:55:00.002-05:00

It's been a hectic last few days around here - I'm sure everybody else who is reading this is thinking, "yeah, well who's haven't been busy??" :) Today was a nice - slower - day....now we are going to watch a movie together as a family, get dressed and then go enjoy Christmas Eve with Matthew's family. Tomorrow will be an EARLY morning I'm sure - the kid can't stand not being able to open the presents that are under the tree! - and then a yummy breakfast just for Mathew. :) He picked out some special bacon to go along with his Pillsbury cinnamon rolls....the breakfast of champions! (At least on Christmas day it is!)

My sister Sarah and I have been trying to make time to do pictures of the kids together before she and her family leave (I'm not even going ot go there because I'm so sad about it that it literally paralyzes me to think about it)....and we did the pictures yesterday. :) It was strange - as the mom of the people being photographed I was FREAKING out - wanting to sternly instruct them to smile and QUIT being so wierd....but the photographer in me was trying to chill the "other me" out and let the kids just play and be themselves. I'm sad to say the neurotic side of me won for the most part - but hey, they're young, I bought them an ice cream as a "thank you" and they've already forgotten me spazzing out on them. ;)

So Merry Christmas to our mom - and to ourselves! ha! - and here's a little slideshow of the kids together. :) OH - and to start it off right, a few of little O...she is SO funny! OK and then a couple of the cousins all together. :)

Thanksgiving Madness (A little late...)

2009-12-17T10:10:00.002-05:00

We had a rather "mad" thanksgiving this year...well, it was so much fun - but crazy. :) My dad's side of the family (The Meisel's) all were able to come for the week of Thanksgiving and we spent many hours together, laughing, catching up, watching the babies....in general it was an awesome time but we managed to wear out Grandpa and Grandma pretty good. :)

I'm going to do specific blogs on the babies - I managed to get some time with my cousins and their little girls! - and hopefully during Christmas I'll get some time with my other cousin and their little boy. He was a busy dude on Thanksgiving day and wore himself out prematurely. ;) Anyway - I'll blog about the kiddos later...for now, I thought I'd just share "the whole clan" and make grandma's day while I'm at it. ;)

Oh - and the first family picture we took would have been awesome except for the amount of flare that completely obliterates my cousin's (and their families!) faces....so we re-did it, in the dark - but hey, it worked and we DID manage to get us all, even if it looks slightly ghetto. It's all my fault, I'll take the blame....

The Grandkids & Their Kids...

Here's the ghetto version....but I still like it. :) It's our family, and that's what matters!

Hurricane Ella

2009-12-14T18:15:00.001-05:00

So if anyone has ever followed my photography blog, they've read about Ella. About how everything about her is brute force. Everywhere she goes, everything she does, is like watching a bull in a china shop. Seriously...the child does NOT know the meaning of the word "careful." And it's not because she's naughty or anything, she just does everything at 100% (maybe more) and putting that much energy into every movement (and trying to contain it) is probably about as easy as containing a huricane.

She is now sporting a nice purpley-yellow eye. It was a black eye....but now it's even prettier. :) Last week I put the stocking up - they hang from those metal hook things - the ones that look like bookends but hang over the edge of a mantel or shelf. You know the ones. :) Well, I was VERY explicit when I told the kids what would happen to them if they pulled them down - no, not only what I was going to them (haha) but also what could happen to them if they got hurt from it. I mentioned getting knocked outk, bashed in the head, breaking your nose, smashing a toe...I forgot to include trying to blind yourself.

yes, Ella almost blinded herself. :) I heard a scream (nothing abnormal though so I ignored it) and then there was some crying. (Again, nothing out of the ordinary...I usually wait for the crying party to come find me before I decide if it is serious or not.) Micah came running out shouting "Ella did it! Not me!" : haha - that kid....he cracks me up. I asked him what she did and he said she plled on the stocking, and it had fallen down. I asked him why she was crying and he said it was probably because she knew she was in trouble since she'd busted the table. He hadn't stayed around long enough to see what had REALLY happened though.

A few seconds later, Ella shows up at my elbow, crying. I, not lookig at her, say, "Ella . . . what happened honey?" She tells me she pulled on the stocking. And that she's sorry. I turn to look at her and guess what I find?? A blood-covered Ella. Yes, the left side of her faceher face, from her eye down is dripping in blood. The front of her shirt? Covered in blood. Her left hand? Bright red, dripping everywhere. The left sleeve is soaked in blood up to her forearm....Where is it all coming from? I couldn't tell.

I sort of gasped and said - OH MY GOODNESS! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!? - and that's when she realized her hand was bleeding...apparently she hadn't realized it before?? Wierd. :) So Ella starts hyperventilating and shrieking something about how she's BLEEEEEEEDING and I pick her up and run for the kitchen. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for stopping to hug and calm them down but the girl was dripping blood all over my carpet! :)

After a minute or two of gently wiping blood off of her with a warm washcloth (and searching for a massive open wound) I find a small gash under her eye and a TINY spot on her hand. HOW ON EARTH that managed to produce so much blood, I'll never know. After a spiderman bandaid was applied to her hand (Spiderman heals all hurts in our house currently) and another spiderman bandaid was put under her eye (it didn' DO anything, but it did look AWESOME) we sat down to snuggle and relieve the tragedy. Yes, she'd pulled on the stocking and yes, it had come down and hit her in the face JUST below her eye and then again on her hand. It hit AGAIN on the wood below hard enough to take out a good chunk of wood off the table - which means it HAD to have hit her face & hand pretty hard. Poor kid.

Oh - and the funniest part? I was trying to calm her down and so I said, "Ella...do you know whatyou're going to ge??" She probably thought I was going to give her some sort of present or something...so she sniffed up a lot of snot and said hopefully, "What mama?" I said very happily, "A black eye!" That resulted in even MORE shrieking and tears - she didn't know what a black eye was but she was pretty sure she didn't want any part of it.

I'll share some pictures of poor banged up Ella a little later....

My Christmas Present

2009-12-12T21:41:00.002-05:00

Originally uploaded by erikajessop

I am SO so so so excited to share this.....an incredibly talented artist by the name of Erika Jessop just emailed me to let me know that the painting she has done for me is finished! For AGES I've wanted to commission Erika to do a painting for us but just have put it off......first I wanted to wait until Olivia was born, then until she was a little bigger...and then I thought - well, what am I waiting for, REALLY?? It's not like I can't ask her to do ANOTHER amazing piece of artwork for us in a year or two....the kids will have changed, their interestes will be different....it's going to be awesome. :) I can just see my future - the WALL of "Erika Jessop" paintings, capturing my kiddos as they grow....how cool would THAT be??

So she has this amazing gift - God has truly blessed her with her talent.....I sent her some pictures, described my kids (of course, this was their MOTHER describing them - and their mother is ME! - so the descriptions were loooong and involved) but from just those two things she has captured the essence, the sweetness, the beauty, the love.....she has perfectly depicted my three children. :)

Micah, the future rocketeer - he wants to grow up and design and build satellites and fly rockets - then after he does that he's going to be a monster truck driver. :)

Ella, the super princess....she really does think she's some sort of princess super-hero :) I think that she's eve wearing a purple "cape" in the painting which would be about right - ha! ;)

Olivia, with her sweet little smile and she is, of course, playing with her feet. Her happy little toes that are always attached, wherever she goes. :) Ella's castle is off in the distance....and I love how Erika used the colors of the kids that they love the best. Micah's wearing a green helmet - his favorite color. :) Also, a coincidence - is the fire in his rocket, which Micah is JUST NOW really getting into! :) Ella is wearing LOT of pink and purple - plus th crown. :) And Olivia is wearing my favorite on her - pink and blue... a little purple. :)

Oh I love this picture more than I can say and I haven't even seen it in real life yet. :) THANK YOU Erika.......your artwork has surpassed my expectations and they were pretty high. ;) I now know EXACTLY how all of the other people feel when they see their paintings of their kids....and it's a great feeling. :) I LOVE IT! Oh - and to see more of Erika's amazing work, click on the picture - you can find her contact information there as well!

The B Family {Family Portrait Photographer}

2009-12-07T09:05:00.002-05:00

I'm finally getting around to blogging some more of the families that I've had the pleasure of photographing this year. This particular family happens to be extra special to me because they are dear friends of ours. Sadly, life is busy and we don't see them nearly as often as we'd like.

They have two ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS little girls - who have THE prettiest eyes E.V.E.R. (As a photoshop disclaimer, I did NOTHING to their eyes in these pictures - that is just how pretty they are, just the way God made 'em!) :) I can't think of anything clever to say besides how much I love these guys....so I'll just share the pictures now. :)

Silly Noel...she just cracks me UP!

The Kiddos....Olivia's 7 (ish) months old

2009-12-06T07:14:00.003-05:00

I LOVE it when she smiles - REALLY smiles. You lose all of her eyes, she's scrunched them up so much. And then she sniffs (and snorts) her laugh through her nose - really fast, in/out, in/out, in/out. It is SO. FUNNY.

The V Family {Florida Family Photography}

2009-12-03T13:05:00.003-05:00

I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing the V family just last week (oh yeah, I'm on a roll with my editing...not nearly as behind as I feared i would be by now!!) The weather had turned COLD just that day so we had to keep the kids moving a bit in order to stave off the blue lips. ;)

Allison did an awesome job of coordinating their outfits - I love it when people are really into their session and the things they can do to make them even MORE special! Putting some thought into your outfits (not matchy-matchy but whatever suits your style!) and even special toys or places - all of these can enhance your session making the final pictures even better.

Mark & Allison, thanks for hanging out with me and having me take your family pictures! I loved meeting you and the kids and had a great time -- I hope you love every single picture!

Cookies & A Wedding {Central Florida Wedding Photography}

2009-12-03T07:16:00.002-05:00

Good Morning. :) I discovered something about myself yesterday and finally answered a questions I've been dying to get to the bottom of. Why don't my cookies turn out right? Now don't get me wrong - they don't turn out BAD, but they're never quite RIGHT either. They taste great but the texture is off and they are either too flat or they don't hold together and they end up as cookie "crumbles".

Want to know why? Because I don't follow the recipe. Yesterday I made some cookies for my sister, Sarah, while I was at her house. Turns out if you actually READ and FOLLOW the recipe, they turn out GREAT. Just like they're supposed to. That means you don't throw "all" the wet stuff together and cream them - you just cream the butter, sugars & vanilla. THEN you add the eggs in, one at a time, beating well. Makes a HUGE difference. Did you know that?!?

So this brings me to what I learned about myself. :) Rather than stopping to read directions, follow directions....learn the "right" (and usually easier) way to do things, I just keep on doing it the way I've always done it - or always seen it done. KNOWING that it doesn't turn out "quite right" - maybe not wrong but dang it took me forever to get there! - rather than taking the time to figure out how to do it the RIGHT way. Funny, eh? So I guess that makes me lazy. :)

(I'm even too lazy to write my own name most of the time - family and friends just get an "E" - which is rather confusing. In fact, with our thank you cards and all, they just an "M,E,m,e,o" :) haha!)

What's a post without a picture?? This is the LOVELY Leslie and handsome Kyle - they were married about a month ago and I'm finally getting to blogging them. I'll have more in the coming days. It was a gorgeous day - the most perfect light - and a sweet ceremony. :)

The C Family {Central Florida Lifestyle Photographer}

2009-11-29T15:32:00.004-05:00

Happy Sunday! It is an absolutely GORGEOUS day here in Florida...about 75 degrees out and the skies are just clear blue. I LOVE the "winter" here in Florida - I love the way our clouds are whispy and stretch across the sky- if there even ARE any out there. I love how the sky is often a clear bright blue and it feels almost close enough to touch. I love how the breeze comes right across our back yard into the house....the kids get a bit chilly but that's why we have sweaters, right?

I met up with the C family for their Christmas Mini Session a couple of weeks ago. Three boys - these guys have their hands full but Oh my goodness - they are just such sweet boys! The older brothers clearly dote on the youngest - and HE is just a little spitfire. :) Absolutely bursting with personality and his own ideas, he keeps the family on their toes. I think he also provides a ton of comic relief - I can't see how they ever STOP laughing!

They pulled up and the older boys got out - after I completely butchered one of the boys' names (who SO politely corrected me THREE times before I actually heard what he was saying - silly me!) out of the car comes the littlest dude. Completely rocked out - ready to go - in his sunglasses....upside down. :) He realized his mistake and fixed them pretty quickly. Mom says he wears them ALL.THE.TIME. he really wanted to wear them in our pictures but we managed to convince him to take them off for a few minutes at a time...turns out he didn't need them to be awesome afterall! :)

Sharmon, I hope you guys LOVE these pictures of your family. I enjoyed meeting you all SO much and especially had fun playing with the boys. They are three of the sweetest and fun guys I've met in a while!

I totally think these brothers could be in some sort of band - like the Jonas Brothers...seriously, how cute are THEY?!?!

Meet the boys - the oldest...

The middle brother...

And the littlest...

See....we made a "star" for Christmas! Fun, eh?? :)

Give Thanks & The Epps {Central Florida Photographer}

2009-11-26T10:53:00.002-05:00

Today is Thanksgiving....turkey day....and ham, potatoes, gravy, rolls, macaroni & cheese....can you tell we're big on the carbs here?? Yes, the day for all of this but most importantly, giving thanks. :) We are so thankful to God for everything He's given us. We are thankful for all of the things He's showing to us and teaching us......sometimes I wish we had all of the answers right away but that isn't the way He works. :)

I've been trying to get to finishing up the Epp's family pictures - they were here WEEKS ago visiting and I am just FINALLY catching up on them! These guys are just wonderful people. :) They are also missionaries with NTM and we met them in Bible School & the Missionary Training Center that we attended in England. A bit over a year later we all went our seperate ways and hadn't seen each other in over 7 years. They've lived in the Philippines for a few of those years, moved back to Canada for health issues and are now planning to move back to the Philippines in January. It was so special to spend some time with them - meet their family (Thea, the oldest, was about 4 months old when we last saw her!) and reminisce together.

They are now very close with my sister and her family - having all lived near each other in the Philippines - and also with another sister of mine, Joanna, because she moved in with them for about 6 months a couple of years ago (in the Philippines) to help out with the kids and be a help to Char as their youngest was just brand new. Totally different living with kids and a brand new baby in a tribal - VERY REMOTE - location than doing it here in the States. :)

Ahh...long story short, we were SO THANKFUL to be able to see them again and catch up...and I was so excited to photograph their family! I wanted to share a few because, honestly, we just love these guys. Can't say enough wonderful things about them. :)

'Tis The Season...& the R Family {Central Florida Family Photographer}

2009-11-22T07:40:00.004-05:00

...For Christmas Minis! :) Well, that and family sessions! I've been quite busy the last few weeks, and MAN is it rough. I have to go and hang out with really great people - I mean, the kind that snuggle their kids, laugh and play - you know, the real FAMILY types. :) The daddies that adore their girls and smile proudly at their sons, the mommies who twirl and dance, chase and tickle. Yup, it's rough being a family photographer....NOT!

I love it (obviously)...I love meeting all of these people and giving them pictures that they will {hopefully} cherish for years. :) I love seeing them interact with each other and capturing the smiles, kisses, snuggles...the sparkly eyes and mischevious grins. :) So that's my "great" excuse for being MIA so much - holiday "busy-ness" but hey, what a great reason right? I'm outside in the beautiful Florida fall weather, photographing these awesome people....what more could I ask for, right? :)

Here's a little preview for the R family -- I had a wonderful time with them at the park. I cannot tell you how excited I was to see the sun streaming through the trees like it did....we were there at an absolutely PERFECT time and the girls were SO sweet and so fun to be with! Hope you guys love your preview!!

Lastly, my two FAVORITES from this family session. I {LOVE} them!!

Senior {Lifestyle} Session Information -- Central Florida Photographer

2009-11-17T10:31:00.003-05:00

I thought I'd throw up some information about the new Senior {Lifestyle} Sessions -- remember, if you're interested in being a REP for the 2010 year send me an email! Great "thank you" gifts for your help in spreading the word (plus a FREE Senior {Lifestyle} Session for each REP!)

Senior Portraits {Central Florida Photographer}

2009-11-13T07:22:00.004-05:00

So today I'm looking for something pretty specific. Are you part of the Class of 2010 or 2011? If so, you could be JUST what I'm looking for. ENP is expanding to offer Lifestyle Senior Portraits - note these are NOT "in studio" and "cookie-cutter" poses. These are sessions where you get to be YOU and look fabulous doing it.

I'm looking for 2-3 Reps per campus in the Central Florida area. Each Rep will receive their Senior Session for {FREE} plus a major discount on any print you order from the session. The reps will then have an opportunity to tell EVERYBODY they know just how much they love their senior pictures - hopefully that won't be too hard, eh? The Reps will earn awesome stuff as they refer people my way! The referrals that the Reps send to ENP will get a little somethin' somethin' too.....everybody wins. :)

If you know of a senior that may be interested (juniors too!) feel free to send them the link to this blog post OR direct them to the ENP Facebook page! Anyone interested can contact me at elisabethnixonphotography {at} gmail {dot} com. (Hoping to avoid spammers people....sorry for the crazy format of the email address.) :)

Christmas Minis - The "G" Family {Central Florida Family Photographer}

2009-11-10T23:24:00.002-05:00

Saturday morning I spent some time with the "G" family - I say "G" because we've got the parents (who are the grand-parents), their children & spouses and then of course, the grand-children. I suppose this mini session was sort of a Christmas gift to the grand-parents, and I hope that they love the pictures of themselves and their sweet grand-kids!

I'm just going to share a couple....my favorites first and then some of the "group" - I know my parents woudl love something like this of them and their grand-kids, perhaps I should consider doing THAT for Christmas presents, eh?? ;)

Oh - and for the record, I am now a PRO at replacing heads in photos! :) These kids were SO sweet - but you gotta remember they're both two and the babies are both 2 months and under.....so there were some tears and of course we played and ran around....so while I shot like a MANIAC (knowing all the while that I can just pop one head onto another picture if I like it better!) the parents cheered and danced behind me to get the kids' attention. Fortunately, it paid off! :)

Studio News

2009-11-10T16:01:00.002-05:00

So I figured I'd give a little bit more information about the upcoming studio/office that I'm working on. The location is TOP SECRET - Ok not really, we're renovating our downstairs "formal dining/living room" into the office & studio. We've never used this room - the kids use it to run races in because it's been empty of furniture and full of "stuff". Well I've staked my claim on this room and it's coming along nicely!

Here's what we're working on - as seen on my "idea board" or whatever you want to call it. :)

You'll notice the lamps, couch, and decor all nicely go along with "my" color. (Yes, I consider them to be MINE even though a million other people use blue and green!) And we've picked up the lamps, tables etc recently and the're getting put together. This week Matthew's putting the lighting in (gotta have some nice spotlights to show off the canvases on the wall, ya know?) and then hopefully this weekend he'll build the BEST part of the whole studio. My gallery wall. See it in the picture? I've totally "stolen" this idea but he's building a GORGEOUS "frame" for the tv - basically turning the wall into one big gallery. So not only will it be filled with beautiful pictures - framed & canvas - but THIS is where you will come, sit, relax, sip on a coke and eat some snacks.....AND WATCH YOUR GALLERY IN STYLE! :) I'm so excited - no longer will you be forced to look at small pictures on your computer, wondering if your colors are "right" - surely I didn't mean for you to be green right?! - no ma'am! You'll be able to see the pictures nice and big - as I've always dreamed of showing them. :)

Rather than try to figure out what on EARTH I am talking about when it comes to canvases, prints, albums and other products - you will be able to look at them - as closely as you want. :) You can pick 'em up, flip through the pages....you'll know exactly what you're getting as far as quality and product. The way it's meant to be. :)

Anybody as excited as I am?!? Geesh - you'd think I was buying a new house or something! I would show pictures of the room now but unfortunately it looks like Ikea threw up so I'm going to save that for another time. :) Don't worry, I'll keep you updated! ;)

Check It...

2009-11-10T06:58:00.003-05:00

So many fun and exciting things coming up.....new studio/office (yay!)....new website....(about time!).....Oh and I found a new favorite flavor of ice cream. How cool is that?!? I love ice cream, have I mentioned that before? Probably....several times now huh...?

A good excuse!

2009-11-09T11:45:00.003-05:00

I have an EXCELLENT excuse for why there's nothing new on the blog today. :) I have no internet. Well, I do have SOME access, but it's upstairs on the hubster's computer and mine (and all of the pictures) are sooo far away. We've moved things around the house because shortly there will actually BE an Elisabeth Nixon Photography Studio. :) It will just be here, in my home. We're re-doing the front family room of the house, turning it into a studio. I am SUPER excited. This means that no longer will you be forced to place an order based on tiny pictures on the internet. You will come visit the "studio" - or rather, my office - and we'll view them up close and personal-like. You'll get to see, feel - I guess you could smell? - real samples of the products that I offer - which I hope will be incredibly helpful. For me, I can't commit to purchasing something no matter how "nice" somebody says it is. I wanna see it! :)

Well, that will be the case in just a very short time. I wish I could share a picture with you but I cannot - that is also downstairs on my computer. :) Suffice it to say that it will be great!

Happy First Birthday Logan!

2009-11-05T15:55:00.003-05:00

I've been so blessed to watch this little one grow up....since he was in his mama's tummy, I've photographed him and now he's turned one. :) Rather than just pick a couple of my favorites, I wanted to share his slideshow with you....I think Logn's session is my favorite....EVER. He's such a beautiful, sweet little boy - I wish I could explain how fun it was to see his joyful smile, to see him wave at everyone, light up when he saw a puppy....charm the socks off an older gentleman who was watching his grandkids play at the park. All in just a short time....such a happy little boy :) Adrienne & Mark, you don't need me to tell you how special he is, do you? :)