Burnette Babies Sneak | Carolina Style

As a photographer, I get to photograph people of all ages.  It is always a wild ride photographing kids and babies, so you can only imagine the cuteness that was going around on Saturday when I photographed these adorable twin boys at their house in Durham, NC.  There were giggles, tears, and lots of kisses [along with the first baby wrestling match I've ever seen] at this family/6 month photo shoot, so here's a little sneak!

The Rainy Day Instagram Blues

Lentz Family Photo Shoot

 

A Proper Lesson Post | Where The Wild Things Are

I post lots of photos of my kids' work, but I never really post about how I do my lessons.  On account of Maurice Sendak's recent passing, I thought that a post about my kids' "Wild Things" would be an appropriate lesson post. [I know this project has been done a million times, but it's because it's so stinkin' cute!]

Organization [or lack thereof]

I am a very unorganized person...recently.  I used to have planners and lists and color coordinated pens and tiny reminders everywhere of all of the things I needed to do.  I think that was the result of 13 years of public education and being told to have dividers, agendas, planners, and pencil pouches to find everything I could ever need to succeed in school.  My training lasted through college and has only recently disappeared mysteriously.  I had a planner this year, but I lost that thing months ago.  I survive using sheets of paper that live haphazardly in my various purses that are full of old junk and gum wrappers.  The only thing that keeps me moderately sane and on schedule is my computer desktop.  Every month my background is a 2-month calendar [the current month and the following month] with all of my obligations, appointments, photo shoots, and school functions posted and impossible to ignore.  Here are the past few...feel free to snag them or just look.  The calendars come from THIS website.  I just cut the month out and replace the font with Peggy Sue [my favorite font if you didn't already know], make a background and add cute details if I wish.  The last calendar has some of my obligations listed to give you an idea of how it looks [but not all of them...I AM a somewhat private person :)].  I hope that if you click on them they will show up at their original size [perfect for a mac background :)].  I just type in my various important dates and add little clip art if I want to.  How do you stay organized?
~Ashley
[Yes I am still editing a wedding and 2 family photo shoots...but who's counting???]

Where we were married...

Today I did a family shoot at my mom's house.  The lighting was great and I got there early to get my camera settings and just enjoy the weather.  We were married in my mom's backyard, so now her house is not only the place I grew up, but it's also where I took a huge step into adulthood.  It will always have a super special place in my heart.

Happy Saturday!

It's only 12:07 and it's already been a great day! I've been cat spoiling, dress hunting, and plant buying!  I'm also meeting up with my bff later.  Awesome Day! I've been in love with the little succulents hens and chicks for a while, and I finally bought some!  Took us a while but we found some we loved at Walmart.  Hope your Saturday is a great one!

Classroom Posters

I'm in the process of planning for next year, and I'm making some posters along the way.  These are almost all vectorized on illustrator, but they look similar. [I haven't colored them yet so I filled them in on the computer.]  And just for kicks...here's my first art room poster too and some posters I'm working on now:
[Remember this guy??]

Featured on Sweeter by The Day

Today my photography is featured on the blog Sweeter by The Day written by one of my sweetest clients.  She's an amazing mom and person, and she is certainly an amazing party planner!  Need tips for an event your throwing? Then go check out her post Anatomy of a Birthday Party.  She's amazing and she understands the importance of documenting life's sweet milestones through photography.  So go check it out!

 [Below are some of the photos you may remember...]

Feeling Testy

It's reaching the end of the school year, and with that comes testing.  I don't know any teachers who just love testing, but I definitely understand the need for assessing student growth.  This year, Johnston County Schools began Music, Art, and P.E. assessments.  My kids had to draw self-portraits and the beginning of the year, and now they are doing their "after" portraits.  It's my first day of after portraits, so I have a few before and afters to show some of the progress my kids have made this year.  I'm really proud of the hard work they've put in, and it's nice to see that some of what you're doing is sinking in! So, from 5th to kindergarten, here are the before and afters!  [There are 2 kindergarten ones because it's so cute to see how far they've come! Even though they have a lot of growth to make by the 5th grade.] [P.S. They couldn't see their first ones, so only I have seen the before and afters!]

5th grade                        Before                                            After