Tiny Dancer | A Personal Post

My sweet girl is 5 now.  Even typing that is hard for me!  She is the baby of our family, so when her 5th birthday came it really hit me that this was it....I was no longer the mother of a baby or a toddler or even a pre-schooler.  I am now the mother of elementary age children--all three of them.  I am so very proud of each of my kids, but there is also a pain in watching them grow up and gain independence.  It's a strange mix of relief, grief, joy and pride.  But I digress... When Avary turned 5, we told her she could choose an activity..something special that she could do away from Mom and Dad and her big brothers.  She quickly chose dance, so we were excited when we heard our neighborhood was offering a 6 week intro to dance class.  She asked every day for a month, leading up to the class, when it was time for ballet! When the day finally arrived, she was all smiles.

Although the class included both ballet and tap, she was all ballerina!

Watching Avary dance was so fun for me.  She is truly talented.  (Yes, I'm ridiculously biased, but her teachers told me too, so I know it wasn't just partiality skewing my perception!)  The best part was seeing her independence and confidence.  She is an amazing little girl!

We were really blessed that Avary was one of two little girls in the class.  This meant a lot of one on one attention and moving at a faster pace than she could have in a larger group.  I was amazed at how she improved week to week!

Avary Grace, I'm so proud to be your mama.  And, although there is a tiny bit of pain in letting you grow up, it is completely overshadowed by the joy I feel watching you spread your wings and fly!  I love you, monkey!

Katie & Derek | Warrenton, VA Wedding

Katie and Derek were married at Warrenton Bible Fellowship.  They are such a fantastic couple who share a sweet love and a deep friendship.  Katie is a teacher and is incredibly organized!  She was always one step ahead of me, getting me information and lists before I needed them and giving me great details!  It was a joy to work with her and Derek.  They are such patient, kind souls and I absolutely loved capturing their beautiful day!

Katie and Derek's first look was really sweet.  She was really playful and it was taking all his self control not to turn around to look at her before it was time!

Katie and Derek had a lovely ceremony.  The main thing I noticed was that they never took their eyes off each other.  Although they were surrounded by many friends and family, I'm pretty sure they felt like they were the only two in the room.  It was beautiful!

Loved Derek's face as he saw his bride walking down the aisle!

We took advantage of Old Town Warrenton's beautiful buildings, including the Old Courthouse!

Katie and Derek's day ended at their reception at Hope Christian Fellowship.  Their first dance was so sweet.  They smiled the whole time!

I loved seeing Katie and Derek (who otherwise seemed pretty quiet and reserved) get down on the dance floor with their friends!  

Congratulations, Katie and Derek!  I wish you all the best!  Thank you so much for allowing me to share in your special day.

Gavin | Senior Session

I know Gavin from our church and, more specifically, from being in the worship band with him.  He is a very talented musician and vocalist and will be studying vocal performance at Radford in the fall.  He has a great sense of humor and is incredibly creative!  I met Gavin and his mom Robin (who I adore!) at Silver Lake Park in Haymarket, shortly before graduation.  We laughed the entire time!  I think you'll see Gavin's great personality in these photos.

Did I mention that Gavin is also very talented actor?  Totally appropriate that he showed his theater skills in the middle of the session.  I just mentioned YMCA when he struck the first pose and he pulled this out... :)

Can't wait to see what's ahead for you, Gavin!  Thanks for the fun session. :)