Chealyn

i just finished chealyn's graduation pics... and i love them! isn't she beautiful?! i had so much fun with her and her older sister who came to help. we were constantly laughing and catching up on the lastest news. i love my cousins!

Charly Mae

when charlene was six weeks i took her newborn pictures. since i don't usually shoot newborns, i didn't have all the fancy backdrops and cute props, but i think charlene made the pictures turn out adorable anyway.

i know that some don't like pictures of their children's pouty faces, but i love to. i want to capture how her tiny face scrunches together and her tongue that almost always sticks out. i love how she creates her own chunky roll above her nose when she cries. i want to remember everything, including the sound of her newborn cry, which i can almost hear when i look at these pictures. sadly, she's already lost it.seeing the picture below reminds me of how she has a slight hiccupy-cough movement when she cries really hard. can't you almost see her do it? so adorable.calm and beautiful. i'm in love with all her chunkiness.

i tried to capture all the silly faces she made. some parents will only pull out the camera when their children are all smiles and happy. but that not who children are. take pictures of everything: happy, sad, and silly. in twenty years, looking at those pictures will help you remember your child with all of her quirkiness. you will be so glad you did.

charly mae is mine forever, and i love her.

Fall In Love...

after laboring for nine hours thru the early morning hours on december 6th, beautiful charlene mae (charly) came nine days early at 11:06 am, weighing in at 8 lbs 14 oz and 21 1/4 inches long. i pushed for just five minutes and then she was here. the delivery was perfect and i have a perfect baby. charly has beautiful, round cheeks and bright blue eyes. i am so lucky. meeting mommy:

and daddy:

meeting big sister addison:

charlene was named after my grandma charlene (who got married two days before little charly was born). by naming our little girl charlene and calling her charly we honor both my grandmother and late grandfather charles brown. her middle name (mae) came from my great grandmother ella mae. our little charlene is named after great people who have done amazing things and i know she will be amazing too.

meeting her namesake:

we love you charlene and couldn't be more excited for you to be in our family!

Growing Up: The McCleve's

i took pictures for my family last week and maybe it's just because i'm pregnant, but i thought it was somewhat difficult to set up the scene push the timer and run into the picture. i don't know if any other photographers are experts at this, but without a remote i imagine not many photographers attempt it. definitely time for me to get one.

of course my whole family was late for the pictures (mccleve standard time) so we didn't get to take more once we changed into a casual outfit. these are my favorite - no blinking eyes, blurred hands, or mean looks into the camera. and hopefully next time i'll remember to feed addison before the shoot starts so she isn't crying so much. next time i'll have two babies to worry about, but who stresses over pictures right?

look at that tongue:
24 years of marriage, 6 daughters, 2 son in laws, and 1 1/2 grandbabies - that's amazing to me!

below: those still left at home. my dad is still surrounded by more girls than most men will ever be. many call him a saint.

maybe next time these two will add a third grand baby to the photo - hint, hint michelle!

Charlene and Melvin: Soon to Be Hitched

love can happen at any time, to anyone. my amazing grandma started dating melvin (or mel as she lovingly refers to him) and became like a twitterpated teen again. i couldn't understand what had come over this person that i thought i knew so well. she was always day dreaming, smiling, and couldn't stop talking about him. they held hands and danced in her kitchen after just two weeks of dating.

i was a little nervous about taking their pictures because:

1. it's my grandma and telling my grandma to hold or kiss someone was gonna be awkward.

2. it was my first engagement session where the couple was not in their twenties, how do i talk to them like i would a young couple?

i realized love is still the same whether you're twenty or seventy. as you can tell, i had nothing to be worried about. mel told me that they had no problem kissing for me, and my grandma told me that they were pretty much addicted to it. wow, they are a normal engaged couple. why was i even worried?!

i'm so excited for you grandma, december 4th can't come fast enough!

brittney

We're Vacationing

with mr. mckay just finishing summer school and me really staring to show with baby #2, i knew it was time for a get-away. we drove to california to visit the mr.'s brother and sister in law and spent time in cooler weather. we definitely had a blast and my little girl loved to run around with cousins. unfortunately, they all ran around so crazily that i couldn't get a picture of them together. sailing around the pier, beautiful landscapes, and the beach. i love california!
aren't these flowers gorgeous?! you don't see this kind of color is arizona!my husband actually took this picture of the LA temple below. i have been giving him tips for great picture taking and it looks like he is learning quickly.we're all happy to be together at the beach!hope you're having an awesome summer!

the mckay's