So long Louisiana!

Ride 'em Memphis!

I said good-bye to my Crazy Louisiana Family over dinner at The Shed. It was a fun atmosphere and I enjoyed trying my old standby... Pulled pork AND a little banana pudding too.

My Shelby is good to go now that he has a secret remedy tummy tum tum elixir on board.

Mason is diggin' his BBQ!

And Memphis approves of his cuisine as well.

We rode the bull for some good measure (Lovin' the Easter bunny ears).

Mason was the champion and could have stayed on him all night!

And we can't forget Miss Angel Zoie Marie. I had memories of this sweet girl constantly and around every corner. In the eyes of her baby brother, one of Momo Monkey's antics that would have made her roll of her eyes, a song on the radio that she would have sang LOUD and PROUD (think, Alan Jackson) eating some of your favorite foods... the list goes on and on. Hard to believe that Zoie WON her battle against that nasty cancer and danced into heaven over FIVE years ago. If only I could just give her one more squeeze to hear her yell, "CHELINDA" and then run with her gimpy limp and demand all of my attention. Being with her family makes all of the sweet times that much more vivid. And for that, I am so grateful.

See ya next time, Louisiana!

CHELINDA

Dana and Chad's Engagement shots (and my first "real" session)

Dana and Chad are my crazy Louisiana family / Angel Zoie's Uncle and soon to be aunt. They are engaged to be married and needed some engagement photos.

I jumped at the opportunity to practice.

We headed to the Alumni Gardens at University of Lafayette and I had a lot of fun capturing some photos of the lovebirds.

Here are my attempts. Unedited. (Photoshop is still in the box!) Untouched. Straight out of the camera.

I love how the sun is shining through the trees and I caught a smooch from the distance.

And a little closer

Walking to our next spot...

Young love.

Sweet.

Chad is so funny!

Dana couldn't stop laughing. (A good sign!)

I think that I see a slight grin on Chad's face too!

And this one is our favorite!

Thank you, Chad and Dana and best wishes for a blessed life together!

Memphis James ~ Part Two

After sleeping in (three boys who sleep in? My kind of kids!) we went to a field trip to The Waffle House ~ my request!

Waffles with chocolate chips, please!

Travis' mom, Ms. Marie, made me this beautiful cake. A white cake with white frosting. MY FAVORITE!!!!

Memphis thought the cake was ALL for him! I shared.

Yummy!

ALL DONE!

Shelby James ~ Part Two

Mason Jude ~ Part One

I'm in Louisiana for a few days and get to spend some time with my Crazy Louisiana Family. I met The Schexnayders when I lived and worked in Memphis. Precious Zoie stole my heart and I became an honorary family member. I'm known as Chelinda as Momo Monkey's (Zoie's grandmother) children's names are CHastity and CHad!

Zoie earned her angel wings when she was just four. But as she danced through Heaven's gate we couldn't help for mourn for her here.

My heart broke for Zoie's family, especially for her parents, Chastity and Travis as Zoie was an only child.

But as part of God's perfect plan, Chastity, Travis and family have been blessed with THREE HEALTHY BOYS!

This is Mason Jude. His namesake is after St. Jude, which will always have a special place in the heart of Zoie's family.

He's a bright, articulate, sweet, ENERGETIC three year old.

He speaks of Zoie as sissy. He verbalized that she is With Jesus. When we visited Zoie's grave he exclaimed, Sissy! Sissy! I admire how much Zoie's family keep her memory very much alive. Although her brothers will never know her on earth, her legacy and spirit live on.

Mason LOVES the camera. Unlike his younger brother, Memphis, he lights up, smiles bright, and always wants to see his photo on the screen. He even poses!

Memphis James ~ Part One

Meet Memphis James. His namesake is from Memphis, Tennessee, home of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. He is 13 months old and ALL BOY! I had to work quickly to get any pics. But he is a ham, huh?

Love his big brown eyes.

Memphis looks SO MUCH like his big sissy, Angel Zoie.

Playing soft with his baby brother.

And now he's ready for his bottle!

Shelby James ~ Part One

And Shelby James makes the family compete! His name is inspired by Shelby County, Tennessee (which Memphis / St. Jude is located). Shelby is four weeks old and precious!

He still has many of the baby wrinkles that disappear too soon, has the newborn cry (although not often) and is a humongous cuddle bug!

I think that Shelby is a blend of his big sister and brothers.

Momo Monkey and Shelby's parents had to fight me for Mr. Shelby. It's easy to be super helpful and willing to do baby duty when it's only very short-term! I forgot just how little newborns are. It's crazy to think that my baby sister has Baby Elle growing in her tummy!

I'm frustrated that I can't get my photos to look like The Pioneer Woman's. (Or my other friends who are professionals! ) But, I'm trying. I need to learn to how to use Photoshop and keep practicing, practicing, practicing. I hear that Lighting is very important as is the shooting mode. Let me know if you are a willing volunteer!

Brotherly love

Sweet baby boy!