We had finished up with pics, but I could NOT resist this shot of Kennedy demonstrating her inner power shopper.  A girl after my own heart!!

Thank you all again so much!  I had a blast and can’t wait to do it again!

Immediately following Houser was the lovely Emma and her beautiful mama.  Emma was a little apprehensive of me and my big camera but we still had fun and by the time we got to the ice cream treat she had mostly forgotten I was there.  And I can’t say I blame her – the sweet treats at Pied Piper Creamery were amazing!!  Big thanks to Emma’s mommy for coming out to support the flood victims of Nashville.

There is something else about Carter that makes him stand out from the crowd.  Carter is one of less than 200 people worldwide who have something called Mowat-Wilson Syndrome(MWS), a disorder that has only been known of since 1998.  Most kids with MWS don’t speak and don’t begin to walk until age 3 or 4.  Thanks to parents Sara and Scott, Carter was diagnosed at a very early age and he is *almost* walking already.  He gets around amazingly well with the aid of either a walker or his favorite little red rocket, hence the theme of the party  And oh my goodness can that boy crawl!!  He is lightning fast!

I personally had never been around anyone with special needs before so I didn’t know what to expect.  I knew from seeing pics of him and from what Sara had said that he was a generally happy little guy, but I wasn’t prepared for what a sweet, loving, AMAZING little boy he is.  It’s true.  Carter completely stole my heart.  He is just such a love.

One last thing and then I’ll get on with the pics – when I asked Sara if it was ok for me to share a little bit about MWS she sent me lots of info (much of what I used above – thank you!!), but she also had this to say: “When you see a special needs child or person, PLEASE say hello, do not be afraid to speak to the person/child normally, the mother or caregiver can explain as they feel comfortable. Just don’t ignore these special kids like they do not exist. For me, i do not mind (and encourage) any questions people might have.”  Sara is such a wonderful advocate for Carter and I admire her more than I can say.

Now, onto the pics of the most adorable birthday party ever!

All of the details were so cute!  Sara ordered most of them from Polka Dots and Pirates.  I checked out the blog and all of their stuff is adorable!

Just as I was finishing up photographing the details, the first of the guests started to arrive.

Carter’s special 2 year old shirt was so cute!

Demonstrating some of that lighting-fast crawling I was talking about earlier.

Once most of the guests had arrived, it was time to eat.  There was a ton of wonderful food, but I think these appetizers were my favorite!

And then it was present time!

The front of that super cute birthday shirt:

Carter had quite the audience while he opened his gifts.

Cake time!!  Sara had carrot cake and chocolate and vanilla cupcakes.  Yum!

Carter and one of his cousins, so cute!

He looked so cute in his birthday hat.

And as the night was winding down we had to get a quick generation shot.

Sara and family – thank you again SO MUCH for having me.  I enjoyed it so much!!  I hope you love the pics!

Sara – thank you again for your hospitality!  I miss you already and can’t wait ’til we can hang out again  Hope you love the pics!

One of the first pics we took – a favorite.

We took a few in front of their new house – it was so pretty!

There were some really cute parks in the neighborhood.

This is one that might normally get cut as an out-take, but I just love how happy Sara looks!

And one last one.  Love the Father/Son matching Converse and those seriously hot mama shoes Sara is rocking

Bruce, Karla, and Chas – I hope you like your photos!!  Love you guys!!

Here are a few of my favorites, for more be sure to check out the slideshow! 

This is what happens when you ask Bruce to play the part of bass player in they “band style” photo.  LOL!!

Chasity asked if we could do one of just her Mom and Dad…and then we happened upon a cool old car.  Perfect!

And then they changed into their titans gear! Fun!!

Favorite

And I have to post this last one…my secret to getting laughs out of this family was telling jokes involving a certain college team who shall remain nameless.  All that trash talking inspired Bruce to ask for a pic with his tailgate.  Just incase you can’t tell that’s a Memphis license plate.  Between Memphis and the Titans, I’m fairly certain this family bleeds blue

If you would like to have Lotus Blossom Photography photograph your Bridal Shower or other special occasion e-mail me the details to info@lotusblossomphotography for your custom quote!

There were so many beautiful details…

And a super cute little one – bonus!

He was helpful too!

Cathy you’re going to be such a beautiful bride!

Yay for presents!

All the guests had a great time.

Cathy’s cousin did a great job making the bow bouquet – and Cathy was careful not to break any ribbons!!

And what is a shower without someone keeping a list for thank you notes??

Finally a quick shot of Cathy with her sister, grandma, and mom.

Thanks again Cathy!! 

Gavin has to be just about the happiest baby I’ve ever seen.  He’s always smiling and laughing and our photo session was no exception, despite the fact that he was sick.  Michele had mentioned to me that he was having some trouble with his allergies, but he actually ended up having a fever the night after our photo shoot – when she took him to the doctor the next morning it turns out the poor guy had bronchitis!!  Can you believe that?!?  This smiling, happy baby in these photos had bronchitis!!  And as someone who gets that with some regularity I can tell you it’s no walk in the park.  I just had to share that story with you so that you can understand what a remarkably good boy he is.  I believe Michele and Danny have hit the jackpot of babies

Alright, enough of my jabbering!  On to the pics!  Here are a few of my favorites.  You can see more by viewing their slideshow.  

And since we did this one during their maternity shoot:

We had to have a follow-up photo!

Alright now I’ve got to go pack!!  I’m never going to get to bed!!

Emily I hope you like them!!

Comfort, safety, hugs and kisses from our loved ones.  These are all things that so many of us have on a daily basis and often take for granted.  Soon Steven will be leaving these things behind for a land of sand, sand, and, well, more sand.  As a real life American hero he does it without a second thought to protect the freedom our forefathers fought so hard to give us.     

Steven will be deploying soon to serve our country in Iraq.  This past Sunday I got together with Steven, his wife Amy, and their two adorable children to capture some images of them before he leaves.  Steven is also a local photographer, and having never photographed a photographer I was a wee bit nervous!  On top of that the weather was very overcast, and while some photographers prefer that I actually enjoy having sunshine to play with.  Nevertheless, I am pleased with what I captured and hope that they are too

Steven and Amy, thank you both so much for allowing me to capture your beautiful family in photos.  Your babies are just so beautiful and just by spending the afternoon with you, I could clearly see how much you all love each other.  Stay safe Steven, I know I speak for the whole community when I say we are all so proud of you for being our local American hero.  

Said in my best Sophia voice of course… Picture it: Nashville, August 1938.  So hot you could fry an egg on the pavement.  This was of course before the time of air-conditioning and the heat among other things caused the delivery to not go smoothly.  As a result both my Gamommie and my grandmother almost passed away.  I remember the pain in her voice as she would tell me about the fever she spiked, the ice baths they gave her, and how scared my Paw-Paw had been that he would have to raise his baby daughter alone.  With pride she would recount how she fought her way back to health and how much she cherished that baby, her one and only child.  There is only one thing I can think of that would make the story better – if I had a picture of the first time she held my grandmother in her arms. 

I had the distinct honor of photographing the birth story of my friend Amber‘s first child, a beautiful baby boy named Colin this past Thursday morning.  I had never witnessed a birth before and it was an incredible, emotion-filled experience.  I am so grateful to Amber and Brandon for allowing me to be present for the arrival of their little miracle.  Plus, it totally puts a smile on my face to know that one day many years from now when Amber tells her great grandchildren about the day her first son was born she will have a photo or two to go along with the story  

I’m posting a few of my favorite shots from the morning, but to really get the feel for the story I urge you to view the slideshow.  It is such a beautiful story of the start of a new family.

Congrats you two!!!  He is absolutely beautiful!!