The Best of 2012

Sometimes at the end of a year, you'll look back and think "I didn't really do much this year."  This is what I thought when I first started thinking about 2012.  What really changed?  I didn't think anything did.  I feel the same.  These are the times, especially, I am so grateful for all the photos I take throughout the year.  I don't know if I'd remember anything without my photos, and maybe that's not a good thing, but I'm happy I love photography so much that it's just my natural way to document life in photographs.  I realized, through my photos, that so many great things happened this year! I was going to try to post all of my favorite photos of the year, but turns out, I have a lot of favorites! (Which is a good thing.)  

What good happened in 2012??

Let's start with the start of 2012: Two of my good friends got engaged and we were all there to see it:

 Celebrating so many weddings:

 

 Welcoming new additions to our families:

 

Enjoying time with all of our family and seeing how much we've grown:

 Having a blast with awesome friends:

 Spending my TENTH year with the boy I truly love:
 This year we: 

•  Toured Yuengling Brewery.
• Survived a hurricane.
• Moved in with 2 of the best people ever and learned how to restore furniture.
• Learned how to bake.
• Witness the shuttle Discovery's Final Flight.
• I got my first tattoo.
• Vacationed in Harper's Ferry, WV.
• I took my first Ferris Wheel ride.

and so much more...

 The very best thing to happen in 2012? I got my sister back! 

 

Baby's 1st Christmas and Big Sister

 How did I get so lucky?! I photographed these two adorable girls twice in one month!! I really have a fantastic life! It was a fun day, setting up the Christmas decorations around the fire place and getting to hang with some of my favorite girls! They were both great to work with, as always!! They just seemed to be on different schedules from each other, so the together photos aren't as many as might be expected, but their individuals are wonderful themselves, it makes up for it! I hope you think so too!!

Oh! Love that face!!

Love the extreme close ups. Just look at those lips!

Happy sleeping baby. A favorite!

Gorgeous, gorgeous girl!!

She's so sweet looking at the Christmas ornament!

My very top favorite! I just love those eyelashes and adorable cheeks!

 {this could be a favorite for a long time}

New Baby and Sister

 I have had the pleasure of knowing (and photographing) little S for almost 2 years now! She is one of the sweetest girls I know and I love watching her grow. Every time I see her, she's even cuter and more fun than the last.  Now she has a baby sister, who I know will be just as much fun to get to know as S has been.  S is such a loving big sister and did an incredible job with the photos. I was blown away with how she interacts with the baby being so young. Baby F was equally great with the photos.  I always love sleeping infant pictures, so I was happy to get some of those, but she was also awake for some, which is always nice. She was so alert and calm, I could really do almost anything with her. They're both so sweet and easy to work with! I can't wait to see how the two grow together. I am so lucky to have such amazing friends who have such amazing kids. Hope you all enjoy the preview of these sweet girls as much I did photographing them!

So precious!

All the little details. Just love.

Reading Date & an Awesome Sunset

My boyfriend and I used to have "Library Dates" every week. ...that lasted about a month.  Recently, we've moved and only 15 minutes away is this awesome park right on the Delaware River.  You can see Philadelphia, and more importantly the Philadelphia Airport and the planes flying to or from the city! We, obviously, love to read and decided to move our "library dates" outdoors to this park for "reading dates."  I absolutely love going here once a week to sit on a blanket in the sun and read! I made the mistake (or great decision) of bringing my camera with me this time, so I only read a chapter of my book, but, boy! did I get some great shots! I love the sun at this angle for photos (NOT for driving! So difficult!) I know it's not the best to point your camera at the sun so much, but I just cannot help it! I love it! Some of these shots are very similar, but I just couldn't decide.  Don't worry, next week I'll leave my camera at home or this will become an "airplane watching (by Randy) and photo taking (by me) date."

Adventures

I love to travel.  Whether it's a week long vacation to a place I've never been, or a day trip to a place I visit often, like today. This wasn't a jam packed adventure kind of day like we can have sometimes, but it felt just as nice.  The weather was (close to) perfect! Finally, we're getting cooler weather here.  It was still a little warm for perfect day trip weather to me (I like it kind of chilly so I can wear scarves and hoodies!), but the sun felt good on my face with the cool breeze.  We headed down to Ocean City, NJ for a small airshow they put on there.  I love when I'm able to make it to this air show.  Now, I love all (but one) airshows, and this one is much smaller than any of the rest we attend, but that's one reason I like it so much.  It's always in September, after the summer crowds and heat leave the shore. I get to lay on the beach (with room!), read my book, take some photos and listen to the airplanes fly overhead.  More than even being on the beach, I love the ride down to the shore!  We don't take the major highways as much as we can and today we actually got to drive down a new road (to us), which is always exciting.  With the windows down and good music on the radio, it's one of the best parts of traveling.

Six year old, R!

 I met up with R for her 6 year photos at Redbank National Park.  She was so easy to photograph, really a natural in front of the camera.  As much as I love her big smile because she looks so happy and cute, I also really love her little smile.  She seems so grown up; like she could be a little model.  She's such a pretty girl and OH! THOSE FRECKLES!  I really had so much fun with her! I can't wait for more! 

This first one is one of my favorites! Watch out world!

Just LOVE her freckles!!

Seriously, so sweet!