Your Custom Text Here
I know a little girl who loves the ocean. I am so glad the weather went from 100% chance of rain to giving us a beautiful sunrise before this family moves to start their next adventure.
Every single session with this little boy is a treat. Folly Beach was the perfect location for our final session. You can't leave Charleston without getting sandy and salty! I'm going to miss watching him grow up, but I know this family is going to have so much fun on their next adventure.
A few weeks ago, I took the boys to the beach... by myself with the goal of taking pictures of Rhett with a sailboat. We loaded everything up and Rhett was happy as a clam in the wagon. I let Landon run around and play for a minute before getting Rhett ready. He freaked out the second his toes hit the sand. There was no way I was leaving the beach empty handed though. With lots of cuddles and some help from big brother, I was able to get my creativity fix.
I was so upset when I woke up to the sound of rain. This mom-to-be had booked her Folly Beach maternity session months in advance and I really wanted it to be the perfect night. Late morning, the sun came out and I was so hopeful the day would turn around. And that's when a nasty, black could rolled in. I checked the radar (a few dozen times), fired off an email and then waited.
The radar promised a clear sky over the beach, so I loaded up the car in the rain and started driving. Sure enough, the sky started to turn blue the closer to the beach I got. And, without fail, as soon as I parked the bottom dropped out.
BUT....
About the time the rain stopped, we started walking out to the beach with a "hope for the best" attitude. As we topped the sand hill we were met with a glorious view of the lighthouse and the most beautiful cotton-candy cloud sky. The evening just got better as the sun started to set. We laughed, dad danced, there was a peanut gallery of little boys playing at the beach offering their commentary on our session - it was just a fun night!
I am so thankful for this couple that drove through a thunderstorm for pictures with me. I think Folly Beach was showing off for them because it was one of the most beautiful nights I've ever seen.
Another month has come and gone. I'm not even really sure what we did this month besides buy an excessive number of Halloween costumes, eat way too much candy and not get enough sleep.
Yes, each boy had two costumes. We weren't going to let Landon be a Stormtrooper, so he picked Mickey. In a moment of weakness, Trip took Landon back to Target to grab a (way too big) Stormtrooper costume. He was Mickey and the Roadster Racer for our neighborhood Fall Fest and a Stormtrooper on Halloween night.
Rhett is in a weird phase for costumes. He's still pretty little so he needed an infant size costume. However, most infant costumes are the sleep sacks - and he's too old for that. Landon and I picked out a Narwhal costume which was really cute... however with that tail, there was no way to transport him while trick-or-treating. So, I sewed some ears on a hat and he was the mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.
I think I blinked my eyes and August came and went. It feels like we spent most of the month inside because a newborn and a heat index of 110 degrees don't mix too well.
I did get a new toy, a Go Pro. I have been wanting to do underwater photography, but the housing units for DSLR cameras are scary expensive. As soon as I got the "all clear" from my OB, I took Landon to the pool to play. He wasn't too into taking pictures, but I did get a few that I liked.
The eclipse was incredible. All morning it felt like the day before Christmas. After lunch, I told Landon he needed to do quiet time so he'd be ready for the eclipse. As soon as his timer went off he came running down the hall yelling, "it's time for the eclipse!!!" I downloaded an app on my phone that would tell us each phase and what to look for. Landon went crazy as soon as we got the 5 minute warning. He thought we were going to a parade - I guess because I kept saying we were going to go outside to watch the eclipse. This first set of pictures was taken right when the eclipse started (at 1:15pm).
Trip planned to stay at work, but he decided to come home. He made it back right after it started.
This next set of pictures was taken as we were getting closer to totality. It got so cloudy and we could hear thunder in the distance. All of our friends a little further inland were posting on Facebook about the rain and overcast. We were just praying we would be able to see something. These were around 2:40pm. Notice how the house lights start to show as it got darker outside.
As we got closer and closer to totality, the clouds began to part and we had a perfect little gap to watch the eclipse. There is only a 2.5 minute difference between the last picture (above) and the picture below. I even had to brighten this picture in photoshop so you could see the boys.
We didn't notice a temperature drop, but we could hear the crickets chirp. I know I'm super hormonal still, but seeing the ring of light around the moon brought tears to my eyes. I think it was the build up of hoping we would see it and then to actually be standing in your own backyard watching it - it was incredible. I just stood there in awe. I wasn't going to attempt any pictures, but Trip quickly told me to just snap one really quick...
Honestly, the pictures don't even do it justice - there was a purple glow on the lower half. It only lasted about 1.5 minutes where we live, and Trip and I were both surprised how quickly it got bright outside again. And just as the sunlight came back a huge thunderstorm rolled in. We weren't able to watch the moon leave the sun, but I am so thankful we were able to see totality. Landon literally had a meltdown because he wanted to watch the eclipse again. He has a crazy memory so it will be interesting to see if he'll remember this day.
Update: he is still talking about the eclipse.
And finally, the month ended with this little peanut turning 2 months old. He's up to 9lbs, 2oz and 22.5 in long. He seems SO BIG to us, but I know he is still tiny compared to most two month olds. The good thing about small babies is that you get to keep your "newborn" around longer. Rhett is starting to show us his little personality. He loves a good diaper change - he literally smiles the entire time. He also loves fake sneezes and his "panda fire" (pacifier). Rhett found his tongue and loves to show it off. More pictures will follow...you know I took way more than 2 pictures of this sweet thing.
