Jennifer Collins Photography

A few short weeks ago ( yes I am aware I am behind :) I had the honor of photographing my little sister and her family as they patiently await the arrival of my new niece, Miss Paige. I am so blessed to be able to be such a big part of this special event in my sisters life.... and I am so ready to meet this little lady!                                                                

This year, I realized will be a year of lasts- so to speak. Bethany started 6th grade. Her school is an intermediate school and only attended by 5th/6th graders. Next year, my baby will officially be in middle school. Even as I sit here typing this post I just can't believe it. She and I both had a realization shock last week when riding past the High School she will attend I say, "Do you realize in 3 years you will be in high school?!" She apparently hadnt given much thought to the idea with her "nuh uh" response. I proceeded to inform her "yes you will. 6th, 7th, 8th. Then high school." At that moment it hit and we gave each other horrifying looks. She can't be this old. The baby girl i used to watch sleep at night. The one I took pictures of with baby food all over her face in her high chair. The one I cried for on her first day of "big kid school". The baby girl who I didn't think was old enough for anything. But she is. And no ...

I decided to do Bethanys 6th grade mini session the other day and we had a blast doing it. I wanted to do something different with this so I decided to do a banner this year. Simple. Cute. Loved it.                                                                                        

I watched Miss Addysons Mommy plan this party for many many months. I was so excited to see the final result and what an amazing one it was! This party was so so fun, cool, and summery. What is summer for though right?! The kids had an amazing time in the water at the Splash Pad and we had just as much fun watching! Splash Bash Party Decorations! The decor was pretty self explanatory. Flip Flops, beach balls, etc all in bright colors! What a better way to celebrate a summer birthday than with traditional summer food! The menu included: * Hot Dogs with all the toppings ( Chili, cheese, onion, ketchup, mustard... you get the idea right?) * Baked Beans * Chips in different flavors * Summer decorated cookies Can you say ah-mazing?! The cake was just that! Beach shapped with a beach ball on top! Stunning! Not to mention- delish! What a fun idea for a summer birthday party. Kuddos to Addysons Mommy for such an awesome time!

{ Vacation: Day 3 } One of the best things about where we live is the fact that Myrtle Beach is only 1.5 hrs ( 1 hr if Jason is driving, which he was ). This makes it perfect for a day trip for catching some rays, a shopping trip, dinner, or a quick getaway to just hangout. It's also great for times when we wanna take the kids on a min vacay for a night or a few days, but don't want to travel too far, which is just what we did this week. We decided (since lets face it, it was a holiday weekend) to leave about 8. We wanted to get there early enough to get a good spot, both parking and the beach. Traveling to the beach is way different nowadays compared to when Jason and I used to go. We'd grab a pair of towels and hit it. Now we have chairs, extra towels, extra clothes, snacks, cooler, toys, umbrella, cameras, hats/sunscreen... Shall I go on?! Nah you get the picture. So we hit the beach about 9:15 , loaded up with sunscreen ( I will let you in on a secret fo...