One of my favorite things!

One of my FAVORITE things to do is to paint our children's portraits!  I love the timelessness of them and how gorgeous the final products ALWAYS are to look at when they are hanging on our clients' walls!  They are something I truly believe every child can look back on and feel cute, pretty, or handsome (sorry men, didn't want to leave you out) about when they were younger!  Not to mention, how proud the mommas and daddas can feel about their cute babies! :)

This painting below is of Lane Elizabeth or Laney Beth (I call her), a one year old we photographed when she was born...  So, this session was lots of fun to be able to do!...  Of course, we got down and dirty too and I'll share with more of those next week! ;)

CONGRATULATIONS: CLASS OF 2010!

Well, ALL of you FINALLY did it!  Congratulations on 13-14 years of school!...  Depending on how many of you went to pre-k before k... ;)  I have to give one special shout out to this very special young lady above!  She is very special to us! :)  Many of you know her from school as a friend, classmate, STUCO VP, leads in musicals, and so forth, but some of you know her from us!  She has worked for Rachelle James all year and I can truly say what a gorgeous young lady this beautiful girl is on the inside and the outside!  Seeing her almost every day sometimes with her busy, busy schedule, she is ALWAYS a JOY to be around and can light up any room!  Macey, thank you for making my job SO much more fun at times!  I love our "car talks" on the way to the shoots and the times I have been blessed with to meet SO many of your wonderful friends and family! :)  I hope you Sarah and Abby have a WONDERFUL time at OU being roomies! :)... Congratulations, Graduate! ;) 

Grant Johnson: Class of 2010!

First off, I would like to say how much fun it is to photograph guys!  Especially, the ones who don't mind showing off their pearly whites, know how to have fun, and laugh at my stupid, stupid jokes! ;)... In a nut shell, it's pretty much all the ones who enamor me, while I'm trying to get the shots that make mom happy! :)  They are all so cute every year and are lots of fun!...  Thank you Grant for being one of those awesome guys! :) 
Secondly I would like to say, the Class of 2010 is coming to a close!  Graduation will be here before you know it and college the next step in many of your lives!  But before it is finally over, I would like to say just how much we have enjoyed photographing SO many of you and how much I have loved getting to know each and everyone of you individually!  All of you have SO much to offer and truly make my job so much more fun at times and exciting!  Thank you to a wonderful class and good luck in all you do! :)

Much Love,

Rachelle :)

The Coldest Day EVER!

All I have to say this is one tough cookie!...  We definitely had the windiest, coldest, craziest day of weather during this photo session.  It started off a little warmer in the evening with another session right before her, but by the time Kylie got there, it was freezing!  Needless to say, she wanted to still take her pics...  I didn't blame her one bit...  All ready and looking beautiful, we conquered the weather together!  She definitely accomplished what she set out to do and indeed and has some beautiful pictures as proof of a wonderful and yet, VERY memorable experience! ;)... Thanks Kylie for being such a good sport and for braving the crazy and uncontrollable weather! :)

Capri Franks: MHS Senior

This girl is gorgeous!  She has some of the prettiest brown eyes that just caught the light perfectly and some of the most beautiful skin that just permeated through her photographs! :) Not to go on and mention her fabulous shoes, that you can't see everyone one of these images above, but were totally working for her that day!...  Thanks Pri for being such a beautiful subject! ;)  It was SO good to see you and your mom! :)  We can't wait to hear what ALL of your friends and family have to say about your gorgeous wallets and all of your different poses! :)

HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY!!! :)

     Today is my step dad's 60th Birthday!  To say the least, I don't know where to begin!  If you want to know what a Godly Man looks like, how he acts, how he speaks, how he handles himself, how he carries himself, how he deals with issues, how he handles his money, how hard he works, and so forth then all you have to do is look at him!...  He has always been here for me!
     Last night we celebrated his birthday with all of my siblings. With all of us, there are five kids, plus my mom and him, totaling to a whopping seven of us, as a family growing up!  Now that most of them are married and have kids, there are 17 and counting! :)...  Quite a BIG, immediate family!... I know! :)  I can't remember life without him, my brothers, my sisters, my mom, and all of us being together! :)  
     So last night during the surprise celebration of his life, after we went to Hey Day with the family, played four rounds of laser tag, did the ropes course, played the token games, went back to the house for grilled out hamburgers and hotdogs, ate cake and ice cream, and he opened his presents, we went down memory lane.  All of us kids shared one or two favorite memories of him!  Some of mine were of him always coming to my basketball games, plays, awards assemblies, and the numerous other things I wanted to be a part of, dancing with my mom in the living room to Ronnie Milsap, playing games with all of us kids like basketball, four square, monopoly, kick ball, or wrestling on the floor, listening to all of his Promise Keepers praise and worship tapes with him in his white truck on milk crates, giving all of us 25 cents every Sunday from our chores to teach us to tithe, and always exuberating the fruits of the spirit!...  The one, to this day, that still amazes me, is knowing where he is every morning without fail!...  In the kitchen, reading his Bible!
     My whole life he has taught me how a woman should be treated, how a dad should be, how a man should lead a family, and how to definitely be patient!  I pray when I look back over my life, on my 60th birthday, that I have left a true legacy in the lives of others, like he has left in mine for the past 19!
     Thank you Derryle for always being the most hard-working, diligent, and loving step dad in the whole world and for accepting me and my sister as your own and loving us unconditionally! :)  I love you and

              HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY! :)