Kaison’s First Christmas

Hey guys, Happy Friday! I hope you all are getting into the holiday spirit as we approach the celebration season. Yes, I am that crazy person who has already watched Home Alone (1 &2), Christmas Vacation and my lights have been up outside since the middle of November. Christmas is such a magical and joyful time in the Norris household. To get into the holiday spirit this year, I started off my Mini Sessions in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania. My first session didn’t disappoint either, this shoot was full of love, laughter and a happily ever after.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting my new favorite little dude, Kaison. His momma and daddy just so happen to be some of my very best friends in the whole wide world and I have been impatiently waiting to meet their handsome baby boy for months now. You may remember this guy’s parents from their last photo shoot. Kelly and Kendrick’s Maternity Shoot was featured on the Blog days before this guy made his debut! At eight months preggo, Kelly was a trooper and Kendrick proved to be quite the cheerleader as we made our way through the fields of Kelly’s grandfather’s farm.  Their beautiful baby boy finally made his way into the world not even a month later and these two have been wrapped around his finger ever since.

And as for me? Auntie Ang? She has been down in Texas just dying for the chance to come and snuggle this chubby cheeked butterball!! Finally, the time had come for me to kidnap their bundle of joy for a few hours and I was literally jumping for joy. Kelly’s Family joined us at the very location of our first shoot, their Grandfather’s farm. We headed out into the field to get the family shots first of everyone. As I split them up into smaller groups, they all took turns passing the baby around like a hot potato! And, I will never forget the look on Kelly’s Dads face when I asked him to take a photo with his wife “prom style”. And Kelly’s face when her Dad planted one on her Mama. These guys had me in stitches.

After the family photos were finished, we headed to the front of Kelly’s parents house. There, we set down a blanket and just let Kelly & Kendrick love on their baby boy. The leaves could not have been a better color and Kel’s scarf matching Kaison, so much awesome coordination. Long before he made his arrival, Kelly and I would sit around and talk about what his name would be and how we thought he might look. Every little detail that we dreamt up doesn’t even come close to how perfect this baby is. It’s so weird too! I’ve known Kendrick since we were 5 so looking at this kid and that butt chin, he is unmistakenly my buddy’s baby. But, he’s got Kelly’s big beautiful eyes and her smile. What a perfect combination of these two incredible people. It has been such a joy seeing your love story blossom. Good for you guys. You love each other, you are so smitten with your son and you continue to grow with one another. That’s so important. Crucial, really. So, cheers! Ya’ll are killing it! Now, come to Texas and be my friend and bring Kaison because I wanna eat him!! 🙂

For Information on how to book your unique Portrait Session, shoot me an email at therustienailhead@gmail.com. Throughout the month of December 2016, I am offering $150 Mini Sessions in the Dallas Fort Worth area. These sessions include a 45 minute session within DFW, 15-20 Digital Images delivered in an Online Downloadable Gallery and Print Release. Perfect for Christmas Card Photos, Surprise Holiday Proposals and even Gifts. You can buy this deal for a limited time as a Gift Certificate in 2017!

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Happy 1st Birthday Nash!

It feels like it was just yesterday that our good friends, Tommy & Ginny, announced that they were expecting a baby boy and I cannot believe that this little dude is already ONE! To commemorate this awesome milestone, Mom, Dad and their little guy, Nash, met me on a ranch in Keller, Texas to have a few family photos taken. Truth be told, I have been dying to get this trio in front of the camera for quite some time now and could not be more humbled that they asked me to capture this very big moment!

Ginny was so clear on what kind of shoot she wanted. She even made sure to Pinterest a few poses that she liked, which was uber helpful during shoot time. She brought a bunch of bright blue balloons for their baby boy and an heirloom quilt that a family member had made special just for Nash shortly after he was born. Once I got a glance at the blanket patterned with ABCs, cowboys & vintage toys, I could not wait to let him crawl around on it. As luck would have it, Nash had no intentions on sitting still so we had to be fast. Every time we would put him down, he would take off in the opposite direction. He would try to crawl/run crawl away from where we were. It was hilarious watching him try to move around his Dad’s firmly planted foot. Tommy would say, “You shall not pass.” and Nash would just look at him and start laughing and try to do it again.

 

After taking a few posed pictures, we headed towards the long driveway adjacent to a horse farm. Nash’s momma, Ginny, loves to ride horses and show them so I knew that she would be into letting Nash meet the ponies. HE loved them but I feel like Nash is in that awesome stage where all animals are his thing. He even spent his fair share of time crawling around with my puppy dog, Raina, during the shoot.

Overall, what a great day. Sometimes I can’t believe this is my job. Whether I am meeting new clients or hanging out with old friends, I have this awe-inspiring opportunity to help others capture their joy and this holiday season, I am so grateful to be a part of it all. I am constantly surprised and humbled by the friends and family who have asked me to help capture these huge milestones and I hope to continue to love this work as much as I do. This shoot was so fun and I know when looking through these photos, I see Tommy and Ginny’s joy. It is written all over their baby boy’s face. Nash is a great little guy who loves to love on his momma and wrestle with his dad. And, any day now, Mr. Nash Potatoes is gonna go straight from crawling to running so good luck guys! Have fun chasing that blue eyed boy around!

To book your unique Family Portrait Session, shoot me an email at therustienailhead@gmail.com. I would love to help you capture your joy this holiday season and in the year to come! To see any of my previous work, head to our Gallery or follow along on Instagram (@therustienail) to stay up to date with our Holiday Mini Sessions and Pricing Packages. Oh, and Happy Holidays guys!

Harper’s 2nd Birthday Shoot

This sweet boy is 2 and I cannot believe it. It feels like just yesterday that his Momma was breaking the baby news and now, he is a walking, talking Energizer Bunny! What an amazing adventure it has been watching this crazy little guy grow up. His momma and I are quite the comrades so I have had the pleasure of witnessing Harper in all his stages. As a baby, Tiff & I would have our girl’s nights while Harp Dog would crawl around on my kitchen floor with his cow printed blanket and my sweet puppy dog, Reyna. And when he started walking, we would head to the park and practice his milk drunken stumble. Now, he just runs circles around me all the while yelling, “Nina, come on.”

Harper is no stranger to having me shove the camera in his face. I have shot his First Birthday, Halloween, Easter & Christmas photos and now his 2nd Birthday. He’s getting quite good at being the ham, a quality I am sure that he gets from his Momma. This go around would be no different. We headed to downtown Keller to check out a Dr Pepper mural and decided it was the perfect backdrop for this little dude’s shoot. Tiff, bring the  supergenius that she is, made sure to bring a bribe. We had a plan. For every giggle, Harp Dog gets an M&M. Once we got him all hopped up on sugar, the smiles came pouring out. He was singing and dancing in front of the wall. Twirling and laughing at the “big trucks” that kept flying by. He was having a ball, to say the least.

We wrapped up at the wall and headed towards a huge open field so we could play a little tag and watch the sunset. When we let him run wild, boy did he. This guy was posing behind trees playing peek a boo and waving a stick around like he was Harry Potter. It was hilarious listening to him try and yell “expelliarmus”. This boy has a way of keeping me in stitches. As the sun went down, Tiff softly sang a few lullabies in his ear to calm him down for the ride home. It worked like a charm. Shortly after dark, we made our way back to the car and called it a night. Sometimes, this job doesn’t even feel like work. Shoots like this are a grateful reminder of how joyful work can be.

For information on how to book your Holiday Mini Session in Dallas Fort Worth or the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania, shoot me an email at therustienailhead@gmail.com or get all the details from our DFW Holiday Mini Session Blog or the Laurel Highlands Holiday Mini Session Blog! I would love to meet you and help make your vision come to life this Holiday Season!

Lainey’s Newborn Session

The Pierce Family is making another appearance on the Blog! Over the summer, I had the opportunity to meet with them at White Rock Lake and capture a few photos of them while they were still a family of 3. Though 8 months pregnant with their second child, Lori waddled around the Filter Building with her 2 favorite guys! We made sure to capture both Mark & Lori with their little guy, Xander, and we managed to get a ton of Lori’s adorable bump! To check out our day in Dallas shoot, head here. This session would be totally different! In the months since our first shoot, the Pierce Family has welcomed a baby girl, Lainey Ruth Pierce! Since I was itching to see this tiny princess, my husband and I made our way down to Austin over Labor Day Weekend to catch up with our favorite blonde headed little boy and his baby sister.

After stopping in Hico, Texas at the Koffee Kup Kafe for a few slices of pie, Russ and I meandered our way into the Live Music Capital of the World. We took our time getting through the hill country before arriving at the Pierce Family Home. First thing on our list of to-dos, give their bundle of joy as many hugs and kisses as possible and man oh man, is she a beauty or what? I was kind of glad that we had waited until she was 3 weeks old to do the shoot because I love seeing how active and alert newborns can be at that age. Lainey just kept looking up at me with those big blue eyes and giving me the sweetest smiles! Words seriously cannot describe how much I love snuggling this little bug! She looks so much like her big brother and you can tell that Mark & Lori are just smitten every time they glance her way.

Xander, though preoccupied with books and toys and dogs, is so in love with his baby sister. He was proudly showing her to me and kept giving her kisses on the cheek! We started the shoot indoors, keeping it fun and fresh while Xander played in his room. We read books and sang “pop-goes-the-weasel” and once Mommy was done feeding baby, we worked our way into Lainey’s adorable nursery. After raiding her closet, Lori explained that so many of the outfits were actually her own. Even the dress that she had brought her home in had been the dress Lori herself wore home from the hospital. I loved this little tidbit and thought how sweet of Lori’s mom to hold onto all those dresses for her! After we played dress-up with my new favorite cousin, we decided to head to the park next to their house for their Family Portrait. The cacti and bright yellow lantana were the perfect backdrop for this newly-branded Family of Four.

Though this shoot was supposed to be all about Lainey, I was excited to capture this special time for them as a whole family. Both Mom & Dad are always so kind to trust my vision and I am so happy that they get to see what we all see when we look their way. Mark and Lori are 2 people who fell in love and continue to do so everyday when they look at their children. They are 2 people who put trust in God’s plan and choose everyday to roll with the punches. Little to no sleep + a rambuncious two year old wildchild + a hungry newborn can make for some pretty crazy days but I am happy to say that these guys are thriving on the chaos. Lori actually said to me at one point, “Watching people go ga-ga over your kids is a whole other kind of joy.” As you can tell, we’re all a little “ga-ga” over these precious babes and I am so glad that they trusted me to capture these first moments with their bundle of joy.

Do you know someone who is expecting or wanting to make that Baby Announcement, send them our way. For more information on how to book your unique Maternity or Newborn Session, shoot me an email at therustienailhead@gmail.com or just give me a call 724 216 8185. We have multiple packages and prices including our Milestone Sessions, a series of photo shoots that captures Baby’s First Year! Currently shooting in Dallas-Fort Worth and the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania but we have lots of travel dates set up for the rest of 2016 and 2017. I cannot wait to fill you all on in where we are heading to next! It’s a doozie! Where would you like to see The Rustie Nail travel to next?

Gender Reveal: It’s a…

During my last visit back to Pennsylvania, I managed to sneak in a little time with a few of my favorite people, the Robb family. This fun trio has been featured on our Blog before. Last fall, I had the pleasure of snapping a few pictures of their little guy, Ben. Check out his session here. This go around was a little different. I found out a few weeks before my arrival that this wild and crazy bunch would be growing by two feet. Yep, they would be adding another Robb to the brood. I was jumping for joy at the idea of them bringing another little guy or girl into the picture and even more thrilled when they asked me to take their family portraits. I was under the impression that we were going to be taking Maternity photos. Little did know, they had a surprise for me. This portrait session would double as a gender reveal! I was so touched and beyond excited when I found out I’d be among the first to know what they were expecting.

After a few snafus with the location choice and timing, we managed to meet at Legion Keener Park in Latrobe, PA. I’ve known Derek and Lizzy since we were kids and I wanted to keep our roots intact to the locale of the shoot. With that in mind, I began to dream up some ideas of how to announce their bundle of joy in a fun way. When Derek and I were kids, we spent many a summer night hanging out by those tracks above the Loyalhanna and I knew it’d be the perfect location for their shoot. The graffiti below the bridge and the train tracks following alongside the lush fields of green created the clean backdrop for these photos. We started about an hour before sunset, making our way from the tracks to the bridge that towers over this creek.

This was a totally different shoot than their first for many reasons. Since the last I saw him, Ben has a grown a foot and gained an adult vocabulary. It freaked me out at first. How could he have grown up so much in the short 4 months since I last saw him? He is so smart and kind. Loaded with his mother’s sweet demeanor and his daddy’s gangsta sense of style, this kid is bound to be a lady killer. Honestly, who doesn’t wanna love on him when he is rocking those sweet glasses? He is going to make for a very cool older brother.

Speaking of his soon-to-be younger sibling…these guys are happy to announce, in the most adorable way, that they are expecting…a baby boy! Due a few days after his big brother’s birthday, we are impatiently awaiting the arrival of the newest Baby Robb!

Thank you guys so much for letting me play a small part in your announcement and I look forward to meeting the newest munchkin! See you guys soon!

If you are looking for a photographer to help you document your next big announcement, shoot Angelina an email at therustienailhead@gmail.com. Whether you are expecting your first or third baby or just recently got engaged, Angelina is sure to make your Session a personalized and unique experience! For inquiries about pricing and packaging for Portrait Sessions, send your questions our way! 🙂

Maternity Shoot: Baby Bolish

Meet Kelly and Kendrick! Days away from the arrival of their first born baby, these two lovebirds asked me take a few photos of them before their baby boy, Kaison makes his debut. This shoot, in particular, will always have a special place in my heart. See, Kendrick and I had the privilege to grow up together. We were bus buddies in elementary school, neighbors almost all our lives and somehow managed to get ourselves into trouble more times than I can count over these last 20 years. It’s been a wild ride to say the least. About a year ago, Kendrick met Kelly. I literally could not imagine a better ride-or-die chick for my childhood friend. From the minute I met her, I knew Kenny’s hunt was over. He had found this beautiful soul who could put up with his crap, someone that he would happily share his life with. To boot, Kelly and I are pretty much soulmates. So you can imagine how much I love that Kendrick choose to spend his life with someone that I instantly had a connection with. They recently tied the knot and I could not happier for them.

On top of celebrating their nuptials, Daddy’s new hunting buddy should be making his appearance any day now. About a month ago, I flew home over Memorial Day weekend to attend Kelly’s baby shower and snap a few maternity pictures before they officially become a family of 3. Her shower theme matched Kaison’s nursery; all things wildlife, from bears to foxes to deer so we had to incorporate a little bit of that into the shoot, hence the cute little fox. We waited until after the shower before Kelly and I set out into the fields near St Vincent Grove. This sweet mama graciously trekked her way through the tall grass, in the pouring rain, to snag the most adorable pictures.  Dressed in a coral and white floral dress, this mama bear rocked her bump through the mud looking as relaxed and beautiful as ever.

After taking a few shots of Kelly, we headed to her grandfather’s house. His backyard was the perfect spot to watch the sun go down and capture this sweet family in all their glory. Her grandfather’s backyard had sweeping views of the Laurel Highlands and the most perfect lighting. What I love most about this shoot is that one day Kaison will be able to look back and see how stupid in love his parents were. They were loving on each other and kissing and laughing. I gave no direction. Their natural poses were much better than any advice I could have given them. These guys reek of affection, their love is the infectious kind, the kind you can’t help but see and smile at. Seriously, it was an honor and a privilege to photograph this time in their lives and I can’t wait to get that sweet baby on the other side of my lens. Keep snappchatting me all the baby goodness guys! 1800 miles stands between me and snuggling your sweet boy but I cannot wait to meet him. Congratulations to the Newlyweds and Best Wishes as you bring your son into the world.

Are you expecting? For information on pricing, packages and how to book your Maternity Session or Family Portrait Session, shoot us an email at therustienailhead@gmail.com. All inquiries welcome! Follow our work on Instagram @therustienail for everyday updates and sneak peeks for Special Portrait Session dates!