Simply Dawsons

The Dawson kids are so beautiful... and just as sweet as they are cute!! I had such a great time with them and getting to know Pam and Matt through the whole process. We've sat behind them at church for years, and little did I know we were kindred spirits! I don't know which was more fun... taking the pictures Thursday or having them over on Friday!! Either way, I'm thankful for the new friendship I've developed through this photo shoot.

Now, onto the kids... I love this first one!! Alyssa's eyes are underbelievable for a one year old.

This one is too funny not to post!
Makayla is the funniest girl I know - she kept me laughing all night!

She is so beautiful!

You have never met a sweeter big brother - I would love to have a million Austins!!

So handsome!

XOXO,

Shelby Leigh

Simply Jaren - Sneak Peek

I get to meet the greatest people on earth at my photo shoots, and this one was no different!! Cindy and Jim are awesome people - they each have grown kids and were given this little surprise nine months ago. Jim told me they had Jaren on Thursday and his other son got married on Saturday! (Jim also has a son fighting in Afghanistan, and we appreciate his service so much.)

Baby Jaren is 6 days old in these pictures and weighs six pounds. After he eats, he's the most calm, sweet baby around! We had selected to take these pictures at a friend's house with a lot of natural lighting; however, it was too cloudy that evening, so the lighting was a challenge. But we worked with what we had and thank Paula & Duane for being so accommodating.

These are a few of my favorites - I love the "God's Gift" pictures and I told Jim he needed to be a hand model (I'm sure you will agree). Enjoy these sweet pictures of Jaren - such a blessed baby to be born to such wonderful parents!

XOXO,

Shelby Leigh

Simply Carter

Carter was so much fun to take pictures of, and I could go on and on about how sweet his mom, Paula, was too! We went downtown, to a pretty little church and my favorite park in Lebanon, Nelson Park. We played with dandelions, bubbles, blocks and anything else we could get our hands on.

The pictures turned out really well. Below are a couple of my favorites. I have them with nothing written on them, but I really admire this family - their walk with God and their love for Carter. These verses seemed perfect for the pictures and I knew Paula and Duane wouldn't mind my adding them!

This face is so adorable!

Awwww!!!

To view all the photos from this shoot, click here.

XOXO,

Shelby Leigh

Simply Prom

Kristi is like a little sister to me. We met at church and grew closer through our Teen Girls Bible Study. Her love and heart for God is so awesome to watch. No matter all the silly high school junk she has to deal with, she keeps Christ in the center of her actions. She is graduating in a few short days, and I did all her prom pictures as a graduation gift. Hopefully, she will treasure them always and remember someone who loves her very much took them!

I love this one!

Awww!!!

One thing that was so hard with prom is not making these couples look lovey-dovey.

We got creative and captured some really fun shots.

The girls

So pretty.
I got such a kick out of Aaron, Wil and Seth.

Aaron's White Socks (we got such a good laugh out of these!)

My precious Kristi with Aaron!

To view more photos from this shoot, click here.

XOXO,

Shelby Leigh

Simply Cruz

Candace is one of my best friends and also one of the most beautiful girls I know (inside and out). This shoot was so much fun - mainly because I love the subjects. We went downtown, to the train tracks and then over to the farm. We spent hours taking pictures, but just because we were having way too much fun!

Nicc is one of the sweetest kids ever - and he has a special place in my heart!! He is such a ham and I'm glad these pictures showed that adorable personality. Here are a few of my favorites.

My favorite - this one is so them!! Especially Nicc.

They are so cute together!
Do I really need words for this one?!
This one is so beautiful of all three of them.
A little sexy - I love it!

To view more photos from this shoot, click here.

XOXO,

Shelby Leigh

Excuses, Excuses

Okay, so here is my excuse for being so terrible at writing in my blog this week!! Nathaniel has been busy passing his big securities test for State Farm and I have been in website training for my job all week, which leaves very little time to do anything else.

Next week will be better, so stayed tuned!! I've got some great stuff to share that we are learning! :)

Day 5: Seeing Life from God's View

Day five has probably been my favorite day so far!!

First off, it discussed this quote "The way you see your life shapes your life." I could go on and on about the importance of this quote and what it made me realize.

The main two concepts were:
- Life is a test.
- Life is a trust.

God allows you to go through certain things to test you and your faith and most importantly, to help you grow, both in character and your walk with God. LIFE IS A TEST

God has given us so many things as a "trust" in our name that God owns. We are entrusted to take care of very important things on earth, and the way we handle what we trusted with allows God to see how you should be rewarded. Matt 25:21 LIFE IS A TRUST

Questions to Consider were great!! Think about these in your own life:

What has happened to me recently that I now realize was a test from God? What are the greatest matters God has entrusted to me?