a family complete

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.                -Psalm 100:4-5

It is with a heart so full of joy that I share this post with you all today. I had the honor and privilege of photographing the arrival of our dear friends coming home from China with their beautiful new daughter. I am sure that you all already know their adoption story but if not you can read about it here.

Chris and Ashley, we are so very happy for you and your family. Our hearts are bursting and we cannot wait to walk through life with all seven of you. ;)

Two very big smiles full of excitement for Little One to finally come home.

Friendship is a wonderful thing. My son had been praying daily for little one to come home from China. He couldn't wait to get to the airport to give his friend a hug on the day of his sister's arrival. 

Signs were made and friends of all ages were there to welcome them home. Thinking back I wish that I would have asked all of the people that were there to get into one group photo. But apparently, I was too emotional and excited to use my brain. Trust me when I tell you that there were a LOT of friends and family there full of a LOT of love for the Campbells.

It appeared as if a plane way down the hall was de-boarding.

They've been spotted! This is one excited Aunt.

I wish that my camera would have captured the sound of Firecracker's squeals of delight.

Oh happy day!

I absolutely love this photo. Pay close attention to the bottom right corner.

Also notice the security guard pointing his hand, about to try and stop Firecracker.

Thankfully, he must have decided that she wasn't going to cause too much trouble.

There was a ton of joy, clapping, hugging and crying going on. It was a lot for Little One to take in. Poor thing had just traveled across the world on no sleep. It was no surprise to anyone that her Daddy was holding her as close as he could trying to protect her and make sure she was okay.

At last!

If you are a blog reader of Under the Sycamore and do not know Ashley in "real life", you probably think that she is the most amazing person. You would be absolutely right. Hands down one of the most inspiring women I know. It is plain to see that she comes from a long line of amazing family. This gentle gesture by her grandfather just makes my heart melt. 

A multitude of incredible friendships surround this family. (You are next girlfriend!)

Someone missed her big brother.

And her Mama.

Little One finding comfort in her hands.

Protective Daddy stepping away from the crowd to calm her down. So sweet.

And then a little kiss on the foot from her big sister.

The girls!

The whole family TOGETHER at last! Seven......a family complete.

a baby is born

So, I just looked at the calendar today and almost had a heart attack! How in the world is it September? This summer appparently snuck out the back door without me noticing. With that said, back in July one of my best friends in this entire world gave birth to a beautiful baby. I was lucky enough to be there for those precious first moments with my camera.

Loren and CW, this post has been a long time coming. Thank you for being patient with me. Even though you have already seen all of these photos, it is my pleasure to share them with you once more.

I arrived at the hospital just moments before Loren's amazing team of Doctor's decided that she needed to have a c-section. The way that CW comforts his wife is something that every woman deserves. He is always there right by her side through every pain and through every joy. I am so thankful that I too, have a husband like that.

This shot sends chills up my spine. The elevator door closes and I know that the next time I will see the face of my friend, he will be a father holding his precious baby in his arms.

They go down to surgery and we wait and pray for everything to go smoothly.

The sex of the baby was a surprise to everyone. Well, everyone except for me. I knew all along. ;) I knew that I could have been wrong but I was getting the vibe and I just knew that my best friend was going to be having a boy even if everyone else thought she was having a girl.

Then CW emerged from the elevator wearing a PINK bandana.

Auntie and Grandma's face at the first site of the new baby.

Being the prankster that he is, CW had a little bandana trick planned.

Baby boy! Brooks McCoy!

There are so many reasons that having a professional photographer take photos at a birth is a great idea. I could list all of the reasons or I could just show you the photo of a new dad shedding tears over his new son. Tears full of joy, gratitude and awe.

I am obviously not a birth photographer so I am not trying to sell my services here. I am just here to tell you that the photos of the birth of my own children are so cherished and capture moments that would otherwise go unnoticed. Moments that tell a story about a time that we will never get back. 

First Bath.

Mommy coming up from surgery.

My dear friend holding her baby boy for the very first time. She is one of those people who was born to be a mommy. What a blessed little boy Brooks is for having the parents that he has.

Very first grandbaby!

Of course we had to get a shot with Auntie Shannon.

Family of three. I couldn't be happier for you guys.

beach baby

This baby makes my heart melt. She is almost always happy and easy.

This is her supermodel pose.

This is her "I am so happy even when I am teething pose."

This is her "Hold on Mom, I need to nom on my toes" pose.

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you are all doing great! I am resting as much as possible today because I have a beautiful wedding to shoot tomorrow. I have a crazy weird virus that is affecting my inner ear and making me feel like my house is on a slant when I stand up.  Please pray that I don't fall over in the middle of the ceremony tomorrow. That sure would be pretty embarassing.

catching up

Well hello there! We just got back from a lovely family vacation in Michigan. I can't wait to share pics with you from that as well as lots of other fun photos from this summer.

Be patient with me though, I am sorting through a bagillion emails and trying to get life back in order while I am pretty darn sick. I just thought I would drop you all a little line and let you know I am still alive.

Here is our family pic from our vacation. We took it with my camera on a timer. Not perfect by any means but we are together and happy as can be so that is all that matters. ;)

blake & carrie : the wedding

Blake and Carrie had a perfect wedding ceremony in the chapel of University Methodist on the campus of TU. I am absolutely in love with this church. It is just stunning. The whole entire day was easy going and yet so refined and elegant. Everything about the bride and groom also fits the description of laid back and beautiful.

Congratulations Blake and Carrie, I am so honored that you chose me to capture this amazing time in your lives. Your love story is so inspiring. I just love that you have known each other for most of your lives. What a special and rare gift.

Anne Marie and her fabulous team of ladies at The French Bouquet were responsible for the oh so lovely flowers.

Nothing quite as breathtaking as a bride getting ready to marry her best friend.

The first look.

They wrote their own vows and decided to share them with one another during the first look. So precious.

A special prayer over the day.

My fabulous second shooter Jessie captured this next shot. One of my favorites from the day.

Off to the reception at the Tulsa Country Club. Every detail of the day was taken care of by the coordinating of the fabulous Sharon Holm.

john + theresa : the wedding

John and Theresa are the kind of couple that are a dream come true to photograph. From the first meeting we had, I knew that there wedding would be an absolute joy. I was right. To say that they are perfect for one another is an understatement. Seperately, they are both wonderful people that radiate love for the Lord. Together, they are even better. They bring out the absolute best in one another.

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. L! It has been such a pleasure and an honor getting to know you both over the last several months. Thank you so much for entrusting your memories with me.  I hope that you enjoy this little peek at your special day.

April and her team from Faccia Bella were responsible for making the ladies look absolutley gorgeous.

I have shot a ton of weddings. I have seen so many first looks and it never gets old for me. John and Theresa's is one that I know I will always remember. The way that they interact with one another reminds me so much of my husband and I. The moment that John saw his bride coming around the corner for the first time, tears of joy welled up in his eyes.

When they met face to face he said something that every woman longs to hear. "You are lovely."

Lindi Collins at the Bridal Garden made the most stunning red rose bouquet I have ever laid eyes on.

Two of the most thoughtful and wonderful toasts were given by the maid of honor and best man.  Beautiful friendships are a blessing that will only make any marriage so much stronger.

alex & angela : day after session

We shot Alex and Angela's wedding earlier this year. Instead of doing a traditional bridal session, they decided that they really wanted to do a "day after session." This is one of my favorite things to shoot becuase there is no pressure, no wedding timeline to adhere to, just a happy bride and groom and me with my camera. A day after session is a time when the bride and groom get all dressed up again after the wedding for some fun photos. It does not techinically have to happen on the day after and usually is done after things settle down a bit after wedding craziness.

We did this shoot at the crack of dawn to try and beat the triple digit temperatures that we have been oh so lucky to have lately.  I am a fall and winter lover and am from the North so summers here in Oklahoma are not my favorite.

Onto the newly wed Alex and Angela on the gorgeous property of Post Oak Lodge.

Seriously Angela? How are you so gorgeous?!?!

clayton & megan : engagement

A cowboy and his lady. Sounds like a romance novel. ;) But it is just real life love down in Oklahoma.

I was so thrilled when Megan and Clayton chose me as their photographer and I can't wait to photograph their November wedding. There is just something about a man in a cowboy hat and a beautiful lady by his side. Not to mention that they are one of sweetest couples around. They were such troopers for their 100+ degree photo shoot.

Love this next one.

theresa : bridals

Theresa and I had a blast doing her bridal portraits last month at The Philbrook Museum of Art. The light was perfect and you just can't go wrong photographing a bride as stunning as Miss Theresa.

Girlfriend has the body type that all women would kill for! Long, lean and hourglass. If I didn't love her, I would hate her. ;)

kyle & nataley : the wedding

Hello internet world out there! In the next couple of weeks I will be catching up on all of my work so I will be blogging all of my beautiful June clients. I have some personal posts planned too so stay tuned.

I am so excited to post this gorgeous country wedding for you. Kyle and Natatley were married out in the country on Nataley's parent's land. It was simple, sweet and nothing short of perfect. The bride and groom are high school sweethearts and have waited a long time for this very special day. It was a joy and an honor to photograph.

The sweetest little flower girl dresses I have ever seen!

Nataley and Kyle did not want to do a first look but we did a little first touch around a corner before the ceremony.

I have the happiest, most beautiful, and most laid back brides. I heart my job!

Kyle was looking so handsome in his dress blues.

A little snuggling in the grass. Yummy!

You can get a more beautiful wedding view than this. Our God is such an artist.

Father daughter dances get me every time.