Naughty or Nice?

Well I sure had a busy day yesterday.  I think I got a little taste of what it might be like to live at the North Pole.  Santa came to visit me yesterday with two lists in his hands. He was busy checking them twice to find out if these little girls and boys were naughty or nice.  {alexis}paige photography must have the best customers ever because Santa didn't find one single name on his naughty list yesterday!  He got several requests for toys so I think he and his elves are going to be VERY busy for the next few weeks!  It was a steady stream of kidlets in the studio yesterday, but Santa did take a couple of breaks to check on his reindeer who were hanging out on my rooftop munching on some carrots and reindeer food.  Santa told me that Comet can sometimes get into trouble if he is left unattended for too long!  It seems like Toy Story toys, Barbie and Pillow Pets are the gifts of choice this year.  Santa had several requests for those this year.  We said goodbye to Santa and made our way over to the lighting of the Village Christmas tree followed by a wonderful soup supper.

Thanks for a great day Santa!  See you soon....I'm going to try and stay awake this year to catch you! ;)

Beautiful Weather...Beautiful Model...

What beautiful weather we had today!  And after the previous two days of nearly being blown clear to Iowa, I definitely wasn't going to waste it! My family for this afternoon had to re-schedule so I thought it would be the perfect time to take my favorite girl out for a little photo shoot after school.  (I can say favorite on here because the other one can't read!) ;)  And before you all send me emails about liking one child more than the other -- I DEFINITELY don't.  But this one is ultra sensitive like her mom so anytime I can tell her how much I love her and how beautiful she is, I seize the opportunity!  And if you asked my youngest if she had a favorite parent I'm sure she'd say, without any hesitation, that she's definitely daddy's girl!  As for my oldest, she's just like her mom - competitive, shy, and tender hearted.

Of course a photo shoot with either child is never met without a little resistance.  They're always ready when I suggest it, but after about 5 minutes they've definitely had their fill.  I think they just want to try on the clothes and get a little blush and lip gloss!  Paige is to the stage where she is trying too hard to pose and I'm trying so hard to catch that natural beauty of hers.  I keep telling her to "be Paige" and then all I get is her head turned away from the camera, her eyes closed and her hair in her face.  But I did manage a few today--even some with those gorgeous dimples that I so love!

Scarecrows and Squirrels and Chicken Lips! Oh my!....

I always love meeting new families and this one was no exception.  Miss C is close in age to my oldest daughter and Mr. C is at that "full of personality" stage where all kids are so fun to be around.  We started the session with a tiny struggle because Mr. C was too busy taking in all his surroundings.  The LAST thing he wanted to do was look at my boring old camera!  Understandable though, he is VERY intelligent and I'm sure the wheels were turning inside that cute little head.  Of course his big sister, Miss C, was ALL business.  She had her model poses down and knew exactly what she wanted her shots to look like.  I think I'll have a FABULOUS senior model in about 9 years. :)

We talked about Halloween costumes (a cowboy and a scarecrow), pets, Sally the squirrel (who we finally spotted spying on us!), 4-H and chicken lips of course!  These kiddos were never at a loss for conversation and they had me giggling most of the time. :)  After the session both kids invited me to come and play at their house which was MORE than sweet.  I always love it when I get reactions like that from kids because then I know they had fun!  Thanks for having me photograph you Mr. and Miss C!  I had a fabulous afternoon!

Bye Bye Baby Teeth....

I started this blog when my baby turned 6 and here we are almost 2 months later and I still am in this mode of not wanting her to grow up!  Shhh...don't tell, but we JUST had her birthday cake 2 nights ago and that was only because my mother in law told me it HAD to come out of the freezer.  I don't know why it's bothering me so much.  With my oldest, I'm always encouraging progress... to ride a bike with no training wheels, to read, to play sports....but with this baby I'm not so eager.  So imagine my horror yesterday when I came home from work and she pedals down the street (on her bike with training wheels) as fast as her little legs will go.  "Mom, Mom!  Look!  I have a loose tooth!"  All that excitement in her voice and on her face and all I could think was NOOOOOOO!

So after the initial shock I took a look and not only does she have a loose tooth, but the permanent tooth is already half way in behind it.  So I guess there's no avoiding her growing up.  It's going to happen whether I like it or not!  The only thing I can do is make sure I preserve it in print, so we had a mini photo shoot last night.  10 minutes on Main St.  Some poses for her with her "grown up" model poses and some for mom with those bright eyes and that sweet smile.

It's a Wrap!

Okay so maybe not quite, but it's really close.  I'm beginning to wrap up this year's senior season because we all know how predictable the good ole Nebraska weather can be!  So if you're a senior this year and haven't scheduled your senior portraits yet, now is the time to panic!  Okay, don't panic...but it's DEFINITELY time to stop procrastinating and give me a call! :) 

I've really had a great time with all of the kids this year.  I've told everyone this before, but I really mean it...the Class of 2011 is an AWESOME class!  It makes my job so easy when the kids come to their sessions excited and I love it when I show them a few peeks on my camera and I see their faces light up as they say, "Oh, I LOVE that one!"  The guys were especially great this year because, let's face it, portraits are usually torture for any man!  But these boys were great and it seems like I had a nice range of interests: cars, girls, motorcycles, girls, football, and yep you guessed it -- girls! ;)  Seriously though they were good sports and humored me with smiles without too much begging.  I even got some smiles from Trey last weekend when I KNOW he would have rather been home watching the Huskers play!  Thanks Trey for not making me feel too awful that you were missing the big game! 

 

 

Happy Birthday Little Miss T!

Little Miss T was my first "official" customer last year when I opened my studio. Her mommy brought her to see me so we could capture the memory of her first birthday.  Her cute little chubby cheeks and those deep dimples were this photographer's dream, but I quickly realized that this little girl had my number! Mom and I figured her out though and we now know that we only need to find the nearest animal (real or imaginary) to capture those sweet dimples.  We've used the dog, santa (and his reindeer), rabbits, ducks and even a pony! A quick note to any little girls out there:  if you want a pony maybe you need to take pointers from Miss T.  The pony showed up just in time for her 2nd Birthday pictures.  Just sayin'... :)

To this day when I see Miss T out and about I get sweet smiles and coy looks, but as soon as the camera goes up during a shoot I get the cold shoulder!  That's okay, I love animals too so I'll keep finding new ones just for her.  Now, if she starts taking lessons from my kids, and starts demanding money...I'll call dad! ;)

Happy Birthday Miss T!  Thanks for letting me record the occasion. ♥

Don't mess with a girl and her pearls....

It's common knowledge that a girl can never have too many accessories and Miss O is no exception to that rule!  Our session started with a vintage shoot in the studio with nothing but accessories and she was a pro, even wanting to put the earrings on herself.  We finished outside with some fun shots near the creek.  Thanks Miss O for letting me record your 1st birthday!

Vogue....

Another great senior session this weekend with another cute 2011 graduate! Haley brought along her mom and one of her besties to help her loosen up in front of the camera. It took a few inside jokes and a little time, but I think I finally got a taste of the "real" Haley. This gorgeous girl kept telling me how bad she was at modeling. I think my camera tells another story, how about you?

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

Woo hoo! alexis paige photography has officially photographed royalty! When you live in the middle of nowhere you would never expect to have the chance to photograph someone famous. Ok, maybe the occasional politician in the local parade--but only during an election year of course! Or, if you're lucky, you might get a cell phone shot of the country music star during Nebraskaland Days while you're being mauled by the crowd trying to inch their way to the front of the stage. But never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined photographing a Queen AND a Princess! So watch closely for my new advertising campaign boasting my newest accomplishment. ;)

Meet my local royalty: two sweet girls who I had the privilege of photographing for their senior portraits this year. Adrienne and Jessica were crowned Homecoming Queen and Princess last night at their Homecoming festivities. Congratulations girls!

Mommy's Girl? Or Daddy's?

One of the first things I ask my seniors is if they know where they want to go to college. Of course some of them do and some don't but, living in a small community definitely creates an overwhelming urge in these teens. Even if they don't know exactly where they want the go the majority of them can hear the city calling their names. Ahhhhh, the lure of the big city! It's what most kids in small towns dream about, well that and world peace of course! ;)

The city: where everything you could ever want is at your fingertips. Shopping, restaurants, culture, night life...oh, and college of course. :) So they head off to school after growing up and graduating with the same 15 or so kids that they started kindergarten with and they step into their first lecture class of 300 students. I mean, that's bigger than the towns that some of these kids live in! It can be overwhelming at times and I think several college freshmen from small towns realize there is 1 thing that the big city doesn't have...their parents.

I saw myself through my lens last weekend. A sweet senior who is the baby of her family and is a self-proclaimed mommy's AND daddy's girl. Even though she's not exactly sure where she wants to go to school she already knows she doesn't want to get too far from home. Smart girl. The shorter the trip the more often she can come home with laundry and a request for gas money! I mean what dad could resist these big brown eyes!? Congratulations Adrienne! Enjoy your senior year. :)

Did your mom swallow a watermelon seed?

Ok, I know that's an old one and obviously so does my great-nephew because it sure didn't work on him. He stared at me with one raised eyebrow and a look on his face that totally read, "Who is this crazy lady and why would she ask such a stupid question?"

My niece was in town with her husband and 2 darling kids a few weeks ago. It was a quick trip. Just a day or so to visit Granny and Granddad before the new little one arrives and the 2 older ones lose a little time on the "cuddle schedule" to their baby brother. So, of course, we need pictures right? I mean WHO in their right mind wouldn't want to take one of the most active 6 year old boys and an independent 2 year old out into the 100 degree heat while they're 8 months pregnant? I mean just because you can't see your own feet doesn't mean you can't tie THEIR shoes, right? But seriously, I'm not sure what she was thinking because I would have been more than miserable and totally over a photo shoot on a day like that. She was determined and with help from her husband it all worked out in the end. We got some cute shots and now, even though they'll have to share cuddle time, they'll still keep their spot on the portrait wall! Thanks for playing Ethan and Evelyn. We had tons of fun at the park. We can't wait to meet your new baby brother! ♥

Giggles and Gaggles but no Goggles

It's official: we survived the state fair. Unfortunately I came home sick, so I haven't gotten these snapshots posted as quick as I had intended. All in all it was a fun fair and for the most part the new location was nice, but they definitely have some kinks to work out.


We had tons of GIGGLES when the girls got to spend Saturday afternoon doing everything they wanted. We had a break from the livestock barns so they got their faces painted, watched the diving show, rode a camel, went to the petting zoo and of course had their favorite fair food!

They loved the GAGGLE of geese that were paraded around the grounds. They were dressed in their Sunday best each day and I think I even saw them all painted up on Monday!


Unfortunately there were no GOGGLES for us. We made reservations at a motel with no swimming pool because we had plans to spend Saturday at the water park. We didn't know they were going to close it BEFORE the fair. Lesson learned for next year I guess.

That's okay our "giggles and gaggles" should last us until next year I think....

What happened to my baby!?

So today was the first day of school and after an entire summer of fighting siblings and the constant wail of "I'm boooooooored" I was DEFINITELY ready. But, then the day actually got here, and not only was it the first day of school, but it was also my baby's 6th birthday. Yes, my baby. The same baby who I still remember cuddling all day long as an infant. The same baby who walked at 8 months. The same baby who insisted on her first overnight sleepover when she was 2.5. The same baby who at 3 was so dramatic she kept us all entertained from minute to minute. The same baby who at 4 had perfected her catwalk and was ready to sign up for America's Next Top Model. The same baby who at 5 was intelligent enough to be able to "work" her father no matter what the situation was. And the same baby, who last night at 5 years, 11 months and 30 days was snuggled up to me and asked me,"Mommy, carry me to bed and pretend I'm your baby."

Happy 6th Birthday to my "baby".