grace | dallas child photographer

grace is such a good sport. she is always so willing and eager to help me with a shoot. this day was probably the warmest we encountered while in utah so i saw my opportunity, grabbed the tutus, the kids and an armful of clothes and ran out the door. although these used to be my old stomping grounds, i havent lived in this beautiful state in a loooong while. things change. new buildings sprout up. so scouting a spot to shoot on this day literally consisted of driving around, see something i like, haul my kiddo out of the car and hike across the snow and hope for the best.

i just love her facial expressions. i really never know what her mood is till it just happens.

here we are at the beginning...


this is into it about 10 minutes...
now at about 12 minutes...
and the end when i promised ice cream for a speedy, job well done.
kids are great. live by their rules and life is good: be simple. be quick. be fun. eat sweets.

brandon | dallas child photographer

my nephew. i could just squeeze him. i mean, look at that face. squeezy. now this face is as innocent as it looks. what a sweet natured boy.

i was so excited to finally get some pictures of this face without the binki. he has that thing in his mouth so much one would think that he needs it to breathe.

ahh, look at this face! and those lips. just down right huggable.

ok, i love this picture. i think it's the sewater...or maybe its because he is such a boy. and so couldnt care less that we were all right there with him. to him, this moment was about a man and his truck and the open road.

love you.

mountain princess | dallas child photographer

well, we made the long trek home to utah for the holidays. its a long drive, road conditions can be a little hairy, one or all of my kids come down with a major illness. when all of "the family" converge on one spot we rival a crowd at a rock concert. to say that our time with family is chaotic and crazed would be, well, accurate...and i LOVE every minute.

i love the blizzards - white outs would be preferrable - the cozy wood burning stove flickering all day and night, the twinkle of the christmas lights and my mom's kitchen counter littered with a variety of christmas sweets from neighbors, family, friends. i love that when my sisters and i arrive with our children in tow, mom's front entry is warm and inviting...and orderly. what i love even more is once all six grandkids shed their many layers of hats, mittens, scarves, jackets, snow boots and anything else they wore to stay warm, a few articles find their way to the hooks meant to hang coats but most wind up in a mangled pile of cloth and clumps of snow on the stone floor. some may see clutter and mess. i smile and see "home."

only two out of six of the grandkids now live in utah and although we try to head home as often as possible and they come our way, its just not enough. little missy in the pictures below is noticeably scarce on my blog, website, and walls in my home. my goal on this trip was to rectify that issue...and after finally making my way through 1300 images of this kid...i think i achieved my goal.

she has the most beautiful eyes and a look that should tell all of you who don't know her that she isn't as innocent as she looks! :)

as many of you know, i shoot for tutu la-roo. poor madison loves the tutus but is so far away that she is never part of our photo sessions, so this time we brought the session to her. she was such a trooper. it was a wee bit chilly outside and this little girly was in tights and a bit of tulle. i can only imagine the draft!

thank you for being such a good sport maddy. we love you. you are beautiful!

herd of birdz on the cover | dallas child photographer

check out my neice abbie on the cover of a florida based magazine! i was so honored when they contacted me after having seen our website and asked if they could use one of our images for their cover. LOVE IT

the folks at parentguide.com are so nice and great to work with. thanks for the opportunity to be a part of your world. :)

miss brewer | dallas child photographer

this little spit-fire was such a blast...so much older than her years and very goofy. i loved it! her facial expressions were so funny that half the time i was wiping the tears from my eyes from laughing, all-the-while hoping that i had the presence of mind to get the picture!!

what a fun morning. thank you

so serious | dallas child photographer

when this little bug's mom called me to do a session, she warned me. good luck getting a smile. she was right. i used all my tricks, and tried a few new ones, but this little girly had a mind of her own. now, while we did capture the elusive smile that mom reeeeally wanted, i just loved the seriousness of this small squeezy-cheeked-blue-eyed princess.

a special thank you to the kotas family for loaning us the frog. what a GREAT frog! she loved it

my almost-holiday card | dallas child photographer

well, the holiday season was crazy, exciting, and...fast! we burned the midnight oil to get each christmas card order delivered on time but somehow in the frenzied pace we have been keeping since the end of september, i forgot to order MY christmas cards!!!

i dressed the kids, bribed the kids, took pictures of the kids, bribed the kids some more for the chance to take "just a few more" pictures all in the name of holiday greeting cards. now, here i am five days before christmas and not a single alldredge family card to show for it.

so i am posting these images for my friends and family, with my tail between my legs, in a ditch effort to wish everyone a very merry christmas and a stellar 2009!



i absolutely love that this image is out of focus and full of action. i can just hear gracie laughing as she dodges the flying leaves.