hello love

scratch that.

well hello there kiddos! not sure how the week, much less september, has flown right by... it might have something to do with being busy re-unpacking. yep that's correct, crazy huge news RETRACTION going on here. the tiltons are staying right where they belong in good old ov, ca. long story short, bri's old job counter-offered and we are happy to be staying by the people we love. which brings us to this thursday's edition of:

just a little something to celebrate the great news... cheers to a fresh RE-start!

hee hee - i had a little 2pac running through my head while creating this!

anyway, check back tomorrow for a family shoot that involves lots of lovely evening light and my favorite little cowboy. i'm off to enjoy a hot date with my husband and some season premieres... fingers crossed that the office doesn't disappoint!

mer

sick day + news.

summer colds are the worst. but, that's what you get when your second grader brings more than homework home... new school year, new germs. bummer. taking a couple of days to snuggle my loves on the couch isn't too bad though. well, except for the fact that i need to be packing. what's that you say?! packing for what? well, that's our crazy huge news!!!



now this may or may not have been official for a few weeks now - eep! bri keeps teasing that i'm denial. that may be a tiny bit true... it's hard for a girl to come to terms with leaving some of her most treasured people behind. the good news is that while we are headed a state away, it's only a two hour drive. plus, all of the grandparents still live here so we will be back quite a bit. sorry sactown, you can't get rid of us that easily. the even better news is that we are headed to reno because an awesome job opportunity is waiting for bri there!

i am feeling so many things when i think about what the next two weeks hold for us... exhausted when i look at packing... nervous for miss d being the new kiddo... guilty because my mom is so sad that we're moving away... but mostly i feel relieved that we have this opportunity and adventure ahead of us. we will be healthier financially, more family focused and able to invest in creating a home.

thank you to everyone that we've already shared the news with for being so encouraging, supportive and enthusiastic! we love you :)

mer

denial...

our getaway has come and gone, but i'm still dreaming of sparkling water and tropical green trails...

can you blame me?! our trip was amazing and 8 years in the making... i think that after only a week bri and i are convinced that we may call the garden island home someday. dreaming big is so much more fun with your best friend!

we are busy settling into our summer schedule here and making sure it includes lots of playdates with our favorite friends. what's on your summer adventure lists?!

mer

love is in the air!

a few photo heavy posts coming at you :)

five years ago today, one of my very best and oldest friends said i do!

it was such a beautiful day from start to finish... ashley was a stunning bride. so classy and timeless!

you might recognize the little blondie with the duck-butt curls...miss d got her first go at being a flower girl at this wedding.

the evening was perfect...

seriously beautiful! in that photo on the bottom right, ash has a special angel pin in her hand... it belonged to her grandmother and it was pinned into the layers under her dress. while they were taking photos in the vineyards, the pin came loose and fell on the ground. she noticed it was gone and headed back to where they were taking photos... that photo is from when she found it!

details from the day...

we all danced our booties off into the night and enjoyed some photobooth antics!
one of my favorite memories from the day was when a little boy got in the photobooth in front of us. while we waited we could see his photos and he had such a serious look on his face... our friend jen popped her head in on the last frame and kissed him on the cheek - so funny!
(turns out the boy is the brother of one of d's classmates - haha!)

fast forward five years, two amazing little loves and one welcoming home later... ashley and kelly, we adore you and your sweet family! thank you for including us in so much of your big day and for being a huge part of our story... cheers to love, laughter and happy ever after!

mer

there is always one...

that completely takes my breath away.

i adore this artistic, sweet soul and her family.

i will share more from this families shoot when i am done editing. until then, i have some fun posts planned for this week!

mer

bobbing for golfballs...

happy monday chickadees! it's been longer than i'd like, but checking in seems to be a bit of a challenge for this girl. luckily the longer i wait, the more i have to share - haha! so, to get back in the swing of things we're keeping it light... on saturday, we took advantage of a break in the weather and had a super fun family date night. it's been a long time since we've done something like this and d was over the moon excited! here are a few shots from our fun-filled evening...

(photos taken with iphone photomaton app)

at one point during the mini-golf madness, the group in front of us hit a ball into the water. one guy put his head down in the hole that the ball went down so he could look in the water. d yelled, "hey look! that guy's trying to grab the ball with his teeth!" i guess, in her world it looked like he was bobbing for golfballs - hee hee!

hope you got to spend some time with your favorite people!

mer

play.

this quick little project has been dancing in my head for awhile now...

the camera is a gift from my husband. a treasure he picked up for me at an estate sale just because. what makes it so over.the.top.awesome is that it came in the original case with an instruction manual filled with beautiful vintage graphics. *swoon*

since the afternoons here have been melting into wonderful sunsets, i knew i had to take full advantage. you can just see the light peeking through in the background... i think yellow is becoming a quick favorite for me.

this image reminds me that it's important to get out and make the just for fun ideas happen! do what i love and live with purpose... it's exhilarating when work becomes play!

so, go! get out there this weekend and do something amazing! and.just.for.you. can't wait to hear what you're up to!!!

mer

and then...

on a warm july evening, three became four and they lived happily ever after...

on july 12th this last summer we welcomed a sweet little boy to our family. somehow, six adventurous months have flown by and now that tiny little love is on the verge of crawling!

on his first morning, crosby stopped breathing and was whisked away to the nicu for one horribly long week. leaving the hospital to come home without him was one of the most heartbreaking things i have ever had to do... not something you plan for. but with the support of each other and our loving families we got to bring him home and he has been our favorite sidekick ever since!

this boy's eyes sparkle and he is a charmer... he flirts with all of the ladies by making his eyebrows dance. he is a perfectly bald head and all smiles. i think he is saving his gut giggle for a rainy day. he is wonderfully mellow and attentive... just taking it all in. he explores the world with his tiny hands, scratching at new textures. he makes the funniest face when he meets other babies and they always go to grab his sweet, chubby cheeks. can you blame them really?!

to d he is a fabulous dance partner and the best audience for reading a book to. each day when we pick d up from school he leans out of my arms to greet her with a goofy grin... so much love is already there!

he is the spitting image of d and shares her dislike of being put on the grass (note angry face above). this little mister reminds me to smile each day... we love him so!

mer

crosby at six months:
- rolls over with ease
- rocks on hands and knees
- sits up with help
- still nursing (such a formula snob!)
- loves, loves big people food! (avocado, cheese, eggs, rice, banana)
- reaches out to be picked up
- sleeping through the night (finally!)
- teeth are hanging out just below the gums (chews on hands and feet)
- making recognizable sounds (da da da, mmm)

give.

can i tell you a secret? the holidays are not exactly my favorite time of year. i'm not a fan of the colder, darker days, the shopping, balancing finances, oh and the crowds. don't even get me started on the crowds - talk about a grumpy girl - ha!

so this year i decided to change my focus. no black friday, no crazy mall dashes or long wish lists. instead i wanted to make an effort to enjoy the magic and the experiences of the season... simplify. what better way to do that than give the experience of a photo shoot to families that deserve a little extra sparkle this year, no?!

enter the joyner family... this sweet family has stolen a piece of my heart for sure. i had know idea that by making the simple decision to give, i would get so much back in return... i think you will see what i mean.

joyner family from meredith tilton on Vimeo.

beautiful family and so.much.love.

thank you guys for brightening my holidays.

mer

meet the joyners...

today was a big day for this family so they've been on my mind a lot... they are my first deserving family to receive the gift of a photo shoot this holiday season :)

we were able to enjoy a session before the rain yesterday. there was a lot of giggling, silly faces and squeezing in close going on! i'm still working on their photos, but i wanted to steal a moment to share these:

morgan, jon, anna, hailey, adam and johnathan - your darling family totally rocked my world - thank you!

mer

p.s. i'm still looking for another deserving family to give a session to. so... if you know someone or are in need of some holiday cheer, please send me an email with your story to be considered.