Little Hero Of the Month...March

 This is Kiylei  Fortune!!!!! She is Tonya Winters Photography's Little Hero for the month of March.  I met Kiylei when she was 4 years old. When her dad and my husband taught an Army course together in Hawaii.
My first impression of Kiylei was...what a little red-headed spit fire. (in a good way)  Kiylei and I soon become best buddies, doing all sorts of fun activities together. Our favorite was dancing around the living room to "I'm A Real Wild Child", from PRETTY WOMAN!  It was kinda Kiylie's theme song. :) 

In 2008, Kiylei moved back to Montana along with her mom and brother. Her dad moved to Fort Campbell, KY. This would be her first experience of being separated from him.  Since then, Kiylei has seen her Dad through not one, but two deployments.  She has said goodbye for more TDY trips, training exercises, and Army schools that she cares to, or can count.  Her Mom and brother provided her with the stability and the sense of security she needed during these times when the Army called her dad to duty.  When I asked Kiylei what it meant to her to have grown up an Army Brat she said, "Being an Army Brat has given her experiences, structure and a perspective on life she would not have had otherwise."

Now, you might be thinking, she is a little old to be considered a "Little" Hero.  Just keep reading and you will see why she is this months feature.  Kiylei has watched her mom stand beside her dad with great strength and support as he grew in the ranks as an Enlisted Soldier and then stood in support again when he attend OCS to become an officer.  Seeing her father's growth as an American Soldier, her mother's strength, and with the support of her brother,  Kiylie had the inspiration and guidance she needed to stand before her father, raise her right hand and take the oath to go become and American Soldier herself.   Kiylie says, " Taking that oath makes her part of something honorable. It means taking on a challenge and becoming part of something much bigger than yourself."  Kiylei will always be My Little Hero, but now she gets to be her Countries Hero!
 I'm sure her Mom and Dad would agree!
 

                      * photo courtesy of Jessie Moore Photography, Billings, Montana

Kiylei being sworn into the Army by her father, 1LT  Mike Fortune.

Puppy Love

Best 11 of 2011

Before I dive head first into  2012, I wanted to take a moment and reflect on last year. It was my 1st year in business and with the encouragement from family and friends it was an amazing year. Not to mention....it was in Hawaii.  I was looking back at photos late one night when I decided to do this post. While I had tons of favorites, at least one from every session, I wanted to pick out just a few of my fave. Scroll on down and see if you made the list. If not, don't feel bad, I still feel blessed that each and everyone of my clients......family & friends, trusted me with making memories for their families.

Have a Wonderful and Blessed 2012!!!!!

Little Hero of the Month

Hello Everyone! Meet two years old Logan Fye, our LITTLE HERO of the Month!!!!!   Logan is the son of  U.S. Army Soldier, Nate Fye stationed with HHC JRCF at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. 

Logan is your typical fun loving little boy...getting into things, climbing, and being the little clown of the family.  Logan loved the camera and could definitely grow up to be a GQ model!!!!  There was also a time I thought he and I might be taking a dip in the freezing pond water.  Logan also has a loving side, I love little boy love.  Logan has a soft spot for others who might be hurting or not feeling well, and always wants to kiss or hug the hurt away.  What you might not know about Logan is, he has a delayed speech problem and is in speech therapy were he is learning sign language.  His big sisters, Gabby 7 and Haley 5 help their little brother practice his sign language. Gabby and Haley are also  big helpers around the house while their step-dad is working long hours.

I asked Haley why soldiers are so special?  She looked at me with those adorable eyes and said, 

"They protect us from the bad guys." True Haley, true!

The Fye Family is a very proud military family! The children love going with Dad to formation, sporting their PT uniforms,and might someday be soldiers themselves.

Introducing January's Little Hero of the Month:  Logan Fye

 Gabby, the miracle girl who was born at 32 weeks and has proved the doctors wrong all the way!!!!  Gabby loves school, reading, and playing with her friends.



















Big hearted Haley, the animal lover and chef of the family.  Haley loves all animals, has been adjusting to Kindergarten, and likes a little alone time to draw and color.

Nix Family

Katy is my dear friend. Her daughter Sara is one of my favorite modles. 5 months ago, Katy added a new model to my business. However, we had no photos of the "NEW" Nix Family all together. Katy is always up for something fun!  Her being a baker in all, I thought we would have a little fun with that theme. I'm sooooo glad her husband, Josh, was a good sport about it and went along with the fun!!!!!  How cute is this new family of 4!!!!!!

Prom Princess

What a sweet young lady she is!  Cody is the daughter of a friend of a friend of mine.  Her mom and step-dad psc'd (moved....for you non-military folk) to Hawaii right before Cody's Jr. Prom.  When she came to visit her mother she just happened to bring along her prom dress.  Since her mom was going to miss this special event she wanted a few memories of Cody captured in her beautiful dress. I think we did just that!

Meet Baby Aidan

Aidan's mommy and I are good friends. I took lots of pictures of her before Aidan James made his debut in early March. He is so sweet and cuddly....I could hold him allllll day!!!! I was so excited when his mommy asked me to get a photo for his birth announcement. The first day I went over to Aidan's house and we hung out in his room. He was not a fan of my camera, so we had a little talk and the second day he was the perfect model. Here are a few of my favorites!