Catching Up!

Bloggy Land! I have not meant to forsake you! Things have been super busy around here and I just don't know how photogs who update every day do it! I would love to, that's my goal, but unfortunately, until I hire an assistant, that probably will not work out as such!

Well, first of all, Happy (belated) Father's Day to you daddies! I hope you had a wonderful time with your kiddos!!!
We celebrated with my dad and family a week early because this past weekend was my hubby's birthday, (but we'll get to that next.)

The fam came up to our home and my wonderful chef of a husband made a delicious spaghetti lunch (with from-scratch sauce!), and garlic rolls, and salad, and I made the dessert. (An angel food cake cut into layers with a filling of Cool Whip, vanilla pudding, and crushed pineapple mixed in between the layers, then topped with strawberries. Yum-O!)

After lunch we hit the 'ole horse shoes in the backyard, (a new addition)! My mother-in-law gave us the horse shoes for Christmas two years ago but we had never gotten them out because my husband sort of has a vision for landscaping our backyard, and he wasn't quite sure how to incorporate the horse shoe set-up. Well, we have friends who live on some land in Sanger, and in exchange for my husband helping them landscape their yard, (his favorite pastime!), they let him have some of their flagstone rocks that grow out of their land! So with the rocks, my husband made two horse shoe pits as a new, permanent fixture in our backyard.

He got a ringer!

Afterward, we just relaxed and talked on the porch for a while until it was time for them to leave. A wonderful, family day!

This past Saturday was my husband's 26th birthday. He loves to go camping - strictly the traditional, tent sleeping-grill cooking- fire building type. So we went! We left Friday afternoon for Lake Tawakoni, east of Dallas.

In the past when we've gone camping, we have left our dogs at home with a doggie-sitter, but we knew they would LOVE it, so we caved and took them along this time. They were pretty good. I know they had a great time! Around our campsite we left them off their leash, just to see what they'd do, and surprisingly they stayed pretty close to us and would obey us if they strayed and we called them back.
Oh boy, when we first arrived, after the 2 hour car ride, they bolted out of the back and straight in to the trees and down to the lakeside. Pearl, our wily one, ran headlong into the lake water! It was so funny though because I don't think she's ever been in a pool of water before, to where she could actually splash about, and boy did she splash! She stomped around and ducked her head under water, and kept opening her mouth, like she was biting the water! It was hilarious!

Here is a video of it - (After we saw her reaction to the water is when I thought to get the camera, so she's a little simmered down by this time!)

We took several walks around the park. Their beach area was beautiful! Everything was so clean and well-kept. There were several little guys buzzing around on their bicycles and you could hear laughter from the boats on the water. By the lakeside there was a breeze and it felt wonderful to sit at the picnic table and relax.

I would have liked to go swimming, but we couldn't, so we just dipped our feet in the water. (A little ailment of having the puppies with us - dogs aren't allowed in the beach area, so we would have had to tie them up if we went swimming, and with Pearl's barking maniacally, that would have lasted for about .36 seconds.)

Stuart cooked a wonderful dinner of steak and grillin' beans.

Steak tongs compliments of the Great Outdoors...

Highlight of the trip: spending quality, fun time together in the fresh air.
Downfall of the trip: ....remember that video of Pearl pouncing around in the water? Well, not only was it, oh about, 118 degrees in our two-person-sized tent at night with no air moving whatsoever, but throw in two stinky, sweaty, fur-shedding dogs, and well, that's a night that could rival the luxury of our last trip away.... kidding... of course....

Today, I got a new summer do, hairdo, that is!

How is it possible to take a hand-held-self-snapshot without it looking like you're 12-yrs.-old, taking the picture for the sole purpose of your friends on Myspace?
Well, now that I mention it, sort of similar situation here, being that blogs are the adult version of Myspace, (equal amounts of addiction and life-neglecting while perusing the sites), and I took the picture for the sole purpose of showing you all!

...this was the least cheesiest shot...

And then tonight, to top off these fun past couple days, I invested in the Canon 5D!

I'm so thrilled I could giggle! I have a busy week of shoots, and not to mention a wedding this weekend, so she will be broken in quickly!!
Hoorah, indeed.

Summer Lovin'

Remember this little man?

I think it's safe to say he's put on a few pounds in the past couple months!

W is now a growing 7-mo.-old, sitting up like a champ, and drooling with the best of 'em!

We had a fun morning last Saturday, playing at a park near their home. (I love his summer hat!)

It was hilarious - as soon as W got up on his daddy's shoulders, he just started cracking up. Like, 'what's this new world up here?!' Pretty exhilarating for a little guy! (And for daddy, getting to make his buddy that happy!)

He has definitely discovered his feet! I love that trait at this age.

Go for it, W, never again will they taste so good! Wait... that sort of sounds like I would know based on trial and error... W, that was just an assumption on my part.

Happy summer, little man! Enjoy this new world of the warmth of sun on your face and the coolness of water splashing between those toes.

2.5 Memories

Meet 2.5-yr.-old, T, perched on his daddy, holding the simplest, most enjoyable, natural, outdoor toys! (It's so cute how most little boys all gravitate toward the same instinctual behavior...jumping, picking up sticks, looking at rocks, rough-housing with daddy, finding lizards, etc. Little boys just being themselves!)

Though his baby sister, 9-mo.-old, E, is too small for most of those toddler activities, she certainly enjoyed being outside as well, and was good at hunting for pieces of grass, or other various items that, when you are pint-sized, sitting on the ground merely inches from the world below, need to be inspected! (We just tried to keep Mother Earth out of her mouth.)
But look at those sweet, baby teeth! She has to keep her gums soothed somehow!
:)

The main goal of our meeting was for a precious family tradition. Being that T is 2 & a 1/2, it was time for his portrait to be hung on the wall next to his daddy's and other family members who have had this time captured as well at this age. What a wonderful family tie that these kiddos can pass down to their children, going to Gramsy's house comparing the portraits of loved ones during their toddler years.

Who wouldn't want to preserve this fun-loving age?!

(Oh, little E, I envy your outfit selections! Your mommy has you in the cutest clothes, just so you know...)

Before you know it, it will be this beauty's time to share in this 2.5 tradition, (though she'll never be this precious age again, as well, so here's to being almost 10 mons.!)

Pink Bundle

Meet our newest Chickadee Planner, beautiful K - resting as snuggly as she did in her mommy's tummy like in her first photo framed behind her.

She was so calm and content for her whole session! Her mommy timed it just right that she was a full, happy baby during her morning shoot, which made her so easy to mold and curl as only newbies can.
(This is the hat she was given in the hospital. Love little mementos like that!)

Oh, that foot! Precious.

As you can see, she's already melted her daddy's heart.

We wanted to be sure and see those pretty eyes for some shots, so we woke up K at the end of her session, and she was happy to see her mommy!

Sweet 16 + Smart Guy & Tiny Dancer

Last week I met this fun-loving family, (with a mommy that has awesome style for matching everyone in a non-matchy way!)

This 8-yr.-old little man was truly that... a little man! Speaking with him, he is so intelligent and we had a logical, mature conversation about the difference between girls that are friends and a "girlfriend". (His friend at school is a girl that is a friend because she is good at playing games, and fun to hang out with, but she is not his "girlfriend" because he does not love her. You have to love her if she is your "girlfriend"....)

He is a big help with his little sister, as well. She took a little while to warm up to playing together while we took pictures, but big brother explained matter-of-factly that "she is 3, and is kind of shy at first."

The two little ones share their mommy & daddy with cousin J. Having a teenager to look up to is something they will never forget, well at least brother is old enough to remember, but I know that little M loves having a sister-figure around as well!

J is 16 and loves the color lime green! She was excited when she moved in with her aunt & uncle because she was able to paint her room any color, and of course she chose lime green!

And ballerina, M, is the life of the party! She danced for me, and we sang "The Wheels on the Bus", and she introduced me to her security blanket, Ninny, oh and her Island Princess Barbie... or the doll had some title of that nature...

The family finished our morning with playing Frisbee on the courthouse lawn - great idea, S!
It was a wonderful morning, and I had a fun time meeting you all!

love of b/w

I adore black & white images.

As much as I love the bold colors of childhood that pop in a primary-toned environment, black/white's drama and emotion evoke the softer, and sweeter side of portraiture.

While editing away this past week, I decided to share my favorite black/whites of recent clients' sessions. There are several, so scooch down in your chair, and get comfy...

*This one was actually an outtake. We took the blanket off and pacifier out for the 'real' shots, but I loved how sweet and serene she looked here, so I kept it! I love that... when outtakes become one of my favorites.