Remember When...Tomorrow

Under Construction...

Lots of new, fun stuff going on.  I guess some people get spring-cleaning fever...I get spring-remodeling fever!  Last year I added my natural light room, which I have so enjoyed using this year!  So, this year, I wanted to add some color to the studio.  I am such a nature-girl...some call me a hippie, that I shy away from studio shoots as often as I can.  However, it gets hot...and as my Friday night shoot found out, there are BUGS out...yeah, okay, and some poison ivy, too...so I have decided to bring some of my favorite colors of nature into the studio!  Some blue sky, wild grass, grainy wood...oh, and a little brick, too. Here's phase I of like V or VI.  OH...and GREAT news...I will be moving my proofing sessions to the studio, as well!!!  Can't wait to share the finished product with everyone.  I am planning an Open House....soon...stay tuned :-)

 

 

 

Learned this pose from his sister :-)  I was just looking at the wall color....I get bright west sun in here in the summer, so I can't tell yet!

 

Just hanging out with mom!

hunky is a word, right???

Let's face it...the older we get, the less cool we get, right?  Or maybe I have never been cool and I just accept that now.  So, I had this crazy fun session last night...at the end of a long week of working sessions into my remodeling schedule!  This was a great way to end my week.  Mr. M has just been accepted into Booker T. Washington High School for Visual and Performing Arts!!!  We are so proud of him.  I have done several shoots with his younger brothers...yep, this mom has THREE boys...so last night we wanted to capture him before he heads into HS.  I have to say singing Elmo does not do it for a 14 year old boy...but when I told him he was hunky...he cracked up.  I wasn't being funny...but at least I got a laugh from him!!!  Thanks Jenn for allowing me to capture your boys and for allowing me to advertise in your store :-)  www.teach-mart.com

 

 

 

 

Yes...Mr. M you are hunky...you are going to do GREAT at Booker T...I want your autograph before you get too famous, though.

Busy boy...and girl :-)

The first year...I was able to capture  this little guy no problem, but his big sister would hide from me!  Now, she has warmed up to me after a few sessions and we can have fun together but he hides those beautiful eyes from me!  Still, we had so much fun, just capturing a family fun session, in lieu of a typical portrait session...here are a few quick ones!

T-we have to capture his eyes in the new studio as soon as we're done!!!

 

 

 

God loves hot pink...

 Proverbs 16:9...this is one of my all time favorite verses...The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.  Josh and I are big believers that God's plan for our lives involves us being active parts of the plan...but sometimes we get so caught up in our plans...we don't leave room for God to work!

Well...as you know, I offer a complimentary planning session for every client.  It is an opportunity for me to get an idea of the artwork you have in mind...and I can offer suggestions for clothing, props, locations...etc. to achieve those ideas.  So, I spoke with Miss "K's" mom a few weeks ago about a these amazing flowers in a field nearby that I wanted to caputre with a blonde haired, blue eyed child...that was a little older.  I suggested my typical spring/summer session outfit...blue, yellow, white...or cream dress, no shoes, etc. 

Well, spring is in full swing at the stores and we wound up with this really, really hot pink dress.  When I first saw it, I immediately though...OMG...how will I get this to work with red/yellow flowers?!

So, we get to the location a little early...because as God would have it, wild sunflowers only grow in the...uh...sun.  Yeah...makes is really hard to caputre images of our children's amazing eyes...when they are squinting!  So, I noticed this cool fence that I have stood in front of a million times feeding the horses, and my car was providing a bit of shade...so I started snapping images just to check the lighting...when I realized, these were "God-breathed" images...the hot pink dress, her blue eyes, the blue fence, the soft colored flowers....bam, God had a BETTER plan than me!

I did still get my red sunflowers pictures...and they are nothing short of beautiful...but I will always cherish this session...learning to trust God just a little more than the day before.

Enjoy :-)

 

  

 

Remember when...I used to blog???

Hey ya'll!  Hope you are having a terrific spring!!!  Things are crazy busy around here...but nothing new really...self-induced, as we say alot around here.  So, so many exciting things going on!  I am working with an amazing interior decorator in some re-design of my studio!  As much as everyone knows I love outdoor sessions, the truth is it gets really, really hot soon, and I want a place to be creative indoors...so keep your eyes peeled for the renovation pictures...I will be posting updates!  Second, we are having an open house mid-July...save the date cards are going out soon, so please email if you want to be included...there will be great giveaways!!!  And last but not least...if you have not booked a spring/summer outdoor session, there are only a few spots left...please call today to save your date.

Here are a few shots from a session this evening...these kids are incredible to work with.  One can only hope their children have this great relationship with one another...thanks, always Erin, for trusting me to capture this special time in your children's lives...can't wait to capture baby  #3!!!

 

 

 

 

Phone calls...down the toilet....

My sweetest little boy with his little grin where he rolls his eyes up at me....um, well, he tried to flush my blackberry while hanging out at the studio a few weeks back.  He brought me my phone and it was all wet...I looked at my client (friend) in confusion and then realized, ah-ha...my phone had just taken a dive.

New battery...fixed for a few days, but kept dropping calls, so I switched to the hyped-up iPhone earlier this week.

Standing there in the AT&T store, the rep tells me I need to set up my voicemail.  I have switched phones tons of times before and have NEVER been told this.  Apparently, the iPhone in all its glory, deserves is OWN data line.  "Um, sir, does that mean the EIGHT voicemails I received today from an ad that just ran last week are...um, gone?"  I ask. 

SILENCE.  He just stares at me like a child that has just been caught with their hands in my makeup bag.

So, to all my prospective customers, friends, and family that may have left a message from Saturday to Wednesday on my cell phone, PLEASE accept my MOST sincere apology...and call again.

Lesson...do NOT save voicemails...write down the information!!!  Oh, and do not let your 18 month old play with your cell phone.

Not perfect...

...but PERFECTly WONDERful.

My life...that is.

It seems like yesterday, that cool November afternoon, me in my "perfect"ly tailored outfit from Banana Republic and impossibly high hills because they made me feel taller when meeting with managers about their hiring needs...somewhere on that ladder I was climbing....checking the calendar again, my temperature because in my "perfect"ly planned life...I thought I could schedule a pregnancy.  This being the tenth month of "trying" to get pregnant...was just the beginning of God teaching me a new meaning to "perfect".  As, I ripped open a pregnancy test and at last saw the positive sign...I had NO IDEA how my life was about to change.

Even the next day, I was not sure how "it" was going to fit into the plan.  I had recently changed my plans, giving up on God, assuming a child wasn't in my future, and had taken an Executive Recruiter position with a well known company in Fort Worth.  Yet, sitting across from an Executive one afternoon, in a job that I had long dreamed of, trying to ignore the urge to puke, the words of planning and bonus structures going in one ear and out the other...I found that I no longer cared about where I was on the ladder.  I only knew I wanted off.  I had a baby growing inside of me and my "perfect" life was changing.

It has been four years and three months since I sent that infamous email to my amazing husband that simply said "how much do you love me?"

Four years of transforming myself from a "pefect"ly put-together corporate-ite, with a sporty Audi sedan, in a house so "perfectly" clean my own family was uncomfortable to visit, and spices that were used regularly and alphabatized...to a flip-flop, jeans and t-shirt wearing artist that lives to hear my children scream Daddy when he walks in the door, is guilty of smelling my kids heads every chance I get, has dated spices, and the floor of my red (my pregnancy hormones love color!!!) SUV disturbs me of what "that" green thing used to be...

...and yet today, I look out the window at my kids playing on a mild day in February and there "it" is....both of them...and I realize, my life couldn't be more "perfect."  My precious daughter who is caught in her own self-discovery between her love for bugs/animals and becoming a little girl  and my curly headed little boy who worships his big sister, trying to scrape out the last of her bubbles she has left behind.  I feel like my heart might explode with the love I feel for them.

My AMAZING husband has gifted me the opportunity to spend a few precious years with my little ones...and my Heavenly Father has gifted me with a creative outlet to beautifully capture each moment as I see it.

Who could ask for more?

 

 

 

 

She has figured out that he's younger and "doesn't know better..." so she will ask him to do thing I tell her she can't do!  "Zachary's helping!"  I pray daily for them to grow up to have an amazing sibling relationship.  God is hearing me :-)

Pretending it's summer...

Flip-flops, t-shirt, and jeans...that's my favorite "wishing it was summer" outfit!  I pretty much wear flip-flops anytime the weather is over 50ish....and pretend it's summer!

So, today I was working in the studio and watching the temperature get warmer and warmer...and wishing I could be outside working!  So, when my 5pm session showed up in the cutest, matching attire...I asked if 55 was too cold!?  They were up for something different...this is Miss "A's" last session in her baby plan, she just turned one!

So, we quickly went to a nearby location, racing the sun and captured some images well worth the rush!

Brody & Kelley, thank you for trusting me to catpure your precious baby's tomorrow's "remember when's" this year.  It has been an honor to get to know your family!!!

I love this one of Avery...it shows her personality that has come alive this year :-)

 

    

 

Two in one day....

Well, I had to post some of these images...I had a session last week on a WARM Thursday!  There are two things I love about a warm day in the winter...running and shooting outside :-)  So, we met at the park and then I went for a run after the session!

I didn't get to post any of this family's images from their holiday session, so I wanted to post a few from this session.

It was actually to celebrate Mr. J's 1st birthday!  He is graduating from the baby plan...my how time flies.  After a few sessions with families, I usually begin to predict what their favorite images will be...so today I am posting a few of MY favorites and saving Mr. J's mom's favorites for her viewing!

...and I am sooooooooo excited that I captured so many images of Ms. E.  She never, ever lets me take her picture but she really warmed up to me this time!

Enjoy!

 

 

Merry Christmas...Happy New Year....and...and...and...

Cool, I do still know how to work my blog!  I was afraid I might have forgotten my password, but it worked, yippie!

Okay, so it's been a while...if you are a creative person at all...scrapbooking, writing, photography, sewing, decorating, etc. you know that we all go through creative block...once in a while.  Well, I have had just that, creative block!!!  It has been nice to put the camera down, put the "pencil" down, and just take a much needed break.  It is HARD to NOT do what I love, but when God says, "take a break..." you kind of have to listen.  I finished all of my sessions and orders by early December, took a few newborn sessions and then took a break!

I had an amazing time with my family and closest friends in December celebrating the birth of my Saviour...as well as the birth of my best friend's daughter!  What a joyous event.

I also am celebrating that my daughter has taken up my love for photographing EVERYTHING.  She has learned to frame, focus, and shoot my Canon Rebel...and she's actually quite good.  She comes to get me when there is a colorful sunset, I set up her manual settings and off she goes!  She even occasionally lets me take a picture of her now.

Evie Kate and Zachary are becoming fast friends now that he is walking and talking...guess EK finally figured out that having Zachary around means TWICE as many toys...and someone to play with.  It WARMS my heart to watch them play.  I can still remember a friend/fellow photographer telling me that seeing her daughter pushing her son on the swing for the first time was when she knew she'd made the right decision to bring a second child into their family.  Well, seeing EK run to Zachary's room on Christmas morning and say "hey buddy, Santa came..." will forever be etched into my memory!

My husband bought me the most amazing gift for Christmas...a mini-vacation in the middle of winter for just the four of us!  I can not wait to stay up late, eat ice cream and swim all day with the kids...and enjoy being a family without email or telephones!

Believe it or not...Facebook has been alot of fun over the holidays.  I had the opportunity to reconnect with some old friends!  It became a major time-eater...and I have grounded myself from the application...but it was fun while it lasted.

Most of all, my sabbatical was filled with time to reflect and celebrate the amazing blessings God has gifted me in this life.  My most precious Saviour, my amazing husband and best friend...I would not be who I am today without him, my two beautiful healthy children, my parents who love my kids as much as I do, my Nana who reminded me of what really matters in life, my friends, my photography, my love for running, and my love for the lake.

You know how the painter's house is never painted?!  Well, the photographer's family is never photographed, professionally at least...  MY photographer was booked for the holiday season early this year...I would tell you who she is...but it's my secret, ha!  I did dress the family and head downtown with close friend's family with the hopes of capturing my own family after we did their session.  It was memory-making, to say the least!  Trying to teach her on the fly to focus/recompose while "posing" my family and keeping my kids happy...hmmm...well, we made some "remember whens" - and isn't that what is most important anyways?

Josh and I sat staring at our family picture on the mantle last night...and we agree, it is us.  It is who we are...where God has us...now...and for that, we'll find joy for where we are in our journey! 

I truly hope your holiday season was beautiful, memorable, and that you caught some of it on "film"!  My New Year's resolution...PRINT MY PICTURES...that is a post coming up...watch for it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have no idea where she gets her pout from, ha!  Family picture are always so much fun!

 

 

The love of my life.....I am forever grateful to spend my life with him.

Love the chubs...

If you've seen pictures of my beautiful daughter, she has some chubby cheeks.  When she was six months old, her eyelashes began to grow up into her eyes because her cheeks were so full.  I can still remember loving her each of her rolls along her legs...it was so wonderful!  I was standing in the post office one day when she was about nine months old and I saw this really chubby baby boy.  I remember thinking the only thing more wonderful than a full-bodied chubby baby girl is a chubby baby boy...now that's cute!  I dreamed of my little boy and how he would be so full and round and soft like Evie...I couldn't wait!  So, along came my gorgeous, blue-eyed, sweetest spirited little boy, ever...and he's a stick!  Never had an ounce of chub on him...weird!  He feasted on the same mommy-milk as Evie...and I ate like a pig with him since I knew he would be my last baby (I ate fish and veggies with Evie!)  Yet, my little guy...is still that little.  Soooo, when I get a cute litte chubster, I just have to love on them!

This is one of my baby planners (the baby on the antique white chair w/blue blanket!)  He just turned four months old and ah, the belly, I LOVE it...just wanted to nuzzle in his little belly, but that might be weird...so I just took pictures of his cutest ever belly!

Enjoy :-)

 

I am alive!!!

I knew it had been a while since I blogged...but didn't realize how LONG it had been.  After returning from Scottdale with Josh for the week, it was straight back to work for me!  I have been working fast and furious to stay caught up with proofing and ordering, to enusre  clients get their holidays cards in time to mail them...and to wrap their portrait gifts!

So, please forgive me for my neglected blog!  All holiday family sessions are completed now!  If you are interested in booking a spring session for your family, please contact me as soon as possible to ensure a time slot!

December is pretty much booked, except for newborns and maternity sessions!

Thank you everyone that supported me this holiday season.  I believe we all made some great memories together to "remember when" tomorrow!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!  What a special day to gather around the table and tell what we are all thankful for!

Also, FYI, I will be out of the office through Monday after Thanksgiving.  I will be answering calls and emails when I can!!!

A new location...

For those of you that are clients already...you know my love for outdoor locations by the lake!  For those of you that don't...I love outdoor locations by the lake!  My sweet husband grew up on Eagle Mountain Lake...he is the third generation to live out here and now we're raising our little ones here.  Lord willing, we will get to spend many, many years in this community!

So.........I found a new dig and the Meister family was brave enough to try it out on a whim Sunday night...and I am so pleased with the results.  There are so many great spots in this location that you will be seeing more of as the season goes on.

Angie, thank you so much to your beautiful family for allowing me to capture your tomorrow's "remember when."  It was such an honor to work with you and I look foward to sharing the rest of the images with you :-)  Yes, there are posed family portraits...but ya'll did "lifestyle" great, so I had to share!

 

 

 

 

God's amazing creation...

Everyone keeps asking where I have been...Fall shoots, kids, and doing a little travelling with my sweet husband!  I haven't had much time for blogging lately, just trying to keep up with everyone's proofs and orders :-)  I did manage to steal a few days to go to Scottdale, AZ with my sweet husband.  He had a business conference there and I got to tag along!  It was so nice just to stop and spend time together...I kind of like him...alot, as he would say :-)

Fortunately, there was some time to site-see a bit...we got up at 4am one morning to drive over an hour to a field way out in the desert...and take in God's amazing desert.  You wouldn't think the desert is so amazing, outside of the Grand Canyon, of course...but as we pulled into the field...make-shift launching pad for the Hot Air Balloon rides...we say a coyote running across the field.  Then, we loaded in the basket and up, up, and away...to the most silent place on earth.  It was music to our ears...the two of us that live such busy lives...it was amazing to just stop and listen to our hearts and to God.

After the ride, we landed on the opposite side of the desert, enjoyed some champagne together and breakfast...yep, right out there in the middle of nowhere...we enjoyed a very nice breakfast with new friends.

I have one picture that is a shadow of the balloon that looks like an explanation mark...I heard God say "!" - seriously, like what do you think of this!!!  I create this!!!  How cool am I!!!!  Enjoy it!!!  Really there were no words....He just said "!"

Straight from heaven...

I had a newborn session today for a very dear life-long friend...and what a pleasure to meet her very special, beautiful baby girl!  Due to my crazy busy schedule with Fall sessions we had to move her a few times!  Then, my little guy woke up with fever this morning, Shannon, our nanny from heaven was off today...and I have a weekend full of sessions so I didn't want to reschedule...so we improvised and did the shoot at my house and quarantined my little guy to his nursery, praise the Lord for morning naps!

So.........my friend Jennifer.  We met when we were like 2 or 3.  Our moms were great friends when we were little kids.   Mom still tells a story of how I would not go to kindergarten without my security blanket...so she told Jennifer she would have to hold my hand.  I then, wouldn't go without Jennifer.  It is so neat watching my Evie Kate grow up with her little friend Emma...it brings back such wonderful memories of me and Jennifer when we were kids.  She was always the caretaker...just had it in her, so I know she will be an amazing mommy!

My parents moved our family to the "country" when we were in sixth grade and we kind of got separated, but through the years, we will pick up every now and again and laugh about old times.

So, I was thrilled to learn Jennifer was pregnant and couldn't wait for the opportunity to capture her precious newborn.

Jennifer and Dan...congratulations!  I am so incredibly happy for you.  What a wonderful blessing Miss Rowan Elizabeth is!!!  Thank you for sharing her with me for a few hours today :-)  There are a TON more pictures...but I wanted to share a couple real quick!

 

 

...and Daddy wanted to see that baby's eyes...she performed and wrapped him around her finger!!!