Worth the Wait

It has been a crazy busy week — Yay!

I am editing my little heart out, but I don’t want to keep Little Nolan’s Fans in suspense for too long.

Isn't he just scrumtious?? I can't believe he is only 6 weeks old. My babies looked like scrawny little chickens at 6 weeks old (don't tell them I said that)

 

 

Nolan is au naturale under that glove, does dad look a little nervous?

Nolan is au naturale under that glove, does dad look a little nervous?

 

  One for GiGi

One for GiGi

 

 Okay, last one. Really. I mean it. I can quit any time….

Oh alright! If you insist… but this is the last one!

 

Now back to editing.
 Or maybe ice cream.
Thank you for visiting!

A Sneakity Peek

Here are a few from the session I’m working on tonight. I got to play with these three kiddos at the Arboretum on Saturday. They were angels, every one of them. Could it have had something to do with Dad’s amazing bottomless Smarties pocket? No, I’m sure that they are this sweet all the time.

And I just can’t get enough of these two!

Don’t worry, the baby wasn’t left out of the fun…

My New Favorite Prop (sorry moms!)

I’ve had these in my bag of tricks for a few weeks, but keep getting distracted and forgetting about them. Plus all of my cutie patootie kiddos have been dressed so neatly. So cleanly. So… in white-ly. But let me just warn you: I’ve had a taste of the giant lollipop and it is going to be hard to go back.

It's not as good as he thought it would be...

It's not as good as he thought it would be...

So I hope that you can forgive me. I know that they probably stain. I know that your car will have sticky residue for months to come. I know that there will probably be tantrums until you final throw the nasty mess away during nap time. But for this?

It may just be worth it

Growing like Puppies!

One of the things I miss most about being a full time vet is watching “my” puppies grow up. It is so exciting to be a part of welcoming a new pet into a family, to walk with them through their milestones, to see them grow up into big slobbery knuckleheads. I love that. So you will have to excuse me if I transfer a little of that into my photography work. I get really attached to these kiddos. I feel so lucky to get to watch them grow up, and to play a small part in capturing the journey. Like my good buddy Keaton.
Here is a photo from our first baby session a couple of years ago:

And just look at what happened!

He is such a handsome little heartbreaker, with those big brown eyes.

And even better, his cousin was in town (they come all the way from Nevada for me to shoot their portraits! 😉 ), and I’ll be darned if he hasn’t grown up too!

Evan has always been a little on the serious side, but maybe it’s the jet lag….

But wait! There’s more!! Meet Evan’s new little brother:

Couldn’t you just eat him up??
What a treat for me! Brothers….

and Cousins…

All growing up right in front of my camera. I just can’t wait to see how they turn out!

Where was I?

Yikes! Has it really been almost a month since my last blog entry? Oh I am such a slacker!! But a very busy slacker. Here, take a look:

This little cutie patootie is just 8 weeks old, but look at how strong she is!! And already she is such a ham for the camera.

Sweet Miss E

Sweet Miss E


Keeping an eye on things

Keeping an eye on things


Aww guys, again with the smooching??

Aww guys, again with the smooching??

And look! Finally a baby who appreciates my knitting efforts!!!

Loves the Cocoon!!

Loves the Cocoon!!

I also got to go on a little field trip to a farm in Blum. This is my former technician and dear friend Lora Mae and her family. I got to do little T. Rex’s newborn portraits in the hospital, and it is such a treat for me to see how big he has gotten in just a year. Plus I got to soak up some horse smell. It took me back to my (thankfully) brief stint in the large animal clinic. Good times.

He cracks me up!

He cracks me up!


Such a poser!

Such a poser!


The Best Part of a Horse

The Best Part of a Horse

And remember last fall? My first soccer team shoot? Well the girls got new uniforms (not costumes, I am told 😉 ) so of course they needed new team portraits. Lucky me!! It was such a fun shoot – and every one of them is just lovely, inside and out.

Are you intimidated?!

Are you intimidated?!


Nothin' Gets by This Goalie

Nothin' Gets by This Goalie


Teamwork

Teamwork


Huddle

Huddle

By the way, did you notice the new logo? Pretty posh, donch’a think?!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Hero Daniel

My second Littlest Heroes Project assignment was Daniel. His mom contacted the Project when he was in the ICU after having been in cardiac arrest for an hour and 42 minutes. He is 4 years old. This was his 8th cardiac arrest.
Daniel has a chromosomal abnormality that has resulted in many problems, including a disorder called Panhypopituitarism. He was not expected to survive more than a few days after he was born, so his family just takes things one day at a time. On the phone, his mom tells me that he is blind. He is mentally impaired. He doesn’t have full control of his movements.

Knowing all of this before the shoot, I mentally prepared myself to photograph a dying child. And I wondered how they could fight so hard, again and again, to bring him back to life knowing each time that they are fighting against a terminal disease. And then I met Daniel. And he scooched over to me and stared very intently at me and gave me a little grin. And for two hours he played jokes and played catch. He tussled with his brothers and snuggled with his mom and giggled with his dad. And in the end, as I was finishing up the paperwork with his mom, Daniel climbed into my lap and wrapped his arms around my neck. As it turned out, this wasn’t a session to mourn a dying child, this was a session to celebrate a child living.

Cracking up!

Cracking up!

Hero Daniel

Hero Daniel

Happy Hero

Happy Hero

Heartbreaker

Heartbreaker

The Littlest Heroes Project

I might have mentioned that I was accepted as a photographer for The Littlest Heroes Project back in January. It is an amazing organization that coordinates portrait sessions for children with serious illness at no cost to their families. I have had two sessions so far, and it is such a tremendous experience to meet these Heroes and their families. My first was Gabe. He will be three in June. He was diagnosed with leukemia just after his first birthday and will have to continue his chemotherapy for another year. He is such a trooper, and he has these big, dark, serious eyes that just melt my heart. And then he chunked a bristle block at my head and cracked up laughing and reminded me that cancer or not, he is a two year old. Thank goodness.

armed with bristle blocks!

armed with bristle blocks!

flying bristle block!

flying bristle block!

I could get lost in these eyes

I could get lost in these eyes

Chasin' Mason Through the Blooms

It has been a busy week in the park. I got to wear my vet hat for a couple of days. Saved lives, played with puppies, did a little surgery… then crashed on the couch, dead asleep at 8:30.
Then I was so excited to get to go visit one of my little baby bundles. Miss Micah is 3 months old already and she has, without a doubt, the yummiest little rolls of baby fat I have ever seen. As a newborn she somehow managed to stay awake for the entire session. This time she took pity on me and finally snoozed. Fonzy the bassett was less cooperative, but almost as cute. He was not interested in posing with the baby, not even for bribes. We’ll have to try again when Micah is a little bigger.
sweet sleepy baby The Fonze So yummy!
Then I got to go frolick through the Dallas Arboretum with Mason. I started photographing this sweet boy when he was a year old. Now he is two… Boy is he TWO! He had too much to see and do to stop and smell the roses (quite literally!). But what fun to chase him around with his grandparents in tow.
off and running! Trying to blow bubbles img_7137_edit.jpg

I Love Babies!!

Feast your eyes on this sweet boy!! He was such a good natured little guy. Very tolerant of hats and nakedness and even tulle.
img_5741_edit_2.jpg img_5792_edit.jpg img_5466_edit.jpg
I was so excited to try out my new baby cocoon, but alas he drew the line at swaddling.
img_5645-edit.jpg
I am trying not to take this as a criticism of my knitting skills. Not the best photo, but I had to get him out quickly, before he became irreversibly splotchy!