all girl | dallas child photographer

this funny little girlie had so much to contend with on this shoot. first, she is a girl who is not fond of bugs and since we were in the tall grasses for quite a bit...well...

second, no one told me the kiddo was allergic to those tall grasses. the poor thing was itching and scratching and snotting and sneezing and watering (eyes) toward the last bit. by the time i figured it out, it was too late. :(

third, she is a goof and goofs are free spirits. anyone who knows a free spirit knows they are busy being free... i kept calling her a goof ball every third shot or so. after hearing me call her that for the 10th time, she insisted she simply had no idea why i would call her that. hmmm...i dont know, you be the judge (see the last picture)

miss em...you were great fun and i must say that this first picture...well, i could look at it ALL DAY LONG. there is something about you that is captivating and dreamy and beautiful.

"i love you good" | dallas child photographer

is it possible to love your child too much?

you know, we were done having kids after our second child. 2 girls. it was perfect. an even number. pink and purple and flowers and nail polish invaded every nook and cranny in our home. it worked.

then we had our son. i remember when the doctor told me that we were having a boy. ok, it was a bit of a suprise that i was even in the doctor's office having an ultrasound for my third child - we done after 2 remember - but a boy? my mind flooded. how would this change the dynamic with the girls and their dad? would he bond more with a son than with his girls? how would this disrupt things? a boy? what was i supposed to do with a boy? to my suprise, my husband's reaction was much the same...a boy? but we were so good with girls...

then this beautiful baby came into our lives and changed it forever. we were complete. somehow, before, we werent. but now we were. he is the bridge between the girls. he is the baby. he is strong but he is sweet. and he just knows how to speak right to my heart.

this is common in our daily routine right now...

"i love you ben"
"i love you too momma"
"but i love you more"
as he grabs me by the cheeks with both of his hands and lays his cheek against mine, he says, "but i love you good."

and my heart is full.....

tough as they come | dallas commercial photographer

these three braved the rain, the texas wind (remember dorothy and the flying house?), and potty breaks in the wild to model this fun line. the fact that they couldn't stop "petting" the clothes is likely what kept them in the game despite the conditions to get the photos we needed. the really great part? we had a blast. we had loads of snacks and the largest collection of polly pockets known to man :)

we shot this line a few weeks ago and i blogged a couple images. the response was so huge that the designer gave us the red light on sharing any more images till now...can you believe that hat?! i swear, i am going to order the biggest size and make it fit me.

miss personality | dallas child photographer

little miss 'thang' was so incredibly cute. i love. love. love. kids like this kid. she was fun when she was feisty. she was fun when she was tired. she was fun when she had had enough...plus, she adores her mom. i love that.

happy mother's day, cory. your kiddo is amazing!

the winner{s}!! | dallas child photographer

last week's expo...what an experience!

we pulled up to the back door of the facility at 8 am ready to make 30 minutes of trips between the car and our booth, unloading everything for the exhibit but as soon as we stepped out of the car, event volunteers descended. within minutes we had the exhibits out, placed in our booth, the car parked, kids in the stroller and a 10 year old volunteer who was ready to do our bidding. every 10 minutes or so one of the event coordinators would meander by asking if we needed anything, a drink, a potty break, coffee... these people were FABULOUS.

our booth design was fun and i loved the fact that during this event i had just as many boys and fathers stroll in because they wanted to and not just because they followed their mother/wife/girlfriend in. :) the people were so much fun and the turn out was great. so much so that the jar holding the entries for our free drawing was almost overflowing.

now, with so many entries, i simply cant choose just one name to win so this is what i decided to do: the first drawing wins the package listed at the expo. the next 3 drawings will win a credit toward a future session.

#1 Jennifer from Frisco. CONGRATULATIONS! you have won a free session for up to 3 people, a mounted 8x12 portrait from your session and 3 petite accordian albums.

#2 Katie from Southlake. CONGRATULATION! you have won a $295 credit toward a gallery disc package.

#3 Essence from Arlington. CONGRATULATIONS! you have won a $295 credit toward a gallery disc package.

#4 Andi from Houston. CONGRATULATIONS! you have won a $295 credit toward a gallery disc package.

i will be calling each of you to work out the details. thanks again to everyone who helped make this event a success and i look forward to seeing you soon at your next session!

- peace

post kids expo | dallas child photographer

well, the expo was a huge hit. thanks to all who stopped by my booth. despite the nasty weather, there was still a huge crowd. i will be announcing the winner of our drawing in the next couple of days so keep your eyes peeled...it could be YOU!

i have to share something cute about the comments that i continually received all day about the pictures of the kids i had on display.

mary...so many people came by, saw your kiddo's pictures and said, "Oh! that's the kid with the eyes...i've seen her before. she is stunning. you said she was how old?"

suzanne...i have a blow up of your little peanut that i have added to my display and she is now enjoying rock star status because i cant tell you how many people said, "isn't that the JC Penney baby?"

hollie...i am soooo happy that i blew up a photo of your kiddo with the guitar because even boys wandering around - older boys - without their parents were stopping by because they thought your kid was "way cool."

lisa...the picture of you and your hubby? well...people ooohed and ahhhed over it. i heard one dad say, "she actually looks like she likes him." :) HA!

one woman asked me what my photos of real kids looked like. uhhh...what? well, she thought that all the kids in the photos were models that i had worked with and she wanted to see pictures of the every day average kid so she could decide whether she wanted to book a session for her kiddo... you should have seen her face when i told her that all of your kids were my every day average kid pictures.

your kids are all so beautiful i wanted to share with you what other people had to say.

till next time...peace

kids expo | dallas child photographer

come out and see us on saturday may 2 (tomorrow!!) from noon-5 at the kids expo. this thing looks as though it will be huge, loads of fun stuff for the kids to do, lots of vendors that might offer something that you cant live without :) and Herd of Birdz!! we will have a drawing for some really great stuff, if you book a session that day you will receive a 50% (!!!) credit toward your purchase and other great-cant-miss-it stuff.

if you have been sitting on the fence wanting a fun photo session but are worried about the cost, tomorrow is your day to hop off of that fence and book. a 50% credit!!! it doesnt get much better than that - unless of course, you win the drawing. :)

we hope to see you there