gerber baby grows up | dallas child photographer

i have a soft spot for curls, especially ringlets. they make me smile. when this little one's mom called me to take some pictures of her baby, i couldnt wait. aside from the fact that she is just beautiful and fun and goofy, i knew that she was sporting a full head of big squishy curls and i couldnt wait. the first time i met little missy, she was just about bald. the second time there was a hint of hair. this time i about fell all over myself when i saw that not only did she have gorgeous curly hair, but she had this fabulous duo of curls that were right at home in the middle of her forehead. GLORIOUS! i had to throw in the last picture because it just makes me laugh. she was barely big enough to stand on the swing and hold on. her mom and i were a little hesitant to let her try...visions of her landing smack on her face in the dirt racing through my thought...but she has no fear and climbed right on. the look of just plain 'ole joy is what gets me. two year olds make me smile.

sweet baby M | Frisco newborn photographer

baby Micah was the sweetest little bug. his poor daddy worked all through the night and made it to bed just before we came a knockin' to take pictures. thanks guys for allowing me into your home to love on your little guy for a couple hours. he really is the sweetest little thing :)

family | dallas family photographer

i knew going in that this family was a newly blended family. his + hers = ours. the idea was to get a few of him and his kiddos, her and her kiddos and them all together. the really great part was that i couldnt tell who belonged to whom. they obviously all belonged together. how great is that?! it was free-zing during our session and i just have to say that these guys were such troopers. one was sick and the rest were trying not to be. as a side note, i especially LOVE the picture of mom with her little chicken who isnt so little anymore. he is off to college soon and they were so so cute together. thanks guys for making my job so easy :) till next time...

monkey is back!! | dallas child photographer

i. LOVE. this. family. they are fun. they are easy and they are willing to try whatever crazy thought races through my mind while we are out and about during a session. but, i have to admit, i also LOVE monkey. when they first visited me, their youngest packed around monkey like an extra limb. he was attached. dad was adament that monkey was not going to show up in any of the photos. well, you can see who won that argument. i think monkey made it in most of the pictures back then but it was not without a fight :) when little missy came to see me this year, she brought the family...the whole family which is to say, she brought monkey. she was a bit older this time so monkey was not hanging off her arm every moment but i was happy to see him popping up here and there for a quick smooch or cuddle. it is so much fun for me to see how "my kids" change between sessions. they get so big and smart and funny! but with these 2, while they did sprout up, they didnt change a bit. one is still so accommodating and sweet and polite. the other is all that with some serious "spicy" added in for fun. thanks guys for coming to see me. and THANK YOU for bringing monkey. i missed him too! see you soon...

sweet baby | dallas newborn photographer

i just love babies. i love the way they squeak and snuggie themselves right into you when you hold them. and...i love the way they smell. they smell like warmth and love :)

i was able to cuddle this precious baby one afternoon and very much enjoyed my "baby fix."

makes you wonder what she is dreaming about, doesnt it?

{thanks to my mom for making the hat. love you}

sassy pants | frisco child photographer

my little missy had the most HORRIFIC morning this morning {remember what i said about mornings at my house?} well, today we witnessed a meltdown of monumental proportions where only the cockroaches should survive.

sometimes mornings, wardrobe choices and being 6 is more than one small body can manage.

to remind me of what my child looks like when she isnt screaming, doesnt have steam coming out of her ears and daggers shooting at me out of her eyes i am posting this picture. :)

she was Selina Gomez for the day. she dressed herself, blasted the music and sang along like a pro.

have a better day, peach. i love you!

oh my goodness | dallas child photographer

mornings are absolute chaos in my house. wake up at 6:30am to get out of the house by 7:40am? almost an impossibility. someone is usually dragging a backpack while hopping on one foot trying to put a shoe on, toast crammed in the mouth {breakfast} as we all rush the door at the same time. one of the kids is either crying, fighting or whining. there is always an "uh oh! i forgot...." and i look like a traffic cop waving my arms wildly directing the mob to the car as i bellow, "keep it movin'! let's go, let's go, let's go!"


my children will most certainly grow into old age and all laugh about how they always heard me claim, "hurry up! we are running late!" we are almost never late. lateness is a pet peeve of mine but we certainly cut it close on school mornings.


i could get up earlier, of course, but experience tells me that my children just move slower, i am more sleep deprived and the end result is the same. i have packed lunches the night before, set backpacks by the door before i go to bed, and made all kinds of attempts to get as much done the night before to ease the morning rush. it doesnt help. we are who we are. there are just some things i have learned to accept about my life, embrace them really, and mornings are one of those things. :)



so, after yet another crazy morning, i find myself at my computer sipping my coffee and thinking that i havent blogged in some time. there are no sessions scheduled today. no headshots, newborns, families. there are no orthodontist appointments or doctor appointments. i do not have to be at any of my children's schools for any reason till this afternoon and no one is home sick {i am knocking on the closest thing to wood}. today seems like a good day to blog. i look at the last blog entry and see that the date was november?


wait, what month is this?

i am the poster-child for multi-tasking. change a diaper while cooking dinner and washing the dog? no problem! throw blogging in there and i aparently start smoking from the ears from system overload.

i am not going to word vomit a bunch of reasons as to why i have "gone ghost" {we moved, kiddo #2 had tonsils removed, kiddo #2 was readmitted to the hospital for complications, kiddo #3 came down with the flu, we had a very busy herd of birdz fall/ christmas season, on top of all the nuts and bolts of raising 3 busy bees} but will instead accept the fact that life sometimes gets in the way and embrace the trade-off. my trade off as of the first of the year was to sacrifice a bit of today's to do list so that i can start on tomorrow's.

i dont "do" new year's resolutions. well, i dont usually hold to them anyway. :) this year, however, {and this may seem gushy} i felt that between the jobs and the responsibilities, the schedules and appointments, the day-to-day stuff of a family and business that i was missing the point. taking my kids to the park was always on the agenda...tomorrow. stopping to appreciate the small things required, you know, stopping and there was always too much to do today so appreciating life was on the agenda for...tomorrow. when we did do things, i watched. i took pictures while my kids played. while i was behind the camera, they were 'doing' and i was 'watching.'

so starting in january i took it upon myself to start doing what was on my list for tomorrow.

we fall down in the grass, close our eyes and no one talks. then we listen. what do we hear? at first, only the obvious but after a few minutes i we slow down and hear the small things. once my son declared that the "wind is kissing my skin." we stay on the grass for only a few minutes but it is long enough. we came to a screeching halt and appreciated where we were. we appreciated each other. then we jump back up and start the busy that is our life.

i have stopped carrying my camera everywhere i go when i am with my kids. i miss the pictures that i know i would have captured, but now i am rolling around in the dirt with my little chickens instead of watching them do it without me. i am baking more. i have pulled out the crochet hook, made some things...just for fun! sewing is next. i have made contact with friends, had more playdates and sleepovers, i am coaching my teenager 5 days a week on the track so that she now out paces me by almost 5 minutes every mile. i stop and talk...to everyone. :) i am also very proud to announce that i am the indisputable queen of Wii Just Dance II. really. i am untouchable. it is a gift :) who knew?


my kids think i am hopelessly weird because i hug them all the time and kiss their faces and have water fights in the house. i dance in the isles at the grocery store and engage in random moments of "stop and appreciate." i think 'weird' is just their code word for 'cool and supremely awesome.'


so while this new path i am on definitely takes time away from my list of things to do today, i am hoping that you understand and agree when looking at my sporatic blogging past that it is all a trade-off. that as i sacrifice some of my time from today's to-do list, i dive into my list of things to do tomorrow. and...life is good.


here is a wonderfully fun family that i would like to share with you.........