I cried ...

... while I edited these pictures. I don't miss San Antonio itself in the least, but there are a few families there who I miss more than I can say. I still can't believe they're not just a few miles away anymore. Meet one of those families ...



Santi ... 15 months younger, but 15 pounds heavier than my daughter ...



Catherine ... obsessed with Mary Poppins and therefore umbrellas ...



Sam is deployed to Iraq right now and will be gone for a year. I'm so glad that we were able to get these shots just a few days before he left!







Sam & Elizabeth ...









If you're wondering, they look great in color too!

Prop Insanity

I got to participate in prop pose-a-thon. 30 photographers were given a prop and asked to photograph it creatively. The prop chosen was a pair of Knotty Baby Wear's black and lime baby leg warmers. They would still fit my "baby" girl, but she refuses to put them on her legs. They're much better on her arms or head. So, I took pictures of the kids with the leg warmers tied around their heads. I entered the one of the boy into the contest. You can see all of the entries here. Check out the one of the leg warmers on the dog! The prize is 4 pairs of Knotty Baby Wear leg warmers. Wish me luck!

Baby Levi

I was the second person he ever smiled at.

He has my daughter totally mesmerized.

He is Baby Levi, Little Levi, LL, Mr. L and so on.

He has creamy skin and a rosebud mouth.

He has sweet baby feet.

He has a fabulous a big brother and a fabulous big sister.

He's my nephew!

3, 2, 1, not even 1

The 3 year old ...
The 2 year old ...
The 1 year old ...
And 3 months ...


Thank you Whyles! You are a beautiful family!

Practice

My baby girl was helping me out today. She helped me with my lighting, but she was also being a typical 2 year old. I got lighting practice and patience practice! Bring on the 2 year olds!!

Beautiful Family. Beautiful Place.

The Japanese Tea Gardens are a beautiful place for a photo shoot. When you have a great family to go along with it, the rest is easy.

Mom and Dad ...

The family ...


I thought this was a fun crop!


Big Brother
He's VERY excited that he's almost 4 years old.


Little Sister
We had just seen a princes (aka a bride who was having her bridal portraits taken) and sister was all smiles!

I got to put a new texture to work for this one ...

Thank you Hildebrand family!

Location, Location, Location

I never thought that going into a gourmet popcorn shop would lead to these pictures. I love the way these things happen, when one thing leads to another. As my family and I were nibbling on popcorn samples (everyone MUST try the Chicago Blend, by the way), we met the owner. Next thing I know, we're emailing about where to take her family's pictures! Her husband owns an industrial manufacturing center. Where better to take photos than the place that has allowed the family to sustain itself for 4 generations! I LOVE it when people have ideas about locations that are so personal ... and this one in particular was just plain COOL! I got to do something that I hadn't tried before, like making the subject blurry to show motion. SO fun! Thank you Tara and family and thank you Papa Dean's Popcorn!

The Princess

Our baby is now 2 1/2. Amazing ...

I'm a Minnesota girl ...

... but Texas is growing on me. Aside from it being 80º in the middle of December, the Higeys are here! They're definitely one of my favorite families.

There's Elijah whose hair I just can't get enough of!


Salem ... seriously, the hair on these kids is gorgeous!



And then there's Baby Aaron who you saw a few months ago. Don't worry, Aaron, I'm sure you'll get some hair soon!