I had the pleasure of working with one of my most fav families again tonight! I was giddy when mom showed up with the following arsenal of photo session supplies:

1. a polka dot cake to commemorate his first birthday
2. the oh-so-cool monkey jacket for the little guy
3. a cupcake for me
3. yellow heels for herself
4. and a onesie that CRACKED me up! (you’ll see).

Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that this was the most smiliing, happiest little one ever. Guys, it was great to see you again and I had a wonderful time!!!! Enjoy!! (M…I *know* you’re on here!)

BTW, this isn’t their first appearance on the blog…you may remember this gang from here, here, and even here. And thank you yet again to Baby Coco for letting us use their beautiful boutique as our backdrop. C…you’re wonderful!

Also a quick update on the booking calendar for ‘08: I only have openings left in October (and not many), so if you were planning to schedule a session, please contact me ASAP.

Thanks and Happy Labor Day (my 2nd son was born on Labor Day three years ago ;-)).

That describes the time I had tonight and the view from atop Mt. Bonnell in Austin. We were SO lucky to have such perfect weather and a perfect sunset glow tonight. But the glow from this couple definitely made for an outstanding session!

Speaking of wind (S & F, you can start giggling now), you guys would NOT believe what we went through trying to set up this elaborate tea light scene at sunset tonight. Duh, Michele. You’re on top of a mountain…there just *might* be a slight breeze. I kid you not, we had about 30+ little tea lights, all three of us frantically trying to light them (we have the burns to prove it). We had about a handful left to light and *poof!* along comes a breeze that blows out every single one of those puppies! We tried and tried and tried…finally, we threw out the rest in favor of one. Turns out, one candle can be *very* romantical:

Last night as I collapsed into bed, I was trying to figure out why all of a sudden there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day. Mostly, I was trying to determine if I could actually make it any longer at this pace I seem to be going. ;-) And then it hit me: I’m back to full-time mommy status. I haven’t been full-time mommy status in many, many months, but wow, it always has been THE hardest job I have ever done. Not that my boys are particularly demanding, but we just stay busy ALL day long. And you can forget trying to make or return phone calls during the day. That is probably the hardest part…by the time I get a moment to make a phone call, it’s usually too late. Sigh.

And by the time the hubs gets home from work, then it’s my turn to “clock in” and catch up on my work, but I’ll tell ya, this baby just isn’t letting me pull those all-nighters that I’m used to. I’m embarrassed to admit that I was so relieved to remember that the boys will be back in school in just a week so I can have a few daylight hours to focus on work. But for right now, there just isn’t any time.

I’m whining, aren’t I? Well, that wasn’t really the point of this post. The point is that I also realized just how LUCKY I have been to get this time to spend with my boys (especially before their little sister arrives). They are just so charming and creative and funny and man, I really shouldn’t take any of this time for granted. I loved this picture above of my youngest regally dining on his sketti.

So yes, there is definitely not enough time. And there never will be enough time. I think I need to quit worrying about time and focus on the moments. It’s time.

…from this session. I’m having a lot of fun with the post-processing on these, can you tell? I think you can take certain liberties with sessions like this. It’s nice to do something different every now and then.

You may remember my little “Romeo” (not his real name, but he is quite the charmer). Well, I had the honor of photographing him on his official 6 month birthday and lo and behold, I got to work with him again on his official 1 year birthday! We met up at the neatest loft in downtown Austin to do the photo session. He kept me on my toes this time around, that’s for sure. But oh, he’s so cute!

It was a very elegant maternity session this weekend, although this first one is a bit whimsical. This mom-to-be (again) is just positively glowing and I can’t wait to meet the newest addition to the family. Here are just a few peeks (most of the images are more personal).

Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE maternity sessions? Especially urban maternity. There’s just something so exciting and a little bit daring about a beautifully pregnant mom-to-be glowing amidst an urban background. When I called them today to let them know I had arrived downtown and she said, “We’re in a yellow vette,” I knew I would be in trouble. ;-) People after my own heart. SOOOO many fav’s from this session!

Well, that line is probably more directed toward myself ;-). In spite of my careful planning, everything seemed to hit all at the same time AND I’m back to full-time mommy status until the kids start pre-school next month, so I’m so very behind right now. (Makes me *really* appreciate everything the hubs did for us when he was out for the summer.)

So, for those of you waiting for an e-mail response or a proof set or design work, please know that I haven’t forgotten about you, I’m just trying to dig myself out from under this mountain of “to do’s” right now.

(This pic is an oldie from last spring, but I like it.)

Warning: Snapshot Alert!
Before you go any further, please know that even photographers get tired of taking pictures and can feel too much pressure to perform…even on family vacations. These aren’t masterpieces, that’s for sure, and the quality is horrid, but I think they will serve their purpose of preserving some wonderful memories.

We were fortunate enough to escape to the San Antonio Riverwalk for a few days of some *much needed* recooperation and family time before the hubs goes back to school. I intentionally did not take Big Bertha (the 5D) and instead, dusted off the old Rebel XT. Kind of a mistake, but in a way, it was good for me to NOT feel like I had to capture every single beautiful moment/thing on camera. I took a few snapshots, battery died, and that was that. So, here is how we spent the last few days of our summer vacation. (I just LOVED watching the boys clutch their little suitcases in the hotel lobby. They were so into it!)

Within the first 5 minutes of arriving, we had a potentially major disaster: T dropped his prized marble off the balcony. We watched it in slow motion, PRAYING it didn’t hit someone in the head. Whoa, that was scary!

My absolute favorite picture from the trip. I was bound and determined we were going to sleep in one morning, order room service, and watch cartoons. Room service was such a forbidden and a very rare treat growing up (not like we traveled a lot and I had it maybe twice?) but I desperately wanted my kids to experience it. And we did. And it was a blast!

Whatever I lack in energy these days, these two brothers sure made up for it. I’m not talking the run-around, crazy kiddo kind of energy. These cuties were full of life and excitement and appreciation for everything we explored today.

Thought I’d post this last one just for C man, the animal lover. This was our “friend” during the shoot today. He was the tamest, cutest little rodent I had ever seen: