My friend Lauren pointed out to me today that I had not blogged about my baby girl in a while…well, not as often as I used to…how about that? So, for my purposes (since my blog also serves as a personal record of my family’s history), here’s what’s going on in Miss A’s world as of late:

1. Two words: Separation Anxiety. And it is driving me up the wall. I love her. I do. I adore her. I do. But I just cannot spend every minute of my day with her in my arms in spite of how much she begs and protests. It’s so bad that I have to hide in my "Cave of Wonders" (that’s what we call my office) and I literally don’t come out to eat, drink, or even go to the bathroom for fear that she’ll see me and pitch a royal one.  You’ll even notice in the above images how "happy" she is that I’m occupied with the camera and not with her.

2. That would be why I haven’t posted as many pics of her. The child literally won’t let me put her down long enough for me to pick up the camera.

3. In spite of all that, she’s still cute as hell.

4. She LOVES to do the dishes with her brothers:

5. Speaking of brothers, I came across and old picture of T-man yesterday that stopped in my tracks.  I guess it was from about 3 years ago? My sister is always telling me how much Amry looks like T, but I never really saw it, until this image:

Well, maybe it’s not the best of one Amry to compare, but that face T’s making…oh, I see that face ALL the time from Amry.

6. Also speaking of brothers…while I know this post is about Amry, I just have to share this recent development. My husband and I discovered yesterday that the boys (who spend most of their days beating up on eachother) have started sleeping in the same bed. This cracked me up. I walked into find the first frame, but the second they heard the camera click, they immediately rolled to opposite sides of the bed:

7. Back to "Scram-ro" (we’ve nicknamed her that because she’s so very "scrammy.") – What else?

• Um, the kid will eat anything. I mean anything. Today she downed an entire, grown-up sized quesadilla.
• She LOVES remotes and when she gets one, she likes to point it to the TV emphatically because she thinks that’s how you make the TV work.
• She loves to dance. The second she hears catchy music, she squishes up her little face and bops up and down.
• She’s discovered that she can pick her nose (and yours, too, if you’ll let her). (Sorry, hon…don’t hate me for that one when you’re 16)
• Her hair is out of control. Seriously. I have no idea what to do with it. It has a life of its own. Any advice?
• She talks, a lot. Most of it, we don’t understand, but she just keeps going because we’re nimwits and someday, perhaps we’ll get a clue.
• She loves to play. She can sit for a long time just taking things out of bowls and putting them back in. Fascinating.
• She loves dolls. I find this to be very strange because I haven’t really pushed it. She just naturally gravitates towards baby dolls.
• She thinks it’s the funniest thing when she toots. I have NEVER had a kid that laughed at that kind of thing, but whenever she does it, she cracks up. Oh great. She’s going to be *that* girl.
• She has an unusual shoe fetish. Basically, she demands that you put shoes on her so that she can immediately remove them and throw them at you. It’s very entertaining. For her.
• If you hand her her "dat" (ie. pink blankey she’s had since birth), she immediately curls her fingers around it, places thumb in mouth and she’s ready for bed. It’s like she doesn’t even think about it.
• She’s still nursing. Hard to believe.
• Whenever I hear Moose and Zee "It’s Puzzle Time" on Nick Jr., I tear up.
• Whenever I hear Jack’s Big Music Show, I tear up.
• Whenever I hear Olivia’s theme music, I tear up.
• Even the closing song of Yo Gabba Gabba makes me tear up.
• All of these things have become synonymous with her.
• That and the smell of LOreal Kids Blueberry Smoothie shampoo.
• That and crayons:

Wow. I guess I really needed to talk about her. These past few weeks have been tough on me. Normally, there’s a lull in January after the holiday rush, but this year, it just hasn’t worked out that way. I’ve been working so much and gosh, in spite of being "near" them all day, I miss my kids so much. Good news is that I get to take some time to reconnect tomorrow. I’m very much looking forward to that. Very much.

I just got done telling her mom how babies between 6 months and 3 years NEVER wear hats. Mom thought that would be the case with baby girl as well. Turns out, we were so very wrong. We couldn’t get the hat *away* from her!

We had such a fine time this afternoon. I give you Exhibit B:

 (I apologize for the camera shake…I was laughing too hard to pay attention to technique by this point.) 

I love images of moms doing what moms do.

Congratulations to Amy F. and her hubby for winning the Helping Hearts romantic photo session with Lyndsay and I! Can you believe that within a week’s time, this movement raised $1,200 for the American Red Cross to help with the recovery effort in Haiti? That is simply incredible.  To make your donations even more valuable, Lyndsay and I have decided that we’re going to match them, so now $2,400 will have been given!

It amazes me that people can jump to action so quickly to help others in need.  But don’t stop giving just because this contest is over. These people will still need our help long after donation drives have ended. Thank you all again for your generosity and, Amy…we’ll see you soon!

Okay, before we bombard you with any more cuteness, have you been to Baby Coco in Austin before? If not, do yourself a favor and go. Cheyenne does such an amazing job with her creative and shabby chic decorating. Every time I walk into the store, I see something new and cool.  For example:

Um, I’m sorry, but if *I* could fit into that crib, I would be waking up in that every morning. Truly a beautiful touch-n-feel-n-experience kind of store. And it’s a great place to find unique baby shower gifts, too!  Now back to your daily dose of adorableness, Baby Q, the new face of Baby Coco. This girlie has got it goin’ on!

And what about that insane Christmas tree??????  To the ridiculously talented artist that created the tree, I’m planning to sneak into the store one night and confiscate it. If you would like to keep me out of prison, please tell me how I can get such an elegant and stunning tree like that for my baby girl. Thank you very much for allowing me to continue raising my children. ;-) (More from our amazing time at Baby Coco here and here.)

I figured while we’re waiting around for you to pop, I could at least show you the 8×10 prints I had made for you!

P.S. Xpressions sessions are going faster than I thought, so if you want one this spring, book soon.

Tomorrow, it’s six years that we’ve known this amazing kid.

We took him on a trip this weekend–all by himself–to his favorite place.

Where he can be surrounded by butterflies, and explore, and observe, and identify. No interruptions.

He just learned to read Roman numerals and was so proud when he spotted them on our trip.

We learned that worker ants (and bees) are all female.

He didn’t stop grinning the whole time.

We spent an hour in the gift shop looking at crystals and butterflies.

Afterward, we took him out for sushi.

He ate octopus.

He thinks his missing tooth is going to grow back in by tomorrow.

I love him.

At long last, we are ready to start booking for our 2010 Xpressions Sessions! To see the dates and all the info, visit THIS PAGE (we’re doing some new things this year, including special discounts AND themes!).  These openings are very limited and will fill up quickly. Graduating high school students in Austin…now is the time to book your Xpressions session for senior portraits! Also, clients who have already booked a 2010 Premium Session or who had a Premium Session in Nov. or Dec. of last year qualify for special discounts and get first priority on our openings. 

I’ve been meaning to blog more images from our last round in Fall 2009, so I figured now would be a good time. So many incredible families and oh, we had the most perfect weather and light! I can’t wait until we start doing this again this year…especially with the fun new themes and seeing new places all over Austin. (As with all of our Xpressions sessions, these images have not been retouched.)

This was the second opportunity I got to spend time with this family. They are close to my heart because I can completely relate to mom’s love for her sons and deep connection with her new daughter.  And I love to see how baby girl’s brothers interact with her. Reminds me so much of my own family. But they are also close to my heart because when they are in front of the camera, they are just themselves. Natural, beautiful, and bonded as a family. Getting to capture intimate moments like these is what makes family photography so precious.

[Click HERE to see who won and how much was raised!!!]

Much like when Katrina happened, watching the news on the horrible situation in Haiti saddens and frustrates me. There are many incredibly brave men and women who are out there volunteering their time and risking their lives to help. I wish I was in a position and of strong enough constitution to do the same.

But I’m not.

So instead, I’m teaming up with my dear friend, Lyndsay Stradtner of Life in Motion Photography, and together, we’re going to try to do something to help. But, we need you, too! Here’s the deal:

You and your sweetheart could win a romantic photo session at dusk in the heart of downtown Austin!

• This session will be photographed by myself AND Lyndsay and will be held the evening of Friday, February 5th.
• Session is for up to 2 adults and will last between 1-2 hours.
• Winner will also receive 25 fully processed, high resolution images on CD. Print to your heart’s content!
• Remember what we did here and here? Yup…just like that!

How to win:

• Make a MINIMUM donation of $10 to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund.
• Forward a copy of your receipt to michele@pinkletoes.com.
• Donation receipt must be dated between 1.22.10 and 1.27.10.
• All entries must be RECEIVED by midnight (Central time) on January 27th.
• Winner will be drawn at random and announced on January 28th.
• Like Lyndsay said, that gives you a week to shop and find a babysitter, if need be. ;-)
• You can enter as many times as you’d like, but each entry must be the minimum $10 donation.

Other details:

• Session participants must sign a model release.
• Session must be held in Austin on Feb. 5th.
• If the winner does not claim his/her prize by Feb. 1st or cannot claim the prize, then another winner will be drawn.
• This program is not sponsored or promoted by the American Red Cross and we are not receiving anything in return for this effort.

Photographers: your response to this effort was incredible! At this time, we have reached our capacity and cannot take any more applications. But of course, you’re welcome to do something on your own to help.

Meanwhile, here are some romantical pics from a recent session to get you in the spirit: