You guys know that Lyndsay and I went out with our hubbies several weeks ago to experiment with shooting in the dark. Little did I know that the experiment would teach us much more than how/if we could shoot at night. When Lyndsay and I exchanged links for our pics from that evening, I think we were equally shocked by how *different* our images were from each other. How amazing to see that even with the same equipment and the same locations, some of our takes were similar, but mostly, they were vastly different.

Her take.

My take.

I’ve always thought our styles were similar, but now I’m thinking how cool it is that they’re not that similar after all. Our passion is the same, but it’s our art that makes us unique.

I’m so in love with the pictures Lyndsay took of us! Virgil and I did not hire a wedding photographer when we were married, so it’s such a treat to have such beautiful images of the two of us…10 years later and still very much in love. I have big plans for these pictures, L, but first, I have to build an addition to the house to get more wall space. Thank you soooooooo very much for this adventure and this gift.  Hey, we should work together more often. What are you doing tonight?

(P.S. Thanks again, Katie, for the incredible make-up job!)

First of all, I want to know how one family could get ALL of the "gorgeousness genes" in the gene pool? Secondly, I’m wondering if that beautiful baby boy ever cries because he sure didn’t the entire time I was there. Finally, how in the world does a mom of a pre-schooler AND a newborn get away with looking *this* amazing??? Not fair, I tell ya. Not fair!

I came home from my session to the sweetest surprise. While I was away, the boys (+ the girl) went to the store to get some Valentine’s Day treats. I was already a little emotional, but when I realized that my husband bought flowers not only for me, but for baby girl AND my sister, I just couldn’t contain my tears. I was so very touched. My boys did good.

When I was a little girl, when I would ask my mom what she wanted for her birthday, she’d always answer, "I don’t need anything. I have everything I could ever want right here." Back then, I thought she was just being humble. Now I get it. It makes complete sense. Yes. I have everything I could ever want right here.

I hope you are enjoying your own "everything you could ever want."

I can’t even begin to tell you how beautiful this morning was. And how amazing it is to watch good friends transition into parenthood…with such grace. And how special this image is:

Thank you three so much for this session. I know we were all a little bummed with the birth session didn’t work out, but wow, after today, I think we did just fine.  Congrats on your beautiful sweet baby boy!

Wow! I’ve never had such a hard time deciding like this. Oi! Thanks to everyone for your input.

[What does this mean?]

This kid was born to super cool, ultra-hip parents. He is *going* to have style. Not to mention, hands-down, the COOLEST nursery I’ve ever seen.

And he’s cute as heck, too. Even when he’s mad at me ;-)

[Personal note to Cheyenne...you know exactly what I was trying to do with the diaper shots, don't you? We're not there yet, but someday, I vow to get something to rival THE pic in your office, LOL.]

as a guest teacher to the boys. Such a wonderful time and I have a few pics to share later. But, I did overhear a conversation that almost made me pee my pants:

Our friend, L: "So, was your sister born in November?"

The middle child, oh-so-matter-of-factly: "No, she was born in the bathtub."

and look whose picture I saw? Congrats to the D family! She is indeed a beautiful little cherub.

When we finally settled on our perfect location in Austin for our session, I knew I wanted it to reflect childlike wonderment.  I wanted the colors and shapes to be fantastical. Mostly, though, I wanted to capture the relationship between this young man and his mommy. Their bond is almost tangible. I loved watching the two of them play together. You’ll notice a few things as you go through the images below: 1. It was windy. It was INSANELY windy.  Like freak windstorm windy and these two were such troopers the whole time. 2. He likes flags. A lot. Thank goodness they had a few there. 3. Our sock-puppet, Lucy, makes an accidental cameo below. But I liked the image anyway.

I haven’t really discouraged her from walking. But I haven’t really ENcouraged her either. As a matter of fact, I’ve tried to ignore the fact that she would one day be on two legs and not really a "baby" anymore. It is difficult not to melt into her pure enthusiasm with her newly discovered skill. She looks proud as punch every time she gets from point A to point B as a bi-ped. But the truth of the matter is that my heart sank a little lot today when I realized she is in fact walking. Next thing you know, she’ll be running, potty-trained, wanting to dress herself, asking to borrow the car, dating–it’s a short trip, people. And I’m not ready for it.

I think I’ll regress and do some pouting tonight.