This session was a lot of fun! When we first got out of our vehicles and began introductions, Miss G explained everyone's place and relationship in the family. Then she told me that she was four, almost five...in December! It's funny how children are quick to age, but as an adult I hang on to the very last day of each year. Because my birthday is in December I'd have to go around saying I'm almost 30 and I'm not quite ready for that!I loved the little girls' dresses and their mom did a great job of putting together the family's wardrobe. I love them against the orange, even though big brother thought it a strange place for photos! :) I'm not kidding, I've photographed lots of kisses but I'm pretty sure this was the longest kiss on record!Such a happy baby girl! Miss P was so good throughout the session and seriously, so adorable!!
Miss G did great, because when you're four (almost five) it can be tough to make it through a whole hour of photos. But she was a trooper and looked cute too!Thanks so much for meeting up with me D & P Family. E, your girls are adorable and you have really great hair! :) A fantastic summer evening with a great family!
I do mean that literally, it was H-O-T. We went for a visit to Moody Gardens last week and the power was off! We began at the aquarium which was actually air conditioned, then moved to the dinosaur exhibit. I'd taken Avery with a friend earlier in the month so we'd seen them roaring and moving, etc. They're not quite as ferocious when there's no power.We ended our visit with a trip through the recently remodeled Rainforest Pyramid, or as we'll call it on this trip, THE TRIANGLE OF HELL. Of course it's usually quite warm in there, but without power it was hotter than it should be. Before entering, a worker had told us to move quickly through the top because it's cooler on the bottom - heat rises and all that. We opened the doors and whoa! There were fewer workers on hand inside because it was too hot and one young worker told us that it was getting bad for the animals. Fortunately the power was scheduled to be fixed later that night. We all pretty much sped to the bottom where I decided to get my camera out and take a few pictures. I wasn't going to bother since I'd left it in my bag on previous exhibits, but they have some amazing plant and animal life in there!Also amazing? The way my lens fogged up. We were so close to these monkeys, I could've easily picked one up and put it in my bag, but alas, I did not. I don't think monkeys are very clean.And I only took one photo of Avery & Deran, and don't they look like they're having a blast?! Actually they both did enjoy it, besides the crazy heat. I contemplated trying to get a picture of the three of us, but I was perspiring profusely (does that sound better than sweating a lot?) and opted just to take a picture of my two favorite people. In really great light. Ha! Avery was bummed for about a minute because we didn't get to see the Dora 4D movie, but I know we'll go back thanks to the season passes from my awesome in-laws! We all went to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch and enjoyed the river ride afterward. It was a great way to end the week!
So many things I love about working with this family and Miss L's newborn session was an afternoon well-spent. She was such a good baby and at twelve days old, pretty much slept through the whole session!I really enjoy photographing parents and newborns. There's so much joy to be found in watching a new parent as well as watching all of the newborn actions and listening to the newborn sounds. With an almost two-year old, sometimes I forget about the newness, but it's so nice to be reminded.
This little baby is so loved! It was really sweet to see her and her momma all snuggled together. I don't think life gets any better than having a baby to love.Of course we had to get one with the shoes!! They're still a little big, but so cute!Last, but certainly not least, a couple of pictures with Gizmo. First of all, I love that name! Second, I love seeing these photos with three generations of loving mothers and daughters. You don't have to be in the room long to know that T & her mom have a great relationship, and I know that will carry over to Miss L. Thanks so much for letting me document this time, I know you all know how truly blessed you are! Congratulations again T & CJ on such a perfect baby girl!!
Doesn't that just seem odd? But it seems that it's true, well aside from zoos and pets anyway. Avery and I checked out a stack of books on Wednesday and one happened to be about animals. It was pretty interesting, I learned several things while reading it to her. It was a great day to snuggle up on the couch and read. We got stuck on that book for quite some time because I made the mistake of telling her that the snake was going to eat the deer on one page. You know, because I'd already told her it was a deer and then the book said antelope, but whatevs - the point here is that some snakes are large enough to eat an entire ANTELOPE. And yes, the book was about the lifespans of various animals, but included were fun facts like, jellyfish have no brain and hamsters make good pets. So in the illustration on the left in the snake section is clearly a young antelope reaching up to eat leaves and the illustration on the right and crossing over to the left is of a huge snake hanging from a tree, presumably getting ready to have dinner...or just say a sweet, "Hi! How's it going?" But no, I read the sentence about eating antelopes and I was all, "Avery! Can you even imagine a snake that could eat a deer?!" Because I think antelope=deer. For the next 20 minutes she wouldn't let me turn the page, and believe me, I tried. She threw her head back, hands on her face, and cried real tears for that deer. She held her hands up, told me to make it move, said, "Oh no! Noooo!" at least a dozen times. A bit dramatic, that girl of mine. I think she gets that from her Daddy, I'm very level-headed at all times. Finally I covered up the deer and told her that it was okay, the snake just wanted to be friends but the deer was going away. Then I grabbed a book about what happens when it rains, totally appropriate for the rainy day and also nonviolent. Parents or guardians of toddlers, learn this lesson: don't be dramatic when discussing the dietary habits of large snakes where cute mammals are also involved because your toddler won't thank you for it. Anyway, lots learning going on today. And while there are no snakes in Ireland (or New Zealand), there are snakes in Texas. We found the copperhead in the picture below all cuddled (or coiled ready to strike!) up in our backyard one night the month before Avery was born. I wish it was a better picture but that would've required me getting closer to the snake. Beware of snakes this summer, this ain't Ireland y'all!
Remember this beautiful mom-to-be? Well, now she's a mom to a totally adorable baby girl with ten perfect tiny toes. I have so much more to share from this session coming later this week!
Today is officially the first day of summer, though I'd say we've been enjoying summerish weather and activities for the last month. And actually, these photos of Avery were taken one evening last week. I really do love summer - the late light, the hot temperatures, swimming, grilling - I just LOVE it all!Every evening when we go out to water the garden, Avery inevitably ends up with the water hose. She especially loves watering the orange tree and then usually turns the hose on herself or me. I've gotten a little smarter lately and started putting her in a swimsuit before we go out. Gosh, I love those pink ruffles! I kept telling her how cute she was before we even made it outside and she must have thought she looked pretty cute too. She threw a serious fit to keep it on when it was time for a bath. Feet stomping, arms flailing, crocodile tears - she really wanted to wear that suit!This summer is off to a great start and I'm loving all the time we have to play and enjoy these beautiful days we've been having. One recent afternoon, several neighborhood kids set up a lemonade stand one street over. We passed by on our way home so we pulled in the driveway and I put Avery in her stroller to go purchase some pink lemonade. The kids were all really sweet and I love to see things like that. It makes me believe that the innocence of childhood hasn't been completely lost. The summer I was pregnant with Avery I walked every night as part of my healthy living routine. So many times I wished for my camera! I saw a little boy, legs hanging over an ice chest, sitting inside it holding a water hose over his head. My sister and I often tried to create our own pools when we were little so it took me back. Now, almost two years later, the weather has turned warmer and I think about that scene. It's just so...SUMMER. Oh, how I love this season of life! This second summer is going to be a good one.
On my mom's side of the family, there are seven grandkids and we're all fairly close in age, give or take five years which isn't really a big deal at almost 30. However, on my dad's side of the family I'm quite a bit older than most cousins. My dad's youngest brother is as close to me in age as he is to my dad and I was 13 when his first daughter was born. It's hard to believe she's already 16! I don't get to see her often enough. Distance and life tend to get in the way, but I'm so glad we got to spend some time together at a family reunion earlier this month. As is often the case, I had my camera so I couldn't help but pull her outside for a couple of photos. K, you are such a pretty young lady and I can't wait to see where archery takes you. Hope you have fun at camp!!
Explosion may be a better description actually. Our garden has grown so much over the last three weeks!! The photos are mediocre at best, but dang I'm proud of our little garden. It makes me so happy to go check on the veggies and water the garden each day. Per the gardening guru at Lowe's, we'll call him Awesome Mike, we bought cucumber bush seeds. I'd say they're bushy, but they vine out also. I'm okay with it, but I'm so glad Aunt Wanda moved some of our plants around on a visit in May. There's no way they would have all fit within the square in which they were planted. Those cucumbers are sprouting all over and in various stages of growth. And you guys, that's a bell pepper!! I can hardly believe it! Just last week I swore those darn pepper plants hadn't grown an inch since they were planted and vowed to save a few bucks and go with pepper seeds instead of plants next year. And then today I saw not one, but THREE bell peppers. Oh, be still my heart!I'm just so excited at the prospect of cooking with our home-grown vegetables and already we have plans to expand next year. Deran needs space to grow all of his salsa/chili ingredients and I'd like to add some beans and possibly onions. I just can't express the happiness and satisfaction at seeing these plants grow. I really do act like they're my babies or someone dear to my heart. When Avery finally wanders over while I'm watering I exclaim over the zucchini and she'll wave and tell them "Hi!" in the sweetest voice. Or when I'm showing her the little okra or cucumbers sometimes she'll say, "Awww, dute! (cute)" And I couldn't agree more. Baby vegetables, much like puppies, are very cute! 
I have more to share this week including exciting photography news, a fun tot project + tutorial link, and photos of pretty people. But time is short, so it's just a few random happenings today.1) Not thinking, I passed my turn yesterday to stop and get dishwasher detergent at the store. Instead we made a left at the library where we whiled away an hour of time reading at least a dozen books and wandering the aisles. We read everything from Cookie Monster to 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to a story about Jonah and the whale. Avery made me laugh because in a book about Noah and the ark, she kept pointing at Noah and calling him "Ho Ho!" He was thinner, but the white beard did make him look a bit like St. Nick.2) My garden is growing! There will be one okra and one cucumber picked this week. That's very exciting to me!!3) I think I need a list of summer goals. Not like New Year's resolutions, which I have not kept. Number one is going to be to join the summer reading program for adults at our local library. Who says kids get to have all the reading fun this summer?! I can win a prize too!Because a post is better with pictures, here's a peek from a birthday party we attended at the end of APRIL. Yes, I'm a little behind.
On Saturday morning I met up with a very cute brother and sister duo. They may be too old to like being called cute, but they are! I was in town for a family reunion, staying with my Aunt Wanda. These two happen to be very close to my Aunt Wanda so it was only natural that we should finally meet! It was really hot outside, even at 10:00 in the morning. Z & K were so good and barely complained. I loved his tough guy pose, K is a funny kid!I'd say these two were pretty great at being silly.But they were pretty great at being serious too. I had so much fun getting to meet everyone, and little Bella too! Thanks for joining me on a hot Saturday morning, next time maybe Aunt Wanda can join in the fun. :)
