Happy Halloween!

One of the things I love about living in a small town is the sense of community and the eagerness to enjoy time with family and friends.

Awhile back, one of our neighbors hosted a pumpkin carving party and potluck for everyone on the street. A bunch of us got together, the dads soldiered through the carving stuff, and we all enjoyed some food and conversation in the street as we enjoyed a typically gorgeous fall evening.

We did it for a few years in a row, and then things got busier and the tradition faded away. This year, our new next door neighbors and I decided that we needed to bring back the fun. And invite a few other friends.

Here are just a few snapshots from the Neigborhood Halloween Potluck & Pumpkin Carving Party 2009. Definitely worth doing again next year.























Now I'm off to squeeze in a quick run and then squeeze into my costume. Hopefully I can pull off a family photo of the Star Wars crew, for the family archives if nothing else...

A Quickie Before Things Get Spooky

Halloween is already in full swing in my house.

My little witch went to school this morning (I'll have to post a pic of that later). Her Queen Amadala costume is hanging and staying nice and clean for the fun later tonight and tomorrow.

My boys are plopped on the couch, glued to the Today Show and loving all the behind the scenes stuff about Star Wars. Their own Star Wars costumes are laid out on the floor and waiting for them to don for their dad's potluck at work. Darth Vader is already there, getting a little work done before they invade.

I've reinforced the seams of the ridiculously high slits in my Princess Leia costume, so that they don't get inappropriately high (though it could be debated that they're already there).

We love this holiday.

Hopefully I'll be back with some family photos later today or tomorrow, but for now, here are some shots from yesterday's outing with the VBs. I get to photograph these beauties often (lucky for me). Here they are in one of their favorite locations.

Doh! It took 25 hours...

When I do a session, I always tell the client that I will post their preview within 24 hours. And I am very, very serious about that.

I'm sure that in some cases, the client isn't even around their computer exactly 24 hours after I utter those words. And I'm sure that many wouldn't care if I took a little bit of extra time. But darn it if my father must've read me that Horton the Elephant story a million times. "I meant what I said and I said what I meant..."

So suffice it to say that I hustle my buns (as we say in our house) to get these previews up on time. And if I have to drag my laptop to my kids' dance class (don't laugh, I've done it twice now), I try to make it happen.

But tonight it took me an extra hour.

Rats.

I was so close...

Here it is at last. First up, some of the shots we tried to get with their dogs. It's a tough call, by the way, to say who had more energy -- the kids or the dogs.













By the way, I jokingly asked this family if I could borrow their gorgeous yard for future sessions with other families. Except I was only 99% joking.

Oh, and D & S: I actually did get some shots with G's teeth showing -- I promise. I just realized now that I didn't pull any of those for the preview. But to go back at this point would've delayed things even further...

Waiting for Triston

I first met B & T over the summer, when we did a mini-session at the beach. B was pregnant at the time, but she still had that itty bitty first-timer belly going on.

We got together again yesterday for some maternity photos, and while she's still feeling great and able to move around with absolutely no problem (with only a month to go!), she definitely had the pregnancy glow about her. Growing a baby definitely suits her.

Thanks, guys, for letting me capture this special time for you. Even if T refused to go along with my hold-a-pumkin-in-front-of-his-belly idea. ;)











Pssst. B, check your email. I left something there for you, too.

More Family Fun

Lucky me -- I was back at the beach this weekend. And to make this post a little different from those previous, I'll let you in on a little secret: I definitely enjoy my session time, but one of the best things about these outings is that when I trudge in all sandy and pooped, I get to come home to a clean house and dinner waiting. Yes, my dear husband is GREAT about covering things in my absence, often doing a much better job than I would myself!

Now back to the preview at hand... Here are some fun images from Saturday. Aren't the sweet?







By the way, I always hesitate to put up the more traditional family shots at this time of year, since I know that people tend to use them in their holiday cards and therefore it's nice to keep them under wraps for a bit. But rest assured that we do capture those images, too!

A Teaser

Hey, T & B... Here's a little teaser from last Thursday afternoon. The other images will be ready soon... Thanks again for letting me stop by and spend a little time in your front yard!

A Bit More Sweetness

I've got three other previews to add to the blog, but I can't resist posting just a little bit more sweetness from my time with the twins last week.

Here's one of sweet baby boys:



And here's his bro getting in a little mommy time:



I miss those guys already. I must schedule a time to visit for coffee and spend some time cuddling...

Yummy Times Two!

I finally got my chance to meet a good friend's A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E twins yesterday, and man, were they ever dreamy.

So sweet.

So peaceful.

So soft.

So scrumptious.

I promised Tricia that I wouldn't put up any shots of the boys together, since she'd prefer to use the best one(s) in their birth announcement and let their friends and family get their first peek that way. I totally get that. (Of course, I'm dying to share their insane cuteness, but I will just wait and do that a little further down the line. Trust me, it's worth waiting for.)

For now, here are some shots of the boys on their own.









In case you're curious, the first and last shots are of one little guy, and the other two are of his brother.

And lucky me! I get to go back tomorrow for another fix and a few more photos. Can't wait...

Model Subjects

The kids in this family should teach classes in how to be perfect angels for a session. They showed up bright eyed and ready to go, smiling so nicely, listening VERY well, and trying their hardest to decipher my sometimes confusing instructions (move a little this way! do a little more of that!).













Among other things, I learned during my time with this family that Mom and Dad are going strong after 14 years of marriage. Impressive, right? I told them that Brian and I will be hitting 10 years next summer and asked if they did anything fun to celebrate, like maybe a trip. They told me that they marked 10 years by having twins.

Yep, that would be enough to keep me home!



J & D (Look! I used the right initials!!), thanks for letting me photograph you and your sweethearts. I'll have some other really nice images to share with you when the gallery goes up.

Sandy Sunset

Yesterday was a two-fer, meaning that I got to photograph not one, but TWO great families at the beach. It was a gorgeous (if a bit chilly) late afternoon/early evening, and I didn't mind the extended time in the sand one bit.

Here are some previews from Family Number Two, aka the Fabulous Kabakers. I've had the pleasure of photographing these guys a bunch, and I enjoy it every time.









Here's what happened when I asked if the guys felt like posing back-to-back:



Gotta love the sense of humor. :)

Darling New Friends

Yesterday afternoon, I met up at the beach with some brand-new little friends. We jumped right into things, and with just a bit of coaxing, they both showed me flashes of their beautiful smiles and glimpses of their darling personalities.

Mom said that they were actually flipflopped for the day, with the typically reserved Miss L being a bit of a ham and the bubbly Mr. E being extra serious. In any case, I managed to capture a bit of it all.

Here's a peek!