No Reason At All

When I post a blog entry, there's usually a reason. A client preview, a personal story, or photos of a milestone in our family. Something like that.

This time there's absolutely no reason at all. These random shots just make me smile.

And in the interest of equality, I'll try to post a couple silly images of the other two Clausen kids in the next couple of days. Fair is fair, after all.



I also have a super sweet client preview to post tomorrow. So if you find the random family stuff boring, just hold tight. I've got something for you, too. ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

The camera didn't make much of an appearance yesterday, in large part because I did an eight-mile charity run in the morning and could hardly move for the rest of the day. It was all I could do to pull together the stuffing and the sweet potatoes for the family dinner (but MAN, am I glad I did that -- YUM).

I did get a request for some shots for my brother and SIL's Christmas card, and my parents wanted in on some photo action as well. Thus, we have these...





And this one, which is so them, and which I think will get printed as a stocking stuffer...



Too bad that I didn't think to comb my daughter's hair AT ALL yesterday.





And this was the scene when Brian brought the turkey in from the BBQ. :)



And finally, I herded everyone outside for one quick family shapshot before dinner. It was near dark and there was hot food waiting to be transferred to the table, so it is what it is. But it's documentation of everyone who was present, and for that -- and their presence -- I am grateful.

Family Finale

Dang it. I was THIS CLOSE. I made it almost all the way through the crazy fall family season without missing a deadline, but alas... This preview didn't quite get posted within the promised 48 hour window.

Fortunately, this family was very understanding. And cute, yes?















Now it's a sprint to get the remaining galleries posted, a few more holiday cards created and all orders fulfilled*. I am looking forward to enjoying some of the Thanksgiving to New Year's stretch with my own family, and I am long overdue when it comes to paying attention to some things around my house. I am fairly certain that there's a laundry basket of clean clothes that hasn't been unloaded in more than a month... which my explain my somewhat random wardrobe of late...

*If you've got an open gallery and plan to place an order before Christmas, please note that my deadline for receiving these orders and guaranteeing delivery for the holiday is December 4. Please plan accordingly, and of course let me know if you have questions at all. Thanks!

Wrapping it Up

This weekend marks the end of my 2010 family sessions. They were actually due to wrap up last weekend, but the dreary rain led us to postpone the final two until now. And it's good that we did, as this weekend has been a gorgeous one. In mid-November. Go figure.

Anyway, here's the fabulous family from Friday (ha! alliteration!). I'm posting them without much commentary, as I need to pack up the car and head out to the final session shortly. In leiu of any narration, I'll just toss in a few more preview shots than usual. ;)





Remember this guy from his newborn session? What a big guy he is now!

















Thanks, G family!

Change of Plans

On Friday morning, I was looking ahead to a busy weekend of work -- I had sessions scheduled for Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Turns out, my weekend was great but didn't go at all the way I'd planned.

By Friday afternoon, I got an email from my husband saying that some friends of ours were going to be in town and would be hanging out with us and bunking down at Casa de Clausen Saturday night. And then the cruddy weather blew in, and both my sessions ended up being rescheduled for next weekend. So instead of a busy 48 hours of work, I got to partake in a relaxing and fun time with family and friends. Not bad for a last-minute change of plans.

Because I don't have any client previews to post this evening, I thought I'd share some before-bed snapshots from last night. I'm in the midst of setting up a permanent studio downstairs, so the lighting equipment and backdrop paper were handy. With girls this cute visiting, how could I resist talking them into a few minutes in front of the camera? My own daughter certainly thought it was a GREAT idea.



Major cuteness, right??

The Sky Was Falling

A couple of days ago, I met up with the O family for their 2010 family photos. As always, it was great to see them... and as usual, I was tickled by the changes since the last time.

When I first met M about a year and a half ago, she was pregnant with Mr. T (who turned one this spring). We did some family photos last year, and then we got together again in June when she was pregnant with Mr. D. (Phew! That was a lot of links!)

This was my first chance to photograph the family of FOUR. And what a good-looking family they are... At first, Mr. D wasn't sure he wanted to wake up from his nap, but after a bit he was champ.





And because I just loved watching the boys interact, I have to post a few candids as well. Big brother was absolutely adorable watching -- very closely -- over his little guy.



At one point, though, he must've gotten a little too close, because baby brother got VERY unhappy. I couldn't help but crack up at the response of the apparently guilty party. His arms flew up, fingers grabbing at his own hair, and I could almost hear the Steve Urkel catch line, "Did I do that??"



No real harm done, though. This little dude was absolutely fine.





During the course of our time together, the wind picked up and the leaves started raining down from the trees above. It was truly beautiful, and T was transfixed. While his brother had a snack, the Big Guy investigated, showed off, chased and thoroughly enjoyed the falling leaves.





There's nothing like watching a kid experience something for the first time, and I felt fortunate to be a part of T's playdate with the leaves.

Thanks, guys, for yet another memorable experience!

New Friends

This great family includes kids in both my boys' classes -- plus two little ones that my daughter adores. They're fairly new to town (at least this time around), but my own crew has definitely decided that they're good to have around. ;)

Oh, and I am going to have to ask mom to style my own family for our photos next year. LOVE what they wore!

Just realized that this preview is all vertically oriented... I must be in a vertical mood today. Never fear: There are horizontal shots, too, including a great family shot. Christmas card, here we come!















And I'll toss in one horizontal shot for kicks.



Thanks, H family! See you again soon.

Vibrant Girls

Last Friday's session featured a great family who booked one of my very first sessions two years ago. It was fun to see and work with them again -- and in one of my favorite photo locations to boot.

The M girls are lovely and lively and their vibrant outfits just mirrored their energy and vibrant personalities. I've got lots of images to go through and pull from for their gallery. I'm looking forward to that!

We Tricked and Treated

I'm about to dive into client work this morning, but before I do, I thought I'd share a few snaps from Clausen Halloween 2010. It was a fun evening of catching up with friends and indulging the kids in their extreme excitement about the holiday. It felt good to focus on my yahoos 100% for a couple of hours; it's sometimes tough to do that at this time of year. Besides, for how many more years will they all think that it's SO FUN to run around with their parents and dig through their loot to find us our favorite candy? Me thinks not many...

Here's the Harry Potter Crew before we headed out. (That's Harry in his quiddich uniform, a student from Slitherin dorm, and Miss Hermione, in case you were wondering.)



And here they are as they jetted through a nearby neighborhood. Seriously, I think Noah may have added jet packs to his shoes. For most of the evening, that kid was just a streak of maroon robe. I think they only time he slowed down was when one candy giver asked to see a trick and he dropped to the ground for five push-ups.



Now it's time to weed through the candy and plot ways to get them in bed by 7:00 tonight. Halloween is awesome, but the Halloween hangover, not so much.