Happy 4th Birthday, T!

My working life overlaps with my personal life quite a bit. Sometimes I get to photograph friends. Other times, I get to know people through my work, and clients become personal friends.

This hunk of love and his family have become a fun part of my life over the last 4+ years. I have followed this little dude from the time he was in his mama's belly (and we did an against-the-rules-because-she-was-on-bedrest session), and I have been fortunate enough to photograph him at every milestone.

Lucky me.









We took this shot at one of his favorite spots. What 4-year-old doesn't love the bear fountain in Mission Plaza?

He is Three

If you've spent any time checking out this blog over the last few years, you've definitely seen shots of my good buddy, Mr. T, along with his little brother and his awesome parents. I've been fortunate enough to photograph this little dude several times, and I thoroughly enjoy every minute of every session. He is a true gem.

Mr. T is three now, and we marked the occasion with a little walk around downtown. He was in a great mood and we got lots of fun shots -- a success all the way around. Here are a handful...

These Two Are Two!

Long time, no see.

Right?

I have completely neglected the blog over the last month or so, for a variety of reasons. I won't bore you with the laundry list, since we all have enough of our own lists and excuses. What we don't have enough of is photos! And what's better than photos of these guys??

K & K have been a part of my life -- my photo life and then my real life -- since they were born two years ago. It was an honor to capture their changing faces every month of their first year, and their mom recently told me that while so much of that year is a blur, her memories of those photo session mornings are distinct and precious. Tomorrow is their second birthday, and to celebrate, we took the boys out to Mission Plaza and let them run around.

Get ready for a BIG preview. I just can't help myself. :)

At first, we got the smoldering, serious looks. Well, I guess toddlers don't smolder, but can't you just imagine these guys wowing the ladies in a couple of decades?











When mom busted out their skateboards, things got a lot more playful. I was FLOORED by how coordinated these dudes are -- and how BRAVE -- when they're on their wheels. The looked around for any sloping surface, and then they were off.



















After skateboards, we cruised around and explored. Despite their insane physical skills, they still take stairs like any normal two-year-olds: on hands and pudgy knees.











After that, it was just pure silliness. It was so fun to watch these guys goof with each other. What a special bond twins have...







HAPPY BIRTHDAY, boys! I'll be thinking of you tomorrow and can't wait until we play again...

(Oh, and here's a little link if you want to see their first birthday post.)

The Very Definition Of Jolly

I'm going to go on record here and say that yesterday afternoon just may have been my very favorite session to date.

But first, a little context:

A year ago, I had a fun maternity session with an adorably-pregnant-but-technically-on-bedrest mommy-to-be. Good thing we squeezed it in, because she went into labor the very next day and delivered little Mr. T.

His due date was more than five weeks away.

Given his prematurity, I worried until I got word that all was okay. As it turned out, Baby T was healthy and doing well from the beginning, and I got to photograph him at roughly eight weeks old (still shortly after his original due date).

I had another great opportunity to catch up with the little man in the fall, when we met up to do a family session. Again, I was thrilled to see that he was thriving, despite his early entry into the world.

Which brings us to yesterday: T's one-year session.

I'd emailed his mom, saying that I had a darling "1" onesie that I thought would be fun to use during the shoot. She emailed me back saying that the idea was nice and all, but that there was NO WAY he'd fit in it.

Okay. No big deal. But I thought I'd keep it out, just in case.

And then my little buddy arrived, and he was clearly a little preemie no more.

Can you believe that this guy was born almost six weeks early??



Within minutes, I was head over heels. He was the sweetest, smiley-est, happiest one-year-old I have ever seen.





I mean, SERIOUSLY?? Have you SEEN piggies this cute?



And he was such a performer. He screeched. He flapped his arms. He had us in hysterics.



I present Mr. Modesty:



... who then took a bath:





I mean, the only time he really got serious was when we gave him cake. Regarding that, he was all business.



I cracked up over and over as I picked up after the session. I can honestly say that there wasn't a moment during the entire thing when I wasn't thoroughly entertained.

And did I mention that his mommy is due to give him a brother or sister in July?

I can only hope that the next babe born to this family is as entertaining as the first.

xoxo

Numero Tres

And finally, I present to you: The Cake Smash.

Seriously, this was so.much.fun. And I think my little subject enjoyed herself, too.



Next up, some fun Christmasy stuff. I just need a nap and a shower first. This week has kicked my backside...

The Fun-tastic Miss N

I dare anyone to tell me this isn't one of the cutest one-year-old girls they have ever seen. Is she not precious?

She had a big shindig on Sunday but still had enough party in her to come over and play, pose and celebrate once more. (Thanks again to her mama for the cupcakes they brought along for me!)

I've got lots more to share -- including a spectacular pettiskirt and a "smash the cake" series -- but I need to get some dinner plans together for my family. Hence, I give you preview post numero uno. Stay tuned for more...

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...