Archive for May, 2010

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Austin Baby Photographer | Mr. Serious

May 23, 2010

I’ve been looking forward to this session for a looong time…I think his mama booked it back in March. But little Braxton had other things on his mind this afternoon besides getting his picture taken. Like napping ;) It’s okay, Braxton. You’re not alone! Afternoon naps are a wonderful, wonderful thing! I loved his serious little face and his precious bald head, though! I can’t wait for our “smiley session” in a few weeks so I can see his real personality!

Tim and Kristen, thanks for meeting me this afternoon! Enjoy your sneak peek…I’ll see you again soon!

Round Rock Baby Photographer

Round Rock Baby Photographer

And this big yawn is how you know a session is over :) Austin Baby Photographer

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Austin Photographer | Ten on Tuesday – The Will Edition

May 18, 2010

1. I haven’t posted a Will update in who knows how long, so this ToT will be a Will-version! Can you believe he’ll be 14-month-old in just over a week? Hello, Father Time? Please slow down. My baby is growing up entirely too fast!

2. Will’s language is exploding. He consistently says “na-na” (comes from banana, but really means food), “moh” (more), “ba-ba” (bottle/milk), “doh” (dog), “ba” (bye), “baa” (bath), “dow” (down) and “baw” (ball). He signs all done, milk, and more pretty well. We’re working on please and thank you, but he really doesn’t do those consistently at all. He also knows what the cow says, “moooooooo” (said with his lips pursed together). His mind is a little sponge and it is incredible to watch him learn!

3. He’s been a full-time walker for about a month now. We take a walk just about every evening before dinner and he walks all the way to the mailbox and all the way home, usually. Tonight we took the dogs on the walk with us and he absolutely loved it! He kept shouting “doh! doh!” and pointing at Riley and Sammy. So cute :)

4. He’s really turned into a picky little thing when it comes to food. He’ll usually eat fruit, bread, and cheese without hesitation. But in the past few days he’s been turning his nose up at blackberries which used to be a huge favorite. In his defense, the ones I bought are a little sour, so I’m hoping that’s the reason and that blackberries aren’t another food to add to the “do not like” list.

5. Will had his first night away from Mommy and Daddy on Saturday night! He stayed with Grannie and CP (aka my parents) while Greg and I went a wedding. He had a blast and came home nice and tired – always a sign of a good time! I think Grannie and CP were a little tired too ;) But Greg and I sure were thankful for the night out. I didn’t even wake up once in the middle of the night wondering about him – I was SO sure I would! Boy was it ever nice to sleep in too…it’s only been, oh, 14-months since we’ve both gotten to sleep in together!

6. The other day I was in the living room cleaning up toys, feeding one of the boys I watch, and just not paying all that close of attention to Will. I knew he was in the kitchen and I knew he was messing around by the trash can. But I figured he couldn’t get it open since the lid was on it, so we were golden. Um, WRONG. Will succeeded in opening up the trash can, taking out an almost-empty bottle of Maple Syrup, flipping open the lid and sucking down syrup like it was water. I screamed when I saw him doing it (a- I’m not a huge fan of maple syrup and b- the thing had been in the TRASH!) and ran over to take it away from him. He proceeded to throw the biggest tantrum he’s ever thrown before. I explained why he couldn’t have the syrup bottle and then walked away to let him have his tantrum. He watched me walk away, stopped crying, got up and followed me into the bedroom and then threw himself down at my feet screaming again. Totally reminded me of this video.

7. Will loves going for runs with me. We do it just about every afternoon (though pretty soon those are going to have to move to morning runs!). Every day around the time we go in the stroller he starts hanging out by the garage door waiting. As soon as I open the garage door he runs (well, fast walks) to the stroller and points up and says “uhhhh”…which is his way of saying he wants to ride! He gets his snack and water in the stroller and is usually content for my 4-5 mile runs. I haven’t tried a longer run with him, but I probably will this summer. I love that he’s learning from my example at being healthy and active. And I love that he looks forward to that time in the stroller every day.

8. Alright, that’s it for now…gotta get back to editing~ Sorry this was a pictureless edition. I promise to take some *new* pictures of Will this week AND post them!

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Austin Photographer | A Giveaway!

May 17, 2010

Are you a fan on Facebook?** If you’re not, you’re missing out. I reached 400 fans a few weeks ago and I promised a giveaway once I reached that point. I’m now sitting at around 415 fans. I’m so lucky to have made such awesome friends through my business and I wanted to give a little bit back to you guys by offering a giveaway.

I hemmed and hawed over what to offer…a free session? Sweets? One of my favorite products? I ultimately decided against offering anything photo related because that would limit my giveaway. And I have some pretty awesome fans that live far, far away! So I searched Etsy and found a seller that I adore. She makes the most amazing, unique jewelry! I could have offered up her entire Etsy shop as a giveaway, but I finally found one piece that I just love. I love it so much, that I might just have to buy one for myself when I order the giveaway winner’s!

The winner of the giveaway will receive a beautiful personalized necklace like the one pictured above from E. Ria Designs. Entries will close May 23nd at 12:00am CST. You can earn up to four entries to this giveaway -

  1. Leave a comment on my blog telling me about one of your favorite childhood memories. Please make sure to include a working email address so I can contact you if you win.
  2. Become a fan on Facebook** and then post about this on your Facebook page with a link back to my blog. Then come back here and post the link to your facebook page. (Note: We either must be friends on Facebook or your profile must be public for me to verify this!)
  3. Follow me on Twitter. (Sorry for the lack of Tweets lately…it’s been busy!) and tweet about the giveaway. Come back and comment with a link to your public Twitter profile.
  4. Blog about the giveaway, including a link back to it. Then come back here and post the link to the blog.

Winner will be announced on Monday, May 24th! Good luck!

**(yes, I realize it’s no longer “fans”…but I much prefer the term “fan” to the term “like.” It’s very awkward to say, “Do you like me on Facebook?” Incredibly awkward. Incredibly.)

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Austin Newborn Photographer | Ten on Tuesday

May 11, 2010

1. Dude, I am tired. I mean, not like *yawn* I could use a few extra hours of sleep tired. I mean completely, utterly drained and exhausted tired. Between burning the candle at both ends to keep up with editing (who am I kidding – I’m not keeping up!) to the fleas we can’t get rid of on the dogs, to Will being up for 2 solid hours in the middle of the night screaming last night, I’m lucky to still be surviving. I went for a run tonight and it was pathetic. I could barely get out one mile before I gave up and walked a mile home. Pathetic, I tell ya!

2. Not too long ago, a two mile run for the day would’ve been considered a great accomplishment. Now it feels like a failure and it feels weak. When did two miles=weak!?

3. Will has been a little bit of a maniac lately. He wants to walk everywhere by himself and he doesn’t need me anymore thankyouverymuch. Today we went outside to play with his newly hung swing (yay, thanks Grandma Ruth!) and he wanted to run on the sidewalk. He was pretty good about only going down to the border between our neighbor’s house and ours and then turning around (I could see him the entire time). Well, after about 5 minutes he decided the sidewalk wasn’t good enough and he wanted to run in the street. Um, no sweetie. We don’t run in the street. Cue meltdown #1. Complete with kicking and screaming and attempted biting. We got that one figured out and I put him back down. He wanted to go up and down the step on the front porch. He did that for another 15 minutes until I decided it was time to go inside for lunch. Cue meltdown #2. I think our neighbor actually came out the front door to see if I was abusing my child or not. I love this age, but the tantrums? Not so much!

4. Perfect example of #3.
Austin Baby Photographer

5. I’ve been doing lots of editing lately. Lots and lots! I’ve got a wedding nearly finished (Steph and Brett, it’s coming your way in the next day or two!!) and I can’t help but work on my newborn from this weekend…He’s just so squishy and cute! See?
Austin newborn photographer

6. I got my passport in the mail late last week and got all the detailed paperwork for the cruise finished online over the weekend…I am SO excited! A little nervous to leave Will for 7 nights, but excited nonetheless. I know he’s going to have a blast with his Grannie and CP (aka my mom and dad) and that makes it a little bit easier to think about not seeing him for that long. The other thing I’m struggling with is weaning him before that time. We’re down to nursing twice a day (in the morning and before bed) and I’m  not sure that I’m ready to give that up. I may be busting out the pump on the trip just so we don’t have to…we’ll see. Only 74 days left!

7. Do you let your child lay down in the bath tub? Will just recently started LOVING laying down on his back in the tub. The water is just high enough to cover his ears, but not his face. He screams and laughs and talks whenever he does this. The funniest part is when he kicks his feet and splashes all around. I’m sure it’s not great for teaching him how to swim, but it sure is amusing! :)

8. Greg and I have a date night this Saturday night to go to a friend from high school’s wedding reception. I’m so excited to have a mini reunion with all the people I’ve lost touch with over the years. I’m excited to dress up, actually blow dry my hair and put on eyeliner. I’m excited to dance with my husband and stay up entirely too late. It’s going to be lots of fun! It’s also our first time leaving Will with my parents over night…kind of a trial run for the cruise. Kind of nervous about being away from him for that long, but I’m dealing ;)

9. That’s all I’ve got. I’ve been staring at the computer screen for a good 5 minutes trying to think up another good one, but I can’t. It’s time for some much needed rest. Happy Tuesday!

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Posted in families, my family | 1 Comment »

Happy Mother’s Day! | Austin Baby Photographer

May 9, 2010

Austin baby photographer

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mommies reading this! I hope you all had a fabulous day. I know I did…it was low-key and relaxed and filled with my two favorite people – Greg and Will! I got to sleep in until 8:00 and catch up on some much needed housework this morning. Then my parents came over and gave me the beautiful scarf seen in the pictures above and some dish towels that I just love. I got to have lunch out at Firehouse Subs (no wait!) with my boys, take a trip to Best Buy for a new external hard drive, and then do some shopping by myself. I can’t tell you the last time I was able to go run errands by myself…and as much as I love my husband and my son, it was really nice to have some time to myself. No baby fussing to be let out of the cart so he can go run through the aisles, no pacis and toys being thrown full force onto the ground. I was able to take my time, walk slowly through Barnes and Noble (hands down my favorite store) and enjoy ‘me” time.

Like I said, my day was really low key. But I haven’t had a day off from working in I don’t know how long and it was really really nice to get a break! Plus Greg took one of my new favorite pictures of me and Will, so I’m a happy girl! :)

In honor of Mother’s Day, I wanted to do something special for all my clients. I’m offering 15% off of any canvases ordered in the month of May. Email me if you’d like your gallery re-hosted (free of charge) for you to look through your images again…it doesn’t matter when your session was, the discount applies to everyone!

I hope your Mother’s Day was wonderful and filled with the people you love the most!

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Preston – 29 Days | Austin Newborn Photographer

May 8, 2010

I got to snuggle and cuddle with sweet little Preston this morning. He was such a wonderful little baby and conked right out when I got my heater going on him! He’s a little bit older than I usually do newborns, but I was pleasantly surprised at how easy he was to pose and get sleepy and curly. He was absolutely perfect, from his adorable little button nose down to his teeny tiny toes. It was hard to narrow down photos for the sneak peek because he made the cutest little faces all morning!

Congratulations on your new little blessing, Nicole and Garrett! I had such a fun time photographing him this morning. Enjoy your sneak peek!

Austin newborn photographer

Austin newborn photographer

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Posted in babies, newborns | 7 Comments »

Ten on Tuesday | Austin Lifestyle Photographer

May 4, 2010

1. I’ve been terrible at keeping up with ToT. By the time I remember, it’s usually Friday and I think, “Oh, I’ll just wait until next week to do it.” And then I never do. So here’s my attempt at it this week ;) Hey, at least it’s Tuesday!

2. I have an official walker! Will’s been taking steps since his first birthday party (3/27), but in the past week or so, he’s really exploded with the walking. He chooses to walk over crawling 90% of the time…crawling only wins if he wants to get somewhere really really fast. I thought it would be this huge change, but it’s really not. He’s been mobile for so long now that it’s really just a little adjustment. I actually like it because his hands and knees aren’t getting dirty constantly and we can go do fun things like play at the park easily now!

3. Speaking of the walker, here’s a picture of him from a few weeks back. It’s the only one I’ve had a chance to open and edit, so I’m sure a lot of you have already seen it on Facebook…but I love it! The expression is so him :) Austin baby photographer
4. Are you a fan on Facebook? If you are, you may have noticed that I recently reached 400 fans! Thank you all for supporting me. In honor of that, I’ll have a special giveaway coming very soon. Stay tuned!

5. My Aunt gave Will a gift card to Toys R Us for his birthday and we decided to buy him a water table. He LOVES the thing. Absolutely loves it. There is usually a tantrum thrown when it’s time to go inside because he loves it so much. And any time he hears the sliding glass door open, he squeals and runs (literally) to the backdoor to see if he can sneak outside to go play with his table. Thanks, Aunt Gena…it’s definitely a hit! :)

6. Yes, Will is wearing the same shirt in all the pictures in this post. No, they were not taken on the same day…hey, it’s a cute shirt! And if he’s wearing it twice in the month, it means that laundry has actually been done! *gasp!* I’ve been insanely busy lately…2 weddings on the books to proof, plus mini-sessions and regular sessions. I’ve been lucky to get to bed before midnight every night this week. My house is a disaster and I think Greg is feeling a little neglected. But the laundry is done! Success ;)

7. Are you interested in learning how to use your DSLR? I’m putting together some stuff for a workshop this summer. I’m going to be limiting spaces to allow for more one-on-one time, but if you’re interested on being on the contact list for that, send me an email! The workshop will likely be held later this summer and will be in Round Rock on a Saturday afternoon. More details to come soon!

8. Will and I have been doing a lot of running lately…it’s been awesome! We do it in the afternoons after the boys I watch leave my house and it’s kind of our “thing.” I really feel like I’m getting back into great shape. Yesterday I ran 4 miles (while pushing 20 pounds of Will plus 20+ pounds of stroller!) in about 50 minutes. That’s including warm up and cool down. Lance Armstrong even came over my Nike+ system to tell me I’d just set a new personal best for the mile – 11 minutes! I’ll take it! I know in my pre-baby days I was running 8 and 9 minute miles, but I can’t complain about 11 minutes when I’m running in 90ish degree heat with an added 40 pounds to push!

9. Yesterday while I was doing my run, I decided I needed a walk break after about 2 miles of non-stop running. I slowed to a walk and Will started signing “more” over and over and over again. I asked him if he wanted me to run again and I thought his poor little hands were going to fall off from signing more so much! I started running again and he clapped and laughed. So much for my walk break! But I will say that a toddler cheerleader is the best motivation I could ask for!

10. (can’t believe I actually made it to 10!) Another funny Will story from several weeks ago…Greg and I had to pick the Mustang up from the dealership after getting the oil changed and some other work done. It was near dinner time and neither of us was really wanting to fight traffic back to Round Rock with a hungry baby. So we stopped in at a Subway in a, um, not-so-nice part of Austin. We got our sandwiches and realized that they didn’t have any high chairs. Oookay. So I sat Will down on the chair next to me. He thought he was SO cool sitting in a grown-up chair all by himself! He actually did really well eating his meal there too, go figure. Well, I had a napkin in my lap (of course) and he watched me take a bite of my sandwich, wipe my mouth, and put it back. Little stinker reaches over into my lap, grabs the napkin, wipes his mouth, puts the napkin back in my lap and grins at Greg. We about died laughing – it was the funniest thing I’ve experienced in a long time! That’s my little ham, for ya!

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Posted in babies, my family | No Comments »

Blake | Austin Baby Photographer

May 2, 2010

I finally got to meet Blake this afternoon and he was the perfect little model! He wanted nothing to do with sweet, sleepy newborn-ish shots since he is 6 weeks old, but he was so alert and calm that I didn’t mind a bit. And boy is this kiddo STRONG! He’s going to take after his Daddy, I can tell! He was so happy to be on his tummy lifting his head up and looking all around. He sure surprised me!

Leah and Mike, enjoy your sneak peek! I had a great time meeting Blake this afternoon :)

Austin baby photographer

Austin baby photographer

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