I Heart Faces "Pets"

Wow, I really can't believe how long it has been since I entered a weekly photo at I Heart Faces.  Each week I keep telling myself I am going to start doing this again and then Monday comes and goes and then Tuesday comes and goes and my chance is over and the week is gone.  This has gone on way too long.  So, this week, pets week, I decided to start again.  This is a photo I took of my cat one day when playing around with lenses.  He is so spoiled...can you tell he thinks he is the MAN?  If you would like to play along too, please go to I Heart Faces and enter today.

Sweet Newborn Boy

One of my good photog friends recently had a baby boy.  So, of course I begged her to come over and do a few newborn photos of him.  He was so good, just laid there and looked around...didn't fuss one bit.  He also didn't sleep.  As much as I love sleeping babies, I also love watching these little ones look around and try to figure out their new world.  Here are my favs:

Just about halfway there

Being halfway through your pregnancy is 1) a good thing that time is actually moving forward, 2) a bad thing because you still have 20 more weeks to go, but 3) great because you have made it this far without any complications or real reasons to complain. Don't get me wrong, I am not happy at all about how my belly is way bigger than I think it should be right now but I am dealing with it. I keep thinking about getting through the awfully hot summer and growing bigger and bigger each week. I am feeling the baby move pretty regularly now. It's funny how at first you aren't sure if that is what you are feeling or if it's your belly telling you it's hungry or just your food digesting. But at this point I am fairly certain what I am feeling all the time is that little one kicking about in there. It really is a neat feeling, something that is hard to explain.  All you moms out there know just what I am talking about.  It's also the one thing that I miss once the baby is born.  My husband asked me today if I was feeling the baby move yet and I told him I was.  He asked if it was too early to feel it from the outside and I said yes but hopefully in a few more weeks he will be able to feel those punches from the outside that I am feeling from the inside.  Since we are not finding out the sex of the baby we are coming up with boy and girl names.  We have a couple good ideas but are still looking in case another name pops out as us that we just love.  Does anyone have any names that they really love?  We are looking for boy names that begin with B.  The middle name is going to be Edward because that is my husbands middle name and we are going to keep the same initials.  If the baby is a girl we are open to any name.  I don't really like names that everyone else has right now, I like something a little different but not too different.  I think we are so picky but I guess that's how you have to be sometimes.  We are going next week for my ultrasound even though we aren't finding out the sex it will still be nice to see the baby and make sure everything is still on track as it should be.  I will post ultrasound photos when I get them.  I hope the next few months go quickly because I can't wait to meet this little one and introduce him or her to all of you!

Something New

I have to admit that I have been horrible about keeping up with all the blogs I love to read. I am just trying to stay afloat with my own blog which is still sinking quickly. I've been having some pick up in my number of photo sessions lately and that has kept me busy too. I am very excited about shooting a wedding again in October. I know I will still be a little nervous about it but hopefully not as much as last time. Now, you are probably wondering what the "something new" thing is all about. Well, I was lucky enough to photograph my first birth session. It was wonderful. The new mom was also gracious enough to let me use the slideshow I made as advertising so I can show others what I can offer. So, here it is(Be sure to have your sound turned on, it makes the video better):

Funny, but I still get teary everytime I look at it.
I promise I am trying my hardest to post more, just sometimes I have a little too much going on all at once.

I'm So Excited

While I was in Texas for my mini vacation I was thrilled about the fact that the I Heart Faces Photo walk was going on the same time I was in Austin!  We met up in downtown and the weather turned out to not be as bad as I was expecting.  As our leaders walked us around we took pictures of anything and everything our hearts desired.  We even had a couple models to use as well.  Here are a few of my favorites from that day:

The reason I am so excited is that my photo (pictured below) won for the Austin walk.  I was around so many talented photographers that I didn't think I even stood a chance.  Wow, what an honor!!  To see the other picks from the walk across the country click here.

Fix It Friday #59

It really has been a long time since I participated in a Fix It Friday at I Heart Faces.  But this week how could I resist with such a big eyed cute baby girl?  Here is the original:

And here are my "fixes".  I always like to do a color version and then something else.  I went with the black and white to show off those dark eyes and creamy skin.

A Hot Day and a Sweet Girl

Boy was the sun beating down very early this morning.  But that didn't stop this little cutie from enjoying the sand.  She was a little weary of the water...but I am too now that it's full of yucky oil.  Even though we were all sweating up a storm, she did very well for a quick photo shoot.  Here is a small preview from this morning.

Going to the beach...while we can

Last Thursday evening we decided to take the girls to the beach again while we could.  Who knew really when it would hit and how bad it would be anyways.  Though we were only there for about an hour, the girls had the best time.  They ran and splashed and tried to build a sandcastle.  Aislynn was happy in her sand, staying mostly away from the water.  She did venture up to daddy once though.  I will be sad to not be able to enjoy this all summer long.  Oil, go away...and don't ever come back.

Capital of Texas Triathlon

It was Memorial Day.

The sun was rising, it was going to be a beautiful day for a race.

My husband competed in the CapTex Triathlon.  He did the Olympic distance which was his first of this one.  It consisted of a 1500 meter swim, then a 40K bike, and a 10K run. 

His mom and I were in attendance.  We had a great time cheering him on.  We can't wait for the next one.  Hopefully soon!  Here are some photos from the day.

Back from Vacation

We are officially back from our lovely quick visit to Texas as of Tues night.  We were very busy most of the time.  The girls got lots of pool time, we got to visit with friends and family, we all ate lots of yummy Texas food, and we can't wait to go back again.  While there, my husband had a triathlon on Memorial Day.  It was so much fun to go out and support him.  We had more family portraits made by Julie Rivera who took some for us last year too.  What I have seen so far are very cute, she does such a great job.  If you are in the Austin/Waco area you should look her up and get some photos done of your own.  I am planning on catching up on some posts in the next couple of days.  Hope all of you bloggy buddies are doing well. 

Long Time Coming: Beach Maternity

With me gearing up for my Texas trip and all I  have totally fell behind on my blog.  I guess when you have a million things to do, including taking care of three kids, a husband, three pets and being pregnant, the computer time gets cut first.  I did, however, manage to sneak away a couple of weeks ago to snap some photos for a photog friend of mine and her family.  She is expecting later this month and looks better than I ever will at that stage.  I was telling her that's so easy to photograph a family like hers because they are so easy going and fun to work with.  Here are just a few from that day.