Loved this fall session! |Mesa Family Photographer

Here is another great session I had this past fall!

I loved looking through these pictures and remembering our great fall weather.

In the moment |Tempe Family Photographer

I have this thing for candid pictures.

Pictures from just living in the moment.

My session with this family has me smiling...sessions with little ones are always exciting.

What's better than getting pictures with your favorite things! Love that little Elmo, always a favorite...snuck in a few pictures.
The picture just makes my heart melt. I knew, just when the shutter clicked that I was in love.

Not only do I just love this little guy, but his expression. It's so typical for little ones to look at me and my camera with such intense curiousity.

And this...this...has my heart still melting! Mothers can never get enough of their babies, and I could do this very thing every second of the day.

A VERY excited Big Brother! |Paradise Valley Family Photographer

Love the thought that he's probably dreaming about his baby brother that's soon to arrive. BUT, he's more like wondering what's in the present Mrs. Tami brought to the session.

Max is very, VERY excited for his baby brother to arrive. I have no dought he'll be anxious to share his mad iPad skills once Zach is here. He is one smart little 2 year old and full of toothy smiles! I'm always a fan of the toothy smiles!

One happy, busy family! |Chandler Family Photographer

One of the highlights every holiday season is the opportunity to photograph an entire family together.

My time with this family was crazy fun and busy with a 11 people, 4 little ones under the age of 4. One set of 4 year old twins, an 11 month old and a newly sitting baby boy.

While extended family sessions are always busy, busy with a large agenda for the session...they're always loads of fun. Especially involving kids I've grow to love.

Here are the proud parents.

Of course, I'm always a fan of the outtakes! These three were hysterical. I've photographed these girls since they turned 1 and they are always making me laugh. And yes, they are identical...thank goodness their parents always add a little difference to help me tell them apart.

LOVE these girls! Aren't they the cutest...funniest too!
I could spend hours with these two!


Okay...don't you just want to squeeze his sweet little cheeks!?!
I'm always a lover of the newly sitting baby! LOVE this age. Little W did so well for this session, considering he was late for his nap...it didn't get in the way of his sweet smile though.
TOTAL crack up! It reminds me when I first photographed the twins and they kept crawling in opposite directions.

Thanks R family for another great session! I loved meeting the entire family.

Push 52: week 1

There is one thing I love about starting a year...remembering what I'd like to focus on for an entire year.

I've never been one for resolutions...nope, not me...NEVER! I'm more like the "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of gal!

But this year is different. My twins will be starting kindergarten and my days will become limited with them. I was thinking, instead of having another emotional breakdown and blogging about it...I would just prepare myself by soaking up more time with my kids before this BIG step in their lives happen. Now, I'm not saying that there won't be a blogging breakdown posted...knowing me, there WILL be one.

I've decided to cut back on the sessions I do each month. With that being written, I'll be honest...I'm already finding myself craving photographing time. Being creative. Seeing things beyond the surface. I'm also seeing moments everyday that I think...I WANT to remember THIS! So, I started two big goals...resolutions if you may.

I started the Project Life 365. Basically a scrapbook kit where I take one picture each day, print it and journal. This is so doable for me. I'm finding myself taking pictures of random moments in my day. Moments where I find my girls doing a little dance routine to a Camp Rock song, dressing up in a curtain they found, and walking around with their brother while teaching him something new. I'm really excited about this project and documenting our life.

The other new goal is Push 52. This brain child was started by a sweet friend Jen. She started this project with such perfect drive. And gathered up women across the country to contribute. In the past, I've thought about this but really wasn't in the place where I could commit. But, here I am now, finding myself jazzed up and definitely ready for this project.

This weeks word was NEW. We had a week to take the picture and post on the Saturday at the end of the week.

For this weeks theme...I love the idea that each day is a new day. A new day to create new memories. Here are my babies shortly after they woke up...we were all battling a cold but managed to get a capture.

Push 52

52 weeks, 52 words, 52 images, 52 reasons to be pushed

The picture below is what I submitted. Right now, this is so my three. Easton is all boy...sometimes feeling it with my camera and sometimes not.
The best part about this project is the blog that was created for all of us to post our pictures on.

Each of the girls are talented and contributed such different meanings of new. I've loved looking at the differences among us all. Different perspectives during each of the different times in out lives.

I can already tell, Push 52 is going to keep me smiling. Before I know it...we'll be at week 52.

For now, you can see just where our little project is getting started and follow along with each of us.

Push 52

Tax information

I've been meaning to post information regarding taxes all year. My goal for the new year is to actually blog what I'm intending to blog...in a reasonable amount of time.

This past year, I learned one huge thing about {TPT} transaction priviledge tax and photographic services. Basically, TPT has to be accessed on anything related with photography...in terms of session fees, products and digital files. Absolutely all of it.

An accountant had shared this with me last spring. I had a hard time believing it at first so I did some research of my own...and, yep, it's true.

Here's an article about taxes....

http://www.azcommerce.com/BusAsst/SmallBiz/SBS/IC/ICah.htm

There is one thing that always gives me a pit in my stomach and makes me give a BIG sigh... taxes.

There is never anything fun about taxes.

On a more fun note...with the extra time I'm taking this year to be with my kids before my girls are off to kindergarten, I also started the 365 project by Becky Higgins.

I'm not thinking I'll be posting anywhere, just crossing my fingers that the pictures actually make it off my camera and into a lab. THAT alone is a big accomplishment.

I received my kit yesterday and love it already. It's so doable and realistic for me.

Project 365, here I come!

Sweet little Harper Grace |Queen Creek Family Photographer

I'm very excited to finally share my girlfriends newborn session.

LOVE love LOVE these three! I couldn't be happier to see these three together.

Love the little moments of big brother and sister during their session.

Today was THE day!

The day that Camryn had been wanting for, for almost a year.

My girls have watched their cousin grow up playing hockey. Last year, my girls were able to get dressed in hockey gear and learn to skate on a fake ice in my sister's garage. Since then, Camryn has always said she wants to play hockey. There wasn't any other sport she wanted.

Here she was a year ago...with her meanest hockey face.

Today, Camryn had her first hockey lesson. The month of January is only for her to learn just the basic hockey skills....learning how to skate it high on this list of course.

We arrived early to get the hockey gear together. Within 5 minutes in the ice rink....we literally froze our BUTTS off! I know...duh, it's an ice rink. But seriously, my toes were frozen numb and I had thick boots. Needless to say, we ended up back home getting a little more dressed for similar weather to Alaska's. We got back to the rink and dressed out.

I know, I'm already a sappy mom, but seriously...each second getting her ready I prayed that the memory of her words and how sweet she looked would stay with me forever. I never want to forget this moment.

But, while she was beaming with smiles, she was also full of fears.

She had loads of questions but never waivered in her readiness to learn.

"What happens if I fall?"

"Why can't you skate with me?"

"Who's my coach?"

"How will I learn to skate?"

"Mom, will anyone hit me like in Kung Fu Panda? Because, I think they were mean in Kung Fu Panda"

(I know, silly question but totally serious with this one!)

We talked about being brave, setting a good example, having respect and standing tall even when she's scared.

Today, Camryn had me smiling ear to ear.

While she was scared, she was brave and stayed strong. From the glass, I watched her fall down for the 5th time. She tried and tried to get up but kept falling. It took all of me to know run on the ice to save her. It hurt to watch her keep struggling without success. Just when she looked up to me and said... "mom, please help me."...a coach skated over and showed her how to get up.

For some reason, that was the moment I learned this is just the start of her growing up and me learning how to sit on the sidelines more. Learning that there will be other teachers in her life.


Camryn...standing on the far left...full of questions, fears and wonders. This was just minutes before getting on the ice for the first time.



My sweet Camryn will always have a sweet place in my heart. As a parent, I sit back and watch my babies and wonder which pieces they got from my husband and I. Camryn is 100% me. Because of this, I'm extra protective of her. School was never the easiest for me. Let's just say I wasn't the ideal student for teachers.

I've spent the last 4 years teaching her to stand tall and have nothing but belief in herself.

I pray I've taught the beginning steps in having a tolerance for diversity, have respect for herself first, enjoy the feeling of giving without receiving, speak up for what she believes is right, have a voice for those that are weak, stay strong in her beliefs but openminded without judgement and to relax....just relax and smile.

TODAY...Camryn has me ending the day proud. Who knows what will happen after January...but for now, she was brave and openminded to something she was a little afraid of.