I had the pleasure of photographing yet another beautiful baby! This cutie is 7 weeks old and was such a trooper! Mom really wanted just a few simple, beautiful shots. Baby M was so happy and cuddly – I could have stayed and photographed her all day! I hope I captured her true beauty and innocence the way her parents wanted….

Don’t you just LOVE those wrinkles!?

I had the chance to photograph an adorable little guy and his family yesterday. He wasn’t quite a newborn at 3 weeks old and fought sleep the entire time! Of course I had all these props and ideas of how to squish, bend, and stuff him (ever so gently of course) BUT he wanted no part in any of that – can you blame him?! So we improvised and I still got some adorable shots of him. I really enjoyed this family and it was a blessing to get to photograph them. I hope to see these cutie brothers again in front of my camera.

Yawning was about as close to sleep as he got.

I had the chance to attend an amazing photography workshop a couple of weeks ago! It was so cool to be surrounded by other photographers and actually get to meet two photographers whose work I love! It was a great way for me to get back in my picture taking groove! Here are just a couple shots I got of a bride they brought in for us to photograph. I have lots more to share!

All I can say is WOW! I was blessed with the opportunity to photograph this little guy’s birth. It’s been a few days and I haven’t stopped thinking about it! What an amazing experience! His mom is a new friend of mine…united through our father’s cancer…sad, but cool that at least something good can come of cancer.

Here are just a few images I love (obviously there are many beautiful images I won’t post for privacy reasons):

I’m not sure why, but this is one of my favorites.

First time holding daddy’s hand.

Getting measured under those bright lights.

I hope I have the opportunity to photograph a birth again. It was pretty darn cool.

and it feels so good to be back. The last three months have literally been crazy! As many of you know my dad is very sick with cancer. My mom is his main caregiver, but I have spent a lot of time helping out and even when I’m not physically there, it consumes about 90% of my thoughts. Watching someone you love SO much, suffer SO much is terrible. Actually terrible isn’t even the word for it ….anyway, things have settled down a bit with dad (or sadly, I think we’ve just become used to this way of life). To add to the existing stress – we moved! I love our new house and the location but moving with two young kids is never easy!!

Taking pictures and running are my two stress relievers. Those two things are what keep me sane. And I’ve done neither for the last 3 months. Not. Good. For. Anyone. But I’m back!! I’ve been running for the last two weeks, I’ve had a couple photo shoots, and went to an amazing photography workshop. Let me tell you – it feels GREAT!! I literally feel like I can breath easier, I’m much more patient with the kids, and I feel like my old self again!

I look forward to sharing my photography adventures with you. I just photographed a live birth, so I’m anxious to share some of this beautiful boy with you and I have many more images that have been sitting on my computer waiting to be touched.

Here is a picture I took of my dad with my kids. He was trying to take a nap but the girls wanted to be with him. I love that I captured this moment because this is truly life for us these days.

This women is such a caring, sensitive, loving, and kind person. She is someone that has been taken care of her entire life by her devoted husband, but now that he is sick with cancer – overnight she has had to learn to do things she’s never done before! My mom has really stepped up and I am proud of her. I know my dad’s battle with cancer has turned her world upside down too. Here she is on her 60th birthday, enjoying her birthday cake with her 3 granddaughters. I think she looks just as beautiful as ever…only now I see a strong women whose faith in God has got her through the worst year of her life. I pray this next one is better.

This is one of my favorite little guys! He has such a sweet and spirited personality! I think these photos captured some of his spunk!

My goal was to post at least 5 days a week, but that’s been harder than I thought it would be. I don’t know how all those daily bloggers do it! I know I hate showing up at a blog and still finding an old post. Things have just been so crazy this past week, but I’m going to stick with it. So here are a few random pictures to share. I was cleaning out my pictures and I came across these from the zoo in Albuquerque. I always have so much fun with my kids.

I love how they are looking at each other.

This girl has the BIGGEST sweet tooth, so I thought this picture was very fitting.

This blank, scrunched up stare is totally her.

My husband and kids made these a few days ago. We packed up a couple boxes to give out too. They were SO good, too good! I’m glad I ran over the weekend to balance out the massive amount that I ate. But I remind myself they are healthy – organic peanut butter inside and dark chocolate on the outside. Healthy, right? Here is what they did….

Melted the chocolate.

Mixed the peanut butter with powdered sugar and creme (I need to double check with the chef on exactly what he put in here).

Someone always has to lick the spatula.

Smashed up some peanuts.

Rolled the peanut butter into balls.

Then put them into the fridge for a bit.

Dip them in the melted chocolate.

Top with peanuts and refrigerate.

Poor yourself a glass of milk. Eat a few and box up the rest. Then eat a few more. Be sure to run at least 4 miles.

This man is truly amazing. He has shaped my life, provided me with more opportunities to succeed than I ever knew what to do with, made sure I never went without, always put me first, and loved me unconditionally. I’m so blessed to have him for my father and I thank the Lord daily for him. I’ve always known he was a good dad and I appreciated all he did for me, but now that I’m a parent, I truly recognize the sacrifices he made for our family.

Like I said, I’ve always valued my dad, but now I treasure him more than I can put into words. He has cancer. That dreaded word that I have grown to have so much hatred for. Everything has changed since his diagnoses in May. My dad is a different man, but I know his heart and soul are the same. I sense that he’s starting to feel defeated and it kills me. My parents just got into town from CA and came over for dinner. I haven’t seen him for 6 weeks and I am so angry at what this cancer has done to him. I could go on….but for now I’ll just leave a picture of him with my oldest daughter. He’s just as amazing in my kids eyes as he is in mine. The love and sadness I saw in his eyes as I was taking these pictures of them on the couch, made me want to break down right there. My goal during my parents visit is to capture as many pictures of him as I can. Here is the first: