Our .emme. boudoir photography event in Austin this weekend was simply amazing! I think Michelle and I may have been more nervous than our actual subjects going into it ;-). It was a LOT of work, but I can tell you we were very moved by the openness and honesty of each woman that stepped in front of the camera. I know it takes a great deal of courage to do something like this and we were very honored that you trusted us to show you just how beautiful you are, inside and out.  (More sneaks from this weekend are on our Facebook page. To view the rest of our portfolio, you can visit our website.)

While I had toyed with the idea of having a session done myself, I quickly talked myself right out of it. The verbal “scars” from childhood and teenage years are not easily suppressed and when you add that to the “scars” from childbearing…well, it’s hard to imagine that your body can every be seen as beautiful. But as I watched these women from all backgrounds and of all shapes and sizes find their own confidence with each picture we took, their bravery inspired me. If they can do it, then I should be able to do this, too. I needed to practice what I’ve been preaching.

So I did it. And it was fun. And Michelle was phenomenal. And Katie’s make up was flawless. (That’s me up there on the right).

At first, my mind was racing:
Wow, this is a lot tougher than I thought it would be.
THIS is what everyone else was going through?
Am I doing this right?
Ooof, my butt is so big!
Oh, I hope my flabby tummy isn’t hanging out too much.
Wait a sec…my tummy is flabby because I carried THREE babies in it!

Then I calmed down a little:
At least my make up looks good.
I kinda like my hair like this.
Oh, good song!
Hmmm, I don’t feel like I look as bad as I thought I would.
Michelle is doing a great job.
It’s actually pretty fun on this side of the camera, too.

And finally, I found my motivation:
I really, really, really love my husband.
And, wow, he loves me, in spite of my mommyhood batttle scars.
I am so glad I did this.
For both of us.

I flipped through the pictures again tonight. I think Michelle did an incredible job. I can’t wait to surprise my hubby. But first, we have to help our other .emme. beauties with their own surprises.

Our next event is June 27th & 28th in Los Angeles, California. You won’t even believe the hotel Michelle found for these!!! I am SO excited, plus, this is my FIRST trip to California! If you’ve been thinking about doing it, don’t miss out. [FYI, this is more than likely our LAST Duality event until 2011–we looked at our calendars, but we’re just so busy for the rest of the year, I just don’t see how we can squeeze another one in. You’re certainly welcome to schedule an individual appointment with either Michelle in Orange County or myself locally in Austin, but you’d be responsible for the location and make up.]

Thank you again to all of the women that took the risk this weekend. Couldn’t have been a more beautiful group! And thank you to Michelle and Katie…I had a blast hanging out with you both.

Technically, I wasn’t really in a position to book this session when mommy sent me a note. My schedule was booked, booked, booked, but then, a lucky break and I was able to drive out to San Antonio one day. So very worth the trip! I was admittedly nervous because she was already 4 weeks old at the time, but wow, she was amazing!!!! Loved all the color and those big blue eyes!

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit, this one had a tough start. This beautiful family ventured out quite a ways for our session and older bro fell asleep in the car. Understandably so, he was not thrilled with being awakened and then having to walk out into this field in the middle of nowhere. Oh my goodness, we tried *everything* and I mean everything to cheer him up, but it just wasn’t working. I started to get scared because the sun was setting fast and we had already been out there about 20-30 min and I wasn’t able to get much at all.

Finally I just decided to invite the whole crew back to my house for some drinks and snacks and Legos. Both boys brightened up at that idea and it actually turned out to be a lovely evening for us all (well, if you don’t count the mosquitoes). We drug out the old purple couch into the bluebonnets in my yard and in between crackers and Lego creations, we managed to pull off a photo shoot before the sun set. Fresca saves the day once again!!!

I just keep coming back to this image from his birth. I can’t help it. Mostly because I was so grateful to have made it there in time to capture it, LOL. Congrats to the E fam!!! (What does this mean?)

You’d think she lead a miserable existence. In reality, her days are spent playing with her big brothers, snuggling with mom and dad, reading, singing, clapping, trying on shoes, and basically being waited on hand and adorable little foot. Poor, pitiful princess.

This one turned out to be a session near and dear to my heart. We had to reschedule time after time due to weather and births, so when we finally had the opportunity to get together, there was a lot of anxious anticipation.

But the second I saw their warm smiles and their “up for anything” approach, it was like we had been friends forever. And that baby girl has the richest, deepest, most sincere brown eyes I had ever seen. A truly beautiful evening with truly beautiful people and I’m so thankful to have met them.

And yes. That is a couch in the middle of a field (actually, we were tucked away behind a Dairy Queen ;-). And I don’t care how cliché it is, I LOVE it!

I did something today that I don’t normally do–actually, it was something I had never done: I photographed a birthday party for a client. Truth be told, I loved it and I was so honored to be invited there to capture this once in a lifetime milestone.

She looked like a little doll, but she was definitely more interested in things other than birthday parties and photo shoots. In fact, it took us quite a while to find the right formula to work for her, but when we found one (which involved her nanny Miss D holding a DVD player over my head), it was magic:

The past few weeks have been wonderful with Miss “Sharon” (as my kids called her, even though her name is Shannon) helping us out. I loved watching how she interacted with Amry…their time together doing laundry, picking out just the right shoes, Amry prissing around in my necklaces. She was so wonderful with the boys, too (like their spikey hair-do’s?).

Miss “Sharon’s” last day was yesterday and I just want her to know that we are going to miss her very, very much, but we also want to wish her the best of luck as she ventures out into her career.  We were very blessed to have her and we are even more blessed that an equally wonderful replacement was able to pick up right where she left off. J…can’t wait to spend the summer with you!

Finally getting some help with the kids/house has changed our lives! I can’t even begin to tell you how nice it is to have work days that actually have an end now, because for a while there, the days and nights were just blending into one. Sure, I still have to do a few things at night, but at least now I have a solid block of uninterrupted time when I can really get things done. I can’t believe we waited so long to take that plunge! It’s been so refreshing to actually have a few hours in the day when I can just focus on the family and savor all of those wonderful moments like watching Tristan’s butterflies eclose or taking care of Logan’s shiner that resulted from a falling pipe or reading Amry’s favorite stories to her over and over again. For the first time in a very long time, I’ve had a bit of free time. And I quite like it. And I think my kids do, too.

When I walked into their home for this session and saw the kiddos, I just about fell over. I know it shouldn’t shock me like it does, but I just couldn’t believe how much they had grown! Gosh, when last I saw little man, he was a precious newborn baby.

And now they both have such vibrant personalities! We had so much fun at our session that day and I so enjoyed watching mom and dad enjoy their family. This is what it’s all about!