Okay, this little angel has the most incredible blue eyes I have ever seen and a sparkling personality to go with it. I’m always a little bit nervous when doing a cake smash photo session because I’m never sure how it will go. More often than not, we all end up being a little disappointed when a baby decides to have nothing to do with the cake. That was NOT the case this time as she put on quite the show. I’m pretty sure we stayed there and watched her attack this cake for about 40 minutes. My favorite moment is HERE.

In addition to celebrating her birthday, we had another surprise planned for this photo session: mom and dad would get to find out the gender of their next baby! I was incredibly thrilled when mom and I cooked up a plan to make it happen. They had the big appointment a few days before the shoot and mom gave the secret envelope to their nanny (I so do not know how mom didn’t manage to sneak a peek, but she didn’t). When I came over that afternoon, I met behind closed doors with the nanny to help stuff the colored balloons into the box she had made. I was SO scared I would somehow say something to give it away before it was time. I don’t think I did . And when the time came, this is what happened:

The greatest part was baby girl’s reaction…she was SO enthusiastic, clapping and grinning! It was priceless!

Finally on the blog!!! Yay!!!! This workshop was the perfect way to kick of 2013! On day one, we all got to finally meet and chit chat and had fun playing with sunflare and headshots. After a laaaaaaaate night it was early to rise for an amazing in-home lifestyle newborn session demonstration:

Later that afternoon, we headed into downtown Austin to experiment photographing a family in an urban setting:

It was so crazy…it was sunny, sunny, sunny all day long and then wooosh! All of a sudden, in true Austin fashion, the wind picked up and the sun disappeared and we were out in the elements like Nat Geo photogs . By the by, you should know that I don’t believe I’ve ever worked with siblings who were as connected and fun-loving as those two cuties were. They made me look really good that day. A little too good

I present to you the Pinkle Toes Graduating Class of January 2013! Sharp looking group, huh? When you get some time, I highly recommend you check these ladies out:

• Sabrina K Photography Pearland and Houston, TX: http://sabrinakphotography.com/blog
• Captured by Chrissy in McKinney, TX: http://capturedbychrissy.com/blog
• Beth Fenwick in San Francisco Bay Area, Redwood City, CA: http://bethfenwick.com
• Claire Hill Photography in  Houston and The Woodlands, TX:  http://www.clairehillphotography.com/blog
• Leslie Clawson Photography in Frisco TX: http://www.leslieclawsonphotography.com
• CK Design & Photography in MA http://ckdesignphoto.blog.com/
• Dear Ellison Photography in San Antonio, TX and surrounding areas: https://www.facebook.com/dearellisonphotography

Sadly, I don’t have any more workshops coming up in Austin (no room in my schedule ;-(). If we missed you, you can always chat with me about the Toronto, Canada workshop this August (very much looking forward to that one…my very first visit to Canada!) or if that’s too far for you, maybe we can talk about online mentoring.

while pregnant with TWINS–wait, let’s stop right there. I could never look this good at all, period:

Let me tell you it was fa-reeeezing in Austin the morning of their maternity photo shoot and in between shots, she was huddled under a blanket trying to stay warm. Such a trooper! I think she has such an incredible smile and to watch the two of them together was amazing. I cannot wait to see their transition into parenthood…times TWO. I have not a single doubt that they are going to be outstanding parents! {Follow THIS link to see an image not shown here}.

I feel very fortunate that this family moved to Austin not so long ago. I got to document big brother when he was just 9 months old and then at one year. And now, I had the honor of meeting his sweet baby sister (whose name I ADORE). I love watching families who love one another. Everyone is relaxed and happy and content and it’s evident in each of their photo sessions. And Calla fits in so perfectly. Couple more fav’s HERE and HERE.

Just after Christmas, we managed to squeeze in a few maternity pictures out here at the studio. It actually wasn’t as cold as it looked that day, but mama’s accessories totally inspired the wintry feel of this photo session:

Look at little miss’ pinkies in most of these pics. Everything she did was just so delicate and lady-like, and just so. I have about a bazillion more pics of her with that little pinky sticking out. She just makes you want to take a big sigh because all is right with the world. She is a beautiful, perfect addition to her little family. Two other favs shown HERE and HERE.

I don’t think I ever got a chance to blog her mommy and daddy’s maternity session from last year, either:

*Someone* had a birth day today . I’ll give you a hint…you can’t really see him in these pics . I found that to be incredibly convenient because this someone + his family happen to be the models for the in-home newborn photo session demonstration at the first January workshop! There are two–yes, only TWO–openings left for the Austin lifestyle photography workshops in 2013. I do not have any more Austin workshops on the calendar at this time, so please don’t miss out if this is something you’ve been thinking about attending. You’ll need to complete the contact form on that page to get the dates, pricing, and other details.

Meanwhile, I’ll just wait around here until I can get my hands on him for his newborn session part A in the next week or two .

Can’t think of anything better to do than to document the pregnancy and their time together while still a family of 3. Goodness, their little boy is beautiful and I cannot wait to meet his baby sister in a few weeks! That wildflower field was a total fluke find, by the way. I actually took a wrong turn going to our meeting spot and happened to spy it behind a car wash, if you can believe it!

Once we had finished exploring the inside of art gallery in THIS session, we got to enjoy the AMAZING fall-like weather outside that afternoon. A note about this next set of images I’m about to post below: at the beginning of the session, I told them to independently think of their responses to these fill in the blanks, “My wife/husband is_______” and “This baby is _________.” You should know that they did not see each other’s responses to those questions and in fact, this post will be the first time they see what each other wrote. I found this little experiment to be quite telling…

And finally, we thought we’d end the perfect evening with one final statement about this time in their lives. It’s all about:

Another huge thank you goes out to Art on 5th and also to Katie at Modern Muse for the fabulous hair/makeup job. Very much looking forward to documenting this little guy’s birth day in just a few months! Oh, yes! One more thing…you gotta see how crafty his mama is:

She made those awesome letters HERSELF!

…because believe me, it’s not been very quiet over here at all over the past week and a half. In between the launch of the 2013 photographer workshops and mentorships, a mad rush of newborn, maternity, and family sessions, a hurt knee, a birth on Sunday followed by a super duper fast birth on Tuesday, and my dear mommy moving away , my universe has been a little out of sorts. Honestly, I’m not quite sure what day it is today. But, I’m finally back at my desk today and proofing like a mad woman. It feels nice to be hanging out in my office again for a change and I’ve quite enjoyed going back and reliving these sessions as I proof them. This session in particular reminds me of the hour-long conversation we all had after we finished shooting, talking all things birth and nursing and what it’s like to have more than one child. The times I spend with my clients behind the camera are amazing, but the memories that stick with me come from the times when we can put the camera down and just hang out. You guys…I just can’t wait to meet your new baby girl…I know she’s going to be beautiful and oh-so-loved by her big brother!

…”It’s a GIRL!” and everyone–and I mean everyone–in the room felt their joy! Major congrats to you guys…little girl, your mama is pretty amazing!