The Pinkle Toes elves are back at it again, busy creating a warm, cozy, inviting set for our “Holiday Chalet.” The 13th Annual Kids-only Holiday Minis and Toy Drive will be held at a gorgeous, cabin-like retreat in Central Austin (make note of the earlier dates this year). As always, the only way to snag this FREE mini session for your child(ren) is by booking a session for 2025. If you’ve never experienced a Pinkle Toes session, this is a perfect way for us to get to know each other while also creating adorable holiday photos of your kid(s). Or, if you haven’t had a Pinkle Toes session in a while, this is a great opportunity to come back and see what’s changed. Everyone who brings an unwrapped toy to their mini for our annual toy drive will receive an additional free file! I say it every year, but these holiday minis are always a hit and a sure way to help everyone get into the holiday spirit! Please drop a line to learn about the 2025 session options and score this coveted mini session for your child(ren). Openings will fill up quickly!

Here are some images from last year’s sessions to give you an idea of the kind of images we get at the minis:

Honestly, I cannot even wrap my head around the fact that I have photographed ALL four of these precious children as newborns. Each of their sessions have been memorable, joyful, beautiful, and unique. I can recall little moments from every single one. I really should take the time to dig up the blog posts on each of them, but I worry that my heart couldn’t take the bittersweet sting of nostalgia.

Baby Scarlett’s session was no exception to the rule of gorgeous newborn photos. But there was plenty of *spice* here, too. I will give you one guess as to who kept us all laughing non-stop :-). I love it all. I love the amazing red hair (always a sucker for red hair). I love the breathtaking love and tenderness shown to this sweet baby girl. I love her chubby cheeks and perfectly pouty lips. I love the gangly folded knees and elbows. I love the upside downs and right side ups. I love the special bond that is visible between the sisters and between the brothers and among the individual siblings. Each person in the family is a crucial puzzle piece. Each person has something to contribute and something to gain from one another. It is and always has been a wonderful dynamic to watch blossom each time I see them.

In case you missed it on Instagram, be sure to check out the image we worked SO hard to recreate from a past newborn photo session :-).

Warning: you are about to be inundated with photos that are full of preciousness and Pinkle Toes!

The light, the richness of the colors, the peace and beauty of the entire family, the EXTREMELY cooperative children all made for a morning where I actually did not want this newborn photo session to end!

This one right up here. Can you even believe how perfect this moment was????

The second I saw this rug, I knew I wanted to incorporate it somehow. See what I’m saying about the richness in the colors?

And, for nostalgia’s sake, let’s see mom and dad celebrating the upcoming birth of their second son during their maternity photo session on a warm, breezy day in downtown Austin:

Somewhat unrelated to maternity and newborn photos, if you are wanting holiday family photos, believe it or not, NOW is the time to book those! This month is already full, September and October are almost full as well. With all of this wonderful rain in Austin, I am hoping for gorgeous greenery throughout Austin to last us through the fall. Let’s take advantage of that! Contact me to get session information soon!

And so my posts are all out of order. But like so many things over the past year, I’m just going to have to let that go. I’m going to have to focus on blogging photos that make me happy…even if they are older or out of chronological order. I want to celebrate and look back on these beautiful moments I spent with so many families, like this one. I am reminded that I’m definitely going to have to make a follow up post to share their absolutely *fabulous* holiday session, too. But meanwhile, join me in looking back on the expectation of and arrival of their 2nd daughter.

I cannot even begin to imagine what it has been like for moms to have been pregnant in a year like this. But I would like to thank all of the families who have allowed me the opportunity to share in their joy with their sweet new babies. Every session this year has been a blessing, but I have found newborn sessions to be incredibly therapeutic and wonderful reminders of what is truly important. I have had the honor of photographing each of these cuties as newborns, every session has been unique and fulfilling in their own ways…just like the unique individuals that they are destined to be.

This sweet baby girl is the newest addition to their family and she was a complete angel throughout her debut newborn photo shoot.  She has even taught her parents how to get her to smile on command (by rubbing the top of her head). She was all about the snuggles with mom and dad…

And facing stiff competition from her big brother, her wallpaper game was on point!

I LOVED all of the beautiful and eclectic details in her nursery that were so unique!

But most of all, I loved seeing how her big brother really got into his role and was such an entertaining and sweet part of this photo session!

“Come here, Mommy! I want to show you something!”

Even snack time (all around) made for some cute photo ops!

Squishy back and sweet smiles! Oh yeah, did I mention her precious chins?

This blog post begins #1 of “40 B4 40” = 40 blog posts before I turn 40 ;-). Technically, I don’t turn 40 until 110 days, but I’m not about to commit to 110 days of blogging and 40 B4 40 sounded nicer and I gotta do something to force myself to try to make a dent in all the blogging I have left to do. Wish me luck!

I don’t know why, but blogging has become this impossible task for me this year. I used to blog almost every day in years past. What is the deal?

Anyway, I figure I should probably try to blog her newborn photo session before she graduates college :-). She was just too adorable not to share! From her mommy:

What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc? Newborn photos of our first born
Where was your session held and why? Held at our baby’s 2.5 week mark at our house
What was your favorite part of your session? The entire session! We waited a long time for our baby and to be able to capture this once-in-a-lifetime moment made it even more special and priceless. I loved Michele’s attention to detail and in working with us to ensure we captured all of the appropriate shots. She was amazing in handling our newborn and working to get the everyone involved, including the dog!
Worries, concerns before the session: Narrowing down the photo selects. They were all amazing!
Funny stories or interesting happenings related to your session: Loved seeing how involved the dog got in the session!
Advice to other families before their photo sessions? Have realistic expectations. This is a newborn and when dealing with pets and kids, you also need to factor in the unpredictability of both. Limit your wardrobe changes and room set-ups and you’ll be much happier with the final result than if you had unlimited changes and set-ups.
What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography? Loved the quality of the photos, the unplanned moments, Michele’s flexibility.
Describe your favorite image from the session and why it’s your fav: I love the photo of Emily looking at the camera, eyes open. It’s so precious and at two and half weeks, difficult to capture eyes wide open (vs. shut). I also love the images of our family (including the dog!) and will cherish this moment forever.

[And, one of my personal favs from sweet Emily’s session HERE].

Our first attempt at capturing their adorable little baby bump was met with quite the challenge. I had been watching the weather *all* day and was starting to see the storm chances increase greatly right at the time we were supposed to start our photo shoot at Mueller Park in Austin. So I had the bright idea of moving the session up a few hours…to beat the storms. And instead, THIS happened. We waited, and waited, and waited…I mean, we were already there…everyone was already made up and looking gorgeous. Finally, it looked like the storm had cleared, so we ventured out. We hadn’t even taken 10 pictures before it started raining on us AGAIN :-(…just out of nowhere! Fortunately, we were able to kill some time in Lick Ice Cream, but we still had to wait and wait and wait some more. I have to say, the soon-to-be big sister held on as long as she could and was quite the trooper, but when the sun finally did come out that day, we had already lost our window and we had to call it. Even I was surprised to find we actually were able to get quite a few fun images on our first day, but I was glad everyone made it back AND there was no rain on the second day:

Favity fav is HERE. I’ll be seeing this beautiful family *very* soon when their new baby decides to make an appearance!

He was such a perfect little angel during his official newborn photo session (his debut appearance on the Pinkle Toes Photography blog was actually on his Birth Day). I can’t believe how he just let us dress him up and take photos all over the house, posing *just so* it seemed for every single picture. He was completely content snuggled up in his mommy and daddy’s arms, that was for sure (favorite image HERE). If I were to give out grades for a newborn photo shoot, he would get an A++++ GOLD STAR in my book, with extra credit for that adorable baby smile up there ;-0.

This little guy was SUCH an angel for his newborn photo shoot! He was asleep and cozy when we needed him to be and then alert and curious for the later half of the session. It was really a perfect blend for newborn photos. I also loved that when I first arrived, there were mimosas (for two) and a bottle of milk (for one) to celebrate Dad’s birthday…my how life changes after having a baby, huh? And then…we got to go out and take photos around/in their adorable Casita! I can see so many wonderful memories being made for him as they travel together. The connection and love flowed with authenticity and ease among this sweet family. It really reminded me of why I like doing what I do so much: getting to see those interactions on such an intimate level, watching people actually become parents, seeing the looks of wonder over their baby and one another…enough to make my heart burst with joy! Favity fav HERE.