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].

I’m almost embarrassed to point out how long it has been since I have blogged, but let’s just say busy season came roaring in on a freight train last year and I was doing my best to hang on for the ride. I’ve certainly been shooting a lot and have quite enjoyed these mild Texas winter temps (with the exception of a few snow storms). I will probably *never* catch up with all the work I didn’t get around to blogging last year, but I’m going to try, starting with this STUNNING at home family session from last fall…

This little guy was not having the best day and I felt so bad for him. At one point, he just gave up on us all and laid out on the steps. Bless his little heart! Turns out, there was a good reason why (see below).

I was very happy that his mommy could comfort him in front of the most INCREDIBLE WALLPAPER I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!!!! Yeah. I think we were both equally excited about getting to feature it as a backdrop for the last part of their session. Mama has impeccable taste when it comes to wardrobe and interior decoration!

My personal fav from the session is HERE 🙂 (and another HERE), but find out Mama’s favs in her words:

What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? We were just about to celebrate our 10 year anniversary and were in the mood to celebrate! We were just feeling so unabashedly proud of our little family, ten years in- in awe of our kids and grateful for each other.

Where was your session held and why? At our home in Rollingwood. We thought being in our natural habitat would make the kids feel more comfortable in front of the camera- and make for more believable smiles 🙂 Also, I recently wallpapered my bedroom with this dramatic floral print so I wanted to use that as the backdrop for some of the photos.

What was your favorite part of your session? My favorite part was the ease with which it came about! We just got dressed, went downstairs and started playing! While we certainly aren’t all coordinating in wardrobe (or mood) any time other than when we’re having our picture taken, the photos totally capture the spirit of our family, which is fun and loving.

Funny stories or interesting happenings related to your session: Well, we were pretty sure there wouldn’t be a single picture of Griffin smiling, as he was welcoming a new molar that day… But, naturally, at the end of the session he just turned into this totally animated kid. How you were able to get so many shots of his cute smile from before those last five minutes was a huge surprise to us!

Advice to other families before their photo sessions? Have a joke on hand to tell your spouse who is uncomfortable smiling for long periods of time 🙂

What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography? A friend had used you for newborn shots, which were gorgeous, of course. I didn’t know if that would translate well to full family photos, but one trip through your website and I was sold!

Describe your favorite image from the session and why it’s your fav: It’s so hard to choose! I love the one of us lounging on the backyard sofa, taken from above the string of cafe lights- I remember that we were just sitting there talking and laughing. We have so many photos of the four of us sitting together, posed stiffly, uneasily. This one is us actually being a family, so it’s really special.

And how could I not choose the one of Rob and Sloane twirling in the living room? That picture is never coming off the wall!

Things to know about this fabulous family’s very lifestyle photo session:

1. Those little boys are as charming as they look.
2. Mama is incredibly organized and creative!
3. Dad is super patient and such a good sport!
4. “Super Hero Chase” is a real game that they really all play together and I think that is the coolest thing ever!
5. Fav image HERE.

First of all, reality check here in realizing I’ve been working with this sweet girl since she was a baby. And in seeing her again during this photo session, I got to bathe in her vibrant, exuberant, loving, cheerful, sassy personality…and she reminded me SOOOOOO much of my own daughter. Strength and confidence and the unapologetic beauty that comes with them.

I know we (I) tend to get hung up on trying to figure out the perfect photo session location, but the truth is, as long as you’re with the people you love and you’re being your authentic selves, any location can be the perfect location. We were actually planning to meet elsewhere for this photo session, but I happened to take a wrong turn during one of my runs in downtown Austin and this alleyway took my breath away. Who would have ever thought?? But honestly, we could have done all of our photos next to dumpsters and the light and love of this family would still shine through. In fact, here’s my favorite image from the session…photographed in a literal mud puddle.

Reeling from tragedy after tragedy in recent months and days, it is sometimes difficult to find reasons to smile. I am so grateful that I get to be surrounded by and photograph the simplest and purest joys–my clients and of course, my family, help remind me that wonderful things do still exist in this world. There is still beauty. There is still LOVE.

These sweet girls are sure lucky to get to grow up in this historic, magical house with these incredible gardens and structures all around! What a childhood to have! And I adore their halo of curls that crown their busy little bodies. It was a fantastic morning with their family for sure. One of my favs in the bamboo and a close crop of THIS one.

Is this thing on? Hmmmmm…think I’m going to try to dust off the old blog and come back to the joy and vibrance of life…especially demonstrated by this sweet family at their annual family photo session. I love that we got to revisit their home and play and have fun in their backyard again. It basically worked as a way to perfectly compare just how much the boys had changed since last year. Loving the farmer’s tan and the mischievous smiles flashed to me as they ran from place to place, so eager to show me their new tricks on the playscape and in the pool. These boys have an amazing life and amazing parents who love them with their whole hearts. Favity fav.

Stepping into this hidden gem really is like stepping in to Wonderland. You never know what you’re going to find around each corner and everything seems disjointed and incongruous, but that’s the beauty of the place. The girls kept going from one little nook to the next, excitedly telling us about what they had discovered. It was *just* enough to distract us from the humidity that day ;-), though you can still literally see the haze in the images…that’s how humid it was!!! I absolutely loved that rainbow dress, too! It stood out so beautifully to punctuate the images in this misty, mystical little Wonderland. Fav mom + daughter pic HERE.

I first had the pleasure of working with Georgia when her baby brother was first born and now we are celebrating the start of her Senior year in high school and neither her mom nor I can quite really grasp that just yet. What I *can* grasp is the fact that Georgia has always been a caring, responsible, mature, absolutely stunning young lady and that will serve her well as she begins her adult life very soon. But in the mean time, I truly hope she squeezes out every ounce of joy and fun from her Senior year and takes a little time to reflect and enjoy it. She deserves it!

Okay, okay. I know this one is super photo heavy, but #sorrynotsorry. I love it when good things happen to good people and I love getting to document those good things for good people. Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane, shall we? It all started when dad wanted to surprise his then girlfriend with an engagement session with me. And then we celebrated the good news that they were expecting their first baby. And then he was born. I will remember each and every photo session I’ve done with this beautiful family for the past several years (even if I haven’t blogged them all yet…ooops). Somehow, they’ve each remained true to this bright, clean, modern aesthetic even with all of the changes over time.

And now they’ve built their dream home with lovely clean lines and subtle pops of color and INCREDIBLE light (mom is a photographer, so that makes sense) and they have settled into their new home beautifully. And we got to do all of little man’s favorite things like reading stories, playing with construction vehicles, stacking blocks, snuggling, airplane, and making coy model faces at me. He even learned to “toast” and thought that was the funniest thing he’d ever seen. It was just the most glorious morning hanging out. Favity fav HERE. So happy for you guys and the life you have created for each other and that sweet boy!