Um, yes, I will gladly travel to Houston to get to work with a family this colorful, this vibrant, this fun, this loving, this energetic, this full of love! Beth, it was my absolute pleasure!

Since mommy is a photographer, it was super important to get lots of pics with her in them. LOVE their natural interactions here. It’s pretty clear that he loves his mommy.

Of course, he loves his daddy, too ;-).

OMG. The doggie was cracking me up!

Can’t resist a little bubble magic!

Um. They’re kinda gorgeous.

This was making me giggle because of course, when we wanted to take pics with little man in them, he had better things to do. But the second we stopped paying attention to him, he HAD to pop into the scene! Love it! After bubble time, we got to venture out for a tricycle ride…

Yeah. This photo session pretty much rocked my world. Also, THIS trike shot makes me happy.

There is NO denying that these three are sisters. There is no question that they are STUNNING. There is NO doubt in my mind that dad is going to have his hands full when they are of dating age ;-). But for now, I think we can just appreciate this perfect, beautiful little milestone session just as the Texas wildflowers were starting to bloom (the last time I saw them, the caboose was just a few days old). These little beauties rocked it in every way possible and brought their A game to the fields! LOVED this image, but THIS might be my personal fav.

I mean how is it possible that his newborn session was an entire year ago? One thing I never imagined this job of mine would make me feel was old, but watching these kids grow up at the speed of light definitely has that effect on me. He was SO joyful and smiley at his session and he loved exploring the wildflower fields! He wanted everyone to share in his excitement, too, even me 😉.

I hope you had a Happy Birthday, little buddy, and it’s been pretty cool seeing  your little personality emerge!

I honestly don’t remember quite how this crazy idea came up for me to visit Denver, CO, but I do know that two of the first people I talked to about it were these two. As with most of my clients, I first began working with them while their eldest daughter was just a baby bump. Honestly, we have had some of the most memorable and beautiful sessions together that when I learned they had pretty much moved to Denver from Austin full time (more on that in a sec), I was thrilled for them, but heartbroken because I feel like they are family. I was overjoyed to get to visit with them in Denver last week and to help document this new and exciting chapter in their lives as a family (again, more on that later).

Oh, how I adore this image!

TOO MUCH LOVE!!!

Z – you have impeccable fashion sense!

Sigh.

One of those families where you can just feel the love coming through in their images.

Maybe my most fav I’ve ever taken with you and A.J., M!

This made me giggle.

And goodness me, so did this one!!! So this is the new chapter in their lives: Fé Fit. I am so incredibly proud of them for following their hearts and pursing a dream of helping women (especially moms) to get healthy and achieve their fitness goals. I was especially inspired by the HUGE success of their pilot program to create fit communities by involving teachers, students, and their families in a bit of friendly competition. Be sure to become a fan on Facebook to keep up with their inspiring stories.

Before downtown at Union Station got too crowded, we drove out really quick to catch the sunset behind the Denver city skyline and of course, the Rocky Mountains:

Their faces were cracking me up!

Love!

Love!

Love!

Never will you meet a couple more in love than these two. They have an outstanding relationship and deep respect for each other. And as their family has grown, so has their love. And then my personal favorite from the session can be found HERE.

Like, literally chillin’ – as in what is up with this Texas weather because it was reaaaaaally cold during our session. But that’s okay, the girls managed to have fun and let their true, energetic, sparkling personalities shine through the brisk wind that followed us up and down the streets of Georgetown.

I love this giggle shared above between Mama and baby girl, who, by the way, I guess isn’t a baby anymore because we were technically celebrating her ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY! My, my, my, how Baby Q has grown since her newborn photo session:

 This series above cracked me up. I told her mom there is no shortage of personality in any of these images!

 Cinderella kept losing her shoes 😉

Sometimes, I enlist the help of older siblings to get mom and dad to relax while I’m taking their photos. Usually it results in a photo bomb or two:

 Such a sweet moment!

And really, it’s a toss up between this one above (look at Q’s face…she is SO done with us) and THIS one as my fav family image from the shoot. Thank you again, guys, for having me document these days for you. Your family has grown into such a beautiful, fun little brood! [And once again, hair and makeup rocked by Katie with Modern Muse Beauty!]

Bless her heart, Lauren and her fam made the trip to Austin (and back, no less) from way down in South Texas in just one day. It’s funny because I was just talking to some photography friends (we are getting ready for our 4th–really FOURTH?–Annual Pinkle Toes Photography Workshop Reunion in Charleston, SC in May) about how you can drive and drive all day and never actually make it out of Texas. But Texans are used to those kinds of road trips I guess. Anyway, I was quite impressed that she AND her hubby AND BOTH kiddos were in such amazing moods even after all of that driving. Really, her daughter just marched right up to me when I first got there and chatted like we’ve known each other all our lives. And I could not get over baby boy’s infectious, whole-body grin! The four of them are so laid back and had absolutely no troubles settling into playing together while I happily photographed them. Hmmmm…and if I had to pick a favorite, I think it would be THIS one. But I don’t know. I could change my mind in the next five minutes. Again.

[Side note: pssst…hey…did you see my last post about Denver?]

When photographing little kids in downtown Austin, it’s usually a pretty good idea to have something to help keep them engaged and occupied and entertained and happy. When I met with their mama before the session, we came up with the great idea to give them bouquets of yellow flowers! And it DID work very well…the girls quite enjoyed them. Maybe a little too much as they were SO into the flowers (and leaving an adorable trail of petals all over the park), it was tough to tear them away (and also, we ended up with lots of yellow pollen on noses and chins, lol). But I LOVED how it added a touch of spring to an otherwise drab winter landscape this time of year and I’m glad that the girls had such a fun time with their little bouquets and sprinkling magic every where we went. Favorite image from the session? Right HERE and I knew the instant it happened it would be my favorite. And also, I loved the outtake at the end. Sometimes riding on dad’s shoulders doesn’t quite work out as planned 😉

We were originally slated to take their family pictures in December, but thanks to some nasty weather and a hectic schedule, we had to wait until this month. And…I’m so glad we did because LOOK AT THAT BEAUTIFUL BABY BUMP!!!! We had perfect, perfect, perfect weather and a stunning golden sunset and thanks to the delay, we got to turn the family portraits into maternity portraits, too. [My fav from the maternity portion ;-)]. We had to work a little bit to get big brother to smile but when we caught it, WOW! He’s got the best smile and amazing lashes and lips, doesn’t he?

Just a small peek into what I’ve been working on over the past several weeks. Debating on if I should show more or keep it as a surprise for all the kiddos who are taking part? Hmmmmm…

These kids-only holiday mini sessions are already HALF FULL and I only just opened the sign up last week! Wow! The 10 minute mini session + one FREE digital file of your choice is ONLY available to clients who book a full session for 2015. (Sorry, you cannot purchase the mini session on its own). Also, while I totally understand that grown ups want to play in my wondrous wintry set, these sessions are kids only. If you’ve been thinking about experiencing a Pinkle Toes photo session, this is a GREAT time to take the leap! Please contact us as soon as possible to get the full session and mini session details because there is an EXTRA bonus that comes with your holiday mini for booking early. *hint, hint*

Okay, off to play in the “snow” some more…

completely modeled after her:

Don’t you agree? I mean how could you not love all of that adorableness???

It was a little over a year ago when I first met her and she was a newborn baby at the time. Normally, when I see newborn clients for their one year birthday session, I recognize them right way, but I admitted to her mommy, if I saw this little girl on the street, there is no way I would peg her as the same baby I had photographed last year! I mean, I guess now looking back, I can see some similarities, but wow! She changed and grew and matured so much! She was cute back then and she’s cute now, but she does not look like the same kiddo to me, lol.

I really enjoyed getting to hang out with her and her amazing family for this fall-like session (even if it was like 110 degrees outside that day). Most of all, I loved listening to little miss chatterbox tell us all kinds of stories. And, an added treat: we were able to re-visit one of their newborn images (which I noticed was proudly displayed in the house) and LOVE how it turned out!