I’m actually on maternity leave.  I’m sorry for not blogging sooner… but I’ve been enjoying my my time by recovering, spending time with our newly shaped family and getting to know my precious baby boy.

On November 20th my husband and I welcomed our third child Dezmond Dominik into our family…. literally.  Andre and I delivered him at our house.  Yes, we had a semi-unassisted home-birth.  I say “semi” home-birth, because thankfully our wonderful birthing team (Mid-wife Christy Martin, her assistant Abby, and our Doula / Hypnoduola Kathy O’brien) arrived just minutes after Dez was born (they were caught in Friday night rush hour traffic).  Immediately upon arrival they took incredible care of Dez and I and we couldn’t have done it without them.

Having Dez naturally at home was such an amazing experience that has bonded us all together in such a loving and intense way.  Being at home for his birth was so soothing, comfortable, and most of all it was just right for us.  At birth Dez weighed 9.6lbs and was 20.5in long.  My biggest baby yet.

Proud Dada Andre taking in all of Dez’s sweetness.

Me, proud and shocked Mama, taking in the moment, shaking a bit, and high from the experience.

Nate and Lana… simply in AWE of their baby brother.

Andre and I had planned for a home-birth, not so much the unassisted part, but when it happened, we worked together perfectly and encouraged each other throughout the two pushes… then Dez was there and in my arms.  I always say that Andre is great, but really you must know after this he truly is AMAZING.  I’m so lucky to have such a wonderful partner and best-friend to experience life with.

Photo taken by Kathy O’brien.

It’s great reconnecting with past clients.  I photographed Kayla for her senior portraits and with her came Justin.  We had a great time getting to know each other then, but this time was even more fun with Andre.  We enjoyed capturing their love and eagerly anticipate their wedding in October!

We had so many favorites that it’s hard to narrow them down to a post, but I must, so here are some of our top picks from their e-session.

To see more of their engagement session, CLICK HERE for their slideshow!  or play below.

I had one of those DUH moments when Stacie called me a year after shooting her and her family.  I photographed them not knowing or should I say realizing that her husband BJ was in the military.  I mean for real the short hair, the military bearing, you know just the vibe.  After serving many years in the military I never missed recognizing another military member, but since I’ve been out for so long I guess I’ve lost my sense of knowing another.  Anyway, I was honored when she said that she wanted to book me again for a family session, only this time focusing on BJ and his service, especially since he had just received his orders to Iraq.

She challenged me to find colorful patriotic walls for their location.  I knew Deep Ellum would be the place, I just had a hard time finding the big American flag that was RIGHT there! LOL! I’m very happy with the results, in fact I had a very hard time slimming down the photo selection.  This is defiantly one of my favorite family shoots to date!

It’s such a joy to see their little ones grow and develop into the precious little people that they are.

For sure Daddy’s girl!

hurrah!!!

all because these two fell in love!

Click here to view full screen slideshow or below to see it below

This past Saturday I had a blast working at Six Flags. Here’s a sneak peak at a SUPER fun Senior session with Jen.

I TRULY LOVE MY JOB!!! More to come soon!

The wind blew in the Barkers and family from Germany for me to capture their true story. We meet at the Las Colinas Canals where we ducked in and out of areas of gusty wind.

I loved being with this family as it made me miss Germany SO MUCH! We spoke of german customs and areas, but my german dialect has long left me in the 10 years since Andre and I were married there.

As this year winds down, I’m able to take a breath and reflect on the many blessings I’ve experienced this year. One blessing stemmed from a decision that I made at the beginning of the year to not utilize marketing ads in magazines and elsewhere. Instead, I invested in equipment, education, and incentives for my client’s referral program.  I’ve had incredible clients whom continue to help my business thrive simply by referring their friends and family.

I truly enjoy getting to know my clients and capturing their true stories. When it is friend of a client, it becomes easier to key into their personalities even before we meet.  We are able to seamlessly work together to reveal their true individuality and family dynamics by having that headstart into getting to know each other.

As an example, one of my “all-time-favorite” clients Elizabeth, referred me this beautiful family.  We got along great from hello and the rest was magic.

Gotta LOVE you Elizabeth for a fantastic referral.  Enjoy your prints ladies!

And a special thank you to all of my clients for allowing me to capture your wonderful moments and for your support and wonderful referrals!

Spending the morning with the Mulligans was an excellent start to my day.  Breathing the fresh Texas winter air, embedded in nature while chasing these 3 boys.  What more could I ask for? 

I was fascinated with their true story.  Their love for each other, especially the love the older boys had for their baby brother.  Such sweet brotherly bonds!  What I loved about this family is that they absolutely shared their true story with me.