I just LOVE having guests because it takes this massive house and fills it with many conversations, laughter, discovery, & TONS of hugs. Life can be just really lonely when you move to a new city and know nobody! I think the kiddos and I have had some cabin fever because I feel like a new lady when guests come.

Having my sis last weekend + my parents THIS weekend makes me SMILE — my kiddos, too. We always have a terrific time together.

What have we been up to, you ask???
*we’ve dined at some super restaurants (discovering new ones every couple days!)
*played some family baseball (& basketball) in the family room
*unpacked/organized the office and the kiddo art room (still working on the office though!)
*saw “the proposal” with my mom — cuuuuute!

One super fun thing was that I got to take some pics of my dad. He needed an image for a high school reunion coming up, so he HAD to have pics taken. It’s not everyday when your dad asks for a picture!!! Even though I only had 5 minutes (we were almost late for a dinner reservation) it was fun capturing him, my mom, & my kiddos.

Seriously, it takes literally a minute to snap a picture of someone you love — I’m SOOO glad I did it, so glad my dad asked, AND so glad I made my mom hop in there for a few frames. It’ll be so nice to get these printed for my kids, too. They love looking at albums of pics and of loved ones on their memory boards.

Have an awesome day! I’m going to TRY and post again in a day or two and get back into the blogging routine. ~m

LOVIN’ the light in our new master bath! I feel, as a photographer, I’m never able to JUST LOOK at something or someone. My eyes see the world as if EVERYTHING is a potential photo shoot. {Sure makes life colorful and interesting.}

I’ve been scoping out the new house for various well lit areas, while attempting to unpack even MORE boxes. My office is the current project…not so fun!

I’ve had fun meeting some Dallas peeps lately — went to a maternity/baby networking meeting this week AND met a super kind neighbor, who is going to fill me in on some recommended preschools & moms groups. Ahhh…I can feel my stress level decreasing.

My parentals are visiting tomorrow (WOooohooo!) so we’re going to be having some MEGA family time AND an extra special Father’s Day!

Have a super day. ~m

{new tub}

I know there are some grandparents and PROBABLY an uncle or two out there wanting to see these cuties.

Soooo…here’s a little story for ya…this eve I experienced something I haven’t before…a REAL live tornado warning. Sirens and all were blaring throughout our neighborhood!!! Hubs is out of town, so he couldn’t even come home to rescue us (hah!)… The television news was super helpful and informative for a Texas newbie like me…good thing our power never decided to go out!

We have a tiny, tiny area in our new house that we call Peach’s art room. It’s basically a closet with a built in desk — you can barely fit 2 adult bodies in there! Anyway, I brought a bunch of blankies and pillows in there and the kiddos created a cozy nest that they called “camping.” PHEW. Last thing I needed were kids that were whiny or scared — I was stresssssed (and in major “I’m going to protect my kids” MOMMA MODE)!

Now, hours later, the sky’s still rumbling, rain is coming down, AND I just opened my door (dogs had to go out!) to hear a chorus of frogs! I wished for a brief second the kids were up so they could listen with me, but then I smartened up!

Have a great day — I’m off to design some announcements.
~m

We had a fun family-filled weekend…the kiddos were excited to get out of the house (I’ve been keeping them cooped up so I can unpack!) and we saw the movie “Up!”

We all liked it (EXCEPT the migraine I got as we left the theatre — itt stuck around the rest of the weekend, unfortunately)!

The kiddos splashed in the sprinker on our front lawn AND we visited a nearby park. We tried out some new restaurants, too. <--SO disappointed in the mexican food here. Dang!!!

I TOOK lots of pics, but promised myself I'd stay away from personal pics until ONE LAST gallery is edited. Phew! Having fun with this gallery though because the kids are SO darn cute. I have been SO fortunate to photograph the CUTEST kids and families of Phoenix (and now hopefully the DFW area). LOVE it.

Here are a couple...

Have to take the dog to the vet tomorrow (mysterious oozing sore — yuck-O!!!), unpack for guests on Friday, and make lots of phone calls…it’s going to be a hectic one! Wish me luck!
Have a great day!
~m

Oh, and the above series of pics is called a storyboard — I’ve had lots of questions re: those lately and just LOVE them!!!

{What CUTE kids with lollis!!! == scroll down for more!}

:::update:::
SO, we made it to Texas! We’ve been here for 2 weeks now — unpacking, unpacking and even more unpacking! The kiddos are enjoying the new home, neighborhood & different types of bugs in the area. We inherited two cats, and have seen a mole AND a snake in our yard. Yikes!

My camera has been out only once because I know as soon as I start taking pictures, I won’t be able to stop. I’m trying to get our house ready for guests next weekend (my sis, her fiance & some of his fam)…and the weekend after that…and the weekend after THAT. We have guests staying for the next four weekends (which is AWESOME because it’s darn lonely w/o friends & fam here)! Wahoooo for visitors!

I need about one more week to be ready and then I promise I’ll post a couple pics of what we’ve been up to. The kids have a real live wooden playhouse out back & my sis and I are going to make the inside allll snazzy for the kiddos. Can’t wait.

I’ve had 6 sessions to edit (I unpack and play with the kids by day and edit by night!) and I have two left, so that feels awesome!

::::Here are a couple more from the stunning Y family::::

Aren’t these kiddos just gorgeous?

Have an incredible week — I’ll post on Monday after we get tons done (positive thinking!!!) this weekend. ~m

Hi bloggity readers…
I’ve been MIA for the last couple days…even these last couple months have been tough as far as upates go (I’m SORRY!!!)!

Our time in AZ has come to an end and tomorrow, YES TOMORROW, we are flying to Dallas so the kiddos can see their new home for the very first time. My hubby has been there for 4 weeks, the dogs are currently being transported there (thanks Uncle Phil) AND our house here has lost any trace of the McDonald family.

I had my last AZ session yesterday…

My kiddos had an awesome photo session yesterday with my pal Jeanette LeBlanc (holy cow…check out their cuteness!!!!!!!!)…

I’ve met with lovely friends — lunches, dinners, mall dates, playdates & that’s been incredible and eye-opening. I am SO grateful for those I have met here that have enriched our lives and know that our friendships will only continue to grow from here. There are SOOO many peeps planning on visiting us this year (wooo hooo — gives me so much to look forward to!)

As soon as I get some pics of the house, I’ll POST!
Have a super day…
~m

I just love storyboards!

I’ve decided that from now on, I’m going to automatically include a couple of my storyboard recommendations in each client gallery. Seeing your images together really tells a story about your session! In this example, I like that you can see the different aspects of little S’s personality. I just loved photographing this little one — she was sweet and on the go!

Have a great day!
~m

Remember I said something about a favorite father/daughter image a bit ago?

This is absolutely it!

And check out this super cute family. The daughter was workin’ it and we were all just cracking up at her adorable little pose. I LOVE photographing families.

Have a super day — I’m off to a fabulous girls day/night away!!! My stomach is prepared for TONS of giggling…

~m