Oh did we have fun on this windy, windy Monday!  Mom and Dad were all smiles as their little guy checked out everything along the way.  The vintage trike, rustic trains, a construction cone, and a kid-size wagon for his “guys” (little doggies that he loves to carry around) were big hits!   Can’t wait to share the rest…

Hope you have a lovely day.  :)

~mm

Wow…it’s been a while!  I’ve been crazy busy (just not the best at blogging) with all the editing, holiday card designing, and family festivities going on.  SO sorry!  :)

I have so many images to share from lovely sessions that took place from October through January with happy families from Phoenix and Dallas — definitely the busy season!   It was incredibly exciting to see past clients and meet many new ones.  I’m always honored to be chosen to photograph loved ones and recommended by past clients, too.  Thank YOU so much for your support!             …and now onto some portraits….

I’d love to share this little lady!   I met her when she was 15 days old and she was the perfect little sleeper.   We even got some smiles.  :)

We started the session with a bottle (for a full tummy, of course!), a little laughter with big sis, and family cuddling…

Then we moved on to cute baby poses.

She tried to stay awake and look adorable…

…but quickly fell asleep looking just perfect.

Big sis checked in on her several times while her parents relaxed — it was so cute!

Before some family portraits, we captured mom and dad with their newest addition.  Definitely one of my faves!

SO many more lovely portraits from this session.  K and K — your gallery should be ready in no time.

Hope you have one terrific day!

~mm

Oh boy was this little man cute, smiley and fun.

He showed us all of his big boy tricks (clapping, standing, the speed crawl, the sitting spin-around (I was impressed), and some cute little clucking sounds) and smiled throughout the entire session. WE couldn’t help smiling the whole time either…

He had such adorable, tender moments with his parents, too…

And then went back to smiling…

(even bigger!) in his little birthday suit.

Definitely a happy cake face!!! Oh what fun we had.

S&K–Thank you SO so much for trusting me to capture your little man for his 1st birthday session! Can’t wait to see you guys again soon for holiday portraits.

Have a lovely day!
~mm

I met this super fun family bright and early Sunday morning.  The light was soft and golden — just the way I like it — and the weather JUST perfect!  We planned this session around both sets of grandparents being in town for some extended family pics, too.

Although extended family portraits are sometimes hard to coordinate, they are SO so worth it.  LOVE the love pouring from their faces.  :)

SO handsome and sweet.  I have lots of smiley ones, but this one really stuck out to me as being extra special.  :)

Loved the “real” interaction with mom and dad.  :)

And we’ll end with this.  Love him throwing his head back in laughter.  His two front teeth coming in remind ME of first grade…what a fun shot.

AND so, so many incredible shots that I didn’t want to reveal in case they’re going to use them for holiday cards. . . wouldn’t want to spoil it!

Thank you SO very much P Family (and extended family) for trusting me to capture your time together. I’m truly honored and hope you’ll cherish these for a long time!  Gallery coming sooooon!  Yay.

Hope you have a lovely rest of your day.

~mm

My two were walking along a log in Yosemite National Park, taking it all in. Peach grabbed a branch and checked out the leaves, while the little man was watching carefully where to step. This picture takes me back to a time when I truly felt FREE and disconnected, as did they. We hiked, splashed in water, camped (?! — well, sort of), and were just allowed to breathe. We’ll be heading back there sooner than later…or maybe do a National Park tour (Glacier or Denali, perhaps?)and hit up a gorgeous spot every year. That’s on my bucket list. What’s something on yours?

We’ve been busy bees lately.  Soccer, cheerleading, Drama Club, Tae Kwan Do…Yearbook Club starting soon.  This time of year makes me smile as the leaves change and the breezes get cooler, but I also have to remember to take some deep breaths in preparation for…(dun dun dunnn)…the BUSY SEASON.

I’ll be headed out to Phoenix soon for a packed schedule of beautiful people to photograph.  Some clients I’ve seen before (can’t WAIT to see how much all the kiddos have grown!) and some very new families (can’t WAIT for those either).  Before Phoenix, I’m heading to Florida to meet my twinsie niece and nephew and to help my sister-in-law…a new mama, who is super excited for some extra hands around there.  AND my little guy’s birthday is approaching, too.

Oh man…a packed October, an ultra busy November…and then Christmas is here.  :)   Are you ready for the next couple months to whizz by?!

If you’re considering holiday portraits (these puppies come with stunning cards that you don’t have to worry about–that’s MY job!) contact me ASAP (dates on there are all full, so let’s chat!). Seriously, only a couple November weekday spots left.

Hope you have a lovely day! I’m off to finish up client holiday card examples (coming SOON) so I can cross another thing off my growing “to do” list…
~m

Oh how I adore this family and…isn’t she the CUTEST??!!  Mom and Dad decided to have JUST her photographed this year (even though I DID have them squeeze in for a family photo at the end) and we had a blast letting little M lead the way and do her thing!

{B    E    A    U    T    Y}

This session was a special gift because, not only have I photographed this family numerous times (see here, here, and here! ),but this fam has referred many clients to Maggie McDonald Photography!  Word of mouth is such an incredible compliment  and I SO appreciate their numerous kind words and referrals…plus, it means I get to hang out once more (and create stunning one-of-a-kind portraits) with them!

Mom always comes full of fun ideas, so for this session we started with a vintage look (an old car was a must) and then we moved to a golden field with sunflowers, hay bales, round balloons, a baby carriage AND her kitten on a LEASH..you’ll see those in a day or two.  Good times, good times!

In the portrait above, I just love all the line (the wood + the building, + her!) and how content she looks…just seems peaceful.

Until the next sneak peek…

Hope you have a lovely day!

~mm

Gorgeous,     G O R G E O U S      family !!!

I feel incredibly fortunate when I am contacted by a family to photograph them for an organization called Celebrating Adoption.   Celebrating Adoption sessions are always great fun and more rewarding than I can even explain.   I always get teary when I see the “complete” family  (so, so much love) and I just love hearing the stories of each child and family.

Check            out             this          SIBLING             SQUEEEEEEEEEZE!           Love it!!!

When I heard from the E family mid-July, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to photograph them.   This family had a Celebrating Adoption session for their son, when he arrived home, and now, this session was to celebrate the adoption of their adorable, SWEET, cutie-pie youngest daughter, who came home in January.

We met up on a cooler-than-usual sunny morning and they all popped out of the car with big smiles, ready to have some fun.  We went on a mini nature walk, ran, explored, did a bunch of smiling and laughing, and chatted about lots of kid-related things!

So, here she is, Little A. I loved her sweet demeanor…she was an observer for quite some time, and then slowly but surely, she came out of her shell.  Her more outgoing siblings definitely helped her along…      And oh, did I mention her smile….absolutely stunning!

Her older sister (have you SEEN more beautiful hair?) was so smiley and full of personality — she glowed in that golden sun! I cracked up when we discussed having lollipops at the end of the session — she was SO excited and talked and talked about how much she LOVED candy!

Their athletic older brother was kind-hearted, SO well-mannered, and F U N !

The girlies REALLY look up to him!

Ridiculously      cute.           Incredibly       happy.

{ F   A   M   I   L   Y }

Thank you SO very much, E Family, for letting me be a small part in celebrating your adoption of sweet Miss A.  It was such a pleasure to work with you and meet all of your children!

Hope you have one lovely day.  :)

~mm

Oh the heels! Aren’t they snazzy?  LOVE these mother/son portraits…

I was so impressed with this mom because literally two days before our session we chatted about a totally different what-to-wear idea. Twenty minutes after our conversation, she called me back, ready to go with this great ensemble! I absolutely LOVE how she put these reds, blacks and whites together with denim. The best part? She found all these clothes at home! No shopping involved!

Fun times, gorgeous fam, & superb styling!

Hope you have a lovely day…
~mm

* * * Oh, and please contact me ASAP if you’d like a holiday mini session for you, your children, or your family.  October is completely booked!  Only a handful of September and November spots are available for DFW peeps…don’t wait if you want to impress friends and fam this year with stunning holiday cards and portraits — all done in a way that compliments YOUR fam  ! ! !  :)

I had a seriously WONDERFUL time with this family of four.    Time flew as we explored, played, talked about trains, sampled delicious lollipops, and even did some arm swinging.  :)  We were lucky to have a more mild-weathered day with a slight breeze, too.  A big YAY for the last day of August!  :)

The boys were sweeter than pie and cuter than cute…

and the parents?  AMAZINGLY fun!

I LOVE that they wanted to celebrate their lives with current portraits, so the boys could look back on these pictures and see how much they love them (that’s what mom told me!!!).  The boys’ grandparents even came along so that mom and dad could have some couples portraits, too.   Speaking of mom and dad…they met when they were 16 in high school!

I loved this candid shot here…SUPER comfy/natural in front of the camera. I have a kazillion stunners of them!

Seriously love these!

And this one…

definitely a FAV.  Look at his cutie pie smile.  :)

Have TONS of faves I couldn’t even show you because they changed into equally adorable outfits in a totally different color palette…stay tuned!

Hope you have one super day…and thanks SO much D family for trusting me to capture your love.  I think it’s crazy CRAZY evident.  Thanks for being “you”!

~mm

Thrilled to photograph this simply stunning teen in Florida this June. She was sweeter than Florida sweet tea (and WHOA it’s sweet!) and just such a natural beauty. Her golden hair blew in the beachy breeze as we talked about her plans for the future (loves to dance) and explored the gorgeous setting. A perfect afternoon!

I’ll let her portraits do the talking…

Hope you’re having a spectacular day!
~mm

P.S. Phoenix HOLIDAY MINI SESSIONS are totally booked! If you’d like to be on a wait list, email me asap! Dallas peeps still have some MINI SESSION slots available, but they’re going quickly! {click here} for info!