Yesterday I had two sessions.  My last two sessions before maternity leave.  The morning session was for a sweet one year old babyplanner at the Arboretum (to be blogged in a bit) – it went great, we even beat the rain!  Then I headed across the Metroplex for a newborn session in Fort Worth.  I’d been waiting on Ben to arrive, hoping he’d beat out my own little guy!  His big sister made mom & dad wait 10 days past their due date before making her arrival 21 months ago…and you know her if you follow the blog, sweet Sami was one of my first baby planners back in 2008.

Ben didn’t disappoint.  Arriving just two days past his due date, on Mother’s Day.  He’s long and lean, with a gorgeous head of blonde hair and blue eyes…just like his big sister.  He was perfect for the session.  Absolutely perfect…you know except for that small incident of projectile poop that covered my shirt!  The incident that caused tears to roll down my cheeks and his mom’s cheeks, that sent Nan for paper towels once she stopped laughing, the uncles to opposite sides of the room, and dad for his camera so he could document the whole scene.  Because, after all, it was a funny, very funny.

We finished the session without any problems.  Ben was awesome.  And then it happened…I totally lost my balance walking down their slick driveway in the rain.  You can imagine what it looks like when a 9-months pregnant woman, in a skirt none the less, takes a spill…not pretty.  I spent the night hanging out in L&D…getting the all clear to go home about midnight.  I’m fine, the little guy is fine, but my knee is less than stellar.  Awesome, I know.  But it explains the delay in the sneak peek, and the reason this is one session I’ll never forget!

Now we all know that MZP doesn’t do a lot of weddings, and that’s because I only do them for referral clients.  Meaning the bride or groom needs to know someone I know (a personal friend of mine, a client, etc).  Earlier this spring I was contacted by Kristin (whose sister has worked with a local photographer that knows me) about shooting her wedding to Gabe in April.  This April…specifically, last Sunday.  They were engaged in January and the Pastor they wanted to marry them has a crazy busy schedule…I mean running a church of over 15,000 members keeps a man busy!

Lucky for Kristin and Gabe…I don’t usually shoot on Sundays!  And after meeting with Kristin, her mom, and her sister I was thrilled when they selected me to shoot the big day!  I had some amazing help from my second shooters, a gorgeous sunny, blue sky day, and seriously all the prettiest people on the planet gathered for this event!

Kristin and Gabe aren’t even home from their honeymoon yet, but I know they’ll be excited to find their images waiting for them when they return!  And I couldn’t very well talk all about this wedding without showing off some favorites!

I can not believe I am writing this post…how is it that my babyplan triplets are already 9 months old?!?!  They were amazing this morning for their shoot – almost two hours of shooting, three outfits changes, and lots of funny noises and peek-a-boo to keep their attention.

Dad, I know you’ve been waiting to see some of these…your key dangling paid off!

I had the pleasure of meeting a family this evening, who is so full of life and laughter it made the session so easy!  They are friends with the family featured in the post below – and I love when I get the chance to meet friends of my clients – there is always an instant connection!

What I loved most about this session was that they brought their dog *and* they wanted a family session with their teenage son.  I don’t get that often enough, but certainly this time in life is just as important to capture as the moments of early childhood.

We traveled through the Botanical Gardens and then onto the Stockyard to take advantage of the light.  G family, I hope you all love these as much as I do!  Can’t wait to edit the rest of your session!

Joey. The most adorable dog (after my own, of course)

There is nothing quite like a true expression from a teenage boy…and this guy was hilarious!

My most favorite way to capture a couple…

Today was one of those kind of sessions…the ones I feel in my soul, the ones that will linger with me as long as I live.  I’ve known this family “forever,” almost as long as I can remember – and the sweet little red headed 3-year-old is my son’s best friend.

Kim, or Mawmaw as she’s better known is an amazing woman.  A lady with more strength and FAITH than anyone I have ever met.  And she is fighting an incredible battle.  Tomorrow, on her birthday, she’ll have surgery…and she needs all of us to be praying for her, for the doctors, and for her kids.

I know many of you read this blog…so I’m hoping this call to pray will add many more to her prayer chain.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.