Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

As you wake up on this Christmas morning, I hope you are surrounded by (or have plans to see) cherished family and/or friends. If you don't celebrate Christmas, but rather Hanukkah, something else, or nothing at all, I wish the same for you. :)

We are having our very own Christmas morning with our little family of three four (Tessa, you know), then spending the rest of the day with both of our families. I'm sure I'll be back in a few days to share loads of photos, but for now, I'll leave you with these.

First, our Christmas card photo this year:

It may have taken like 300 shots, but I do think we ended up with a good one. :)

And then a couple of pics from our Christmas Eve dinner at my mom's tonight. <3

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays.

From our family to yours.

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Smashed

Not me. The baby.
Not liquor. CAKE.

We did a cake smash photo session a week or so before Nora's birthday, and I put together this collage to have on display at her party. I had never done one of these for a little girl before--it was fun to use PINK! :)

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Independence Day

I'm working on catching up on posts recapping our vacation to Mexico, but in the meantime, I wanted to get these photos up from a little 4th of July photo shoot I did with Nora. The light was so nice in the evening, and it was beautiful out. The weather seemed even more perfect in comparison to the over-the-top humidity we had grown accustomed to in Mexico!

Here are some of my favorites with Nora in her red, white, and blue!

These days, taking photos of Nora is nearly impossible if she doesn't have something to play with. In this case, she *insisted* on holding my keys. Every time I tried to take them away from her to snap a few shots, she cried. Oh well.

Then, her "toy" of choice was my lens cap. Whatever works, right?

After being close for a few weeks now, Nora officially learned to clap today. Now her hands make the clapping noise and everything. It is so adorable, I keep making her do it over and over again! (She claps on demand as long as you say, "Yayyy!")

I kept noticing on vacation how long her eyelashes have gotten. Beautiful. Love her pouty little lips, too.

In other news, Nora learned another trick today, too. We went into her room to get her up from her afternoon nap to find her like this:

Sitting up in her crib! Which is certainly not how we left her. She figured out how to sit up from a lying down position, which she has never done before. She is changing so much every day!

Happy 4th of July, everyone! I hope you enjoyed your holiday.

Stay tuned for more posts from our vacation. For those who read through Google Reader or a feed, you won't have any issues. For those who come to the blog, I'll pin a post to the top of the page to let you know when I've updated below. :)

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Impromptu

Winter has always been pretty depressing for me in terms of photography--indoors, natural light can be difficult to come by, and it's often too cold to spend time taking pics outside (especially of babies and kids, who are my favorite subjects).

One of my greatest disappointments in myself as a mother so far is that I have not taken enough "good" pictures of Nora. Sure, I pull out the camera and take lots of what I call "snaps," but I have not spent a lot of time really photographing my daughter.

But after Nora's afternoon nap today, I took out the camera and on a whim, decided to place her in some natural light for pics. I opened all the blinds and still needed crank up my ISO, but I managed to get a few I could work with.

And I know I'm biased, but check out those eyes! :)

I think I need to do impromptu photo shoots more often!

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Christmas Card 2010

I've been holding out on sharing this here, as I wanted to make sure that everyone on our mailing list received them in the mail prior to seeing them on here. We sent them out on Monday, though, so I think it's safe.

Consider this a virtual mailing to all of you! :)

We did a Christmas card photo shoot several weeks back and these pics (among many others, of course!) were the result. Our little cutie was quite the model!

Happy Holidays!

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Birth Announcement

Before Nora was born, I had all these grand plans about how I'd do these elaborate photo sessions with my baby, and have so many cute "pro" pics to choose from without the cost associated with professional photographers. I imagined we'd quickly have photos framed all over the house, and maybe even a canvas. I thought I'd get birth announcements out right away, and I'd come up with a special, unique design for them.

Well, we did the newborn photo shoot, but you know what? I've had time to edit exactly ONE of the photos from it. And that's only because I had to force myself to do it just so we'd get her birth announcements out prior to our Christmas cards! We'll see how the future "milestone" photo sessions go (next one would be three months), but if I keep going with this trend, we might actually have to *gasp* hire someone eventually. I honestly don't know how mom photogs do it.

Anyway, for those who may be curious, here is the birth announcement we sent out for Nora. I cannot take credit for designing the template, because damn, I just did not have time for that. But the photo is mine, and as I mentioned, it's the only newborn photo I have to show you (at least thus far).

What is it they say about the shoemakers' kids? ;)

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DIY Maternity Photos

Given that I follow a lot of photographers' blogs and am somewhat immersed into the world of professional photography, I've been seeing maternity photos on a regular basis for years now. I've always loved how they capture a moment in time--a snippet of that nine months when mommy and baby are still "one." As I've said before, I think there is much to cherish about pregnancy, and photos are an excellent way to remember what the time was like, even long after the pregnancy is over.

My problem is that I've never wanted to pay for maternity photos. It's not that I'm decidedly against doing so, it's just that I can't see myself forking over a few hundred dollars for photos of every pregnancy, and I'd feel badly having maternity photos for the first child and not for any subsequent children. I think half of the reason to do maternity photos is for the child to be able to look back at someday, knowing how his/her parents were anxiously and happily awaiting his/her arrival.

So, if not pay for them... what's a girl to do? Well, I started to think... I have a really nice camera, and perhaps a teensy bit of skill--and why pay for what you can get for free? The only issue was figuring out how I was going to be both in front of and behind the camera. At the same time.

Enter my husband into the picture. I told him that I was going to try to DIY some maternity photos with a tripod and the timer. He suggested that it would be even better if we went out together, and I could coach him to take the photos. Good call, Honey.

Last week, we went out on a couple of really nice evenings and snapped some pics. Here are our results:

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Toddlin'

I've mentioned before how difficult it has been to take actual portraits of Hunter lately. We attempted some one-year photos just prior to his actual birthday, but he was so go-go-go that I didn't get too much that I was happy with. At the time, I promised Kara that we would try again later in the summer.

While we were in the Poconos earlier this month, I tried to take advantage of some of the beautiful surroundings in the garden there and snap some photos then. Again, didn't get anything spectacular (i.e. smiling AND looking at the camera), but what we did get was a series of photos that really capture his personality at this stage. And in the end, isn't that really what it's all about?

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Fireworks

Happy 4th of July!

Last night, we went to a local fireworks show (yes, it was a day early). Of course, I just had to bring my camera and play with slow shutter speeds! These are a few of my favorites. I hope you're all enjoying your long weekends.

Happy Birthday, America!

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Cake Smash

I did one of these for a client last fall, but because it was a client, I didn't feel comfortable sharing it here. But I knew that when I did it then, I'd do it again for Hunter when he was about to turn 1.

Last weekend, when we took Hunter out for some 1-year portraits, we ended the day in front of a backdrop, in his diaper, with a small cake. Then, we just let him do his thing. I edited the resulting photos into a collage, which I got printed for display at his birthday party on Saturday. It turned out so cute!

Little man got some practice with cake, too. Win-win situation! :)

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Baby Blues

We took Hunter out to a park this morning to take some official 1-year photos of him. It was tremendously difficult to work because it was super sunny out, and trying to keep this babe in the shade when he's constantly on the move? Not easy. But that's not his fault!

Kara and I looked (and sounded) like lunatics, trying to get him to sit, stand, stay, look at the camera, smile... all while trying to keep the newly-walking little guy from face-planting into the cement. During one particular shot, we both managed to step in the same pile of dog poop. (Thank you, sweet owners who do not clean up after their pups.)

It was exhausting. By the time we were done, I think we were all ready for a nap.

I haven't done much editing yet, so I only have one to share. I just couldn't resist posting it now instead of waiting until they're all done.

I so seriously *HEART* him. Him and his gorgeous blue eyes and his perfect little baby lips.

I cannot believe that his birthday is next week.

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Back in the Saddle

When you're a portrait photographer who works almost exclusively with natural light and small children, winter pretty much... sucks.

And boy, has it been a long winter.

I'm working on dusting off the cobwebs and picking the camera back up again. Not just for snapshots, but for actual sessions. To start, I did a very short and informal session with Hunter to get some photos to use for his first birthday party invitation.

We're planning to do an official "1 year" session for Hunter next month, but this was a good way to break myself back into the habit. It's amazing how rusty I feel compared to where I was several months ago. Ack! But I think it's sort of like riding a bike... you don't forget; it comes back to you.

Unfortunately, Hunter wasn't in the greatest mood when I arrived. He's generally such a happy baby, so it figures that the moment I need to take pics of him, he pulls a 'tude. :) But we waited it out and managed to trick him into smiling for us. And since we only really needed ONE good one for the invitation...

...we called the night a success!

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Santa Baby

He is surely going to hate his Aunt Heather for this when he's older, but...

...I couldn't resist.

Sorry, buddy. You and all your pudge were just too cute not to photograph this way. I had a vision in my head and I forced you to cooperate. I'm sure I'll pay for it when taking your photos in future years. You know, when you can run away.

I did this little mini-session with 6-month-old Hunter over the Thanksgiving weekend. He wasn't in the greatest mood (teething, I think), so I was really pressing my luck with this. In an act of what was clearly retaliation, he did pee all over me during a fussy moment when I tried to comfort him. But it was a sacrifice well worth it in the end. Because I mean, COME ON. I may not have walked away with much to work with, but who cares when you end up with a winner like this? I think it's one of my favorites ever.

Once he was clearly done being naked, we did a few pics in his cute Christmas jammies. This one turned out cute:

Look! A little smile! (He wasn't offering much that day.)

We're going to try to take a few more nice photos of him this weekend, so Kara can give them to her family as Christmas presents. Here's hoping that this "Santa Baby" won't hold all this against me. :)

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Ketchup Day

Can you believe that it has already been two and a half months since I last did (my first) Ketchup Day? If you ask me, we're long overdue.

New to Ketchup Day? It's basically just a collection of short thoughts to get me "caught up" on my blogging. Things I want to tell you, but don't really constitute their own blog posts.

Lots of random tidbits coming your way...
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We are Texas-bound this weekend! And of course, the temperatures there have decided to plummet just in time for our visit. LOVELY. And all I really wanted was some comfortable 60-degree days. *sigh* Oh well, we will pack accordingly and make the most of it.

We saw an episode of Man v. Food where Adam visited a place in San Antonio that makes 3.5 lb. cinnamon rolls. This I've gotta see.

Here's hoping we have drama-free travel! Keep your fingers crossed for us.

And if you have any last-minute San Antonio/Austin suggestions, certainly let me know!
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At home, we are all decked out the holidays. Following the tradition we set when we first moved into our place, we put up almost everything the day after Thanksgiving. We have a few little things to do, but we'll get that done sometime next week.

Our tree:

I was boycotting Christmas music and Christmas spirit before Thanksgiving (I kept telling Michael to "respect the turkey"), but now I'm letting it all in. The Christmas carols are blasting in the car on a daily basis. Holiday season is in full swing!
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There is still plenty of time to sign up for the holiday round of Operation Baking Gals, if you haven't already. There are several spots left on our team, and it would certainly be nice to be at capacity. Shipping dates are from now until December 16, so head on over to the Baking Gals website and register to bake for Team Heather Drive!

I posted the announcement for this round right before Thanksgiving, so I'm hoping that the slow registration is just because people forgot about it. Right? Riiightt? C'mon people... get into the holiday spirit and help a guy out. Brian needs cookies! :) And if you don't bake, there are plenty of store-bought items that would be much appreciated over there as well.

If you've never participated before, now is a good time to start! I signed up for my first Baking Gals round last December, and look where I'm at now. Ha!
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A few blog housekeeping items:

From now on, when you leave comments on my blog, you'll have to do a quick word verification before clicking submit. I'm sure you've seen this feature on other blogs before. I like to keep things easy for all of you commenters, so I avoided adding it for as long as I could, and spam comments were never really a problem. But for some reason, spam comment activity has really picked up here at Heather Drive, and it's getting ridiculous! So, to make it easier on me, and more pleasant for everybody reading/leaving comments, I have to ask you to complete that extra word verification step now. I hope you don't mind.

Secondly, I'm planning on doing another blog redesign soon, so that'll be fun. I don't know--I just feel like I have to change things up every six months or so. Stay tuned for that!
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This Tiger Woods stuff is insane. All because he crashed his car into a tree. Talk about one thing leading to another...
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We saw The Blind Side on Wednesday night. It was adorable. Sandra Bullock was awesome. It's a must-see. You don't have to be a fan of football; you just have to be a fan of humans. The generous and compassionate ones. And it's a true story, which makes it even better.

Aside from the film itself, it was one of the most miserable movie theater experiences I've ever had. We got there late and the theater was unexpectedly packed, so we were forced to sit in the third row. My neck and back were KILLING me. So if I can enjoy it despite those conditions, you have to know it's good, right?
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I did the most adorable Christmas photo shoot with my nephew, Hunter, last weekend. He's six months and is at a rather perfect age for the vision I had going. I want to share a photo or two from it, but the pics are being used for their Christmas cards, and I don't want to spoil the fun for those of you who read this blog and are going to be receiving one. :)

But... soon! All you need to know for now is that he is *so cute*!
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Alright, I think that's it. I feel like I'm forgetting something, but if I am, I'll just have to wait until the next Ketchup Day... or form deeper thoughts about the subject so that I can designate an entire blog post to it. ;)

Once again, I have grand plans to blog during our time in Texas, but that's dependent on 1) whether we have free WiFi at our hotel, and 2) my mood. Needless to say, it's not a definite. But I'll almost certainly be tweeting regularly, so you can keep up with me by checking out my Twitter feed over there ------>

I'll be back before you know it, y'all. :)

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Ryanne is 1!

It seems like just yesterday that my best friend had her baby girl. When she was about three weeks old, I drove the two hours to meet her.

Today, I drove the two hours to celebrate Ryanne's first birthday.

Michael and I arrived at the house about an hour before the party was scheduled to start. Bethany had asked me if I'd be willing to take a few photos of Ryanne, so we quickly got the birthday girl dressed in her special outfit and headed outdoors for a short photo session. Many of you have asked me to share photos from my sessions, and I'm happy to say that this time, I can! Since she's my best friend and all... :)

Although I spend a lot of time behind the lens, we had to get one with me in front of it as well...

Love, love, love this woman and her baby girl. And love this photo. But it makes me sad since we don't get to see each other often enough!

Since Ryanne isn't quite walking yet, I had to pose her in places where she could sit, or stand assisted. Although that somewhat limited what I could do, it also meant that she wasn't able to run away from me! :)
She has the most beautiful blue eyes, doesn't she?

Honestly, now...how cute is this outfit that Bethany put together? You should see this baby's closet. She has more clothes than I'd know what to do with!

Before long, it started to sprinkle a bit and we had to head inside to get a few things ready for the party. Little Ryanne was loved on by all of her family and friends, and we did all of the traditional first birthday stuff...
She smashed cake. (Though I have to say, she was very dainty about it. She didn't make a big mess at all!)

And she opened presents. Surprisingly, she was very into unwrapping the gifts. And the cards. She loves paper! (A girl after my own heart.)

It was a great day, and I loved having the opportunity to see Bethany and Ryanne.

Now, Michael and I are actually off to a 30th birthday party! I guess it's just a good day to celebrate LIFE!

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