I've been thinking about gratitude a lot lately. Sometimes it's so hard to see through the fog of the grind. Often, I think we're looking too hard for our joy. We're looking for the big explosions of happiness and, in the process, miss the tiny bits of magic that surround us all day, everyday.

This past week I went to Dallas for a workshop with a photographer that I love (Jenn Hudson) and while watching her demo a specific shooting set up, my mind wandered. I started to think about how amazing the weather was and how grateful I was to be out in it investing time into something I love. I looked up and saw this beautiful little ray of light shining through the trees. It reminded me of one of my favorite quotes:

"Life is made up of moments, small pieces of glittering mica in a long stretch of gray cement" Anna Quindlen.

I love how photography helps me see the bits of mica and celebrate them. What about you? Any glittering bits of mica in your week? I hope that you'll share them with us in my Favorite Shot Friday Flickr group.

Happy weekend my friends!

Have you guessed my little secret yet? It's true, we're having a third baby. Those of you that read this blog regularly and know me might ask, was this planned?! You might ask that especially after reading this fairly recent blog post. The answer is no, it wasn't really "planned" but, as you can imagine, we're super excited. We were both shocked and freaked out for a few days but now we're just crazy happy.

Some days, I think we must be crazy. I'm 40 and my youngest is 6! What are we thinking? We'll never have our kids out of our house! I literally laugh out loud when I think that we'll get our 2 boys off to college then wait a few years and do high school all over again with this one. We must be a little crazy. I worry about my career and my business and how it will be affected. I shudder at the thought of sleepless nights and losing baby weight again. Then, once all those fearful thoughts play out and exhaust themselves, I realize how much joy our boys have brought to us. They are, quite simply, the very best thing Steven and I have done. They make me a better person. So then I think, we'd be crazy NOT to do this again.

Wish us luck friends and, yes, you're absolutely welcome to drop dinner by our house sometime after November 15th.

As always, please upload your favorite shots to our Flickr pool! Happy weekend my friends!

One of my very favorite things about photographing little kids is that you never know what you're going to get. There's not a lot of posing that happens and the expressions are all across the spectrum. That's what happened here, all of a sudden, she just laid her head down and gave me this sweet face. It's my favorite shot from her session!

What about you guys? Any favorite shots this Friday? I'd love to see them! Leave links to your images, blogs, Facebook, etc. in the comments section below or add them to my Favorite Shot Friday Flickr group! Don't be shy!

Happy weekend!

Studio life is finally getting a little more settled. I'm shooting, my technology is working, the phone is ringing and my internet is on. All of that was quite a feat, mind you. Now, I'm in the process of learning my new space. I'm figuring out where I like the lights and playing with the various shooting areas to see what feels the most comfortable. It'll be a while before I'm truly settled and have everything in its place. I'm trying to just relax as I go through this part of the process and not get frustrated with the rough spots. Some days I feel sure of my move and thrilled with the new space, energy and possibilities. Other times, the piles by my desk, the frames not hung on the wall and the pieces that are still in disorder make me panic and worry that I should have stayed put. On those days, I feel like running home and crawling into bed.

Today, in honor of my fragile and unsure days, my favorite shot is from one of the first sessions that I did in the new space. I like the set up because it's one I haven't done before and that's the kind of thing that happens when you change things around. It's kind of hard to beat that insanely cute face too, right? She was cracking me up. The way her Mom got her to giggle was to snort like pig. Ah, the things we do for sweet smiles like these!

I included these other two from the session as well. You guys can pick your favorite!

What about you, any favorite shots this lovely Friday? Post links to them in the comments section below or add them to my Favorite Shot Friday Flickr Pool!

Have a great weekend my friends!