I have boxes and boxes of props, some of which I have not been able to get to yet. Beads, hats, pettiskirts, umbrellas, stools, dolls… almost all are girlie props. So in my search for boy props, I came across some capes on Etsy and these adorably cute monsters from a mom right here in my community! Handmade and completely custom built to your child’s taste, I instantly had to have two! Knowing we have birthdays around the corner, I had to get sneaky. I let the kids visit the site “just to play around”. I made mental note as to their creations and ordered them later. I had the two most adorable monsters on my doorstep lightning quick

I now know after giving them to my kiddos to photograph for upcoming clients, that I WILL need more. Neither of my short people has let go of their monsters since I gave them. They sleep with them, take them to the store and to playdates and sadly, throw tantrums when I don’t allow them to take them to 1st grade!! HA!

So whether for photography props or gifts for your own children, Please visit my friend Stephanie over at CurlyQ Cuties to get your own monsters!

A quick share from the session.

I really had so much fun!! It was my first trip to a vineyard and this place was just beautiful! Exactly what I imagined a vineyard would look like. I took part in a 10 wine tasting, had a delish meal, specially made for the day by Texas Culinary Academy and stomped all around in the vat of their newest blend of ‘athlete’s food wine’. {wink} It was gooey and gnarly and a great experience!

Of course it would not be a day in my life unless I took a ton of photos! You can see why I can’t wait to make another trip!

As we did last year before school began, we are counting down… trying to cram as much in as we can in this last week. Here are a few shots from what is probably our last “sprinkler park” visit of the year.

This session was for a friend of mine who I guess I’ve known for close to 5 years. We still keep in contact via message boards but because she now lives a couple cities over, I don’t see her as often. It was great to see her and the kids and I just marveled at how big they have gotten! Funny what a shock it is when you don’t watch them growing on a daily basis!

Little Regan was a pleasant surprise. She is the same age as my own daughter and I really have a hard time getting her to smile when she sees me with camera in hand. It’s the dreaded PCS…. photographer’s child syndrome. But this little girl had no problems turning it on for the camera. She was a natural!

We were concerned ahead of time however about her big brother. It’s not often you will find a 9 year old boy who is willing to spend his Saturday morning in such a fashion. I was told by my friend prior to the session that she hoped Riley would cooperate better for me than he does for her. This hope was due to a recent interest in modeling. Now, Riley is all boy. He’s quite into motorcross racing and is always looking through various racing magazines. He told her one day that he thought could do that, pose with the bikes and clothes etc, like the boys in the magazines do. I’m not really sure what he thought he was doing out at the park with me this day but at one point he turned around and asked me “How much are you paying my mom to do this?” Priceless!!

Fabulous!

I came to terms with this. Occupational hazards right? After all, it’s not like working as an accountant, heading to your office every day, knowing what you are going to get! For a photographer, each and every session contains a new element. A new set of challenges. A new personality. A new mood. But, after several sessions, I seemed to find my groove. I was able to drive to meet my clients without feeling those butterflies. Up until this most recent session, I spent my working hours running after kidlets under the age of 5! A look, or even a sideways glance would have me giddy. Childhood expression can be truly uplifting. Their innocence and purity. And I truly adored capturing those moments!

When I received the call from my most recent session for a 6 and 9 year old, the flutters came rushing back. What will I do? These are small people who will actually listen to me and need me to tell them what to do! Children. Over. Five. Listen! Wha? What would we chat about, I wondered? How would I engage them? Boy was I pleasantly surprised! These kids were just amazing! They were both just gorgeous and we had a great time wandering about the park and chatting it up about preteen things! (Yes, I now know which Jonas Brother is cutest and when the new High School Musical flick will be coming out!)

So besides my obvious intention here, which is to provide mom a sneek peek of her session… I’m making note to myself to re-read this post the next time I feel those flutters. Challenges are good and every session is a learning experience!

Here is my new favorite image. Aren’t they stunning children?

And I’ll hand it to Oreo, he was quite cute too.