Being that it’s almost 6am and I’ll need to get the kids ready for school in a few, this update will likely be short and sweet.

(dang this coffee is yum)

It’s been six months since my last entry. Yes, SIX months! Who does that? Me I guess. I usually post peeks on my Facebook wall, but the crickets have been chirping there too.

I had an amazing holiday season with the most wonderful families ever! It’s always my favorite time of year when I get to see how big the kiddos have gotten, how the personalities have grown and meet new family members. If I haven’t said it enough, thank you to all of my clients! It’s because of you that I get to do what I love.

In a couple weeks I be doing something I swore I’d never do. A wedding. I know, I know. I have vehemently swore I’d never do one.  I’m actually doing it for a friend’s best friend whose photographer had to back out .  Thankfully one of my photographer friends is joining me in this adventure.  She’s been a second shooter in a handful of weddings so I find great comfort in that.

Hopefully the next post won’t be another 6 months (still shocked by that number) from now.

Gots to get on with this day and make stuff happen, but let me leave you with a sweet baby…

Last week I got a message from a friend that simply said, “Update your blog slacker”. Hmmm, is it that obvious? I’m sure it is since when I came here to do it, I had to look up my password just to log in. It’s been that long!

So stay tuned for the release of the Fall 2011 Schedule. I’m making a few changes this year that I think my families will appreciate

 I will always have a handful that no matter how much time passes, the moment captured is priceless and will always bring on an “awwwwe” .  They are the moments between the posed shots, when nobody is trying.  

 I do however have a few sweet pictures to share of a family who recently welcomed thier thrird child.  

Last week I made the  drive to North Scottsdale to meet with a new family who just welcomed their third baby.  They have Olivia and Charlie (2 year old twins) and now precious baby Abby.  What a super nice family!  As soon as I arrived I knew they would be easy to work with.

While Abby was the star, I couldn’t resist snapping a few of Olivia and Charlie, what sweet-ums!

I must say, it does feel good to update the blog.  That’s one less thing on my  “things I should do but, ehhh, it can wait”   list.  Maybe I’ll even break out wiht some of my favorites from the holiday season.   I said MAYBE .

You might be wondering why I haven’t shared all of these wonderful families with you.  It’s hard for me not to, trust me, but I want to make sure that the family pictures they choose for their holiday cards are shared only by them.  A lot of families are using pictures as gifts for grandparents too.  So to keep these session private until after the holidays, I’m bloggin’ about something new today.

I’m not sure how many of you have a love of dogs, but I want to Share a story with you about Charlie.  Charlie Broccoli.

About a month ago we got a call late one night from a friend who found a small dog in the rain.  She called us and asked if we could take him until she found the owners or a good home for him.  We agreed.  Before she brought him to use she took him to a veterinarian to check if he was micro chipped, he wasn’t.  He didn’t have a collar either.  When he was brought to us he was in need of a grooming (his tail was like one huge dreadlocks) and he was super skinny.  I had him in the groomers within an hour of being brought to me.

Later when he was picked up we brought him here to get him settled.  Right away I knew I was in trouble!  He was a cuddle bug.  So sweet and gentle with my 4 year old.  We called him Charlie, we thought it was better than, “hey, dog”.  Charlie Barkley.  Emma, my 4 year old thought we were calling him Charlie Broccoli so that’s what she started calling him.  It was cute and stuck.  That is how he got his name.

Charlie slept in bed with us, let Emma carry him around like a baby and even let her dress him up.  Never a snip, growl or bit of aggression!  Our Shihzu, Sofie, has never been that nice, so Charlie quickly became Emma’s best buddy.  We were worried about becoming too attached, but told the kids from the beginning that he was only staying with us until we could find him a good home.

Fast forward to Monday December 13th.

We had been in talks with a woman, we’ll call her Mrs. X,  my sister works with.  She wanted Charlie.  She has a second grader and expecting another baby.   We arranged to meet her and hand Charlie over to her.  It was a sad day for me.  The kids were okay, but I was super depressed.  I had grown to love him so much!  I knew it was the right thing to do though.  We already have a dog and a cat, taking on another pet is a huge responsibility, and isn’t cheap. 

After Mrs. X got Charlie she took him to another friend, we’ll call her Mrs Z, to watch him until Christmas Eve, when she would pick him up and have him for her family Christmas morning.  It was to be a surprise for her daughter who had been wanting a dog for a long time.

That night I felt like I did when my dog Oliver died.  We had a full house, but it felt empty without Charlie.

The next day I got a call from my sister, “Charlie got out of  Mrs. Z’s house last night and they can’t find him anywhere!”.  I guess someone left the door open and it went unnoticed for awhile.

After finding out where the neighborhood was, I went looking.  We found nothing.  I posted a picture of him on Facebook and my hairdresser/friend re posted it.  Her sister in law lived in the same neighborhood and after this whole social networking thing, someone was able to give us some information.  A woman in the neighborhood has posted on her neighborhood message board about a small black dog that was hit by a car the night before.  The dog was taken to a 24 hour vet hospital and nothing else was known.  His condition at the time was said to be “pretty bad”.

When I found this out I got to work.  I started calling 24 hour hospitals.  I was able to find the place he was taken to and was told he was still alive, but was transferred to the AZ humane society off I-17 and Dunlap.  So I called there and got as much information as I could.   When Charlie was hit, a tendon in his leg snapped.  There was a huge laceration on his leg, he had 6 fractured teeth, a fractured jaw and hemorrhaging in one of his eyes. 

I called Mrs. X to let her know the situation and give her all of the information.  She called the shelter and was told he would only be released if he were to be taken directly to a vet.  The cost to repair and care for Charlie would be a lot of money!  She couldn’t get him.  With a new baby on the way and her moving, I understood.  All I knew was I needed to get to him.  I needed to help him.  I felt so much guilt.  I felt like I should have never let him go.   After hours of calls and a lot of crying, I got a hold of Sheila.  Sheila is the owner of Lotus Dog Training and Boarding.  She also runs Reservation Rewards Animal Rescue.  I had the pleasure of meeting her months back when a stray dog was in my side yard, badly hurt, matted and super scared.  Sheila came and got him.  She nursed him back to health and found him a wonderful home. 

After talking to Sheila, she instructed me to get Charlie and take her to Dr. Darger at Power Road Animal Hospital.  He cares for all of her rescue dogs.  I knew exactly who he was, he was our vet when we lived closer to town and takes care of my best friends dogs.  Sheila took custody of Charlie as a rescue and they got to work.  Dr. Darger repaired Charlie’s leg and pulled his fractured teeth.  They also neutered him.  Later I spoke with Sheila and we decided that Charlie should be with us.  So we decided to foster him again.  Now it’s a little different though.  He must be kenneled for 2 months except to go potty.  He has 3 pills to take every 12 hours and has to have his food blended until his jaw gets better.  He’s still as sweet as ever though!  Not sure what will happen long term to Charlie or if we will be able to give him a forever home, but we are trying.  Right now our focus is on getting him well, keeping him safe and showering him with love.

I’m grateful for Sheila and her organization.  Without her, who knows what would have happened to Charlie.  While Dr. Darger greatly discounts his cost for Sheila’s rescue dogs, there is still a large balance.  I’m hoping to help Sheila raise the funds, do whatever I can to help.  I know with the economy, it’s not easy for most,  especially at Christmas.  If, you’d like to make a  donation to Reservation Rewards Animal Rescue you can contact Sheila at   480-279-3956.  You can also donate to Power Road Animal Hospital (480-641-4141), just specify it’s for Charlie, from Reservation Rewards Animal Rescue.  We want to pay this balance off as soon as possible since there are other rescue dogs who need care.  Another option, you can pay pal me and your donation will go towards Charlie’s balance at Power Road Animal Hospital.  I’m not usually one to ask for donations, I know it can make people feel uncomfortable.  Right now, we are in a situation where help is needed. ANY amount helps.

Below is a picture of Charlie before the accident.  He’s a small dog, 10 pounds.  Yorkie-Shihzu mix.

I’ve had sick kids for about 2 weeks now.  We thought what my oldest has was just allergies so treated her with over the counter meds.  Then her cough got worse so  we went to see the amazing Dr. Mohler on Saturday.  Audrey’s airway was super tight and her oxygen levels were a little low.  We did breathing treatments every 3 hours around the clock for the weekend then headed in for an x-ray on Monday.  She’s got pneumonia, yuk!  That’s what the doctor thought it was so she had her start the antibiotics on Saturday.  So that’s what I’ve been up to.

I did get to sneak away for a couple hours on Sunday to meet with another one of my favorite families.   While shooting Colin, their youngest decided he was done wearing his shirt, so we went with it.  My new favorite wardrobe choice for a little boy now?  Well, take a look…..

The rolled up jeans and no shirt is so simple and cute.  I hadn’t seen him in over a year and was shocked at how tall and grown up he was. 

Holiday Mini Session update….

I have 1 spot open for the Boojum Tree.  I also have a list of people who are waiting to get their mini session date, I’m getting to it, I promise you’ll be getting an email shortly.

Now I’m off to bed.  My ‘rents are stopping by for a visit tomorrow so that means I need to get up early and clean the floors

It’s a busy time of year for newborns and I couldn’t be happier.  The only downside to these baby sessions, the want for another baby of my own.   We are for sure done, 2 is plenty for us since we never want to be out numbered.   So I guess I will have to settle on the ones I get to photograph.

Here’s River.  What a beauty!  She was super easy, sleepy and so so sweet, a perfect recipe for a newborn session!

Then came Miles.  He was so tiny, under 5 pounds!  His Dad is an ultramarathon runner so I’m sure he’ll skip the walking and go right for the running! 

Miles not only came home to two loving parents, but 4 dogs!  Dad wanted a picture of the whole family, how could I say no to that?  While I usually get baby fever, this session left me with dog fever!  Miles was adorable, a perfect newborn, but J.J. stole the show for sure!  See below and you’ll know what I mean, this might be the funniest family photo ever!   Thanks Amy and Perry, you have an awesome family and I appreciate the opportunity to photogrpah you all!

I’ve got a another newborn session I’m still editing and a couple more in the books so stay tuned for more newborn sweetness!!!

Yesterday I met up with Evan and his big brother Owen for an early morning session.   Owen is always a pleasure to see.  He’s such a loving little boy and always makes me feel like a superstar. 

Grandma came to help out with the boys and ended up being my official reflector holder, thanks Grandma!  A big thanks to the boys’ mom too.  I love how she ‘s NEVER afriad to act silly to get her boys to smile.   She’ll sing, jump around, whatever it takes.  It makes my job so much easier.

After yesterday’s session it was time to get ready for the next day.  Today Audrey started first grade.  She said she had a tickley tummy this morning and didn’t know if she was hungry or excited.  She was so happy to be back at school and even though it was only a 4 hour day, she was so tired when she got home.  Eventually she fell asleep on the couch.

Finally, I met up with Cooper and his mom today for a quick mini session.  His mom wanted a picture to use for Coopers birthday invitaions as he’s about to turn two!   He was a little man on the go and gave me many great smiles, a perfect session!

Welp, I’m outta here for now I’ve got to get some sleep.  This morning I posted on my FB page that my daughter was going into second grade, uhhh, no!  Then I misplaced my lens, finally found it in my bra, my safe place for things when I don’t have pockets, how classy is that?  So yeah, I’m about to loose my mind and need to rest.  G’night! 

Oh, and there was no spell checking or proof reading of this entry so forgive me

Lately my body tires hours before my brain so I’ve been up later than usual, trying to organize my thoughts.  It’s the time of year when I begin to feel the excitement and stress of the up and coming holiday season.   I begin the planning process. 

What will I price my holiday mini sessions at this year?

 Where will we shoot? 

How many sessions will I be able to take on without neglecting my own family?   

How will I do my scheduling?

As I contemplate all of this I’m keeping my clients in mind.  I want to give each and every family 100 percent.  I want to make room for every family that contacts me; I want each family to LOVE their portraits, but also the experience as a whole.  Mini sessions are hard because I have to keep to a strict schedule.  Thirty minutes in almost nothing.  Some kids take that long to warm up! 

So as I’m doin’ all this thinkin’ and plannin’, I’m also preparing for the end of summer vacation.  The kids will soon be back in school and we’ll have to find some structure again.  The only thing that has been consistent this summer is our inconsistency.  Partay oh-vah!  Oh well, so is life.

My oldest had her two best friends from school over today.  That song, “reunited and it feels so good…”  kept going through my mind as the girls we playing.  The first thing they did was run upstairs to the dress up clothes.  When they came down I ran to get my camera.  Here are the girls in all their cuteness…

I absolutely love these girls!  They are all such good kids with super sweet parents too.  I try to embrace this stage where they are still so innocent and silly.  No girl drama here!  I’m sure having her friends over was a nice break from doing jigsaw puzzles with me.  Audrey and I have done 3 puzzles this summer, with one more to go.   I’ll feel bad if when her teacher asks the kids what they did this summer she stands up and says “puzzles”.  Poor kid!  We were trying to get to CA again, but school is far too close and my schedule has nearly filled up from now until mid August. 

Ok, so before I go, I want to share a couple cuties.

This is Gunner, the baby of his family.  I must say, his siblings are JUST as cute as he is!  His big brother and sister both did swim lessons with my girls this summer.  Lessons ended today so I’m gunna miss seeing this little guy’s smile and beautiful blue eyes.

And below is Brooke,  a friend and neighbor of Audrey’s.  Sadly they are moving to Texas where her mom was offered a job.  It’s really sad, when we moved out here we had a large group of friends, all families with young children.  Slowly, almost all of them have moved away either out of state or to the west side.  It really sucks, I miss running into familiar, friendly faces at the market, coffee shop and postal store.   It seems like only yesterday we were all gathered at the park with our little babies.  We would chat for hours, share tips on raising our kids and let our little ones interact.  It’s so different now, but I’ll save that sad story for another day.