I heart faces-heart challenge

If you are a blog reader you have seen this picture, but I decided to enter this week's heart challenge. Be sure to head on to iheartfaces to see the other creative entries.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I might be a little biased, but I think I might have some of the cutest valentine's in town. I hope you have a wonderful day with your loved ones!





My daughter's picture was featured as a valentine inspiration photo on the website www.confessionsofapropjunkie.com. They have themes each week and it is fun to see the creativity of other photographers.

Natalie's maternity session-Denton, TX maternity photographer

My friend defnitely had that maternity glow about her. She made pregnancy look so effortless and she looked amazingly gorgeous in this natural setting. I can't wait to meet her baby girl and watch her grow. It has been such a privilege to make friends through the process of being their photographer and documenting all their life changes.

I heart faces-best face of 2011

How could I possibly pick a best face from all my images last year? I decided to use a picture of my friend Nicole. Her image placed in the top ten for people's choice. I loved our little session, which was used for my cultivating confidence series. If you aren't a regular reader on my blog, you have to check it out. It is one of my favorite projects! Be sure to check out the other amazing entries at I heart faces!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all who come across my blog! I am so thankful for another year of doing what I love in my "spare" time. For those of you who don't know me personally, photography is my fourth job-wife, mom, accountant (yes-accountant) and photographer. It is my outlet and a very special gift. I am so thankful that I found it and I am so thankful I see things a little differently because of it.

Part of my job is photographing newborns. I get to meet little humans as they start their journey. They are beautiful, undefiled, and full of promise. I consider it an honor to get to meet them at this precious time. I also get to see parents, many of them first time parents, as they begin their journey. There are no words for the immediate expanding of your heart that happens when you become a parent. I love getting to talk to parents about it.

I had one particular photo that really struck me as I began to think about this blog post. In thinking of the true meaning of Christmas-the birth of Christ-I was humbled. I thought about how much God loved us and gave his only precious son. I thought about how he allowed him to come to earth to stand in the gap for us. As a parent I cannot imagine giving my son so that others could live and yet that is what was done for us. I leave you with this picture of a precious child and ask you to think about his gift to us. He loves you and he loves me. What better gift could we receive?

Merry Christmas, friends!

Cultivating Confidence-Nelda's story

I recently had the unfortunate task of having “The Talk” with my six year old. Thankfully, it wasn’t THAT talk, but it was the first of what I’m sure will be many talks about self-esteem.

This came about because she saw two neighborhood friends playing outside, and asked me if she could play outside with them. After I told her to put her shoes on, she went tearing out the door. Two seconds later, she was back inside. She looked sad and slowly sat down on the couch. When I asked why she wasn’t playing, she said they had told her she couldn’t play with them. I wanted to beat their rude little butts. Why are girls so mean to each other? It’s something I’ve seen way too often as I watch my little girl growing up. Something that I experienced growing up and something I wish I could shield her from.

I want to tell her that kids were mean to me too…. They made fun of my big glasses, curly hair, and crooked teeth. I’m reminded of how I was made fun of for being too skinny and having chicken legs. I remember when I gained the dreaded “freshman fifteen” in college, and how happy I was to finally be able to gain weight! (What?!!??) All of these experiences made me realize as an adult something I could never grasp growing up. We are all unique, beautiful individuals, and we will never be the same as the next girl. And because we will never be the same, there will always be something you can be teased about.

It took me a long time to realize this. Even in my twenties, I was still trying to “fix” myself. I got braces as an adult. I also got Lasik to correct my horrible vision. I gained weight so I wasn’t so skinny. I don’t pretend to have it all figured out in my thirties, but I do know this: I still have chicken legs. But these chicken legs have carried me through countless miles and hopefully soon, my third half-marathon. I also have a tummy that isn’t as flat as I’d like or breasts that aren’t as perky as they used to be…and I could have these things “fixed”. But I’ve decided not to and instead I wear my mommy marks proudly. If I want to teach my children to love themselves as they were created, I should provide a good example of that. I gave birth and nursed two healthy, beautiful children with this body, and I want them to know how proud I am of that.

I think back to all of these things in my life: the lessons that have taken me years to learn and that I continue to learn every day. I think carefully before responding to her. I weigh my response cautiously and hope that I can start building in her a strong sense of self. I hope one day she will hear my voice inside her head when she experiences disappointment or hears mean things. If I do my best, I know she will have something she can fall back on as she learns to navigate the self-esteem minefield ahead.

I heart faces "black" challenge

I was so excited when I saw this week's theme. I just took photos of my daughter dressed like Audrey Hepburn a few weeks ago. It was her idea. She saw a calendar at Hobby Lobby and asked if I could dress her like that. I didn't have to be asked twice. She had so much fun and even gave me some of her own fun poses, but this is my favorite. Be sure to check out the other amazing entries at iheartfaces.com.