I wanted to say a little “thank you” to my wonderful husband for…well, being so darn wonderful.  A little extra thank you for spending your day landscaping the front yard with me (lumi).  Seriously, you rock.  It was actually, oddly fun!?  Since he rarely makes blog appearances, I thought I would flash back to a photo I cannot help but love.  Hoping to get these super co-operative 5 in front of the camera soon.  Its always a challenge.

An extra Happy Fathers Day to my Daddy as well.  Looking forward to seeing you this week and surprising you with a special pressie!

Hoping you all had a wonderful day.

enjoy.

love this photo…LOVE.  thanks Mish, let me know when you are brave enough to take us all on again.  Ahhhh.

Although I feel like she is still the tiny baby I brought home snuggled up, all warm with that new baby smell…I know she is growing.  Changing and becoming her own little person.  A little tiny piece of me aches knowing that she is my last.  My youngest, the family baby…and I will never have another two year old.  Sniff.  I wish I could bottle it all up and save her baby-ness.  But I know she is changing fast.

Isla, you are all sorts of sweetness mixed with a hint of diva.  We have yet to really figure out just what you want…but I am sure that as you begin to chat more…you will be more than happy to let us know!  This morning you sang along to Happy Birthday in your own little way and giggled at our smiles.  You are that final little bit to our family puzzle and we wouldnt have it any other way.  Okay, I might ask you to keep a few of the tantrums to yourself…but hey, we will cope.

Here are some photos from her big celebration.  Bring it on TWO!

enjoy.  (prepare for Isla overload below)

*thanks Michele for many of the photos below and of course others that I didnt post.  consider yourself redeemed…hahaha…kidding!*

two year old + balloons = major hit!  Getting this girl to look at me, would be priceless.thank you Mish.  Love it.  (Nice claw hand mama…sheesh)DIVA.  Yup.  She said “ISLA” for the first time on this morning.LOVE.  This one is all thanks to Michele.  She looks so grown up!  Family joke.  Seriously though…what are you supposed to say when you open something so spectacular??  I couldnt help but try it on the girl!Cake time.  You would think she was thrilled?  Instead, she tried to smack me one.  Ha.  Shortly after, she was at the other end of the table, pulled the table cloth…causing a dish to fly…break and cut my foot.  Hahaha.  Oh the joys of motherhood.

Lastly…thank you Mom for the fabulous cake.  It means so much to be able to have my daughter share in a family cake tradition.  Too bad I had to use a tea light…best laid plans right!?

I feel beyond fortunate to do what I do.  I learn a little more every time I pick up my camera and then I remember that I sometimes need to forget.  Forget about taking photographs and just get pictures.  Just because.

I adore these…the light was insane, they were dressed in well…hardly anything…and I could not get my girl to put down her gabba’s or take off her medal no matter how I tried!  So here’s a look into my less than perfect “photography” day and I would say with all that aside…for me, these are perfect.

enjoy.

this one cracks me up.  its so him.love it.**I think my little bubble machine might just be making a trip to my engagement session this week…who knows…could be fun!**

The photos below were literally taken in under 10 minutes.  I took 100’s, these are a few faves.  The trick in this case?  Mini marshmallows.  Who could resist?

My daughter is officially the most difficult child on the planet to photograph.  Oh and I am sure many are thinking…why didnt I take these in my studio?  Well, I dont have a door yet…and she RUNS.

enjoy.

i love.

he sure is workin’ the camera these days.

not sure what she was doing on the left, but it cracks me up.

sigh.

Was it worth it?  Absolutely.  It would be hard to say specifically the moments that made the trip valuable.  I think it would be fair to say it was the overall experience.  Catching presentations such as Bobbi + Mike (LOVE), or having the chance to get a hands on look at new album companies…or basically attacking Jasmine Star like crazed fans…the trip was amazing.  The only thing we wish we had done differently!?  Booked an extra day!  So, WPPI 2011…look out.  We are hooked.

Running photo commentary was written by Michele.  Many of your have likely already found this on our joint site White Linen Photography…but if you have yet to visit us there…scroll down for some fun photos and great laughs.

enjoy.

Mr David Jay. Our first encounter with someone we know of, and we were lucky enough for it to be his smiling face. Such a nice guy:)

The “one” and only Bobbi + Mike.  Love love love them. Bobbi for her ridiculously  inappropriate behavior and inability to stay on topic ( no surprise her and I are both Gemini’s.. hehe) and Mike for just how obviously he adores his girl! We heard them speak and were pretty much laughing the entire time. Bobbi – you’re not the most eloquent speaker, but DANG girl….you can hold an audience! We walked away feeling extra comfortable being our dorky selves. hehe!

Our first, and only night out on the town. Nope, we didn’t get all dolled up. We bandaged the feet, threw on some comfies and hung out in Anthropologie for way too long. ( It was heavenly…..) Next year we’ll definitely plan to see more:)

The Boudoir Divas. Make sure to check out all their goodies here.

And as you can see by the HUGE grins on our faces…..one of our biggest highlights was meeting Jasmine Star – our new BFF! We were leaving the tradeshow, both spotted her at the same time, said nothing… and a hop, skip and a jump later we were on top of her. I’m sorry to say that I’m not really exaggerating. Didn’t think that Brooke and I were in “awe” of anyone, but apparently we were. Jasmine was so kind, genuine and funny we couldn’t help but be inspired by her:)

Kelly Moore. It would be a dream to be in front of her lens, or even better to carry one of her fabulous bags while watching her style and shoot a session. This lady is somewhat of a technical genius in our books. And her accent makes her extra-likable.  Promise us you’ll click here to check out her amazing talent and also take a peek at her gorgeous camera bags ( already on our birthday lists:)

Trying hard not to look like dorks…..it wasn’t easy, trust me! A romantic sushi dinner + too many drinks + B’s very sore feet = us passed out in bed by midnight. Oh yeah, we’re hardcore.

Clockwise:: Jasmine Star + her very sweet and talented hubby JD :: an unknown face, B, Joe Photo and myself :: us with [b]ecker…..Becker hosted a great party where we were able to meet and network with some amazing people. We had such a fab time and will be in attendance next year:)  Last but not least….our new BFF, Louis Torres. Spiced things up a bit, right from the start.

From left to right:: Alexander Garza, moi, B, Amelia and Justin Lyon. These two are pretty much rockstar photographers in our books – and amazingly good people to boot. Promise us you’ll check out their work here. Don’t blame us for staying up til the wee hours.

With our Canadian girls……Deanna Hall and Brandy of Fresh Sugar. Superfun ladies….we’re going to have to step it up next year in order to keep up with you two!  2nd snap with Jasmine Star….I kicked off my shoes and sprinted after her in the hotel so the ladies could get a pic. Good thing I’m not worried about making a fool of myself

And we just HAD to post this one….that is Brandy of Fresh Sugar, and half of the Two Photogs team ( if you’re a photog reading this and haven’t checked out their site-do it now. Their blog is full of tibits of info that have really helped us out a lot….you girls are goooood)! Brandy’s image was entered into WPPI’s Fresh Faces contestant with over 16,000 votes,  guess what she did?! Oh yeah…..she WON!!!! Unbelievable. Even if we hadn’t of known who shot this I still would have voted for it. What an amazing accomplishment.

Last photo…needed to finish with a giggle. This was our last night, post [b] school party, so needless to say we were both a little tipsy:) As we headed back to the room these ladies accosted  me with, ” Dang, girl – you got a PHAT A*%!!” Apparently a white girl with booty is a rare thing in their neck o the woods. I walked away feeling the love and with a new found appreciation for my “counter butt”!

That last photo…seriously, one of the funniest moments ever.  You really had to be there to fully understand but we will both be laughing about it for years to come.  Love it.  Thanks Mish for an amazing although short adventure.  I can only imagine what 2011 has in store for us…