Our dear friends welcomed baby girl #3 into their family early this morning. The original plan was for me to photograph the birth but God had other plans! This little gal made her arrival shortly before 5AM, and Mike & I both slept through the phone calls! It ended up okay though as Ms. Susie had a rough labor. Mike and stopped by for a quick minute this afternoon to take a peek at the sweet girl and give our congratulations! Mom, Daddy, and Chloe are doing very well! She’s an absolute doll and I cannot lie - I was jealous that it wasn’t my baby laying there! I’ve got to get done with nursing school ASAP - I know I want another sweet baby! I cannot wait to get my hands on Miss Chloe this weekend for our formal session - brand new babe make my heart sing! Until then, here are a few pictures just to show this beauty off. To the Lee Family - We love you guys dearly and we are absolutely thrilled for you! And Robert, at least you have the photographer part of three weddings covered

This little guy wasn’t so little! But he sure was cute! (yes, you can say that boy are cute, especially when they are babies!) Just look at those lips, aren’t they perfect! Women pay big money to have plump lips like those and he was born with it naturally, lucky guy! Mom and Dad, thank you for allowing me into your home to capture your precious family! I hope you both are getting some rest! I will send you an email when Peyton’s gallery is completed. Enjoy your sneak peek!

I don’t remember the last time I saw a baby wish such amazing eyes! Madison’s are incredible and when she smiles, her face will just melt your heart! She was a wiggle worm for our session and I have no doubt that when she learns to crawl, she’ll keep her mom and dad busy! She is very alert and curious about her world! Thank you guys so much for allowing me in your home again to photograph Miss Madison. She’s a doll and I look forward to seeing you again in a few months! I hope you enjoy your sneak peek!

I wasn’t kidding when I said that I’d behind on blogging! Miss Madeline’s party was two weeks ago and I’m just now getting around to sorting the pictures and blogging! That’s a long time for me to wait! We had her party here at the hotel for a few family and friends and the staff! It’ll be fun to tell Madeline about her first birthday and explain to her that the party was at a hotel where we’d been living for 2 months because her brother flooded our house! The staff here was wonderful and even helped to provide some of the food. We truly feel like family at the Staybridge (No, they’re not paying me for plugs!) Madeline seemed to enjoy her self. Had a couple of hot dogs, a cupcake and took a swim… all while having everyone’s undivided attention! Isn’t that what all princesses love? Cakes by Jennifer did the adorable ballet shoes! The picture doesn’t do them justice! It was beautiful and perfect when I picked it up from her house. Unfortunately, 45 minutes of stop and go traffic in 100 degree heat doesn’t doesn’t keep cakes looking their best! So, if you’re in this area and are looking for a wonderful cake decorator, just ask me for her number and email. The cake was adorable and tasted heavenly!!! Well, this is going to be short. I have my first three exams on Monday and I must study some more. I just couldn’t resist sharing some of her party!!

If you’re a regular follower of my blog, you may notice a large decline in the number of posts that I make. No, I’m not burnt out, I still love my camera! I’m taking a slight break to finish what I started over 9 years ago…

My entire life I have planned on becoming a nurse when I grew up. On Halloween I would dress up in my Granny Gert’s Candy Striper uniform. I never questioned the call God had on my life. In High School, I worked for a wonderful physician. I was mainly the gopher and paper-pusher, but I learned so much. His Nurse Connie let me follow her around as much as possible and answered my never-ending barrage of questions. I knew all through high school that I wanted to go to McMurry University in Abilene and attend the Abilene Intercollegiate School of Nursing. I was right on course my freshman year. I even got my CNA certification before Christmas break so that I could return home and work for Senior Village. I worked the remainder of the year, and the follower summer, for Hendrick Regional Medical Center as an aide for Mother Care. I fell in love. Here’s where things began to change…. The summer between my freshman and sophomore year of college I had a “wild hair” tickle me and I joined the Army Reserves as a 91W (Combat Medic) Shortly after school was out in May I headed off to Ft. Jackson for basic training, then on to Ft. Sam Houston for my Advanced Training. It was there that I got my NREMT certification and graduated in December 2002 as Combat Medic. Now What? I didn’t know. I moved back to Amarillo and began school at WTAMU and planned on finishing my degree there. Got restless. Moved to Houston. Attended UH. Wasn’t for me. Moved back to Amarillo and went to ACC to finish up the 3 prereqs I needed to begin my BSN program. Well a series of choices let me to marriage and a move to Houston. Mike promised my mom and dad that I WOULD finish school. I registered at San Jac and again tried to finish out the three little bitty classes I needed before I could begin a BSN program. I had high hopes of going to UTMB or UT-Houston. Finished 2 of those 3 classes. Just as I began the third one, we found out we were expecting Aiden. Pregnancy complications forced me to withdraw from class. I then decided that maybe I should go about this another way since I’d have a new baby. Maybe RN was the way to go. Well, I applied but didn’t get in. See, what I didn’t mention is that I got a little lazy one semester at McM and got a horrible science grade - bombed A&P. Not cool. I did get accepted into the LVN program. Just about the time I got my letter, I found out Miss Madeline was on the way!! Soo, I sat out another year!! That brings me to now! I FINALLY began nursing school last Tuesday.

I will be honest, I am not thrilled with the program or the college. I guess after so many years of trying for my BSN I feel a stigma attached to LVN. I even get embarrassed to say those letters or Alvin. I’m slowing beginning to accept that this is where God has me right now. I have no intentions of staying a LVN. I now have all of my prereqs out of the way, so I fully intend on taking an LVN to BSN course in another year or so.

So, if you got through all of that, bless you. I will still be taking clients, but it will be on a very limited basis. For the summer, I will have limited appointments available and will be scheduling at least 2 weeks in advance. I am asking that clients be patient as I add another week to proofing time. School is incredibly intense and requires my full attention. I will only accept a limited number of weddings and special events each semester. For the next year, I will eat, sleep, & breathe nursing school. I am very fortunate to have a wonderful support system and have many people who want to do anything possible to help me succeed. I do hope that my clients take my education into consideration! I promise that I will edit and proof your images as quickly as possible!!!

To my friends and family, than you so much for your love and encouragement!!

Alright, so I’m a day late on this, but I love playing so better-late-than-never here!!!

1.  Ran a Defog - USM @ 20, 60, 0
2.  S curve using curves layer
3.   Skin Casts Blast by MCP. Used bye bye shrek & blueberry. Both at 100%
4.   Dodge around eyes @ 50%. USM
5.  Warm up by Child’s Play
6.  Cindy’s Periwinkle Haze
7.  Burned midtones @ 80%
8.  Crop

See more great “fixes” by clicking here!

Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday Dear Madeline!
Happy Birthday to You!

 Okay, I admit, I have a huge lump in my throat just typing that out! I am such a sap! I cannot believe that my sweet little Angel is already one! Where did the past year go? I know, I know… it’s so cliche, but seriously! It honestly feels like just yesterday I was calling my mom in a slight panic to tell her to not dilly-dally on the drive down… that I called Mike and Tara and told them at it was “time”…. Nothing but happy memories of the day that Madeline Jewel Collins entered this world. My nurse was AH-MAZING! For the rest of my life I will always remember Angie - her smile was infectious and her accent made the whole day fun! Madeline pushed it close to not making her entrance before my OB left for Vacation, I think she knew her mama needed Dr. Files to get through it all. I was incredibly blessed that my friend Tara drove all the way down from Conroe to spend almost 10 hours with a camera in front of her face, just to capture such a blessed event. Okay, that lump has turned into tears - they’re flowing… It’s been a long year at some points though… Madeline spent a couple of weeks in Texas Children’s Hospital with weight-loss and failure to thrive. It’s an answered prayer that she’s gained a few more pounds! She finally began to crawl and now she’s showing interested in standing alone!! The last two months of her life have really been crazy, she was just 10 months old when Aiden flooded our home! And now, she’s getting ready to celebrate her first birthday with the staff of Staybridge Suites!

(Her adorable Birthday Outfit came from super-talented Alicia of Uniquely Monogrammed on Etsy!

Click here to watch the slide show of Madeline’s Birth! 
(Much thanks to Tara Jackson of Timeless treasures Portraits who did an amazing job at capturing Madeline’s Birth!)
Curious to know if I did this for Aiden’s first year? Of Course! If you want to watch his video, just click here!

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl - We Love you!!

I’ve had lots of people asking about our house lately and wondering where the updates are. Well, I haven’t exactly had anything to update - all work came to a halt for a while! It seems like this whole ordeal has really drug on and on and on and on… ok, you get the picture. The painters came a few weeks ago and did a great job… with the wrong colors. We got that straightened out, then had a tile mix-up. Mike took a day off of work and we looked at more tile samples than I care to remember! Stars aligned just right one night and we finally agreed on a tile, and a layout! Hooray! We quickly got the information to the flooring folks and then bam! Everything stopped! It was almost 17 days before anymore work was done!! Actually, the work “strike” ended this afternoon! I ran by the house to feed cats after spending the day in the Woodlands and was happy to find a tile guy jamming away to latino music and putting beautiful tile in my kitchen!!  Yes, we’re still living at staybridge and YES!! I’m still starting school in less than one week. The kiddos started full-time daycare on Monday. It was much harder for me to let them go than it was for them to see me leave! I cried! I’m incredibly anxious about school and pretty stressed about how it’s all going to work out with such a demanding program and moving back into the house! I’ve been trying to relax and breathe deep, but  I’m still very stressed, and class hasn’t even started yet!!! Well, I’d better get going, I just wanted to give a quick update. Nope, no one missed the big announcement that we’re moving back in …2 - 3  more weeks, maybe?? Ahhh, so much fun!

Here’s what I saw when I got to the house today… a beautiful site for weary eyes!

Not familiar with the toilet-paper remodel? Click here and here

I was so excited to see this weeks theme! It couldn’t have come at a better time as my little girl turns one on Thursday! I’ve been planning to do these pictures for a couple of weeks now! I had originally planned to show them when I did her Happy Birthday post, but here’s a sneak peak just for this week’s I Heart Faces entry! Keep an eye out on my blog for more to come!!

Want to see more? Click Here!

Special Thanks to Misty @ MG Studios! I used her lights, paper & cake! It’s awesome to have a friend who is so willing to help you learn! She’s awesome in the studio and a great friend! Thanks MG!

I love weddings, but even more than that, I love shooting weddings with one of my dearest friends! This is our third wedding together and I dare say that we’ve gotten the hang of it! We work great together and I look forward to many more I Do’s! Misty asked me a couple of month’s ago to help her shoot this event though it was a small affair, not that she couldn’t totally handle it, it’s just more fun with two! I’m so glad that she invited me to tag-a-long! I had a great time! Marcus and Jill were adorable - completely in love and incredibly laid-back! A wedding photographer couldn’t ask for much more; other than great weather, which we had as well!! The two love-birds are honeymooning in Guatamala, but I couldn’t resist working over some pictures before I sent my shots to MG! Editing is fun when you have a great wedding and a cute couple!

Jill got dressed in the restruarant’s wine cellar and it was a sunning backdrop for pictures! And check on the color’s of her flowers! They were beautiful!!

I’m a huge fan of orchestras, so I really enjoyed the violin duet.
They even continued to play during formal pictures after the wedding - it definitely helped everyone relax and have a great time!

Look at these two!! Aren’t they the cutest couple? I loved the way Marcus would look at her, there was no question about the depth of his love for Jill!!

I can’t wait for Jill’s dad to see this picture! I know Mike would be over-the-moon to have a picture like this with Madeline and after seeing him with Jill, I know he will too!

The wedding party was a great bunch! Some parties look at you like you’re nuts when you tell them that they’re going to be jumping!
Not this group, they were all for it, several times!

Ahhh, the cake!  One of the best parts of the wedding!

Marcus & Jill, thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your special day! It was wonderful to work with you guys!
Jill, I look forward to our dress trashing session! You’re a beautiful bride and I know we’ll have a blast!
And Misty, thanks for letting me help you! You’re the best!!