Luke is one whole year old!

Well everyone, it has been a while since I've posted a blog. I guess I'm a bad blogger. I have the best intentions though. Well, since the last blog I posted, Luke has FINALLY learned to crawl. We were definitely starting to get worried. He is definitely a kid who likes going at his own pace. We have also started giving him some grown-up food. He loves sliced peaches, potato soup, mac-n-cheese (what kid doesn't like mac-n-cheese?) and a bunch of other stuff. He keeps trying dog food as well...that has been interesting. If anyone has any ideas on how to deal with this issue, let me know. We are pretty sure his first word is "dog", other than that it is just random "dada's" "nana's" and "baba's" all the time. He does point at the dogs and says "dow." Anyhow, we are getting ready to celebrate his first birthday with close friends and family. We can't wait!

"Yeah! I'm turning one year old!"

"What do you mean, I don't get to drink beer for my birthday?

I have to wait 20 more years!"

"What are you looking at?"

"OOOOH! I see a puppy dog...they are my favorite."

I like books a lot, too!

Jenna Self

Jenna is now 6 months old, and she is absolutely precious! She is definitely one of the prettiest baby girls I've ever seen. I took Jenna's newborn portraits, and the Self's were so sweet to have me back again. Tera is really one of my biggest cheerleaders in my pursuit of my photography endeavors (outside of my husband, of course!). I am so grateful for her friendship! Andy and Tera host our homegroup on Thursday nights, and God has shown us that friendships based in Him are so fruitful when He is at the center. What a blessing they are to our family!

Self Family

Little Jenna Mae was born in July to Andy and Tera. We go to Hope Works with this sweet family and they host our home group. Jenna is only a few months younger than Luke, and we are always calling them boyfriend/girlfriend. We can only hope Luke will have girlfriends as precious as Jenna. Keep you eye out for Jenna's six-month pictures coming soon. We will be taking those this week.

The Thornton's

Emma Grace Thornton was born in Nov. 2007. Cory asked me to do her maternity portraits earlier in the year, so it was such an honor to be asked to come back and take Emma's newborn portraits along with some pictures with her older brother C.J. who is two years old. The Thornton's are such a great family, and I am so blessed to call Cory my friend. Here are some of the images from both photo sessions.

The Deckard Family

Lacy and Derek are a very special couple. They were so much fun to photograph...they are a lot of fun period!!! I know Lacy from high school and we both went to A&M, which is where she met Derek. Then, along came Polly, their Great Dane, who was such a good girl all day while we took pictures all over Fort Worth. We went to this great church with beautiful red doors, downtown and to the museums. As of a few weeks ago, Lacy called with news that they added another great dane to their family. Congratulations you guys!!!

Luke is 10 Months old

Well, I must say this has been a really interesting month! We rang in the new year with a cold and an ear infection. After that, Luke had an allergic reaction, to what?...we don't really know. He did, however, have an aweful case of hives, and the only treatment was steroids. Let me tell you, babies and steroids are no fun. I don't think they have anger management treatment for babies, but if they did, we would have signed him up. We were at the pediatricians office a total of 5 times in the month of January! Other than being sick a lot, Luke is doing great! He is still trying to crawl...he will go up into a push-up position and then pull his knees underneath his body, but from there, he's not sure what to do. He really enjoys standing while he holds onto furniture. There is a possibility that he will be walking before crawling, no matter how much Chad and I try to encourage him otherwise. He is getting so much more personality by the day. There are definitely more and more laughs each and everyday, too.

Chad and I got a much needed vacation at the end of January. We went to Pagosa, CO with our dear friends, Tim and Leslie Strickland as well as Andy and Tera Self. We skied Wolf Creek, and as the locals say, "It was epic pow, man!"...which means, the powder was great! We had such a wonderful time, and we look forward to going again. Chad's parents came up and stayed with Luke while we were away. They were such a blessing! It was so nice to know Luke was in such good hands. I am starting to realize how important it is to get away...when we got back, I felt like I was able to be a better mom and wife. It is always good to take a step back and gain some perspective. There is no better place than the Rocky Mountains, to replinish and refresh your outlook on life. God is so good to provide such beauty for us to enjoy.

White Family

Danny and Jessica have been waiting expectantly for their little bundle of joy for quite a while now, and praise God...she is finally here! Kate is only about 10 days old in these photographs, and she is so beautiful. She is a really sweet baby too! Chad, Luke and I headed up to McKinney Sunday to bring a pot roast and hang out with our dear friends. Chad and I know Danny from grade school, and we all went to Texas A&M together.