Natterings

I met a very sweet little girl yesterday. She was just 17 days old and a perfect angel. She seemed to love the camera and took several opportunities to ham it up for her "audience".

So my wonderful husband got me the Flip Ultra HD Camcorder for Mother's Day and I am LOVING it!!! I'm going to try to attach some of my first videos so you guys can see how awesome it is!

Here's the first video of our fun day at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on Mother's Day.

Little "C" was such a good baby for me today. For being a 4 week old (which is considered an older, more difficult newborn by most photographers), he was a perfect angel. Very bendable, hardly peed or pooped at all the whole 3 hours I was there, and was just generally very easy to photograph.

Here's a sneak peek for his mom and dad!

Born the day after Valentine's Day, Baby M is right up there in the top two easiest newborns I've ever had the pleasure of photographing. He was a natural poser, a great sleeper, and did everything on command (right, Mom? LOL!).

Here's a little sneak peek for his wonderful family!

I just love Garden of the Gods. It doesn't matter what time of year it is the place is ALWAYS beautiful.

Here's a few of Miss "R" and her adorable brother "C". These kids are so cute I can hardly stand it!

I *love* this family. :-) I think they know it too.

Miss "L" always knows where her photographer is. hehehe


"J" is the birthday boy this month. He is becoming such a big kid! I'm so lucky to get to watch him grow.




It's about time Mom got in some pictures! ;-)


While "J" was off smelling the roses, "L" took a moment to harass dear old Dad.

Yes, a new blog AND a new website are on the way! I'm so excited to update everything and get freshened up! I hope that will also mean a more up to date blog! :-) It's a goal. I'm working towards it! In the meantime, here are some recent favorites.

Sweet little Tyler turned 1 this month!!!! You might know this little guy from his picture in my newborn gallery.


And here he is now!

Such a dapper dude!


Here he is crawling but I think he was holding out on me. He walked not TWO DAYS after our shoot!


He's such a cutie! One year olds make me laugh throughout their entire sessions! Everything is just so darn funny to them that everyone around them can't help but laugh along! :-)


Another favorite age of mine is 9-10 month olds. They are FULL of expression and LOVE to watch the world around them.

Here's little Ella at 9 months old. Her beautiful mommy found me through a favorite place of mine--Westside Yoga Studio. Check out their website at http://www.ombabyom.org/.




Until next time!
O

I was cruising the net tonight (waaay too late I might add!) and found this little gem. Sometimes I know we all search for the right words to say to our children and if you're like me, it doesn't always come out right. So here are some things to get us started.

1. I love you! There is nothing that will make me stop loving you.
Nothing you could do or say or think will ever change that.

2. You are amazing! I look at you with wonder! Not just at what you can do, but who you are. There is no one like you. No one!

3. It's all right to cry. People cry for all kinds of reasons: when
they are hurt, sad, glad, or worried; when they are angry, afraid, or lonely. Big people cry too. I do.

4. You've made a mistake. That was wrong. People make mistakes. I do. Is it something we can fix? What can we do? It's all over. You can start fresh. I know you are sorry. I forgive you.

5. You did the right thing. That was scary or hard. Even though it
wasn't easy, you did it. I am proud of you; you should be too.

6. I'm sorry. Forgive me. I made a mistake.

7. You can change your mind. It's good to decide, but it is also fine
to change.

8. What a great idea! You were really thinking! How did you come up
with that? Tell me more. Your mind is clever!

9. That was kind. You did something helpful and thoughtful for that
person. That must make you feel good inside. Thank you!

10. I have a surprise for you. It's not your birthday. It's for no
reason at all. Just a surprise, a little one, but a surprise.

11. I can wait. We have time. You don't have to hurry this time.

12. What would you like to do? It's your turn to pick. You have great
ideas. It's important to follow your special interests.

13. Tell me about it. I'd like to hear more. And then what happened?
I'll listen.

14. I'm right here. I won't leave without saying good-bye. I am
watching you. I am listening to you.

15. Please and Thank You. These are important words. If I forget to use them, will you remind me?

16. I missed you. I think about you when we are not together!

17. Just try. A little bit. One taste, one step. You might like it.
Let's see. I'll help you if you need it. I think you can do it.

18. I'll help you. I heard you call me, here I am. How can I help you?
If we both work together, we can get this done. I know you can do it by
yourself, but I'm glad to help since you asked.

19. What do you wish for? Even if it's not yet time for birthday
candles and we don't have a wishbone, it's still fun to hear about what you wish for, hope for, and dream about

-- Author Unknown

"Time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life."

This quote pretty much sums up my attitude towards my work. Life is not measured purely by momentous occasions like birthdays or holidays. It's made up of thousands, millions of small ordinary moments. And although the important occasions that we celebrate through each year are important to capture, it's the smaller moments that make up the majority of our days. In capturing those moments, I find my true joy.



My daughter hugging grandma, who earlier in the day, painted R's face with Crayola markers. :-)






Please visit the Story People website for more beautiful stories by writer Brian Andreas. One of my most favorite stories from him is on the front page of my website. http://www.storypeople.com/storypeople/Home.do

All photography by Patrina Odette Photography. Here are just a few of the beautiful shots Patrina captured of our family last weekend.

My second favorite little girl (next to my own, of course) is my favorite little girl client, Miss "L". Her mom brought her and her brother all the way down to me in Colorado Springs for her 5 year pictures. I brought out a special item to use at this beautiful child's 3rd session with me--a gorgeous antique chair that belonged to my great-grandmother.



Happy Birthday little "L"!

My kids tonight after our big storm. I love evenings like this--fresh air, the smell of wet pavement, and the sound of kids laughing.

a very special addition to the world. Mr. C is an adorable 3 month old little man I had the privilege of meeting last month. The camera loved him! It's too bad the feeling wasn't mutual. :-)

Here's "C" along with his very adoring parents....

They so rarely let me take their picture lately that it was a real treat to have some cooperation from these big 7 year olds tonight.

My firstborn...


My secondborn...

My three are doing t-ball this summer and as usual--everything's a photo opp! :-)

I love macro photography--specifically floral macros. I find it so relaxing!

Here are a few from this evening.

Big brother, little sister from last weekend's session.

Anyone need a great photographer in Maryland?

Please visit Nicole Tow's site here:
http://www.nicoletow.com/

Found this old video as I was going through my folders. It's probably my favorite of all the videos we have of them.

I'm ashamed.

I've been a terrible blogger!!!!! Here are some recents to make up for being away for 2 months! Yikes!!!!

First, another newbie to the world. Little "M" made his appearance almost 3 weeks ago. Here he is on Day 6.



Already making silly faces at the camera. Mom and Dad are going to have their hands full! :-)




And a couple of my own "baby"....she's 4 and into princesses. And honestly, what 4 year old girl isn't?!





Ok, I promise there will be more to come this week. No really. I PROMISE!!!!