It's a drive-by posting...

This week shall forever be known as The Week of the World's Shortest Posts (or...The Week of the Drive-By Postings). Take your pick.

This week is chock-full of sessions, one each day...so check back every night for a little dose of Sugar before bed. But don't expect anything witty or especially thought-provoking. My brain is already tucked into bed by 6pm each day and I've got nothin' left.

This morning we played with Evyn...littlest of three girls and soon-to-be big sister to a little boy, due in November. I love siblings, and have the best time chasing them down and convincing them to hold, kiss, and cuddle with their brothers or sisters. But every once in a while we have a mom book a session just for one of their brood. And it's such a breath of fresh air to give the sometimes overlooked little ones a chance to shine.


Evyn was a doll, and we had a fun time in downtown Plano until the rains came. And came. And came some more. I think my hair might still be damp. Luckily, we were winding down when it started...thank goodness for early morning sessions and rainstorms that start mid-morning!

"Did you swallow a beach ball?"

There's a new little one, soon to join our family. Little sister and her cute hubby were in town this weekend for their baby shower, and we managed to fit in a quick belly session at the same time.

When people say "Wow, you are all belly" they must have this image in mind. She is the epitome of 'all belly'. I'm jealous of how great she looks.



Do I even need to narrate this second one? I'm pretty sure it oozes love, adoration, excitement and that fabulous "yes, we're married, we're deeply in love, and we *made* this" feeling.



Which leads us back to the title..."....or are you just happy to see me?"

My soon-to-be niece or nephew is due in early October, and I will be dropping everything and heading to Houston when the arrival is imminent to photograph the big event. I guess having me as an annoying, pestering and bossy big sister does have it's privileges after all ;)

Have you heard?

"Three is the new two."

All of you with sweet, easy, happy third babies need to stop calling me. STOP! (and let's be serious, is there any third baby that ISN'T all of the above?).

Because my self control is crumbling. And I look at happy siblings like these three and think "....maybe?".

And then I remember that I lose my mind when a sleep-depriving-newborn is in residence. Just like I might lose my mind tonight if eldest child continues to hop out of bed and ask for one. more. thing.

But I digress...

Meet Henry, Katie and Annie. Precious. Happy. Playful. What a fun time we had today!

This kid needs to cheer up...

Today's session was *hard*. No smiles, no laughter, no giggling. Just sweat and mosquitoes and grumpy, grouchy kids and unsmiling parents.











Oh, who am I kidding?

Take a little CJ and Aidan and try not to laugh along with them.

Who's in the mood to SHOP?

Our Holiday Mini Sessions are just around the corner, and it's time to start thinking of your wardrobe folks!

We'll be posting the dates and all the details soon, but in the meantime...

Strasburg Children called today to let me know (yes, I'm a dork and on their phone list)-they have a big sale this week with clothing going for 20%, 30% and even 50% off! I'm not a huge fan of the all-white look for portraits, or those flippy collars that like to swallow your child's head.

BUT-this is always a stress-free place to find clothing for that next portrait session! And I figured I couldn't keep this secret to myself. So go! Have fun! Avoid head-eating-collars!

Where do I like for families to shop? When you call to book a session, Mindy will walk you through your session and the look you're going for. She is the queen of styling kids, and I guarantee she can help you find the perfect clothing for your little ones!

Due dates, birthdays, and everything in between...

Due dates:

This little guy's due date is fast approaching, and his sweet Mommy and I had the chance to chat, play, and share stories today. Not just parenting how-to's...but photography schtuff! She's a local photographer and I was honored to have been asked to document her baby's upcoming arrival in mid-August.

There was absolutely *no* light today...driving to their home was like driving into a cave. It just got darker, and drearier, and the sky became more threatening. This meant our hopes for an indoor shoot had to be a no-go for today, but we didn't let it stop us. I mean, if we all got up, got ourselves dressed, and the kids dressed, dropped them off at camp, drove through traffic AND fixed our hair beforehand...something was being photographed today. (I'm just sayin'...)

So we headed outdoors with funky pillows, cool benches and chairs, and just had a great time! We'll try again in a few weeks for that intimate, indoor maternity session...but for now-feast your eyes on this hot, first time momma!



Birthdays:

Greta Goo is turning One next week! It seems like just yesterday that I was invited into the delivery room and documented every second of her arrival. We had a fun session in downtown Plano the other day, and were really able to capture every expression of this modern, stylish, hip toddler-to-be!


Another birthday girl was our own dear Ella, who's first birthday was just a few weeks ago. Her mommy, Mindy, is the new voice of Sugar Photography (one of two new employees)-and in case you can't tell by these images-she is the queen of styling when it comes to photo sessions! Don't be afraid to ask Mindy for ideas on what to wear and where to find it when booking your session!



Everything in between...

Katie's little brother, Andrew, is now at the halfway point of babyhood: that magical age of 6 months! We had fun at their session last week-and let's all stand and cheer for the simple fact that the sun was out. This is our third session together, and in that time this was the first where it wasn't pouring down rain (which is funny, since it can't seem to stop raining during all of my other sessions!).

We thoroughly enjoyed the natural light spilling through the windows, and Andrew enjoyed showing off his first little tooth.




We are hard at work on our fun and fancy new website! Look for it to debut sometime in July. It will include information on our new pricelists (including a few, exciting new offerings), as well as an introduction to our amazing and hardworking new staff of two-Mindy and Debbie!

These ladies have made all the difference in the world in our turnaround time, organization, and level of customer service. Look for everything to ramp up a notch, just in time for the holidays!

When blogs collide...

A few weeks ago I posted about my girls' only weekend in Austin, where I roadtripped with Jenny and Amy and met up with Tracey.

While there, I had the wise idea to offer to photograph their three kiddos as a 'thank you' for putting up with all of us for the weekend (that, and the three 8x10's from snapfish on their walls were slowly making me develop a twitch)

Good sports that they were, they agreed and two seconds later I found myself trying to cajole Lucy into a dress and convince Bailey that no, I was not going to capture his spirit in my camera (I think he's Native American, in his very core).

And the results? Absolutely perfect-I love them all!

Of course, I had to ask Tracey to answer a few questions:

My favorite dessert is...yellow cake with vanilla frosting

Of all the books I've read to my kids (all 3 of them)-my favorite is: I'm Gonna Like Me by Jamie Lee Curtis because: I love the mesage!
I sometimes wish...that I had a wife.

My favorite image from our session is: this is a brutal question! I guess I have to go with image 32 - because: I certainly can't show favortism and choose only 1 of the kids, and this is my favorite of the 3 kids together.

Sugar can be hazardous to your health...

I'm a little behind in posting recent sessions-bear with me, I'll catch up before Saturday (I promise!)...but thought you'd get a kick out of this family.

Anna and Louis's mom was here the other day for her ordering session, and answered a few of our fun questions for their blog feature:

Who is your hero? My daughter's birthmother, for making the choice that allowed us to have this precious, perfect child in our lives forever and complete our family.

What is the last movie you watched? Scoop

If you could go anywhere for vacation, where would you go? Tahiti! Or back to Vietnam, where our daughter was born, to explore more of the gorgeous country.

My favorite kind of day goes like this: Kids sleep past 7:30, then wonderful husband gets up with them and lets me sleep in...we hang out, play, be silly and meet up with friends for dinner. oooh, maybe also a massage for me thrown in there somewhere.

What is your favorite image from this session, and why? It is very, very hard to choose because we truly loved every single one, but I think one of my favorites is where Louis is holding Anna's hand and she is spinning around - Jen took it in a long, horizontal shot. I love it because they look happy and it really illustrates the sweet relationship they have. Louis is such a doting, loving big brother and Anna adores him. And they have a blast together!



And for the rest of the story-After her ordering session Debbie and I sent Louis and Anna's Mom out the door and on her way, invoice in hand and a happy gleam in her eye. We had helped narrow her selections down, put together a few galleries, decorated her walls, and she was excited about seeing the final product in her home.

And then I received this email that same night:

Jen,

There are so many words yet so few, but thank you thank you thank you for all of our wonderful pictures!!! I was really overwhelmed and kind of speechless, so thank you so much. We are beyond excited! I have always admired your work, but it is pretty freakin unbelievable to get to have so many beautiful pictures of my own children.

I was so excited that I caused a four car pile up on the way home. Yep. Trying to multi-task with the kids in the car - we all do it, hate it when you get caught though. I hit someone...who hit someone...who hit someone. Everybody is ok (except my car) which is the most important thing.

We spoke today and there was an additional accident after the one she caused, when one of the dazed drivers wandered across the road, trying to catch his visa papers that were blowing in the wind (he was from Spain on a work Visa). That caused two more cars to collide.

I don't know whether to laugh or feel guilty, and can honestly say that I am quite flattered...and also a little mortified...all at the same time.

Thankfully, everyone was okay...except for their car. But the report from the home front is that Dad is so excited about the pictures that even HE doesn't care.

Louis, Anna, Mom and Dad-Love you guys! DRIVE SAFE!!!