Happy birthday moxie girl

She really is the best dog ever, especially for a one-year-old. We got our sweet Moxie when she was just a little thing. A tiny, fluffy, nine-week-old pup. In the weeks leading up to us bringing her home I read every book that our library had on dog training & Craig & I watched every episode of our man Cesar ever made. We were set on training her right so that she'd turn into a sweet, well-behaved dog that we could leave home without worrying that she'd wreck the place, that we could take anywhere & that would one day be great with our kids. Well, that flew out the window FOR ME the moment I found out I was pregnant & all those crazy-lady-pregnancy-hormones started flowing & I couldn't look at her without melting much less discipline her. Thankfully, Craig stuck to the plan & his training (& mine once I wasn't so hormental) coupled with her gentle, playful nature = the world's greatest pup. Truly, she's incredible.

She loves to follow me around the house (or to the mailbox, or the bathroom, or ...), she'll do anything for a carrot, she is SUCH a love (I mean, if you even look at her she'll be all over you licking & burrowing & acting like the lap-dog that she thinks she is), she loves to go to the beach & walk with us off-leash, her hair gets crimpy when she's wet (like straight out of the 80's crimped with a crimping iron. It's awesome), she'd rather play chase than fetch (a bad habit I taught her. Oops), & she absolutely adores Emrie (she lays her head at the end of Emrie's bouncer & just watches her sleep. She also adores Emrie's pacifiers which she thought were a fancy new toy we brought home just for her. Now she knows the truth & she admires them from a distance). 

Happy birthday Moxie Bird! This past year has been a great one & you've got a lot of life ahead of you - I'm so glad you & Emrie get to grow up together. You bring so much joy to our lives & I can't imagine our family without you.
P.S. Even though dad says she's a dog, she doesn't understand you, we know the truth.
P.P.S. You're the best dog ever.

And here she is just after we got her. Heart-melting. I love this wild animal.

You know when something is just so good that you can't even begin to put it into words? When it's just so, so ... ah, just so good that you can't even explain it so you just smile & sigh & your heart feels all fluttery & stuff? Yeah. That's where I'm at these days. That's how I feel about being mama to this precious little. Sometimes I want to bite her because she's just so beautiful & perfectly adorable & wonderful. I took these shots of her today (along with about a million others. I'm telling you, I could fill a swimming pool with all the photos I've taken of her in the past 2 1/2 months) & I love them so much that I want to blow them up & wallpaper every room in my house with them. Would that be weird? 

favorites : 2009

2009 has been good to me. At the top of the awesome-things-that-happened-this-year list are: moving into a beautiful new place, celebrating four years of marriage, having a baby & taking photos of amazing people. I was so honored to capture the love, the special moments, the children & families of each & every one of my clients this year. Seriously, I loved every moment & I still can't believe that I get to do this. Thank you, SO MUCH, to those of you who allowed me to capture your lives from behind my lens. 2009 was the first full year for this photography business of mine & it was a great one ... here are just a few of my favorites ...