Today we got to have brunch with our dear friends Julie and Mike (and their beloved children) while we all attempted our best at catching up over a long meal shared with two toddlers and an almost-one-year-old. Does that count as a toddler? When does toddlerhood end? These are things I don't know. What I can tell you is there were three kids there under age two, and having a meaningful conversation was tough, but we tried our hardest.And then I nearly burst into tears when Julie's daughter wrapped her arms around Ezra for a hug.Man, seeing your best friend's kid embrace your own is an amazing thing.After eating, Ezra headed off to daycare while I ventured to a nearby park to get a few snaps of Julie's family in the snow (they live in Texas -- this is a rarity for them). What a great morning.I cannot wait to see them again.For your internet shares of the day:+ This image was so meaningful to me as a little girl watching a WOMAN kick ass in a movie and not just be saved by men.+ This image is how I feel about this sucktastic year. RIP Princess Leia.
We had a pretty amazing holiday.The first thing you should know is that we decided this was the time for potty training bootcamp. Because of this, we stayed home (near a bathroom) all weekend long, which turns out to be perfect when you are surrounded by delicious food and new toys.And so far? It's going well.I don't want to jinx us with any specifics, but we're pretty happy so far. We'll see how the rest of the week at school goes though -- that will be the true test. This is very much a journey and not just a short weekend thing, but we think a potty trained kid might be the very best gift we could get this holiday weekend.So besides lots of talk about using the bathroom for the last two days, we spent time reading by the fire, making Hannuka latkes (yum!), watching Rudolph, opening gifts, eating meatballs and lots of playing with toys. All while Magda chewed on new bones and carried around new stuffed animals. Everyone was happy, and we are so blessed to have all this love in our lives. Here are a few more photos.
I don't have any real internet shares, but I was very sad about the passing of George Michael. I loved his music so much, and this year just continues to bewilder us with loss. I suggest we all go 
I forgot to blog yesterday. Well, I didn't *forget,* per se. More like I got home, made dinner, put the kid to bed, called my mom and sat down on the couch for a minute. And then I woke up ten hours later.But hot damn did that feel good.We wrapped up the big photo shoot yesterday, and apparently it took a bit more out of me than I thought. But that said, I woke up this morning with my cold almost gone (finally), so that rest was much needed.Today, I'm back in the office finishing up some final touches on my 2016 shoots before turning off the computer and starting the Giant Gift-Wrapping Project of 2016. And I should be clear, I don't have that a lot to wrap. Jamie and I decided not to get each other much this year and instead to put our holiday budget into charity giving to Planned Parenthood, the Sierra Club, the ACLU and the Southern Poverty Law Center. But we still have lots of small gifts for Ezra, so I need to get started on those.The image above is of one of the many crew members working on set. I love the motion blur and the color palette here.For your internet shares of the day:+ 
Another day on set, another funky test shot.Today I had the camera all set up (we're shooting strictly with natural light for this shoot), and we took a break while waiting on props. We returned to the set about 30 minutes later, and when I snapped the image, the sun had moved into the window frame, making this magical image. I loved the whimsy of the sunlight and the artwork and the teepee in the child's room. Have I told you how amazing this house is that we're shooting in? Dream home, I tell you.For your internet shares of the day:+ 
I was on set yestrday, doing test shots while the crew was setting the scene, and I captured this image. Due to the exposure and the flash, it looks like a ghost is on set, and I love that.Only one internet share today: 
This photo was pretty obvious since it was -21 degrees when I woke up this morning.Luckily, I don't have any frost like this on my actual house, but I ventured out to the garage for some lovely ice crystal imagery. I love taking macro shots of this stuff because it always looks like feathers to me. Or branches. Quite lovely, regardless!Luckily, my actual weekend was nice and warm. I'm still fighting off my head cold, so we stayed indoors almost all weekend (save for a date out for dinner and to see the new Star Wars -- which is FANTASTIC). We baked tons of cookies and a loaf of bread, we made lots of homemade meals and we wrapped presents and finally addressed our holiday cards. It was exactly what the doctor ordered.
For your internet shares of the day:+ 
Yesterday, I was scouting a location for next week's shoot, and I adored these holiday decorations that I spied. I like to keep things simple, and this spoke to me.Since it's Friday, I'm light on words and long on links. I hope you all have a wonderful, warm weekend. The high for us on Sunday is MINUS NINE. Since I've been fighting a head cold all week, I plan on staying inside and keeping things cozy. Except for tonight when I have a date with my man to see Star Wars! Eeeeek!And speaking of movies, some good trailers are in this roundup of internet shares!+ 
I had my last holiday family photo shoot this week, and it was so much fun! This little girl is just the cutest, and so is her sister (below).While I do love taking family photos at the holidays SO much, I cannot lie -- it is a wonderful feeling to know I have two weeks at a little bit of a slower pace. Well... actually, make that one week. Next week I'm booked solid working on a big commercial shoot, but the week between the holidays? I plan on slowing down and enjoying my own family.I am planning on sitting by the fire, reading books with my kid, and baking cookies. In fact, for your internet share, here are some cookie recipes I'm thinking would be good for the family to make together. If you have your own favorites, please share them in the comments!+ 
