My little girl is three years old today. Happy Birthday, Mags! I plan on spoiling her later with a romp in the snow and a glazed doughnut. Normally, we give our dogs ice cream on their big day. But Magda here is our first winter birthday, and ice cream doesn't sound as good as doughnuts, so there you go.On one hand, I feel like we just got Magda a year ago. Not because time has flown by so fast with her in our lives (although it has), but more because those traumatic days of her puppyhood seem still so fresh in my mind. But... then I remember that when she was a pup, Merlin was with us (and healthy). And there was no Ezra. And my dear friend Alby was still with us, and still undiagnosed with cancer. When I think of all that has transpired since we brought this girl home, it's more like she should be seven or eight years old today. Time is weird, eh?For your internet share today, I'm sending you over to Still Kickin. Today is Giving Tuesday, which while I think falls way too close to "Give To The Max Day," I still support fully. The story behind this month's hero over at Still Kickin is a tear jerker, and what better way to support that cause than to purchase rad t-shirts for yourself or your favorite kid.

Hi there! Did you all have a wonderful holiday? I hope so. And I hope you are well rested, well fed and returning to work in a happy and healthy place.Me? I'm still battling a horrific cold. (Yes, I beat the last one. Then this toddler of mine gave me a new one. I really cannot win.) But the time off was much needed around these parts (especially due to illness), and we made the most of our long weekend.The highlight of the weekend (besides a visit from my folks) is that Ezra continues his love of organization and cleaning up. One habit the kid cannot seem to break just yet is the love of his bottle. This drives me nuts because after he's had enough, he loves to turn the bottle over and shake out its remaining contents all over the rug/floor/couch/whatever. Gross. I always take the bottle away and then clean up the mess. Well! Now, when he does it, I take the bottle away and when I turn around, he has grabbed a tea towel or cloth of some kind, and is trying to clean up the mess himself. Who can get mad at that?!? Adorable.The lowlight is the lack of sleep. Seriously, kid. I know you are teething, but you are 1 year old. GO TO SLEEP.Another highlight was when Meredith stopped by with her pup, Wally, and Ezra was drawn to the dog immediately (duh). I totally love it when friends drop in. When you grow up in the city you reside in, this isn't rare. When you move here in your late twenties, it's a fabulous surprise. As long as you're dressed. :)We also picked up our Christmas Tree this weekend, and thankfully Ezra likes it, but is not TOO into it (like, pulling it down or eating it).What Ezra is really into instead, is Magda... who might be a touch freaked out by all the attention. This is Ezra "hugging" Magda.Poor girl is finding more and more hiding spots around the house. Don't get me wrong, she does like playing with Ez. But she's not as much into the physical hugging part as he is.And yes, eating with utensils is still a (messy) work in progress.Here is Ezra with my mom and dad! They drove up from Kansas to spend Thursday and Friday with us.Magda is watching potential intruders. Ez, as usual, is watching Magda.My cough has gotten so bad that I am keeping Jamie awake at night (and waking up the kid). So I have moved downstairs and have been sleeping on the couch for the past few nights. I'm honestly not complaining as I think my couch is just as comfy as my bed (seriously), but the living room is starting to look like the sick ward.Those eyes. I swear.I suspect I will get this look a lot more when he's a teenager.And lastly, these two photos just made me happy. We decorated the tree yesterday and today, and that is really fun with a little kid around to see it all for the first time.For your internet share, this is fascinating. While I totally document Ezra all the time for this blog, something about setting up staged photoshoots each week for money bothers me. I'm too sick/tired to clarify the difference at the moment, but I would love to hear your thoughts!

Merry Christmas to ME!One of the amazing guys I work with on all the Scotch shoots also runs a side business making hand-made leather goods. He carefully chooses the hides, designs all the pieces, and hand-stitches it all. And besides that, he works full time. And he's a dad with two kids -- one an infant. I seriously have no idea where he finds the time or energy, but color me impressed.Dan (that's his name), mostly makes purses and satchels and fantastic work bags. But I thought maybe he could make me a camera strap, so I pitched it to him a little while ago. You guys! It's soooooo beautiful! I am completely in love. The leather is so soft and light and flexible, and it's just what I needed.If you'd like to buy something fabulous for you or a loved one, you should check out his online shop here.One more thing: I'm taking Thanksgiving off from blogging. My parents are coming to visit, and I want to give them my full attention. So you'll get a nice, fat post on Monday, but until then I suggest you stay off the computer and snuggle with the ones you love (whether that be animals or people).And speaking of that, I loved this.Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I have to be honest, I am feeling the exact opposite of this photo regarding this year's holidays -- I am almost giddy with anticipation. But still, this dog (named Delilah), made me laugh with her look of defeat.I am really looking forward to the holidays this year as a) it means more time off with family, which I have been really missing b) I love pie and c) I feel really thankful for everything in my life right now.That said, I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm pretty upset with the state of the world at the moment. I'm particularly bothered by the racial events in my city as of late, the Syrian refugees and the bombings in Paris. There seems to be turmoil everywhere, and frankly, it is bringing me down. Maybe that's why Thanksgiving and Christmas are so appealing this year. Cozying up to the fire and eating delicious food and being with wonderful friends just sounds so blissful right now. I know the problems are in no way going away, but taking a break from the news and the internet for a day or two sounds pretty great.But! If you want to stay online, I promise this will keep you smiling. C'mon! You have to laugh at Darth Vader brushing his teeth! That right there is internet gold!

I hardly got any photos in this week as I was shooting for so many hours on other projects. That, and I only got about 15 minutes of daylight each weekday with The Kid, which I used to snuggle instead of take photos.Above, the boys enjoy the Sunday paper. Or maybe not enjoy it? I'm not sure what moment I caught Jamie in... maybe mid-chew?And today was my full day with the family. And I got sick as a dog. Which meant most of the play time fell to Jamie... again. (Sad.) But he did a bang-up job!But besides killin' it on the Dad Front, Jamie also managed to fix the broken refrigerator by himself. So he's just winning Husband of the Year all around. We thought we were going to have to spend hundreds of dollars to have the fridge fixed before Thanksgiving, but then Jamie searched You Tube, ordered a $3 part online, and proceeded to blow me away with his skills.In terms of kid news, Ezra got a third tooth this week, so there was a lot of chewing on teething toys.And he started hugging us. A lot. Which is awesome.

Since my big photoshoot ended early this week, I added in a session with 5-week old twins this morning. (Rest? What's that?) But it was so, so great to be back shooting photos of people again. Look at how these two are holding hands! And no, I did not do that -- they did it on their own.For your internet share today, here is something to make you laugh (especially if you adore Joseph Gordon-Levitt like I do).And on a much more serious, but important, note:  Here are some things you can donate to help refugees who are on their way to Minnesota this winter. And if  you would like to do more, you can mentor a refugee or family to help them settle into their new home and new country (like help get their kids enrolled in public school, or help teach them English). More information on that can be found here.

Today we finished the shoot a full day early! Woot! This was awesome news because now I have a very short break before my 9-hour shoot on Saturday.This photo is of our stylist, Liz, perfecting the details on set today while rocking the messy bun.What else happened today? It snowed! Just flurries, but still exciting!And lastly, for your internet share, I am in the middle of this article about dying alone, and it is FASCINATING. Enjoy!

Oh you guys...While I love, love, love big shoots like the one I have going on this week, it is so hard to arrive on set while it's still dark and leave when it's already dark. Such are winter days in Minnesota, but since I'm usually working from home most days, I am spoiled in that I can take walks mid-day or just, you know, go outside to get the mail or whatever.The studio we are working out of has these two windows you see above. And that's it. So... I feel a bit disconnected.It's a good thing we're having so much fun with the work itself. I can't wait to show you the finished products!For your internet share, I am super excited for 2oolander. Can you say, Benedict Cumberbatch? Oh yes.