I was photographing some clients this weekend at this lake, and I loved the light and the bugs and the ripples on the water. I'm not sure what it is, but something about this light just says "end of summer" to me. You can just tell that autumn is only a few weeks off.Also? Besides this photo? How amazing are these crisp mornings we are having? Coffee tastes so much better, and holy smokes am I ready for this broken toe to heal up so I can tackle some long walks with Magda again.In the meantime, let's all enjoy the internet a little, shall we?+ I love this article on how the women in the White House banned together to ensure they were heard in meetings. I cannot even begin to count the number of times I have been in meetings and made a suggestion that was ignored, then brought up 5 minutes later by a man, who then got credit for the idea. The steam out of my ears, I tell you. So obviously, I liked how these ladies did this.+ While I have a hard time pairing down to an exact capsule wardrobe, it is a goal each season. This post inspired me for fall. + And speaking of fall, I would like to own this blanket.+ And here's something to eat in my favorite season.+ And for parents: An interesting idea on how to cut down on tantrums.
So Mondays at the Madhouse is officially over with, but of course I'll give you a few shots from the kid's birthday weekend.But first, I want to tell you about my new goal. Something I'm really trying to work on in my paid gigs is snapping a few photos that don't just document the time I have with clients, but that also capture what it feels like. Does that make sense? I think this is particularly important for family and wedding photos, and I think it takes the photos to a deeper level (not that I always succeed at this! Which is why it's a goal of mine). So my Monday goal is to now show you a photo from my weekend that capture the feeling of that moment for us. The images might be abstract or they might not -- it's a lofty goal, for sure, but I think this blog is a great place to experiment.So! This weekend, we celebrated Ezra's birthday on Friday, and Saturday morning Ezra woke up with a fever. And the fever climbed and climbed and peaked at 102.8 that day. There were a lot of "blankies" and "bunnies" and "wawa" and popsicles. And the photo above captured the feel of our weekend pretty well. It was sweet and snuggly, but also sad because no one wants to spend their birthday weekend like this.And because of the illness, we had to cancel the birthday party on Sunday. We didn't want anyone else getting sick. So below are just a few images from his actual birthday, which was a lot of fun.
Above is the cake that I made for Ezra. Thank you Pinterest for the awesome idea.
And because I thought you might want one more image of the kid's sweet face, here he is stuffing that cute face full of mac'n'cheese for his birthday lunch. Oh, how he loves mac'n'cheese.
I'm back at my desk*, finishing up photos from my baby sessions last week and digging into my shots for 3M from this week. There is a lot of time at the computer and a lot of podcast/music finding happening in the background.This past week was a bit of a whirlwind for me. I spent 35 hours behind the camera (Which is WAY more than normal, btw. Life as a photographer is about 20% shooting and 80% computer work), and then squeezed in minimal email correspondence and blogging at night after putting the spawn to sleep. Today is my first attempt at "catching up" on my email, photo processing, invoicing, project bids and, you know, laundry. Also? There were taxes due (whoo!). And I broke my pinky toe (ouch!). But on the up side, I purchased a ticket to New Orleans where I'm photographing a wedding in black and white in December. Seriously, pinch me! I am so excited for that.Needless to say, the internet shares are a bit few and far between today due to the workload. But here you go:+ 
We're still on set all day over here, and man the props are good this time around. Look at those pretty flowers! Look at those spices! Look at that marble! This week has been a blast.And for your quick internet share of the day, I loved 
I'm on set with Scotch for most of my days this week, and on Monday I snapped this photo of our stylist making a pretty calendar using washi tape. Lovely.And that's about all I have for you. Sorry for the brevity! Not much exciting going on here outside of work! But I did round up some internet shares of the day for you!+ 
We returned from California mid-week, and Ezra started a new classroom at school for two days before it was the weekend. A much needed weekend to, you know, unpack, do laundry, get the house organized, clean out the fridge, get groceries, etc. But we managed to squeeze in a lot of play as well.In the photo above, I was showing him how to balance a cup on top of my head. *Actually,* I was showing him how to balance a cup on top of my head while taking a photo. I am nothing if not magical in some instances. I should remember this trick for surly clients.We also visited a petting zoo, went to the park, made waffles and took monster naps. It was a touch slower than some of our recent weekends, but it was still glorious. Enjoy the photos below.Also, this is the official last Monday at the Madhouse post. That said, I fully expect next Monday to show you a photo or two from Ezra's birthday. So don't worry, I won't cut you off cold turkey.
The three of us went for one last walk in the woods on our last day in Sonoma. It was about 7:45 am, and there were only a handful of us in the park. The light was lovely, and the smell was glorious. I love that shot of my boys.
On Tuesday, we were back in Sacramento, and Ezra was sitting on a stool in the kitchen brushing his teeth and I had this vision of him as a 12 year old. I don't know if it was the height of the chair or what, but something just time warped. It made me a little sad, so I snapped the moment to remember and enjoy this toddlerhood.
After the tooth brushing, Ezra got his ride in Grandpa Sookie's old MG. Pretty rad.
Later that day, we went to visit Goldie, a far-off cousin of Ezra's. Goldie reads this blog each week and is a huge fan, and it was so wonderful to meet her in person. She has the best outlook on life and was such a joy to have coffee with.
Oh! But before I forget, we took Ezra to In-N-Out while we were in California, and he refused to try the burger. In the past, this kid has eaten: Sushi, broccoli and grahams for breakfast, pickled ginger, sauerkraut and fish. But he wouldn't try that burger. It has me seriously questioning if there was some sort of mixup at the hospital.
On Saturday, a petting zoo popped up at the park a few blocks away, so in we went. Ezra loved seeing the animals and feeling the coats on the goats and such.
And here is a photo of my child literally choking a chicken. (Sorry. Had to go there.)
AND THEN I CAUGHT HIM WITH HIS THUMB IN HIS MOUTH. Really. I wonder why we are all sick all the time. Christ.
Sunday, after nap, the light was nice and the kid was happy, so I snapped a few shots in his room.
And later that day, he laid down, asked me to cover him with a blankie and then requested that I sing to him. Sometimes he's like a teenager. And then he's like this. 
At the end of our trip this week, we decided it was time to take Ezra out in his grandfather's antique MG. Jamie's brother has had it for the last five years or so, and it was so fun to see the Plesser men tool around in the antique. I'll show more of those photos in my weekly wrap-up on Monday, but here are a few images of the car so you can appreciate the beauty of it.One of my favorite stories is that years and years ago, Jamie's dad had taken the car out for a spin and (I think?) when he was paying for gas and returned to the car, the clock was missing (seen below). He was so angry that someone had stolen it. Then, when Jamie's brother inherited the car a few years back, he was having some work done on it and they found the clock! It had fallen inside the dashboard and hadn't been stolen after all! So here it is, all fixed up and pretty.
And now, your internet shares of the day:+