I have to admit I am a bit of a Facebook addict. I think I am getting it under control (I broke my addiction to FarmTown) but I do enjoy the social aspect of it (and seeing all the “OMG! More SNOW!” posts from my Iowa friends/family.Haha! I love AZ!)

If you are on Facebook, please become a fan of MJ Photography – I will happily post a few of your favorite images from your session and you can tag them to share with all of your FB Friends. I do ask that you leave any watermarks on the images intact – unfortunately there can be some strange things that happen to non-watermarked images, so this is something that will protect you and your family (and me as well!)

It’s always a real treat when clients return to have me photograph their 2nd (or third!) child.  Miss Vienna brought her Mom and Dad in for a maternity session in December and last week she brought in her baby sister, Evelyn, for her first portraits. I can only guess that Vienna told Evelyn that I am a nice person as I don’t think Evelyn cried once during her session – she wrinkled up her nose a few times in protest, but never really let loose a wail. Big Sis was darling, as usual – so very curious, but also so cautious.

Thank you to V& B for creating such beautiful girls and for sharing them with me.

Micah brought his Mom and Dad in for some portraits last week.  He was chomping at the bit to get them done, he told me. Couldn’t wait. Also told me he wasn’t planning on sleeping AT ALL for his session. He wanted to make sure that I didn’t try to slip some sort of frufru baby item on him – he has standards, you know.  A reputation to uphold as a man’s man.

Now, as you all know, Micah really didn’t tell me these things, but I SWEAR if that boy had an LCD screen on his head relaying his thought to us, those would be the exact words.  We did get him to fall asleep, however. It’s nearly impossible for anyone to resist dozing off when they are swaddled in a warm blanket and swaying in Daddy’s arms.

Here are a few from the session. (And if you can’t tell, Dad is a HUGE baseball fan, coaching at one of the local high schools and with the Diamondback’s kids training camps.)

I am really excited to have a very cool new product to offer this winter. The Baby’s Treasure Box is an adorable addition to our product line – PERFECT to hold all those little mementos from your baby’s first year!  Shown is the 8×8 box – just the right size to keep all the cards, ultrasound pictures, hospital bands, first pacifiers and little hats (that you’d used at the newborn portrait session, of course!) The 8×8 Treasure Box, along with our new “Belly to Baby” Storybook Album, is included as part of the Celebration Collection. For additional details on this collection created exclusively for our maternity & newborn session clients, please contact the studio.

Patrick, and his adorable big sister Ellie, are two children out to steal my heart.  They are just too cute – one can only smile and nod at any request they have, or trouble they get into.  They are truly icing on the cake of an beautiful family.

The little guy was all smiles for his 6 month session – even with a final wardrobe change into “take your son to work day” formal wear, he never stopped being happy. Ellie showed some I-am-two-and-proud-of-it sass, but really, it’s hard to take her sass as anything but charming.

Sometimes I have to admit I just get lucky. I like to think that I have a casually scripted plot for each session, but Miss Abigail was all about improvisation. In this particular instance I was working with Mom to capture some adorable shots of the plush lamb with the belly and Abigail decided that she wanted in on the action. She walked over, grabbed the little step stool we’d used earlier for a series of shots and proceeded to situate herself right in the center of all the fun – and totally stole the show with her beautiful eyes and precocious smile.

Brooks was a bit in a rush for the holiday season – he decided to make his appearance three weeks early to make sure that he didn’t miss out on any of the festivities. He was also so excited for his photoshoot that he figured he wouldn’t sleep or he’d miss something good. Thankfully he couldn’t resist the swaddle and sway of his mom’s arms and gave into to the warm snuggly goodness of a nap.

I just love this time of year as I look back at the blog and see all the fabulous bellies, new babies and families that I had the opportunity to photograph this past year. I adore what I do and feel so lucky that so many people decide that I am the photographer they want to hire to capture these precious moments in their lives.

So I leave you with this slideshow of all the portraits featured on the blog from 2009. I have a lot of exciting things planned for 2010 and can’t wait to share them with you!

Miss Logan just finished up her babyJacks sessions with a quick session at DC Ranch Market Street. She was a tad unhappy with all the proceedings – I think her new teeth were NOT what she had in mind for a birthday present. Poor girl!

Here are a few favorites:

I was excited to get an email from Miss Kristen’s mom a few months ago saying she needed to schedule a 1 Year session for her newest little girl. I’d photographed her first daughter, Tara, in July 07 and I always LOVE to see how families grow over the years. We set a date just after her first birthday.

Kristen was a true delight – beautiful eyes and a gorgeous smile.