The “Ushertainer,” The Nerd and Mascot Mudonna.

Before the game, they honored women who have served in the military, from Afghanistan and Iraq, all the way back to WWII. These are all women who have served at some time or another.

The woman on the left (the one holding the ball, not to be confused with Paul who is walking into my shot ;) ) was an Air Force pilot in WWII. The crowd applause when they announced that was amazing. The names of the other women and the wars that they served in can be found here.

WWII fighter planes in missing man formation, or missing woman formation as they declared it for the game. The plane breaking away symbolizes all the women who have lost their lives while serving.

The colorguard during the singing of the National Anthem.

This photo makes me laugh a little because what exactly is going on?

Afterwards, there were fireworks just beyond centerfield. They let fans come down and sit in the outfield to view them. I have to say, there’s something a bit more patriotic about seeing fireworks over a baseball field.

And now I am off to prepare for my own Fourth of July celebration – a cookout and bonfire in my backyard. Have a happy holiday, everyone!

My cousin and family were back in town for a bit so we met up in Hudson to do some updated photos of Alex and Ellie. These are two active monkeys, lemme tell ya.

Not only did it rain, but there was a bulldozer on the beach where we were going to shoot. We still managed some brief time on the waterfront in between the hauling and the thunder.

Then we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa’s to check out the toys and read some books.

Everyone doing their surprise face. :)

It was definitely fun for me to do something a little different, discover a couple new shooting places and work with someone who knew how to strike a pose. She’s ready for the fashion world already.

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Please don’t forget to vote for Best Family Photographer! You can vote every day for the next 17 days.

Not only did Cass’s family pick a fun spot for our session, but I got to accompany Cass on his first trip to the beach. Sand is never so exciting as when you’re one and seeing it for the first time.

At first he wanted to eat the rocks. Then he just wanted to pretend to eat the rocks and snicker while we tried to stop him.

Don’t they look like a perfect magazine family?

And a little something different…the soft sand and creamy baby skin was just calling for some lighting processing.

I thought it was especially cool to find out that Cass is already taking swimming lessons. I foresee lots of trips to the beach for this family this summer. :)

Baby burrito!

I got a fun “gift” in the mail the other day. The Alliance for Children & Families sent over some copies of their magazine which features some photos that I took quite some time ago. Fun to have your own work sent to you in magazine form. :)

And, unrelated, I read a blog entry on the Swell Pregnancy blog the other day about “Babymoons.” I have never heard of such things but apparently Cabo, Mexico has because you can book a fabulous sounding Babymoon package at The Westin Resort & Spa. I just wanted to mention that if any Babymooning couples have a desire to have their luscious Babymoons documented, I am quite happy to be flown in for such occasions. :)

(I didn’t take those photos. But I could.)

Anyone who knows me knows I have a big soft spot for animals and especially for kitties so when I heard Dan was going to lose his feline friend to spinal cancer, my heart hurt. He’d done a good job of documenting Mooch’s life but I went over to get a few last images of them together. I was glad I could do it but man, it was tough. The emotions in the shots below almost killed me but at the same time, I was happy to be able to capture them. That’s a cat who’s had a good life.

Dan wrote a touching goodbye tribute to Mooch on his site.

(And while it obviously won’t fix things, I bet it wouldn’t hurt if you wanted to buy one of his fonts.)

In any case, a few sneak peeks from an annual report shoot I did earlier this week. The theme was based on Head, Heart, Hands. My models were cuties, no?

*And just a reminder, I’d love your vote!

My gorgeous Guthrie girls (without knowing it) volunteered for this project and I commandeered my parents’ mantle since mine is nicely tucked away behind my studio backdrop. Take a look at an 8×10 and an 11×14 print on the mantle.

Not exactly overwhelmingly eye-catching, are they?

If an 8×10 is big, surely you could plaster the side of a barn with a 24×30, no?

Not quite. They just don’t look as big up on the wall as you might think. That mantle could easily handle an even bigger print or a series of prints.

Here they all are together for comparison.

See what I mean? Big isn’t as big as you think. The first time I ordered a few 30×40 prints, I expected them to deliver billboards, but really, they just make awesome wall prints. Measure your walls. Pick a stunning image of your family and blow it up so you can SEE it. Or create a wall gallery. Ask me if you need help. I can bring sample sizes to your home so you can test them out and I can provide layout ideas and mockups like the one below.

And now that I shared, I am escaping to my porch for a lovely grilled dinner before I chain myself to my computer for a weekend of EDIT-ATHON! I kind of hope it rains…don’t tell my friends who are stuck inside offices all week.