Sneak Peek! and $50 session!

UPDATE--We have a winner....thanks for all the emails!

Okay-I've never done this, so we'll see how this works...

Here is a sneak peek from a newborn baby album that I've just finished. This album has 20 pages of beautiful quotes and images from the session (the kind of stuff that makes you just want to let the tears run...) Anyway--I loved doing this session so much, that I want to do another! So, the first person to EMAIL me (m_holdsworth1@yahoo.com) and schedule a NEWBORN session (yes--there must be a newborn under 10 days old, to complete the shoot--no--do not put a diaper on your 5 year old and wrap 'em in a blanket...won't work) will get $75 off their session fee (within Prescott---outside Prescott, mileage will be charged). The session is regularly $125.

P.S.-Great idea for a gift certificate (hint-baby shower gift)!!

Yippee!!! New 50mm 1.4 lens!

I'm sooo excited. My new lens arrived yesterday--but it was raining...and I had laundry and a crazy household...However, Scooby Doo is on right now and provided the perfect background noise to experiment with my new lens on a little girl...and to try out some new actions (translation-new coloring)! (courtesy of lilyblue.com)

Ahhh...the eyelashes...
Ray...this ones for you...I call it "ice"...creative eh?

Tie-Dye Volleyball

Okay girls...here they are...just like I promised! We had a volleyball tournament last weekend and came tie-dyed and ready......................to take really cheesy volleyball pictures!
Killer pose Elpheba, Good Little Mormon Girl, I love Nancy Grace...

Winter Cleaning

Lookey...lookey...(is that a word?) what do we have here?

Oh...Thank you Melissa...I won a "closet organizing" from our ward's service auction--and even though I "forgot" :) to take pictures before and during (just take my word for it--but I was waaayyy too stressed to even pick up a camera!) I did take pictures of the final result...when I was finally able to breathe again. (Mom and Tia...pick your jaws up off the floor)

Fun in Flagstaff

I headed to Flagstaff this weekend with the kids, and dragged my friend Adrienne and her kids along with us. We had NO idea there was this much snow still in Flagstaff...and the kids were soooo excited. So, after a delicious breakfast of decadent (creme' brule :) french toast--don't you wish you had the recipe?--we scrounged around and found whatever warm clothes we could come up with and sent the kids down their own private sled run (in Aunt Tia's front yard)....complete with mud and rocks at the bottom! And not to be "spoil sports" Ade and I even went on a few runs...in our pajamas of course! But before we get to those...let's take a few moments to give Laina her first ever win on the "photo of the week" (okay so I don't really have a "photo of the week" but...thought it sounded good...and I really like the picture...but she did ask me why she was mad when she saw it :)

And now let's get to the "good stuff"...check out the socks--KILLER!

This lovely image not only shows off my beautiful legs, but the death that awaited anyone who biffed it at the end of the ride! (notice the lack of snow :)

Grandmas (pas)--don't worry, they made it down okay.

Yes...I do intend to use the above images as "proof" that I was a fun mom... Sorry Ade...I couldn't help myself...at least you can't see your pajamas! (You'll have to visit her blog to see the rest of her ride :)

And last but not least...we'd like to thank Tia for:

1) Her basement

2) Her wonderful purchasing insight with the blocks...they played for hours with them!

Now...we'll just call her "FAMOUS"

BUT we used to call her "Chunky Tomato Soup"...You've all seen her...she's known for that tomato soup hair and now she'll be known for being one of the kids featured from Arizona in "The Little Red Head Book" .
Who would've thought when the nurse cried out, "she's got red hair!" (though it just looked dark to all of our untrained eyes) and my sister thought, "oh my gosh...is it wrong to dye your toddlers hair??", and my mom and I spent hours and hours reassuring her it would be okay and naming over and over all the beautiful, famous red-heads in the world....that she would shortly be one of those!!! (Okay so slightly over-exaggerating here, but c'mon this is exciting!) SO-if you have a red-head or know of any...send them the link so they can be updated on the release of the book...it's a point in their favor (rather than all the other points against them...like tomato soup...beet...big red...okay I'll stop now).

(The motherboard is still untouched...so much for "next day service"...I wanted to use a different picture....I'll just have to update...as for MY "famous" part...I get to have my information in the book as well :)

Mayday!! Mayday!!

We've got a motherboard down!!!! This morning my big-daddy of all computers wouldn't turn on....so I dusted off the ol' laptop and I'm wiring in remotely (sounds so technical)...point being...Don't try to contact me via email until after Tuesday! I'm sooooo bummed because I wanted to write about my big and famous news....oh well...I'll have to wait until next week :)
**Update...NO, I'm not pregnant...I'd have to be having septuplets to make the "famous" part work :)

Website Update

Okay, so one of my New Year jobs was to update my website...bring in the "new"...the beginning slideshow hasn't changed (too overwhelming to even go there...) but let me know what you think about my new "song". I don't have Taylor here to fight with :) so I'm on my own. I always hear it on the XM kids channel (a source for another post---later) and thought it would be fun....but maybe not?

www.holdsworthphotography.com

p.s. my other New Year "job" is to be able to do a pull-up (I would like to be able to do more than one...but I'm being realistic :)--just thought I needed to add a "healthy" resolution (notice it wasn't on eating since I just downed 3 glazed donuts....and I hate donuts--unless they're jelly filled :)

Sweet...Sweet Baby

Ohhh...I just can't tell you how much fun this was! For me at least--the "new" moms have to do some work, but I do try to make them sit and drink in between outfit "changes", and put their feet up!!! (DeeDee--they'd better be up right now while you're reading this!) As for little "M" he did such a good job and only squirted mustard once :) There were sooo many gorgeous ones, as soon as I have a sample album page from your book- I'll post it!
(p.s. D- I know I told you they'd mostly be black and white....I lied :) I couldn't get over the color!)

10 baby!!!

No...not how old I wish he was....

No...not how many pairs of shoes I wish he had....

No....not how many times I wiped mud off the floor that afternoon....

No...not how many hours it took me to clean him and his clothes...

It's how long his father and I have been married!

Happy 10th Anniversary to me...(and matt). Yesterday Matt and I crossed the big ten. Thank you McLaren for your gift of mud and cleaning.

We had a wonderful evening driving to Jerome and eating at the Hotel Jerome's restuarant "The Asylum" (thank you Nic for the recommendation--and yes the pork was wonderful!) Thank you to our wonderful sitter Chaiya for humoring me in the impromptu photo session (and matt too!) We never have any photos together...so I thought it would be fun to catalog us after 10 years (luckily none of the battle scars show :) kidding...maybe not)...and to catalog MY 10 year anniversary gift...see if you can find it (hint it's on a finger :) And to my children who will read this 10 years from now--I'm only slightly photoshopped. Looking forward to another 10+10+10+10...

**Update** :) I tried making the above picture bigger, but it wasn't working...hence the obnoxious addition:

Sharky in Laina Land

So the kids have been begging for "Shark Boy and Lava Girl" on DVD and Mclaren got it from santa this Christmas :) I'm not sure there is another video out there that has been watched over and over and over...in fact it has been watched so many times that Laina, when she enters her magical world of "laina land", frequently talks to Shark boy and Lava girl...in fact, I think it is safe to say that she has a crush on Sharky. They seem to go lots of places together. The other night, after arguing with herself for about 20 minutes about going to L.A., she came into the living room and it was obvious that she was not on this planet, but was visiting Planet Drool...and carrying on in-depth conversations with Sharky...she even kinda had a glossy look to her eyes and just walked around talking to herself (and sharky) it was obvious that human life form wasn't even registering!!

Where are the Criminals???

Heh...he...he...Craig specifically asked that this not be posted 'cause it was "gay" :)....well everyone knows thats just an invitation for me to blog it!....I'm evil like that. And had to comment on the lack of my alma mater being represented here.

Here's my first official photography post back from break--I would love to post every individual grandchild here, but you'll just have to wait until Tuesday for your slideshow--they were all so beautiful!!! Okay so I did post the "oldest" grandchild...so unfair, but someone has to be first and it can come with its perks!!! Besides, I'm making a point that the jackets weren't as "gay" as Craig thought--and because Brad asked for a black and white and color picture.

Which one do you like better???

(I love the color one)

And this is because I think EVERYONE should

have a picture like this of their parents: