The Color Purple

I think this is the first session I've done - based on the color purple. I love it! AND it just so happens that the littlest one's name is....VIOLET. Isn't she yummy!? They're all adorable and were troopers since we had the biggest monsoon storm move in on us and force us into a parking garage!

Prescott Family Photographer

Hair.

You know how I feel about hair (needs a good change every few months). I don't have to post this, but I want my daughters to understand where the crazy voices telling them to mess with their hair come from. The pictures are a bit deceiving...because in the top picture I am in a head of hair that I despise...long and flippy...not interested. The bottom picture (which for some reason bore a strong resemblance to Jaime Lee Curtis???) makes me very very HAPPY! I forced my hair dresser to cut it that short and THEN forced her to take a picture...except for I was running late and Ella was DONE and crying in the car...so it was a bit crazy...I should've smiled - I look so grown up.

Mitch Jr.

I thought this would be so hard.

I was nervous driving down to the valley to see Elizabeth for the first time since the funeral. To meet this sweet little one and give him all the love I possibly could.
I packed an arsenal of stuff and made sure I had my sunglasses ready to throw on in case I completely lost it and broke down sobbing uncontrollably. Except that didn't happen.
This did...The most awesome - beautiful display of unconditional love and strength. I found out that she hates that word "strength" right now and so out of respect for her...I stopped using it :) But I have no problem writing it.
These images show nothing but a strong and beautiful mother, who has found herself in an unexpected place. She didn't plan for the summer to end this way - and she'll be the first to tell you that its awful and she doesn't like it and doesn't want it, and yet all I saw for the 2 days that I was with her was a strong, beautiful woman who hasn't lost her smile or her sense of humor in the midst of the crazy storm she is standing in.
My dad would be so happy to see me putting his ice cream bucket to use!

Seriously...isn't she beautiful? Glowing? There are some things that can break through pain and sorrow...

Our friend called this the "elf-bed". I love it!

I don't normally post slide shows for public viewing, however I know that there are too many out there whose thoughts and prayers are with Elizabeth and her family. I think that these images are so sweet and precious that they actually bring a certain peace with them:

(You should know that I spent 2 days with her and was able to shoot whenever I wanted - in a perfect world this is the BEST way to shoot a newborn...every time I'd make him scream...I'd simply stop and go hand him to Elizabeth and put the camera away! So the amount of images and different "scenes" are more than normal...It took me 4 different times -over 2 days- to get the arms under the chin pictures)
www.holdsworthphotography.com/menlove

Nelson Family

I have this cousin.
Cousin sounds so distant in this case -basically he is my brother. But he's younger than me, so that makes him my LITTLE brother. And - you know how little brother's are...at least how little brother's are when you're taking their pictures :)
They can try to bump their children out of the way...
They Bicep curl their children...(not THAT impressive when you have the sweet and weightless Abby Lane for a daughter - notice she's a bit higher :)
They start STRAW fights with their beautiful and sweet wife...

See? Beautiful and sweet...

Ummm...nice try...although he does get brownie points for trying...(this could easily have been any of my brothers posing for me...)

Much better...beautiful children...basking in the golden sun...

Gorgeous...and well-behaved.

Okay so - he's getting better...

Even checking to make sure we weren't about to be run over...

And can even watch his daughter model for us...

Oh those little brothers...I GUESS we'll keep him, as long as he continues to keep me posted on the latest youtube commercials and buttermilk biscuits songs...

Week in Review

We survived the week.

Ella is slowly getting her voice back after a nasty battle with croup. Matt will have to take one for the team and stay home from church with her tomorrow and hopefully by Monday she'll be right as rain (except probably with a double ear infection.)

McLaren has gotten his fill of beating on everyone and the line "do you want to break your other arm" has been asked a kajillion times after he's jumped, fell, crashed etc...

My mother is a saint (we already knew that). Although she made me feel bad for not documenting more on Ella (and my dear mother in law also begged for some pictures of her). She started walking more this week and found an obscene tube of red lipstick - I will not claim it (what on earth was .I. thinking when purchasing it??) This teeny-not-so-tiny is right at home with clothes, shoes, hair accessories and make-up. Forget the toys...she'd rather try to put on shoes any day! (And YES - I do know its cliche' to post baby/lipstick pictures but whatever...my creative juices are somewhat low...)

AND to close the week (since we started the week with our cousin MAX breaking his arm), then MAC breaking his arm on Monday...my sister just called to inform me that her son CARTER just broke his wrist today.

You know what we say....When it rains...

Bionic Ninja Arm.

We call it the NINJA ARM...the bionic NINJA ARM. Yes, he has already figured out its power...and the kids have been dropping like flies. It's not pretty. Not pretty at all.

Mesa Arizona LDS Temple Wedding

I'm slowly pulling my boot straps up...

O.k. who am I kidding?? I totally caved and called my mom and begged and pleaded for her to come and rescue me (the final straw was my husband coming home to pack and fly out of town for work for the next 3 days - and facing a cranky, broken-armed 4 year old and his little croupy, hacking wheezy baby sister - that did me in.) So she came to the rescue and wouldn't ya know it - the sun is shining and its going to be a great end to a miserable week. So if anyone out there wonders how I managed this yucky week, I'm replying with "I cheated. I"ll choose sanity over Superwoman any day. And my sanity comes in the form of good parents who check-in on their children to see if they're sinking or swimming."

Now, on to the sun shine.

This wedding started in Mesa on a lovely HOT JULY morning. Then they traveled north to finish it off in Prescott. Beautiful sunshine, beautiful smiles, oh - and beautiful people!

My new pledge! Take a picture with bride and groom to show that we enjoyed the day and finished with a BIG SMILE! (and they're so beautiful that I figured I could jump in and be part of a killer picture! :)