I ♥ Faces Contest, Week 51 :: Outtakes

i heart faces is nothing if not funny. With this atmosphere of fun in mind, we end the year with hilarious outtakes...you know, those pictures you find when you download from your camera and wonder how on earth THAT got on there! Head on over for some chuckles and be sure to share some of yours (you can enter up to five pictures this week!).

Global Warming? Really?

My friend Karyn called, breathless, on Wednesday to report the unexpected appearance of four inches of snow outside her windows in Arizona. (Click HERE to see her wonderful pictures of a desert winter wonderland.) While I was excited for her and her boys, I was a bit jealous as we looked forward to a typically dry, windy Central Texas Christmas. To counter our lack of snow, my three year old took a bath with tons of bubbles...aka SNOW. She had a blast, stayed until she was pruny, and we thought we had created a White Christmas for her.

Little did I know (nor the weatherman, for that matter) that we would get our very own snow later that day! Quickly, we hunted out a pair of rain boots, found the mittens and a stocking hat, and headed outdoors. Okay, so there was no real accumulation, but that didn't diminish the fun. Global warming? We scoffed at you as we danced in the snowy grass!

Sweetness :: Harker Heights Newborn Photographer

The sale of the family home. A new job for Daddy...in another state. Temporarily living with family. A plane ride in a few days. And somehow, a calmness that belied the turmoil. I took such pleasure in getting to know this new mother and her sweet baby daughter. When I learned of all the events that have, and will, take place since the baby's birth, I was absolutely blown away by the mother's ability to handle it all with such grace. Her daughter is in good hands and will grow up loved, unconditionally and unabashedly. It was a privilege to be a part of your lives.

I ♥ Faces Contest, Week 49 :: Pets Only!

I Heart Faces is taking a break from people faces and asking for Pet Faces...and these don't necessarily have to be household, domesticated pets. Any animal will do. (So, no, I don't own a peacock. But this nice couple out at Lake Whitney does and I took advantage of their pet!)

Jump in on the fun and enter your own furry, scaly or feathered friend in this week's contest!

I ♥ Faces Contest, Week 48 :: Sweet Dreams

A child at rest is a beautiful thing, both physically and emotionally. I see the absolute relaxation in her small body, the peaceful countenance that seems to all but disappear by adulthood, and the exuberance when the eyes flutter open and a new adventure can begin.

And when I saw this, I saw a child who was seeking positive affirmation through osmosis. One cannot be idle even in repose!

Head on over to I Heart Faces and see more dreamy shots.

Frosted Flowers

Funny Faces :: Harker Heights Newborn Photographer

She is one month old today. That time has passed in two to three hour increments for me, measured from one feeding to the next. But in retrospect, it has gone quickly. We are still sorting ourselves out, trying to crack the soothing code for the nightly crying ritual that can last an hour or two and wondering why she only wants to sleep on someone's chest during the day which then renders that person incapable of accomplishing any other goals, like holding photo sessions with said baby and blogging about it.

As you will see from the following pictures, she was wide awake for today's shoot, allowing me to catch all of her crazy and completely unintended funny faces. (She is presently afflicted with some bad baby acne, but through the miracle of Photoshop, I minimized it as best I could. I didn't want to eradicate it, as it is part of her existence to date, but my vain side wanted to show my baby at her prettiest.)

Here we have the "Go Team Go!" face:

This more thoughtful pose seems to be that of a scientist pondering a particularly difficult hypothesis:

Is she trying to whistle?:

I'll call it a smile. I know it is not intentional, but I'll take it!:

And her she is for her One Month Old mug shot:

(Oh, and her eyes are still tending towards gray...she might be the first Rivera offspring without brown eyes. Maybe. I know they can still change...)