Hook Family

You know those people in your life you can go months or even years without really talking but it doesn't matter because you know you'll always be friends? Well, Amy Hook (formerly Amy Vaughn), is one of those friends to me! Amy is one year older than me, but we went to elementary school through college together and played volleyball together that whole time too. I have so many fun memories with Amy -- from playing hockey in her basement to winning state in volleyball -- she is definitely a lifelong friend and has always been a role model to me. Her and her husband, Jonathan, moved to Denver after college and then they lived in Australia for a semester (which was one of the inspirations behind Jordan and I going to London), and they finally moved back to Spokane last year and had a beautiful little girl named Clara, who is just over 6 months old. Seriously, she is such a doll! Check out the Hook family blog by clicking here.

Anyway, Amy asked me to take some family pictures for them and I was so excited!! Although I have to admit I was a little nervous because Jonathan takes fabulous pictures, and it's always a little more intimidating taking pictures of someone who really knows what they're doing! :) We met at my sister's loft to do some indoor shots and then braved the cold as long as we could all last to get some urban family shots -- Clara was such a trooper! I'm pretty sure she held it together in the cold weather a lot better than I did. :) So here are some of my favorites of Clara and the Hook Family...

By the way, did I mention that Amy makes all of Clara's bows herself?!?! Don't you think she should start a business making them?? I do! :)

Thank you Hook Family for letting me post your pictures. As always, does anybody have any favorites?!

P.S. I am getting caught up on editing a few more photo sessions, so stay tuned for more pics soon!

Our New Baby, Max!

IT'S A BOY! :)

My Mom, my Grandma, and I made the trek over to Seattle on Thursday and came home with the cutest little Cairn Terrier puppy. There were 7 puppies to choose from (which was SO hard), but after holding all of them there was one that was the perfect coloring, so calm and confident compared to the others, and, well, he was the chunker of the group! Seriously, the belly sold me. :) And he just looked like a 'Max' to me, which is what I wanted to name him from the beginning.

Here I am holding him for the first time...

My cousin, Kate, got her dog, Valor, from this same breeder so she thought it would be fun to bring him and show the breeder what he looks like now. He has gotten SO big since I saw him this summer! Kate said Valor started out lighter in color than Max, but you can see how much their coloring changes as they get older. Also, how cool is it that Valor and Max are brothers?! :)

We got him home and Maggie just licked the crap out of him. :) Despite some jealousy issues, she has been amazing with him! He is pretty feisty and tries to play with her, and for the most part she has been so gentle with him. I absolutely CAN'T WAIT until he's big enough for them to wrestle!! We actually took a little video of the first time they saw each other, so I'll try to remember to post that soon.

The first night we brought Max home, he was pooped so we put him in his bed to sleep. I thought Maggie would wake him up, but she just hopped into her bed and put her head right next to him... too cute!

I still can't get over how small he is! He actually turns 6 weeks today, which is pretty young for a puppy. I weighed him yesterday on the scale with me, and he is about 2 pounds... TINY!!! I took this picture when he was sleeping to give you an idea of how small he really is. Once he's full-grown he should be about Maggie's size, but obviously he has a ways to go!

I really feel like we have a newborn baby. Pretty much all he does is eat, sleep, pee, and poop! :) He usually gets a few spurts of energy during the day and will play for about 30 minutes, but then he crashes... such a puppy. He is paper-trained, which helps out a lot since he is not big enough to get through the dog door on his own. We do have to wake up throughout the night with him to put him back in the crate after he goes to the bathroom, so we have not gotten much sleep. But seriously, so worth it... how could you possibly be mad at this face?!??

My cousin Kate and my Aunt Debbie put together a little gift bag for Max when we met them for lunch in Seattle with toys, treats, and Debbie made Max a quilt out of the 'scraps' she had leftover from our wedding quilt she made us -- can you believe that?! Thank you Debbie and Kate!! Talk about a spoiled dog! :)

Anyway, I did a mini photo shoot with Max last night, which started out with him on his quilt, but needless to say, he doesn't stay in the same place for very long when he's awake...

Don't you think he's totally smiling in this one below?! :)

We could not be happier with our new puppy. And that's not just me saying that -- Jordan really loves him too. Even though he's a lot of work, it's so much fun to have a new member of our family.

Come meet him or play with Max anytime... :)

Lastly, I really want to say thank you to my Mom and Grandma Ha for coming all the way to Seattle with me to pick him out! Max loves his Grandma and great-Grandma so much... although he thinks you both should get him a playmate or two! ;)

We are expecting... a puppy!

If you haven't heard the big news already, I finally talked Jordan into getting another dog!! We decided on a Cairn Terrier, which is really similar to Maggie but they come in any color except white (I think we are going to get a "wheaten" colored one, which is a mix of brown and black.) Just Google "Cairn Terrier puppies" if you have a minute -- TOTALLY worth it! :) My cousin, Kate, has a Cairn that I fell in love with this summer (remember this post?), and we are getting it from the same breeder that she got her puppy from. It happened much sooner than we anticipated since the breeder had a litter of puppies on October 11 -- so we are picking up our new puppy this Thursday in Seattle! OH BOY!!!

Speaking of boys, we are pretty set on getting a boy, but if I fall in love with a girl puppy, well, then we'll bend the rules. :) Jordan can't come with me because he has class, so my Mom and my Grandma Ha are driving over there and back with me... and my cousin, Kate, and my Aunt Debbie are meeting us over there!

Did I mention we're kind of a "dog family"?!?!? Just kind of...

Jordan and I are both so excited, and we have been "puppy proofing" the house the last few days to get ready for the new dog. It almost feels like we're nesting... some people nest for babies, don't worry, we nest for puppies. :)

Anyway, since I'm going to be posting a lot of pictures of the new puppy soon, I figured I'd post some pictures I took on my phone over the last couple years of our first child. :) She really is such a great dog, and we are hoping and praying the new puppy follows her lead.

Okay, except for maybe sleeping upside down...

She HATES her Christmas sweater... :)

Took this while driving. Probably not the smartest thing I've ever done, but come on, seriously?!

There are very few things cuter than a dog sleeping...

Rolled in the mud at the lake... not so cute!

Taking a break on the shoe rack...

Can you tell who she takes after?! :)

I am a little nervous to have a new puppy and have two dogs in general, so if anyone has any good suggestions, please send them my way!! And just a forewarning to everyone, our household might be a little nuts for the next couple months...

A puppy... 2 dogs... HERE WE COME! :)

Justin

I got to do my first senior picture session a couple weeks ago with Jordan's cousin, Justin. I have to admit, I was probably the most nervous I've ever been before a photo shoot... mostly because I had heard that boys are much harder than girls when it comes to having their picture taken at that age. Justin proved me wrong! Although we were both a little nervous at first, he totally loosened up by the end and might have even been having fun. Maybe. :) I know I was.

I realized that I just love this age, and although it made me a little sad to not be going into teaching, I think one of my photography specialties down the road will definitely be senior pictures. Justin and his Mom, Julee (Jordan's aunt), were great sports wandering around downtown with me... and even dodging traffic for a few pictures. :)

So here are a few of my favorites of Justin...

This one below is probably my number one favorite! I think it would look great blown up on a canvas. :)

Although this one is a close second...

I was DYING to do some pictures by this fun, painted wall but I was afraid being a "senior boy" Justin wouldn't go for it. So I was practically beside myself when Justin suggested we do some pictures here!! LOVE IT! :)

Before I left the house to meet up with Justin and Julee, Jordan ran out to his car and grabbed his basketball and handed it to me. Uh, thanks babe, what the...?! Apparently Justin is quite the basketball player, and Jordan insisted that I take the basketball for his senior pictures. I've already told you how much of a snob I am when it comes to the style I like for my pictures, so of course I whined and complained, but I took the basketball to humor him.

Well, one thing led to another, and somehow the basketball found its way into a few pictures. I have to admit, the second Justin had the basketball in his hands he instantly looked more relaxed, and I actually love how these ones turned out. Thank you Jordan. :)

By the end of it, Justin was a natural and looked like a GQ model. :) Thank you, Justin and Julee, I had a blast with you guys!

Any favorites??