xyla ;)

i first photographed miss xyla in april. you know i am a total sucker for bright baby blues. she has got killer baby blues. and a gorgeous smile to match. she is precious.

lets just say i was a wee bit WAY excited to have xyla in front of my lens again last week.

this shoot was awesome. not only was the subject incredibly adorable (and cooperative!), i got to share this one with my daddy dearest. it was my dad's first official shoot. so excited that he has agreed (thanks in part to some very heavy persuading...) to shoot weddings with me! woooo-hooooo. what fun!

check out his magic:

(i love this one of beautiful mom adoring her beautiful baby). 

so so proud of you dad!

a BIG thank you to xyla and karen! we had a fantastic time with you ladies.

best,

nikki 

"infinite goodness has wide arms" - dante

romantical

happy anniversary to me and ryan!

yay us! 3 years ago we were newlyweds looking forward to boarding a plane the next morning for a 3 week adventure in italy. little did we know, our biggest adventure would be born 11 months later.

ryan charmed me this evening with beautiful flowers and a beautiful card. ryan has a way of making me love the envelope sometimes more than the card.
so sweet.

i had a special gift for him too: one very handsome meatloaf.

we had a very romantic dinner: me, my ryan, and our little adventure. we ting-tinged our two glasses and one sippy cup together and toasted in celebration of love (and of meatloaf).

cheers!

nik

"happy yappy an-ay-ee mommy"  (happy happy anniversary mommy) - oliver mclaughlin

thankful

my grandmother, wanda woodhouse, passed away this week.

she was an angel.

she was
beautiful
kind
selfless
talented
generous
grateful
fun.

she had the biggest heart, the best smile.
she raised 8 children. and did a remarkable job.

i am thankful for her and for the way she lived.
i am thankful for the amazing man my father is, thanks a great deal in part to his mother.

and now, more than ever before in my life, i am thankful for photographs.
priceless, story-telling photographs.

the above photo of grandma and my baby brother tanner was taken at my wedding in september 2008 by my sweet super talented friend sherry.  a treasure.

grandma - you are loved and missed dearly.

nik

"a mother's love perceives no impossibilities" - c. paddock