More images from the first half of our engagement photo shoot! Stay tuned for part two.

We had a really fun day yesterday. Livia has been brandishing her cutlass—“It’s a cutlass, not a rapier,” she explained to me—and donning the pirate earring and eye patch for a few weeks now. She has such a strong imagination that she got lost in her girl pirate role, explaining to someone, I can’t recall who, that she really was Livia and not a pirate. Our friends the Littles hosted a party for some school friends and it was a great time. This is the first year I’ve pulled out my camera to document the celebration! Normally I’m running from place to place, in the dark, with my costumed child.

It was also a fun day because I got to make cupcakes for Livia’s classroom. My inspiration photo shows a spider cupcake with nicely curved black legs. I learned quickly that perfectionists do not good classroom mothers make, and settled on red legs that poked out kinda straight. And then, because my child is a self-proclaimed entomologist, I told the first-graders that spiders have eight legs and the cupcakes have six. Spider mite cupcakes, perhaps?

I hope my friends had Happy Halloweens as well. Now, it’s on to November. November!! Before you know it, Christmas will be here.

Livia sat at the dining table for well over two hours, carving her little pumpkin.

If Pumpkin Carving were a class, the progress report would read:
Design: A+
Completion: A+
Use of Time: A+
Study Habits: A+

And at the bottom a note would say: Livia works well in class. She pays attention and uses tools (even sharp saws!) correctly. She asks for help when she needs to, then gets right back to work with remarkable focus. I enjoy having Livia in my Pumpkin Carving class. She is a delight.

An orange clove candle, the tunes of The Civil Wars, and photo-editing. Settling in for some work has never felt so good.

This is a shot of the gorgeous and quite pregnant Mrs. Maralee Bradley. As always, more to come.

I’m editing several photo shoots this morning, pausing only to refill my coffee mug and, oh yes, to eat a quick bite of spiced pumpkin doughnuts over at Renae’s house. To the right of me Shiloh stretches out his furzy self on his dog bed. He is monitoring the activities of the house painters next door; like a pint-sized beastly king he gives his approval in silent tilts of the head and disapproval in slow-burning rumbly growls. I meander back and forth between iTunes and YouTube, ear buds versus the tinny speakers of my small-yet-powerful MacBrook Pro. Jeremy’s chair squeaks as he creates works of web genius from his upstairs office. I wait for his classic rock to roll down the stairs before I put my ear buds back in and disappear into Photoshop once more.

Here, on this Monday morning, is a shot of my friends Marc Koenig and Kaylee Colton. They are in love, engaged to be married before 2011 is out, and they posed wonderfully for my camera almost two weeks ago. More photos to follow soon.

I love this family and I love the shots that captured their personalities during this year’s family portraits. As I looked over last year’s pictures, I’m struck by how much each child has grown. People, this job is such a privilege for me! Spending time with you, marking the passage of time by photography, spending hours and hours poring over images and editing each one—it’s a joy.

I hope you enjoy these photos of the hilarious, photogenic and fun-loving Wittmanns!

Oh October, how I love thee.

You with your colorful leaves swirling in the air, crispy underfoot, mowed into shreds by my husband every other week or so.

Your cider, warm and cloyingly sweet, your pumpkin spice lattes made just right by Starbucks. And even though they come from a powder mix, I am enamored by them.

Your cold winds see me running for the boxes of winter clothes. I am reminded of the plaid jacket I gave away, that would be perfect for this one time I visit the pumpkin patch each year. Alas, ’tis not meant to be. My daughter greets your chilly morns with furry ear muffs and furry slippers. Fur, in general, becomes a welcome friend this month.

Your foods, hearty and filling, high on cheese and potatoes and meats galore. We long for nights of hot chili and warm, cinnamon-oozing rolls. And while my friends think that is a Nebraska thing, I who have resided in Oregon and ate the very same thing know it is not. Maybe it’s just your thing, October, oh cooler month that turns appetites from garden-fresh salads to mom’s favorite casseroles.

Your nights, frosty and terrifying for summer’s still-blooming flowerpots, encourage us to jump under covers, to stay warm, to dream deeply, to not get out of bed in the morning lest our toes touch the cold hardwood floors.

Oh October, I find thee so charming. You are the adorable and fresh gateway to new seasons; the antidote to the dreary and tiresome end-of-winter months that receive my disdain. Too bad you’ll be gone in 31 days.

My niece Madeleine turned five last month and I’m officially old because I keep wondering, Wasn’t she just born a few minutes ago? I can remember news of her birth—and of my nephew Noah’s birth—like it was yesterday. Anyhow, it seems like every time I turn around these kids grow. I don’t remember giving them permission to grow. Alas, it happens.

Noah is only two. But when I saw him at Madeleine’s birthday party he had a big boy haircut and was wearing jeans. Again, I have not given him my blessing on turning into a big boy, but clearly it’s going to happen anyway. Noah adores his big cousin Zachary. I think I do, too.

When I mention Rebekah Whittle, Livia will ask, “Is that crazy Rebekah? She is so fun!”

Livia is right, Rebekah is an all-around fun person! So it was with delight that we got into my car and drove around town for a photo shoot in honor of her 16th birthday. These shots caught all sides of Rebekah and I couldn’t be happier with the resulting images.

Walking home with a camera and a first-grader in hand, colors on the trees, eyes to see and art to explore. Life is good.