As a photographer it doesn’t get any better than photographing a sweet little guy like him.   or?

   Happy face with an urban vintage finish…

This is one of the custom cards I’m offering. They can be used for baby announcements, invites, thank you cards, or greeting cards. The designs I purchased this year are some of the best I’ve seen, and the text and colors are customizable to your liking. If you’ve had a session with me this year it’s not too late to order your own. There are several templates to choose from. They are printed as folded cards, with the image on the front and a matching pattern on the front and back. The inside is blank. They are $60 for a set of 25 cards with envelopes ($45 per additional set). 

Two things… no three things about My Urban Toddler… 1) You won’t meet nicer people than the ladies that run the joint. 2) You won’t find a cooler place to hang out… a place that lets you shop while your kids play, offers classes for you and other like-minded women, and a place that really knows how to throw a party. 3) You NEED to go to My Urban Toddler in Saline, Michigan.

A newspaper in Ohio recognized the appeal in MUT recently, naming it one of the top 10 businesses likely to franchise in the area. Mega props!

And now another company partnered with Parents Magazine to let us put My Urban Toddler on the map. We get to cheer on this local Michigan-based company by voting for them in a national contest. It could get them featured in Parents Magazine. And “everyone who votes in the contest will be entered to win a $1,000 shopping spree at the finalist boutique of their choice.”

Follow this link and VOTE! And then tell your friends to VOTE! Do it before November (there will be enough voting to do in that month, so get your voting skills warmed up today). Below is an image from a commercial shoot I did for them recently. LOVE their maternity clothes and diaper bags!

Yes, it’s on my mind already. Probably because it’s on my kids’ minds already. A couple of years ago my brother’s family had our family in our Christmas exchange. They sent us the coolest toy… a light that you attach to the faucet, and it lights up every time the water is on.

They got it from this website. If you like creative gifts, or you have kids who are as silly as mine, check it out… or if you’re Rachael, and you eat sushi with rubber-banded chop sticks (did I give you one of these as a gag gift once?)…

 I HATE this toy… dumbest idea ever! Some people have rational fears; I have a very irrational fear of rubber band guns. I would feel safer around a real gun. I think I’m flinching while I write this, just looking at that thing. I HATE rubber band guns (hey, I have three older brothers).

 My boys would want these.

 My daughter and I would love these.

Seriously? This is probably the tenth time I’ve blogged about Fall… but coming from Alaska’s “fall” (blink and you miss it) to Michigan’s FALL, I’m a little in a daze. Two weeks ago when the colors were at their peak I think I took pictures of every leaf and tree I saw. I used to force myself to enjoy Halloween in Alaska because we were usually trick-or-treating in snow, with the kids’ costumes covered in huge jackets and hats. This year I think I’ve done everything Fall-ish times 10 to make up for it… apple orchard, pumpkin carving, old cartoons, Fall Festival at the school, raking and jumping in leaves, bustin’ out the hot chocolate and fireplace when the weather so much as looks chilly, eating my weight in candy corn… you know, the Fall things.

As for the photography schedule, I’m officially booked for 2008 with the exception of newborns and maternity… I’ll always find a way to sneak those into the schedule. It’s not too early to book your 2009 session. Some are already claiming February spots!

The boys had their buddy over to carve pumpkins. Since I really wanted to go to a real pumpkin patch to pick out their favorite pumpkin, but we didn’t have time, I hid them in our giant pile of leaves.

The next day their neighbor friends came over for their weekly play date, and I put them all to work to earn a treat for bagging the leaves. It was actually more fun than work.