Wow!  I can’t believe that 2009 is over and 2010 is here!  The entire year slipped by so quickly and my internal calendar is still reading um….   September-ish.  It’s been an incredible year for me personally and also in my business.  A special heartfelt THANK YOU goes out to ALL the wonderful clients that passed in front of my camera this year.  Thank you so much for letting me slip into your family, mingle, and take some photos!!  It was surely a fun filled time and I won’t forget a single one of you!  And, I hope that I’ll be hearing from you all again in 2010!  I love it when I get to work with the same family over and over again…. see how their family has changed, grown -up, and yet somehow remained the same.  Completely incredible.

Now, I know some of you have been wondering where the heck I’ve been…  I’ve been a slacker these past two weeks, right?  Wrong!  I’ve been a wife, mother, daughter, friend, and, quite frankly, anything other than a professional photographer.  I spent a complete two weeks hanging day-in and day-out with my husband (who was also on break from work), my three lovely girls, our dog Toto, and all the Grandmas, Pee-Wees, Pops, Mimis, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins one can have!  It’s been a blast needless to say… But sadly, the fun break is over and it’s time to get back to work!  I am SO looking forward to what 2010 has in store!  And, I am so excited to get back behind my camera and really put on my thinking cap to come up with some cool new session ideas!  

Bring it, 2010.

Hold up a minute though.  Before I bid 2009 a sweet farewell, I must fulfill a promise I made to my 5 year old, A2.  Binky must. get. more. internet. coverage.  Sorry Binky.  I meant to post updates on your every move this holiday season… But, life was just a wee bit too entertaining and the family gatherings were aplenty.  So, sue me!?!

Here you can see Binky freezin his patootie off in the fridge while pulling a prank on the little ones…

And, here you see him the next day trying to warm back up after nearly suffering from freezer burn.

And then, we skip ahead a bit and you see him here waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve… Luckily enough, he reported that all three of my girls should be on the NICE list.

By the way, the carrots on the plate were for the reindeer… Not Santa.  Our house doesn’t buy into the whole “Santa needs to go on a diet” thing.

And, just for fun… Here is our tree looking rather sparkly.

And my favorite new ornaments from 2009…  

The girls made these at A2’s Christmas themed birthday party!

Oh and this look sums it all up for me…  Total surprise and excitement!

And, this fluffy hair and sleepy look are perfection.  Love it.

And, something tells me that Santa would have brought this little beauty anything her heart desires this year.  Seriously.  Baby Dolls.  Diamonds.  Ferraris.  A vacation home in Greece.  Anything.

But, she was happy just walking down the stairs with all her stuffed animal buddies in tow and recieve a new, modest form of transportation…

There you have it, folks…  My Christmas in nutshell.

I told my husband the other day that I think this was our BEST Christmas EVER!  Really.  Everything was perfect.  What a sensational way to close out a fabulous year!

Here’s to the start of a wonderful 2010!

xox, reata

This is Binky.  He’s our family Elf on a Shelf.  Despite what you’re most likely thinking, no… he’s not a trapeze artist, even though he’s always had an urge to run away from Santa’s workshop and join the circus.  Nope, he’s just one of the many elves who report to Santa’s ear the behaviors of many a child from all over the world.  This little guy (and I do mean little) was assigned to my family.  He came to live with us last year.  He arrived by mail on the day we moved into our new house, complete with a letter from Santa and everything.  My kids love that Binky is here to spy on them and bring a little Christmas magic into their lives!  They were beside themselves with excitement when Binky popped back into their lives a couple of weeks ago for Christmas ‘09!

Yesterday Binky surprised us all when we found him dangling from the fan… I guess he was trying to get a good look at the kids that day.  Who knows?  Wonder where he’ll end up next… Hmmm!  Only time will tell!