Happy Birthday Blog!

Yep, our blog is a year old. It's hard to believe. They grow so fast! It just seems like yesterday that had we some funny stories and awesome photos that we wanted to share with the world. Okay, maybe I'm going too far with the blog-baby analogy. But it is cool that we've been doing this for a year now. It's one of the best things we've done because it's enabled us to stay in touch with all of you, our friends and families. And I've got some big ideas for this next year. Once things slow down a little in the winter, expect a facelift. We're talking a new look, bigger photos, new menus, etc. Some of you may have noticed that the address has already changed to www.hope-blog.com (though the old URL still works). Big things are in the works!

To commemorate our blog, which has been an avenue of not only our latest work, but a way give you all a glimpse into who we are, I thought it would be cool to post some photos we did a couple weeks ago of ourselves. I know, I know, there's been a lot about us lately. But you know, having a new baby will always make you turn the lens the other way. Danielle wanted us to do some lit portraits of us with Amelia just like we do for some of our clients. So we converted Maddie's bedroom into a mini-studio and let Danielle's mom, and occasional Hope Photo assistant, Kathy, press the button once I got the camera set up (well she did so for all the images I'm in).

Let me tell you, I have a new appreciation for what our clients with newborns go through. It's tough posing and dealing with a sleeping/screaming/peeing newborn. Not to mention a 3-year-old.

We did get one nice one of the four of us.


And then we had to be silly. This was Maddie's idea, I promise.




Baby. The other white meat.

(Yep. That's wrong on so many levels.)

My girls.


Peaceful for attempt one.


Make adjustments. Attempt two. Peacefulness gone.


Danielle says she whines like her Daddy.




Butt.


She made the cutest little drunk "goo" sound when I took this one.




Maddie wanted to be my test model for the next lighting setup.


Man, am I going to be in trouble when they hit high school.


Our little monkey.


My favorite.


Okay, I do it with every blog post with a baby. It's time for "What's That Baby Thinking!"...

[In Hollywood Diva voice]
"These bloomers are WAY to big for me! Wardrobe! Where's my agent?!?"


[Italian tough guy]
"I no lika pictures, capisca? Fuhgettaboutit!"


[Jerry Lewis]
"Hey lady!!"


[Ashton Coocher] (whatever, we all know that's how he really spells it).
"Hmmm. If I could just roll off this bean bag, and learn to crawl, I could probably make it to the door before they would notice. Swipe Dad's ATM card and then off to Vegas baby!"


"I'm bored. Where's the boob juice?"




Danielle grabbed the camera thinking we would retry this photo. Here I am saying, "She's about to cry! Give me the pacifier!"


Two minutes later...


Since she was born, Millie has this little Batman logo appear on her forehead when she is really mad. And not old school Batman, but the new Dark Knight Batman. Caped crusading and crime fighting in her future? Only time will tell.


That's all for now. Feel free to scroll back through the last year if you haven't been following the blog for a while. Thanks for stopping by and check back in a day or so. I've got some great maternity photos to share!

-Wes