As most of my friends and long-time clients know, I’m originally a Boston girl. And that means a Patriots fan. I remember when the Patriots weren’t so good. I remember when we all cheered “Squish the Fish!” (And they didn’t.) So I’ve watched with pride and excitement as the Patriots have risen over the past several years and transformed into a powerhouse team. I’ve watched Tom Brady turn from a little-known back-up quarterback into one of the best quaterbacks in the NFL. (It doesn’t hurt that he’s drop-dead gorgeous either. And I’ve rooted for them all along the way.

Then six years ago I moved to New Orleans. I adopted the city and its team, the Saints. Even though the Saints weren’t very good back then. In fact we had season tickets when they weren’t very good – go figure. (I wish we had them now!) But we still rooted for them. And in 2006, when we were all still feeling bruised and battered post-Katrina, all that love started to pay off. Our boys were playing like a whole new team. They had heart and drive and they gave us all something to root for. Something to be proud of. And we loved them all the more for it.

I’ve been lucky. For six years I’ve been able to root for both of my teams without conflict. After all, the Saints and the Pats are in different divisions and rarely play each other. But all of that changed this season. This season my husband and I immediately noted the big match-up on the schedule. This year I have to choose. And I’ve had the questions pouring in from friends and family both north and south.

Would I be rooting for my Patriots? The team that I have more than 30 years invested in. The team I grew up with. The team that still represtents my beloved hometown.

Or would I be rooting for my Saints? The team that I adopted. The team that I’ve rooted on to a 10-o record so far. The team that’s done so much for the region that I’ve laid down roots in. Built a family in.

The answer is……

Sorry my northern loved ones… I promise I still love my Pats as much as ever and I’ll be rooting for them in every other game they play this year. But the way I see it, the Patriots have kicked some serious butt these past several years. They’ve won championships and brought home rings. And I love them for it. I’m so glad they’ve succeeded. But now it’s time for the Saints to have their share of the glory.

WHO DAT!!

Yesterday morning I met up with funny little Marion and her parents who were in town for the holidays. I’m so glad that it worked out this year. They actually emailed me for a session this time last year, but I was out of town for the holidays.

Marion was a little lady on the go, full of mischief, a little mayhem and a mind of her own. And she was oh so beautiful. This first shot is one of my recent faves. I love the serious expression. I love the big brown eyes. I love those adorable pigtails. I just love it all.

One of the hardest things about being the photographer in the family is that you’re never in any of the photos. I know that from first hand experience. So I could totally relate when a fellow photographer, the lovely and talented Jill Jones, contacted me for a holiday session for her family.

As moms our concern is documenting our children as they grow and hit various milestones. That’s our gift to ourselves. To capture and preserve those moments so we have them to look back on when our children are grown. But the the photos we get in with our children… those are our gift to them. And while they may not appreciate them now, they’ll treasure them down the road.

I’m running just a teeeeensy bit behind on this sneak peek, but hopefully it’s worth the wait. I got to meet with the G family last week as they prepare to expand their family once again. With three lively kids, there’s plenty of love and excitement to go around in this household. It will be one lucky little girl joining this family.

I am knee-deep in editing, ordering, designing, packaging and backing up tonight. But I had to take a moment out to post this image of my Dylan and our Nola. I just love everything about it.
And boy does he love his dog.

One last sneak peek for tonight and… surprise! It’s a newborn. I recently had the opportunity to meet sweet miss Camille. She was a bit older than most of my newborns but mom and dad worked really hard to get her sleepy for our session and it worked! Camille was a perfect little angel for us.

Another sneak peek today – and it’s not a newborn! But I did take Mr. Blake’s newborn photos. And now he’s back and 6 months old already! What a happy, smiley little guy he was for us too. Just look and see…

Welcome to another edition of newborn mania here on the blog today! This sweet little guy is Shane. He was 7 days old and soooo good for our session. He was wide awake (but oh-so-alert and content) for the first half of our session. And then he fell fast asleep, right on cue!

I’ve known Isabella’s mom, Crissy, for years… way back to when we were both planning our weddings on a “little” website called The Knot. So it was extra special to get to meet her new baby girl last week and photograph sweet Isabella.

Little Austin’s sneak peek is a teeeeny bit late, but hopefully mom and dad won’t mind too much. It’s been a newbornpalooza around here lately! M + J – Enjoy the sneak peek. Your gallery should be ready right on time!