Hissyfits Photography Blog

I’m not sure how the temps have been around the rest of the world, but in our little corner things have really started cooling off and have actually been somewhat pleasant! Gasp! I know, here it is the end of October and we are finally ready to spend some quality time outside! It was one long summer if you can imagine! Days on end of temperatures well above 100 and many of those higher than 110. Needless to say, being able to wear jeans and long sleeves is a much welcomed break!

Yesterday we took full advantage of the beautiful day we were having. The kids played out back while I cleaned the kitchen and then I headed out back to push them in their swings and play for awhile myself! We then went for a little walk…well, I walked and they rode their bikes. And after that they continued to ride their bikes out front for awhile. While it was fun, I have to admit that it also really wasn’t. Sitting outside alone while they ride is boring. I mean BORING. I flashed back to our time on Summertree Court in Kansas when all of the neighbors were out front and while the kids played together the adults chatted away. That was fun…this, not so much. But it is what it is. Kids are still kids and want to ride their bikes and play outside and I am still the mom and must keep an eye on them. I just wish I had some great neighbor friends here whom I could sit outside with.

Here are a couple of shots I snapped of the kids on the swings! I have been trying forever to nail swinging shots and these are definitely some of my faves!! I was somehow managing to push them, make them laugh {I do some crazy things do get genuine smiles and laughter!!} and take pictures all at the same time! I was pretty darn proud of myself!

Sweet, giggly Huntler. When he wants his picture taken, he wants his picture taken. And yesterday he wanted it taken! Goodness! Now, if he isn’t in the mood, he is a total stinker and won’t cooperate at all! But yesterday he was demanding I keep taking more of him!

And this one? Well, she is beginning to act like her brother! She used to love having her picture taken ALL the time, but now she is getting a bit more picky! She was all smiles and laughs for a bit, but then she turned on the cheese and started closing her eyes and squinting at me. That is her new favorite trick! She too is a little stinker! But they are my little stinkers and I love them to pieces!

Here is a straight out of the camera shot of Gentry and her silly side!

I am still working away on one last NYC post! Hope to get that up in a couple of days! There just aren’t enough hours to do everything I want to do!!

Happy Halloween! Be safe out there!

Two posts in record time, right? I know! It is almost 6:00 AM and to keep my fingers from freezing to the keyboard this morning I am typing like a crazy girl!! {It is 72 in here…quite chilly for these Arizona people who have most definitely acclimated to the weather down here!}

So what brings me to this second post of the day? My dearest friend in the world is having a giveaway over on her blog in honor of her 100th post! YAY! As we all know, it is fun to celebrate those blogging milestones with giveaways! And she is giving away one fabulously funky korker headband similar to the one Gentry is wearing in this picture!

{Sorry this is her birthday invite…I don’t have any of just her in the headband saved in my gallery and am too lazy to pull one out and resize it for my blog!!}

Anyway, to win a headband of your very own, head on over to Lisa’s blog and leave her a little comment love! She’ll be randomly drawing the winner on Sunday and then I’ll mail the headband out for her!

Good luck!

It is no secret that I LOVE Gentry girl in a cute hat. Luckily, the sassy girl also happens to love a cute hat! WHEW! So when I was sorting clothes and figuring out just what we would be taking to New York, I decided that she needed a couple more hats to add to the collection! This time I knew I was wanting something different than what she already has…the newsboy style. So I did what comes as second nature to me anymore and turned to the beloved Etsy for my shopping! As always, there were numerous options and it did not disappoint!

Apparently many of you thought the fab little accessories were too cute too because I have received several emails and comments on where I found these hats! And since I have had trouble getting my act together to post regularly yet again this week, I thought I would just whip up a little post this morning for ya!

This is the Etsy shop where I bought the hats. Kristy, the designer behind What’s on a Name, is super sweet and great to work with! She has tons of options and can also create something custom for you! Love that!

So what are you waiting for? Hop on over and get your order in!! As you can imagine, this is a really busy time of year for her so in order to get your hats before Christmas, they need to be ordered by no later than November 15! I need make my decision and get one ordered for my niece too! Be sure to tell her I say HELLO when you order!

Happy Hat Buying!!

As a parent, I know how fast the time flies. It seems as though our own childhood barely scoots by yet once we  become an adult and add a child of our own to our lives, the hands of time kick into overdrive and we feel as though no matter how hard we try, we just can’t slow things down!

Saturday evening I had the opportunity to meet up with cutie pie Carson and his mom and dad for some family shots as well as a few of just the little guy! The second I saw his huge, bright eyes and that darling smile, I knew I was in for a treat! Carson will be one in a couple of weeks and there is no doubt in my mind that his parents are wrapped around his little finger and can’t even begin to remember what life was like before him! I am sure they are wondering how an entire year has nearly come and gone already…

I must say though, Carson is pretty fond of them too! You could see the love and pure adoration beaming from this little family. So grateful for each other and the moments they have been given.

A little time hanging out on Daddy’s shoulders…

Love this shot and wonder just what it is he’s thinking about!

This is one of my favorite captures from the session! It seems as though mom is often the one behind the camera and rarely in the pictures. I love that you can see so much real emotion and love pouring out of both Carson and his mama!

Andy, Leneigha and Carson…thanks for meeting up with me and spending some of your Saturday evening rolling around in the grass and obliging my weird requests! You are all troopers! I hope that as you celebrate Carson’s first year you are filled with many wonderful memories of the year gone by. And I also hope as his second year begins you create countless more wonderful memories…

Happy First Birthday Little Guy!

Oh my word!! I met up with the cutest little fam tonight with an absolutely adorable little man!! Meet Carson. Is he not a doll face?! I have many, many more to sift through but promised mom and dad a quick little peek tonight before I spend some quality time with my own sweet little family!

Hope you enjoy this mom and dad…it was a pleasure meeting all three of you this evening!

Happy weekend friends! This is just a happy little reminder that if you are planning to schedule a holiday session, we need to get that on the books! These next few weeks will be chaotic for everyone so it is time to start planning!

Here are the holiday specials for this year. Let me know if you have any questions!

So what actually began as a productive morning with me editing and getting things done before 5:00 AM quickly turned into a journey down memory lane. Remembering the moments, counting my blessings, missing the past and cherishing what the future holds all at the same time. These two pictures taken in New York City started it all…without a doubt powerful enough to send me digging back through the archives and wiping away tears as they freely fell.

Despite the fighting, and believe me there is a lot of it, these two love each other so completely and without reservation that it melts my heart. They always have. My prayer is that they always will. That they will always turn to each other in times of happiness as well as heartache, that they will remain forever friends and close throughout their lives.

Such completely different kids with such distinct personalities, yet two peas in a pod. They are so close in age that neither knows a time without the other. I joke at times that it is like having twins…whatever one does or gets, the other must do or get. Chris and I have talked about the fact that Gentry seems every bit as old as Huntler and has for the last two years because she is so vocal and smart…learning so much from him.

After I played around with these two shots this morning I found myself going back through folders from years gone by stuffed with pictures and picking out some of my faves with the kids together. Forgive their snapshot appearance {and beginner editing on a few!!} for that is all they are, snapshots. But that being said, they are the snapshots that dance through my mind of where we’ve come from and where we have yet to go…

July 2006

December 2006

February 2007

April 2007

Tough Love, September 2007

September 2007

March 2008

May 2008

June 2008

December 2008

May 2009

May 2009

Thanks for humoring me and my little trip down memory lane this morning!! I still have oodles to share about our trip and will continue to do so but have a busy weekend ahead!! Hopefully I’ll get in a little early morning or late night blog time!

Happy Friday!

So when I found out our trip to NYC was being rescheduled from May to October, I was bummed. I mean, REALLY bummed. However, the weeks flew by like time does these days and I began to look on the bright side! I mean, what a FUN place to capture Huntler at five years old. What a unique opportunity to forever freeze those moments of him as he celebrates another year than an amazing place like New York City? Okay, so maybe at the time I didn’t really know for sure that NYC was all that amazing, but that is how I pictured it anyway. And now that we have been and are home again, I can attest to the fact that the city is everything I thought it would be and more. I think I can speak for my entire fam when I say that we truly loved every single moment of our time there!

You may remember this post where I blogged about my big plans for my little man in these super cute duds. It didn’t happen my friends. Let me just say that we left above normal temps here in Arizona {upper 90′s} and found ourselves in below normal temps in New York {the 40′s with rain and wind}. Our first day there we were able to peel off the coats for a few photos here and there, but the rest of the time we were bundled in winter wear and had the umbrellas on hand! I hate to complain because if I had to pick my perfect day, the weather there was right on, but it did make it challenging for photos and exploring the city! But we did it. And we loved it.

I have so, so many images to sort through of both of the kids, but here are a few of Huntler that caught my eye right off the bat! I love what I have here, despite the fact that he is wearing his coat in every.single.one!! Not much of a variety, but I am okay with that. They still have the look and the feel I was after! And the memories of each of these places and each frame I snapped are forever embedded in my mind and heart and that is what truly matters in a photo anyway.

Greetings!! Last night we boarded the red eye flight from JFK and as of 1:30 this morning we are back from our much anticipated and unbelievably AMAZING trip to New York City!! Oh wait, you didn’t even know I was gone?! Well, I am super paranoid about broadcasting to the world that we are going to be out of town, so I whipped up some posts to pop up while we were gone! Got ya, didn’t I? I assumed we would have better internet service than we did though so I wasn’t able to keep up with approving comments or replying to emails very well!

All I have to say is this was one of the best trips we have ever been on. EVER. And although I would never live in NYC, I loved every single second of our time there! We had some amazing opportunities and now have memories that we will carry with us for years to come. I highly recommend you go if you have never been!

Because I once again have mountains of laundry to do and oodles of things to get put away, not to mention two EXTREMELY tired children who are running on fumes, here is a sneak peek for ya! Some random stranger took this for us on this awesome bridge in Central Park. Don’t even get me started on all the FAB photo ops in that city!! Too bad it was wet and cold most of our stay!!

So we all know that when I find something I {love}, I share. Clothes, hair accessories, songs…you name it! Well keeping in line with all the photography goodness I have been posting the past couple of days, I thought I would also share some uber cute holiday card templates with you all!

My fab friend Heather is the mastermind behind all of these amazing designs! And these are just a small sampling of what she has to offer! Like so many of my new friendships, we met via the world wide web over two years ago! Heather is the designer who created the sweet little ladybug thank you cards I sent out after Gentry’s first birthday. Gosh that seems like yesterday and forever ago all at the same time!

She has also been the one I have turned to for our Christmas cards the last two years. Yes, I obviously adore her work and her style totally fits with mine! So when thinking about holiday templates for my business as well as personal use this year, I turned to Heather yet again. From that point we started chatting about the possibility of her creating templates to sell on Etsy for photogs as well as non photogs for holiday use.

Heather’s creativity astounds me! While I consider myself creative in certain aspects, this type of design is not one. I accept that. And that is why I will be using these fun Pea Snap templates for my cards from now on!

So…without further ado, here are just a few of her 2009 holiday designs:

Spearminted

Cocoa

Rooftop

Doe

Prancer

Dressing

Playful

Fala

Kinder

Golly

Gracious

Good Cheer

These are just a few of the many options Heather has to choose from! There is certainly something for everyone! Everything from simple and traditional to funky and fun!

So what are you waiting for? Head on over and pick out your card design for this year!! And pick out several if you are a photographer! You certainly can’t beat her prices!

And for anyone out there who is in the beginning phases of starting a photography business, she also has some adorable logos to choose from as well! Happy shopping!