Because Getting a New Baby Wasn't Enough...

We decided we need a new dog, too :) We brought Biscuit (Ani named home :) home on Sunday morning and couldn't haven chosen a better dog for our family. We adopted him from a local rescue and can't encourage people enough to do the same. He's 2 yrs old, totally trained, way laid back and the cutest guy ever (he even "smiles"). He loves playing with Ani and I think we've worn him out a bit already...beach, bike paths, princess dress up...this guy didn't know what he was getting into! He seems extremely happy with his new home and we're very excited to have him!

Mama Leave!

As most of you know, my husband and I are expecting are second little one in Spring...yay! Because this time is very precious to us, I will not be accepting any bookings from
MARCH 1ST to SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2009.
I will occasionally be available for reprints, albums, dvd’s, etc. Also, if you’re having a little one and need to get those newborn images before they change, let me know and I’ll try to work something out :)

Collections
Starting, 9/1/09, there will be exciting new portrait
collections available! This will also include an increase in rates. To have portraits done at the current $275 rate, you can book your session for January and February 2009. GIFT CERTIFICATES are also available at the current price, but the session must take place before March 1, 2009.

Thank you for your understanding and I hope to see you soon!
Happy Holidays,
Mariah

The Cutest Sisters Ever!

Okay, I may be a little biased...these precious little girls are my nieces :) But still, I don't think they get much cuter! My brother's family lives a couple hours away so instead of using their home, we used another one that means a lot to our family...our kid's Yaya's and Boppa's home. It's definitely a place full of memories and our kids have the best time there. I absolutely love the images of each girl with their mom and dad...they obviously have such a special relationship with each of them and that always makes for a beautiful portrait. I know I'm going to watch this show over and over again :)

To enjoy the show larger, click HERE

My Exciting News (and why I haven't posted in forever!)

Sorry, I've been a little MIA lately...first I thought I had than flu, then I thought I was getting sick from stress...turns out, it's neither! It's really another baby turning me into a slacker :) Yay!! My husband and I are expecting our second little one in May and we couldn't be more excited!

I've been crazy booked these last couple of months and trying to get stuff edited and up for viewing. I'm a tad behind but will be getting some fun stuff up here soon! Thanks for checking in and I'll be back with the some slide shows soon, promise :)

Roller Derby!

My crazy sister decided she wanted to join our local roller derby team. So, we decided to all go check out a bout and see what she was getting into to. It looked like so much fun, I think we're all signed up now ;) Apparently, there's a huge following around here because the place was packed! We had a great time...those girls are tough... and of course ended the night with a serious record setting Rock Band concert!






See I was there too :)

We're Going All Waldorf!

Ani's wonderful teacher gave us a copy of a great book at our visit yesterday..."You Are Your Child's First Teacher" by Rahima Baldwin Dancy. I really love how Waldorf education values the stage of a child's life when their imagination is over flowing. They acknowledge that make believe and fantasy play is not only beneficial but necessary in a child's development. I read the chapter about how to make your child's room welcoming to this type of play...get rid of toys that think for your child or direct them (play should be with no goal or direction...just imagination and tools), create play areas that are inviting (don't stuff the toys in cubbies), give them dolls that don't have defined features so they can create their own in their mind's eye, etc. We already had her room pretty close but we went through and boxed up a bunch of her babies that she doesn't play with. Got rid of a bunch of "junk"...you know the plastic, rubbery things that just seem to collect. Made a bunch of beds and blankets for her babies...we used odd baskets that we just had lying around and little pieces of material I had in a sewing box.

But, the best part was we made her a playhouse. I wanted her to have a little private area where she could do whatever she could play house, stage for a play, etc. I rummaged in our garage and found her old changing table...took the shelves off, ran an old window panel through a front rod and draped one over the top and WA LAH...it's not Martha but it's a playhouse that was free, fun to make and even more fun to play in :) Trust me, I'm not a crafty girl nor do I have a lot stuff lying around but I had enough to put this together so if I can do it, so can you...a great way to move a baby item into a kid item!

Visit Day!

My daughter, Ani, got to go visit her preschool today before she starts it later this week! We both absolutely adore this place. Ani felt comfortable as soon as she got there and took off to play. She got to rock the baby (her favorite part), grind wheat, pump the water and a bunch more fun stuff. Her symbol (it's a Waldorf thing) is the butterfly. It's such a sweet little place where kids get to play and make believe and just be kids. We are all so excited for her to spend her mornings here!

The Funnest Game Ever!

Amoung the many other brilliant things I learned at the McWorkshop, I learned that Rock Band is definitely the greatest game ever!! I'm notoriously anti video game and my husband is a notorious gamer...the cause of many many battles. But, Corey started this guy up and after 5 min. on the drum, I was logged into Amazon buying my own...unbelievable! It hadn't been in our house more than a few hours when I scheduled our first tournie. Even the most vocal hater..."that game is so stupid...I can't believe you're playing it" was a convert after 2 minutes strumming to Mississippi Queen. When I wasn't being a Diva (apparently, I wouldn't share the mic :), I got to experiment hand held shooting in a very very dark room...fun all around!

Rock Star McWorkshop

Ahhh...finally a minute to tell you all about my awesome week! I was lucky enough to get to fly allllll the way to North Carolina to learn from some of the industry's best, Corey McNabb and Amber Holritz. Both are extremely inspirational to me...not only in their photography but also their talents in business and client relationships. The week was crazy and the workshopees were even crazier - my wonderful (and overworked) roommate Jessica C, but she hates her site so don't check it for a few weeks:) My super chauffeur with the stupid GPS, Chris. Our favorite swamp girl, Maureen (can't wait to see her images from her next swamp adventure), Jessica who kept us on track and laughing. Our local ladies, Laurie and Jill and our lone guy, Will. We spent pretty much every minute of every day together and we all made it out alive.

The first few shoots were really uncomfortable for me and I'm not proud of the shots I got. We did group shooting and I was totally out of my element...I'm used to working by myself and it really threw me off to have a bunch of other shooters and to be watched by two photog. superstars. But, after I got used to all of them, I had no problem pushing them out of the way to get the shot I wanted :) We had some amazing models, Tara and her famous actor husband, Jonathon ;), Nicole and Tracy, Lindsey and John Bamber and an absolutely beautiful real bride, Lee Irvine (sorry we can't show her images until after her wedding). Thank you so much to our wonderful models...we really put them to work!

I can't thank the crew enough for the one of a kind experience I had! Corey and Amber taught me invaluable lessons that are really helping me move my business forward. The camaraderie between all the students was addicting and I can't wait to see them all again...WPPI, anyone? :)

Alright, on to the good stuff...here are my faves from the week. BTW, if you want to see pics of the actual workshop, check out Amber's site and Corey's blog...actually, maybe not...I had a thing for ordering giant food and the pics are not so pretty ;)













AND, I'm a contest winner...woo hoo...I took 3rd place for this baby, and I'm not bragging, but the competition was steep...there was some serious talent at this workshop so I'm stoked to have an image be a winner :)