McCarthy Baby Bump

It's baby bump season here in Dubai (and in Oregon- our sister Rachel is going to have a little girl ANY DAY NOW!!!) and we have had so much fun documenting such beautiful moms and their adorable bellies! Mama McCarthy was no exception- absolutely glowing and gorgeous!
The McCarthy's are new friends who are expecting baby #3 in a few weeks. Micaela, the oldest daughter of this lovely family, is in my class, and she could not be any cuter! Smart as a whip, and sugary sweet-- I am so lucky to work with her each day=). In the weeks leading up to our photo session-- actually, "sessions"... but I'll get to that in a minute-- Micaela would give me my daily hug goodbye and say, "Bye Mrs. Marshall, can't wait 'til picture day!" Awww... I just love her!
We scheduled the McCarthy's maternity photo session while my mom was visiting, so she got to come along and see us in action. We arrived at their home, and were just about to head out the door when their younger daughter, Natalie, got sick! Poor thing! Since we were already there, and everyone was looking fabulous, we did part 1 of the session at Madinat, sans Natalie, and then returned to the McCarthy's for an amazing fish curry dinner! Thanks again, guys! It's always so much fun to have a little social event with our friends/clients after their photo sessions!
We met up again a week later at the beach with a healthy (and feisty) Natalie for part 2 of the session. The girls were wearing THE most adorable white dresses I've ever seen!
Reena had warned me that once Natalie saw the water she'd want to get in and splash around. I had no idea just how determined that little gal was, but just as her mommy had predicted, and despite all attempts to keep her dry, that little fish was out splashing in the water and soaked within minutes! I have to say, even though her ruffled white dress was drenched, the curls framing her face were crusted in salt, and her chubby little hands were gritty with sand, I absolutely love that we were able to capture Natalie's true essence... a feisty little fish=). Absolutely adore her too!
We had such a great time wading in the water and wandering along the beach as the sun set. Dreamy light, cool salty breeze, lovely company... what's not to love?! It was especially entertaining to watch the girls- both such unique little spirits- stomp, or tiptoe, depending on the child, through the surf. Thanks, McCarthy's for such fun sessions! We are so excited for you and cannot wait to meet your third (and sure to be wonderful) daughter!!!











Do you see how seriously cute that little Micaela is?!



These two have such a wonderful connection=)



One of the ONLY photos I have while Natalie is dry! Look at that happy expression... she is so excited to get out in that water!




LOVE this!





















Splish splash! Happy as a clam!



One HOT Mama!!!
hehe... I told you that would be the photo label, Reena ;)






















I love how one covers herself in sand ... while the other meticulously brushes off every grain she can.

Watkinson Baby Bump

This beautiful couple is expecting their first child (a little boy) and they couldn't be more thrilled! Our lovely afternoon with John and Shelley was filled with sunshine, laughter, and sand... lots of sand! We ventured out into the desert for part of their session, in search of some dunes (You'd be surprised how difficult of a task that actually was, given that we live in the middle of a desert!). This was such an exciting session- John and Shelley were eager to create some creative images, and were up for anything we suggested. We were so impressed with Shelley- she marched up those dunes like a real trooper and still looked absolutely stunning!

John and Shelley, we had a wonderful time with you guys! We are so excited for you, and cannot wait to meet your little guy. He is so blessed already- you are going to be spectacular parents!


I love this image! Can you believe it was just a lighting test shot?!














A little ying-yang action...=)


























Can't wait for Baby Watkinson's newborn session in a few months!!!

Sneak peek for John

Dear John,
Your wife, as you well know, is one foxy momma... to be=)
Hugs,
I+J







John and Shelley... you are adorable and wonderful, and we cannot wait to share the rest of the images from our fabulous (and sandy!) afternoon together!

McCarthy Sneak Peek

More to come of this beautiful, growing family!

Feeling Inspired!

I've spent countless hours (literally!) trying to compile and organize our photos from our recent African adventure... I think I may have done it... phew!
Through this tedious experience I have learned some valuable lessons...
--We MUST become MUCH more organized and systematic when saving and backing up our travel photos (ie renaming/categorizing them by date-- why? see next bullet)
--We MUST check the date and time on our camera before we take pictures (at least on long term trips) because I HAVE TO HAVE my trip pictures in chronological order to keep my brain at peace... I don't understand why exactly... apparently there is a wee bit of activity on the left side of my brain!

I was so proud of finishing the organizational process of our Africa pictures, that I scoured through each and every one of our external hard drives, and corralled thousands of images from many of our other travels into neat and tidy folders! Ahhh, a girl can really breathe when her photos are organized!
I didn't have much time to look through the images in depth, but the glimpses I did manage were amazing! WOW!!! We've had some pretty incredible experiences in the last couple of years. Let's see... we have Jordan 2007, two Oman trips 2008, Thailand spring break 2008, Thailand/Laos/Cambodia summer 2008, Nepal spring 2009, South Africa/Namibia/Botswana/Zambia/Malawi/Tanzania/Kenya summer 2009... I think that should keep me busy for a while!
Despite the enormity of this task, I am feeling even more DETERMINED to get ALL of our travel photos not only organized, but edited, and either on our walls (in the sad, empty frames that have been hanging there for 2+ years) or in coffee table books within the school year! I WILL DO THIS!!!

Here is one lovely image from our first trip to Thailand, on a sweltering afternoon in April '08. Let's hope I have all of these photos taken care of before we head back this coming April!!!

Jazlyn and the Pumpkin...

Jazlyn had such a good time getting acquainted with her first pumpkin. She patted it gently and looked it up and down...



and up and down... and up and down...


and... then her shoe became far more interesting. I don't blame her- her new shoes are adorable!!!













What was better than her shoe? This wonderful fuzzy blanket I brought along! Jazlyn loved it!



I love this face because it reminds me just how truly incredible genetics are- she looks just like her daddy here



Chewing on her fabulous new shoe... mmmm!






Such a beautiful family!



I decided to save my favorite image for last...

Comments! Feel free to leave 'em here!

We are so blessed by the lovely comments we receive in passing from our Dubai friends (and via e-mail from family in Oregon), in regards to our blog. Every single kind word leaves us beaming- THANK YOU!!! It is so exciting to know that people are enjoying our photos and following along on our creative journey, as we work to grow and develop Wayfarer Studio. We would love to know who else is checking out our blog from around the world. Old friends, new friends, future friends- feel free to leave us comments when you stop by! We're looking forward to hearing from YOU!

Love,
I+J