Best of '07 - time to vote!

Well, it took a LOT of digging through images. And a LOT of back and forth with the judges. This was truly a difficult opinion, best left to those who are not connected to any of my clients. I would have chosen them all! But after many days of staring at each image for ever, this is what we have come up with:


Image 1



Image 2




Image 3




Image 4





Image 5



I will be back tomorrow to announce the prizes!

Opinion Polls & Market Research

More sneak peeks!

Well, it was just a super busy weekend. But we walked away with a ton of great images. :o)

Meet the "S" Family. The oldest boy goes to preschool with Reagan and they are just best buddies. But hello, are these children not gorgeous! They were just fabulous, and funny, and they came away with some excellent images too! Thanks again, Mom, for bringing your sweet family out. It was fun! :o)

Sneak Peek!

Have you ever seen such a sweet sleeping babe?


Meet Baby T. He came to see me this weekend, my first weekend back since being closed for the holidays. And what a sweet face to come back to. :o) This little boy was just the sweetest baby, so content and cooperative.




His parents were FABULOUS as well, and a joy to work with.




And he is very blessed to have a wonderful big brother who LOVES him. Isn't he ADORABLE?!?!



And he is also blessed with a beautiful smile! Isn't he just sooooo cute?! What a beautiful family. Thanks for coming out guys, it was fun! I am working hard to get the rest to you soon! :o)

First ever Blog CONTEST!!!

Yeeeehaw! Sorry I got a little excited there, and it seemed appropriate seeing as we are in Texas. :o) You should be excited too! We are having our first ever blog contest! I am going through loads and loads of '07 images, looking for favorites! Everyone's will be considered, but if you have a specific image from your session with me you want considered please email me to let me know! This weekend I will have a panel of anonymous and very qualified judges choose the top 5 images. Then, next week I will be back to post the top 5 of '07 for voting! There will be fabulous prizes to the winner and 2 runners up, to be announced when the top 5 are posted.




p.s. the first person to email me with my baby's first name SPELLED CORRECTLY will receive a FREE session!!!!

MySpace....or yours???

Hi everyone! I just had a quick second and wanted to come by to invite you all to come check out our new MySpace page! Many of you added me as your friend on my personal MySpace page, so let's get everyone added to the new business page. If you have a MySpace, come visit and add us. We will be posting favorites of sessions, posting updates, blogging, and posting MySpace friends only specials!


http://www.myspace.com/bellaamadis

Hope you all have a wonderful New Year!!!

Santa Baby...

Is this not just the cutest Santa Baby you've ever seen? Meet N, he is just 3 short hours older than Brooklynne. He is one of my best girlfriend's nephew and is a super sweet little man. I was editing images and came across the Santa Baby pictures and had to share. His smile is priceless! Many more to come, Mom and Dad. You will LOVE them!

My stinky brother.

This is my kid brother.

My brother is like totally tubular, and uber awesome, and has like totally righteous hair. And stuff. He is 11 years younger than me, and such a joy to pick on. I mean love on. So, my brother just turned 16 and got his drivers license. So I thought I'd go ahead and post his mug online for the world to see. And more importantly for the resident's of the Cedar Park/Leander/North Austin areas to take note of and avoid at all costs on the road. You can thank me later.

We did my brother's portraits while we in Kentucky, which was loads of fun. And freaking cold. But rain, shine, or 33 degrees in the blistering cold won't stop this girl. Ok, so it normally will but it was the only time we had and I was a little obsessive. I really enjoy teenage portraits. They like totally participate way better than a 2 year old. But only by a little bit. And they're all about posing and looking spiffy. But I don't think spiffy is technically the "look", but whatever it is I think we achieved it. He's like totally hot stuff in these pictures.







How ironic that there was a wall on it that happened to have HIS name and a well known fact about him. Wierd.







And we even managed to get one of me and the little goober.

See, he does love me! I kinda like the little turkey too. Just don't tell him.

Vacation fun!

Hey everyone! Well, I am officially back in action but not for long! :o) I am wrapping up the final deliveries for Christmas and have finished all the sessions! It was a fantastic Christmas season. If you didn't make time for pictures in December, watch for a fantastic special in January! I just wanted to pop in and share a couple of images from our trip. We had a wonderful time, did a whole lot of nothing. Which was just what we needed. Joseph also had this last week off, so I did what work I had to and spent the rest of my time loving on my family. It was so nice to have 2 weeks all together with very few things we had to do. I have a bazillion pictures to share, so I will do so slowly over the next couple of weeks so I don't bore you all to death at once. For now, here are a few favorites!

Hasta La Vista BABY!

Well, folks.....I am out of here. Well, not actually yet but as of 6 am tomorrow morning I am. :o) And I cannot tell you how excited I am to get out of town. We are going to Kentucky to visit my family. We go every year, and our vacation is always made up of doing wonderfully relaxed things. We stare at cows, eat good food, go shopping at the cute little shops, eat good food, go for walks holding hands, visit with my wonderful family, and of course eat good food. Oh, and we eat good food. Did I already say that? And I have to tell you all that we have made some major lifestyle changes in an effort to just become healthier. I have lost 8 lbs and my hubby has lost 15 lbs!!! Of course, now the problem is, we will likely gain it all back on our trip.

To my clients who are waiting on orders, please know that the lab is delaying my deliveries this week. I didn't really think it would be a good idea to let those things lay on my porch. Well, actually my sister and her fiance will be here off and on - but she's not really looking to be me for a week. ;o) I will have my laptop with me to check emails as I can, but will likely return emails when we return the week after Thanksgiving.

I hope you all have a safe and blessed Thanksgiving! I am leaving you all with a wonderful story, one that has recently become very close to my heart. It's a story about taking a trip, thinking you are going to Italy and ending up in Holland. We have been in Holland for some time it seems, but are just finding out where we are. And just learning that Holland is a very wonderful place, worth loving. Holland is beautiful.


I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to help people who have not shared this unique experience, to understand it, to imagine how it would feel.It's like this.

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make wonderful plans. The Coliseum. Michelangelo David. The Gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland." "Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean, Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around. And you begin to notice that Holland has windmills. And Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy. And they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there.

And for the rest of your life, you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain will never, ever go away. Because the loss of that dream is a very, very significant loss. But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to go to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things. About Holland.

New Again

A client sent this to me, and I thought I'd pass it along. I first have to say, if you have not seen The Passion of Christ or even considered what Jesus Christ endured this may be graphic. But I make no apologies to anyone for posting this, it is what I know. It is what makes me clean. It is what breaks my heart, and makes me love better. It is what I teach my children. It is why I am GOOD ENOUGH to go to Heaven. It is what I am most greatful for. And it is my heart. And would be a waste to not pass on. As it was put in the email to me, be prepared to be disturbed or blessed, depending upon the condition of your heart.

New Again

I'm alive, I swear.

I've had a ton of emails lately asking if I am ok, and where I have been. I'm here! Things have been super crazy around here trying to get through the Christmas rush. It's been amazingly busy, and SO much fun. And wow, have we gotten some great images! I will be posting some soon, as soon as I can stop to breathe for a second. ;o) We are also going through some things, which I will fill you all in on once we know more details. But we could use your prayers, we just really have a lot on our plates right now and this rollercoaster is only going to get bigger. Lots of love everyone!

Pretty Ladies!

Wow, things have been SO busy. But busy is good. :o) I thought I'd stop in to post a few recent favorites. First, meet Miss A. She also goes by Rocket. And sometimes Tramp. :o) Like Lady and the Tramp. A has a big imagination, which is right up my alley, so we had a grand time chasing Rocket/Tramp and discussing all the myteries of the world. And of course taking bones, which were just sticks (I don't have bones on hand during sessions normally), to her mom when we named her Tramp for a while. It got kinda sticky when I went to take A's picture and I said "I see a Traaaamp"....to which she added "A dirty one". We all had a really good chuckle. Those are my kind of sessions! So ladies and gentlemen, I now introduce "Tramp" who is a real fine little Lady I just adore!

We had many new perspectives during this session!

Isn't she just a DOLL???

After A's session I met with another of my regular clients for their session. It was also LOADS of fun. I love babies around age 1. They are just full of energy and plenty of smiles. And don't notice me too much, so I get to capture them just being cute one year olds. It's wonderful. :o) Both of these sessions gave me so much to look forward to with Brooklynne. Especially in the clothing department! Miss S was just a doll and absolutely beautiful. I hadn't seen her since her newborn portraits, so it was so nice to see her blossom into a beautiful little person. You're a mighty fine Lady too, S.

Meet My Daughter In Law and her brother!

Well, future daughter in law...according to our children. And I can't say that I mind, because her parents are our totally rad and most entertaining friends. And well, let's face it - for kids as adorable as mine, we have to keep the generations looking good by hooking up my kids with equally gorgeous kids. hehe Only kidding, but "K" and Reagan ARE in love afterall, and in addition to being in love - Reagan has made K and G his cousins. Which could be strange if they marry. G just turned one, so we headed out to take his 1 year portraits. It was loads of fun and we got all the little ones involved. My kids were NOT as cooperative as these two gorgeous munchkins! More to come, but here is a sneak peek!

I've been tagged!

For those of you who don't frequent a lot of photography blogs, you're probably clueless to the very fun game of "tag" that's been going around lately. I've been tagged by my amazing photographer friend (and sometimes my brain), Megan of Four Seasons Photography (she is a kick rear photographer in Oklahoma - I think I love her). You are supposed to share eight things about yourself & then tag eight other people. So here are mine (and can I just tell you how hard it was to think of 8 things??? Pretty sad, huh.):

1. I am just going to get this out of the way and admit that I love food. I have a passion for food, and appreciate a party in my mouth. I have been blessed with good metabolism...but fear that those days may be coming to an end.

2. Which brings me to #2. I hate to excercise. I think it's the devil. And it doesn't like me much either. But I have recruited a girlfriend who does work out to get my butt in gear so I can lose this last bit of baby fluff. Maybe.

3. I secretly want to be a nurse when I grow up. I just broke this news to my husband last week. I think he and I both thought when I began this journey of Bella Amadis Photography, that this would be where I would be for like ever. But my passion to be a nurse has not left, and I am planning to try to make that a reality once my children are all a little bigger. I will still run this business though, I don't think I could stop this.

4. My husband and I DVR all the shows we like and watch them at night once the munchkins are snoozing. We are Big Brother fans, CSI, and of course Greys! We also enjoy Dirty Jobs and shows like Mythbusters or Look I was born with 5 Heads type of shows. Ok, not really that but you get what I mean.

5. I was 20 when I got married and am going to be celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary in November. I never would have thought I'd have 3 kids under 5 by the age of 27, but it's the best thing in the world.

6. I enjoy regular pedicures with my mom (and Brooklynne tags along too). It's really great girl bonding time.

7. My parents and my grandparents are my heros. There just aren't words to describe how amazing they are.

8. I go to Hill Country Bible Church NW, it's a great church!

So, now I am supposed to tag 8 more people....but almost everyone has been tagged!

1. I am going to tag my other great friend, Robin DePaula. Megan tagged her, but she's slacking. So I am tagging her again so she'll get her rear in gear!

2. My other lovely friend Jackie of Jax Creations. She better get on it too! lol

3. Jennifer Carter, who is just about one of the sweetest gals a girl can call a friend.

4. Vicki Byerley, she taught me a lot of what I know. We are like 2 peas in a pod...which is trouble waiting to happen. lol But she is just wonderful, and a very dear friend.

5. My lovely Aussie friend, Lindy, who I secretly want to talk on the phone with JUST so I can hear her accent!

6. One of my biggest inspirations, Kim. Her son Kicked Cancer's Butt and reminds me to appreciate everyday.

7. Not a photographer, but one talented Momma. Deborah, of Sassy Satchels, is one of my clients and makes a real fancy diaper bag!

8. Ok, I hurt my brain getting 7 and my baby is done with me being on here!

Holy Moly I can't believe I forgot

I was looking at my schedule this evening and realized I had not reserved a time to do our 2nd annual Costume Cuties mini sessions! We had such a great time last year having all of the little ones come out in their adorable costumes. Luckily I have some time still! SO, it's short notice but get those costumes ready! I am going to send out the usual evites tomorrow. There will only be 4 of these available, and they will likely fill fast (unless of course I am too short in my notice lol).
Costume Cuties is September 22nd!

Now Christmas sessions are another thing, those are almost gone! I have a couple of slots left in October and only one left in November. Email me today to reserve your slot before they are gone!

She knows who's boss

Meet Baby A. I call her Baby A, but she's not really a BABY anymore (I'm in denial that time has flown by so fast). She has been a client of mine since she was 6 months old, and gets cuter and cuter each time I see her. She was one of my first clients, and still doesn't care too much for the camera. :o) She knows what she wants and we go along for the ride. She decided studio sessions weren't so much for her this time, so we headed down to the park at the end of my street. Which, by the way, is my new secret weapon. Baby A, I think you are adorable. And a girl who knows what she wants and who is boss, is my kind of girl! Here's a sneak peek for her wonderful Mommy, the rest will be ready soon!

Well hello, chub.

I know what your going to say. "Don't you ever feed that baby?!?!" I know she is skinny, but yes I feed her. Often, too. About every 2 hours, thank you. Isn't she just lucious though??? I had a client here today with a baby girl that is 2 weeks older than Brooklynne and it made me realize how big she is.






Maybe Daddy should have had a pedi first.

Sometimes she plays shy.

She can be serious too.

And she is a ham, just like her mommy.