Check 1..2..3..

Yes.. I'm still here :-) still shooting, still proofing. Working on previously scheduled sessions until I come back from hiding around mid to late April or earlier. I was a little sad today, because I finished my last newborn session until I come back. It will only be less than two months but I can't tell you how much I will be missing it, even for that amount of time. It was a hard choice having to take a step back and take a breather. But for the sake of chaos and a straight jacket (worn by me :) It's just something that had to be done. I have a bunch of new stuff coming out that I can't wait to release! Of course I can't just let MHP fully rest so during this time I've been doing a lot of behind the scenes stuff, but it sure gives me a sense of relief from having to nurse a baby while sitting at my computer trying to meet proofing deadlines or work on the other little aspects of growing my little business here. I was one of those lucky moms that my first two babies slept through the night like little angels. Well third time around folks. Not so lucky. It's all in good fun though, he keeps me on my toes and I couldn't have it any other way.. he's too scrumptious to complain much.

Spring is like a soft entrance to a brutal summer here in Florida, lots of beautiful flowers, weather, colors.. the air is hazy, the birds are chirping or pooping on someone's car. People can walk around wearing clothing and not worry about having to shower and change halfway through the day. It's one of my favorite times to shoot, and be outside taking it all in. It is also busy season. So I just want to give a heads up that: I will be opening bookings around that time (TBA). But from that point forward I will only be able to book between 2-4 sessions a month. I will have available only *2 weekends per month and any other spaces will be early evening 4:30-6:00 pm. So please contact me early if you are interested in a session with me because they will fill up quickly.

and because a post is always better with a picture

taking it all in......
on a side note: I can't tell you how happy I am to FINALLY have my pictures look the way they deserve. Oh blogger you do me wrong sometimes, you just do me wrong.

the one that started it all. Jacksonville, Fl. family photographer

Guess what folks.. it's throw back Thursdays time!!! I am envisioning the arms doing the woomp wommp from Arsenio Hall *not kidding, I am that dorky. Aside from all dorkiness, I know I haven't been keeping up with "T.T's" (It might be smart to figure out a different abbreviation for that on this family photography blog) but I have been working really hard on something for MHP, hence my last post was sort of a breaking point. But I think I have taken a deep breath now and I'm ready to go at it full force. Are you keeping up with me?? For today's Throwback this is the image that is framed and displayed on my wall, along side a black and white picture of my little Cruz.
I took my kiddos out to Fort Lauderdale beach that afternoon, with my little Vivitar point and shoot camera and I captured this picture. Okay with that being said let me give you some background.
previous to this I was a hungry college student/mom trying to find her niche in life. After community college, then university, then Art school. My soul was still searching. I remember when I would sit down with my husband and discuss school plans I would cry. Obviously I cry alot. I would somehow try to make him tell me what it is I should do with my career, my life. He hadn't a clue. I was so scattered with schooling that I confused him, heck I confused myself. All I know is that I wanted answers. Like Now! I stressed so much about it because C ( my husband) had already carved a path for himself in the real world. He had a degree, he knew more or less what he wanted to do and was doing it. Why couldn't I have that luck? I guess taking all of those "pre-you have no clue where you are going classes" were supposed to help me eventually? maybe? But they didn't. At the end of the day, he and I both knew that from the very beginning of our relationship I was always chasing something that did not want to be found, just yet. With much perseverance I decided that I would keep trucking along and try as best I could to put the pieces together.

I knew 5 things. 

1. I Loved working with kids!
   
2. I loved to design, I loved to create, I loved working with colors.
3. My background via my birth father's side (who passed when I was just a small girl) were artists. Everything from entertainment to other different types of mediums.
4. *** I loved taking pictures*** esp of my kids.
5. I wouldn't be satisfied with a typical 9-5 job. Ever.

While liking to take pictures was simply an ordinary thing for most. I had my ah ha! moment.

 The feeling this picture brought to me, was a feeling I had felt before. I didn't know it was there. It somehow all of a sudden creeped up into my soul and found me... and it was then that I decided to stop looking. To jump feet first into a place that I couldn't see if there was something to catch me down below. Needless to say this was a simple snapshot, no editing and the fact that I was no pro photographer then and still have a hard time calling myself even just a photographer minus the pro now. Since then I have been finding my way back up to the light slowly. No more heavy rocks holding me down. I am now at a place in my life where I can play again like I used to do when I was a small kid. The world is in fact my playground.

I hope you have enjoyed today's post. I think I have come a long way as a whole and it just keeps looking brighter from here. 

I am also going to announce that I will be taking a mini blogcation. I am really in up to my eyeballs and sick to boot. I have to learn what I can handle sometimes and I tend to push the limit but over doing myself sets me back instead of moving forward. So with that being said** we shall meet again in a few weeks with MHP's new little secret.

work/life balance. The seesaw of life. jacksonville florida family photographer.

Isn't it so? Sometimes I struggle with knowing what could be the best choice, whether it's the easy, difficult, right or wrong decision. It's the stress alone about making that initial choice is what makes my head spin. I love my kids.. they make my life that much easier. I will usually ask my son "what do you think about blah blah blah...?" and he will answer "whatever you think?", "what do YOU want?" "if you think you should".... same goes for my husband and everyone else in my household. You know actually I am beginning to think they give me these open ended answers because they just want me to..for lack of a better word shut up! What I wanted to get to today is being able to manage a balance between work/home/kids..etc.. I have struggled with this for a while now...and I guess it's time to face fear in it's evil little eye. Sometimes I secretly wish I was Kelly Ripa in one of those Electrolux commercials where she prances around the house cleaning, hosting a party and making chocolate milk for her kids magically appear in their hands in less than the time it takes for the commercial to be over. Either this, or I need an Electrolux appliances. Since this is far from the truth. I have to deal with the reality of it all. I am a wife, and mother of three kids struggling to get her photography business off the ground. When I spoke to my girlfriend the other day as tears of sorrow and leftover overactive hormones drip down my face. She said that I am like a one woman show. As these words escaped through the phone lines and reached me I could actually picture myself like one of those people you see at the fair or on TV with all of those instruments going at the same time. In fact, I have never seen or heard anyone with one of these one man bands that actually even sounded good to say the least. I don't know. It seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Anyway, as I picked myself off the floor and got off the phone.. I went about my business doing what I normally do. Is that it? Do people just go about their business, have one or two anxiety attacks and life goes on after that?? Why wasn't I aware of this before?? It is then when it dawned upon me that although being Kelly Ripa sounds like a lot of fun. It is I that has to face my fear and live my life the way it has intended to be. This is not a commercial. There is no pause or off button. No rewind, no fast forward. As much as I would love to picture this dreamy image of me being able to handle everything with ease. That is not what god has planned for me. That is not who I am, and maybe one day... it is who I have been. So for now, I will keep changing the dirty diapers, making school lunches, untangling curly hair at bedtime, watch series on showtime with my husband in bed, edit, shoot, continue to find inspiration and do my best to push forward. No matter what.

My hero. jacksonville, Florida Family photographer

There is really so much I can say about this, but it's hard enough to even type and that's a first. So I will keep it short and sweet.







To my now eleven year old:

You taught me what love really is..
I learned about happiness from you...
I learned how to forgive because of you...
I learned what I know about living because of you,

There are so many things you taught me in such a short amount of time and for that I am grateful I hope you continue to teach me more.

I am really getting choked up here sitting at my computer writing this, and the truth is that you are my hero. You are more than what I could ever dream of. You are wish come true, a dream, the best gift in life. You are the reason why I am who I am today, and I feel blessed that God has chosen me to be your mother. I hope that I am able to live up to this grand title. I love you.

You would have thought I was torturing the poor kid.

It took all of this....


just to get this.



and that was the best I could do given the circumstances. In the end, I guess sometimes you have willing models and sometimes you don't.

Baby Cruz at 4 months old.

Happy "fresh" year.

"New" or "fresh" whatever you wanna call it. Its a time to think about what you've done in 2010 and have a fresh start in 2011. This year for us has been a gigantic step from last year. Every nook and cranny of this year was completely different. I'm still getting used to the changes really.

This year brought us our little man Cruz...
My daughters first year in Kindergarten
Amazing new friends
A closer connection to my old friends
An even closer bond to my husband
The last year my oldest will be in Elementary school (this I am very frightful of in the new year).
At this moment in my life I truly feel like I have it all...and even if I didn't I wouldn't need anything else, my heart is full.

I have a few things on my new years resolution list that I hope to abide by. Lots of changes coming with Marie Holmes Photography, one of which nearly beginning in a few short hours. But most importantly I want to say a big THANK YOU! To everyone that has helped, pushed or guide me and this little business of mine. I have got to admit this whole having "your own business" thing is not easy. There were times when I just wanted to give up. And each time I posted a gallery, watched a child grow up in front of my lens, or got a beautiful message from a client... that made my day and whole year. In fact, it also made me realize even more how much I love what I do, in turn giving me the fuel to light my passion. I officially opened up shop in April 2010 here in Jacksonville and from then to now... wow! It was totally unexpected how much growth a few short months could bring in a new place. So from us to you..


and Happy Fresh Year!!

Throwback Thursdays are back!

So one of my many new years resolutions is to be a good blogger by being more consistent on here. So I wanted to bring back something I started a while back called Throwback Thursdays. This may help me get a little closer to acheiving that goal. Who knows? It's worth a shot. So what does this mean?? Every Thursday I will post everything from oldies, goodies, yuckies, oopsies.. and everything in between that I may not have posted on here before some images may be edited some not. I'm finding more and more as I'm clearing out my hard drive for the new year images that I'm thinking it would be nice to share with you all.

Okay so for todays throwback.. not too old, this image is one I shot of my kiddos when little baby Cruz was just days old. I can't believe how much he has grown since then and how amazing my older chickadees have been with him. They love him to pieces and I do them.

and for the record, it's still pretty weird looking back at anything esp that link from last year.

holiday lights.

I almost thought I wasn't going to be able to get my tree up this year, let alone take our holiday card pictures. But I'm sure glad I got to it (even though I am a little late). So, done and done. Now it feels a whole lot like Christmas in our house.

Happy Thanksgiving.

More than words or pictures could ever say.

have a blessed thanksgiving everyone!

Because I cried a little today......

and because it was her birthday...
and....
because every year that passes I cry a little more....

the Circle of life.

So in love with this new little guy in our home.


on a side note: 2010 holiday session information has been sent out today, for those that have booked you are in for some fun stuff..my little mind has been spinning with new ideas on these days at home. But for those that haven't yet.. I have two spaces left and that's it for me for me until 2011. The holidays have creeped up ever so quickly and now I am faced with having to stuff my face with all the turkey and ham I can eat, singing the tunes of Christmas music in my car all while spending hours and hours in search for the perfect gifts for my family....oh the horror! what a way for one to torture themselves! this is by far the most favorite time of the year for me... and my kids get to take total advantage of that!

NINE.SEVEN.TEN

was another one* of the most important events in our lives.......

Play a Game with me.....

It's called catch-up. Ready?




So the first set of images are some sneak peeks from our Rockin' Minis that were held this weekend. There are more to come, but I truly enjoyed each family..and can't thank everyone enough for enduring the heat with me..it was quite hot! Everyone did great including the kiddos despite all that heat. In the future though, I think the next minis we will do will be held around winter :-).


..........and since I haven't posted any recent images of my own growing bump here is another taken a few days ago. I really just can't believe I am 8 MONTHS!!! At the beginning of this week I will officially have 9 more weeks left. The time has literally gone so fast that when I said earlier on that I was "ready freddy"...I might have been kidding myself a bit. I think I am starting to panic a little. Speaking of panic.... here is a little blog I stumbled upon "Pacing in the Panic Room". When I started reading it I just couldn't stop. What a fun idea. It's about a dad to be documenting his wife journey from the first weeks through the very last with images and written entries to the baby.


Last but not least.. I never got around to posting some of our Seaworld trip this summer with the kiddos. Heat seems to be the ongoing topic on here. I'm telling you my hubby is such a trooper. He stood in the hot lines literally melting away while I stood in the shade so the kids could get on the rides. Love him for melting for me and maintaining his cool the whole time. I think it was so hot, that I had somewhat of a nervous breakdown towards the end (sorry about that Bebe) :-(. Going to theme parks at 7 months pregnant is just not a good idea. Try at your own risk if you will, I think I learned my lesson this summer.

On other news. The Mini Bump Sessions that were planned this month were canceled. I might have taken on a bit too much. But they shall return late fall so if you are expecting now, and will be in your third trimester in October, November, December..this is especially for you, and your chance to receive a free* maternity session with a booked newborn session.

It's the little things....

As my Due date is vastly approaching, I get a little freaked out from time to time about how I will be able to handle 3 kiddos!! yikes!! I am typically all over the place and little scatter brained and wonder how it will affect the outcome of parenting three children all at once. I am at a place in my life right now where perfecting my motherhood skills are extremely important to me...not that they weren't before, but there was a lot of room for improvement. I let a few things get in the way of giving my children the time they deserved from me..ie..work..school..etc. Bottom line is that it had to be done. I don't regret a thing because everything I ever did I did for them; for my family.
This pregnancy is a very special pregnancy. All the others were equally as special, but as the years go by you start to realize many things. I find myself wanting to slow down a bit more in life even if I have to cut back on the things that "may seem so dreadfully important" which they really aren't...at all.. and enjoy the little things. The small things. The things that are in between. The things that make me laugh and the things that make me cry. Because I know well enough now that the little things are so important... "dreadfully important". As a parent you can try to come close to being perfect, but you won't be perfect. Not even an inch of perfection comes into play...(and if you think you are please write a book or do a workshop about it because I and other parent's out there like me would definitely be interested in learning how you got there..... really). In all seriousness though, perfection come in the eyes of my children I believe personally. They are the only ones that count...

This post is important to me because as I sat there worried and afraid about being a parent again.. I had a change of view. I said to myself "why am I so worried? this is not the first time" When I stopped worrying, I was able to see all the "little things" I had been missing. The things I once thought were a task now became the things I do because I love to do them... from the bottom of my heart, and do them without asking for anything in return. (well maybe for some smiles).



and while all this was going on...

Out of the office.

Be safe and have a Happy Memorial Day tomorrow!

I will return all calls and emails Tuesday, June 1st.

How do I count thee ways?

....how amazing this weekend went...! I'm tired and drained and probably don't have much in me left to explain, so I will show you by the way I know best.

Saturday my kids and I spent the day in Saint Augustine hunting for props...then...
Sunday I had the pleasure to photograph little Miss M. (look at those eyes!!!!!)





isn't she stunning??? more to come from this session later..and note to mom and dad.. you guys are awesome!!


Today is oficially my 2 Year Wedding Anniversary. We celebrated by going out to dinner last night. Here's to 200 more years..Love you babe!!

We had a visitor yesterday...

Bed head and all, that didn't stop baby girl from chasing after this little guy with a warm welcome. Until finally he jumped on her pj's from our screen porch. I honestly can say that my kids take after me when it comes to bugs and insects..we love em, wish we could touch em, but we just won't get the nerve to ever put our hands on one of these little creatures...freaks us out a little. You can totally tell by her body language..lol! Yes I am the type to go for grabbing a butterfly and clench my hand away when I get close to catching it...I have seen myself in pictures..you should see me too, it's a hoot!