Blog and Website Changes

We have a couple of url changes.

We are so excited about our new blog at Cutie Pie Photography.

Please update your RSS feed to reflect our new blog address.

For more exciting news, we finally got the domain name WITHOUT the dash!

We are now www.cutiepiephotography.com.

We will redirect the old sites for a limited amount of time.

Thanks for viewing Cutie Pie Photography's Blog and Website.

First Valentine's Day

Kassie

I had such a great time with Kassie and her mom. Kassie is so put together for a girl her age. I casually asked if she knew where she was going to school next year. She rattled off what she wants to do with her life for the next 7-10 years. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life at her age. It is refreshing to see someone that knows what they want and is willing to do the hard work to get there. Kassie seems like such an amazing Christian girl.  She is actively involved at school and has time to play multiple sports. She is a beautiful girl, both inside and out. I could also tell that Robin really loves Kassie. I know all mom's love their kids, but I loved that it oozed out of Robin. The pride in her voice when she spoke about Kassie was heartwarming. I pray I feel the same love and affection for my kids when they are that age. It was such a blessing to spend time with them. 

Here's your a sneak peek:

I jokingly said to Kassie that we should take the "typical" senior portrait. Just for fun. You know the obviously posed one by the tree. She did it and completely made it look fabulous.
This one was my favorite (I had a bunch of them). She just looked stunning.

Thanks again ladies. I had a great day with you both!

Lack of blogging...

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. Chinell and I are working on some cool changes around here. Stay tuned...

Oh, and a rockin' senior session will be posted tomorrow.

Exciting news...

No, I am not pregnant...but it is a boy!!!

Meet our new addition. We got him last night.  He is adorable, simply adorable. We went to meet him at Hill Country Pugs. Kristy is amazing. We spent 3 hours with her and with Ritz (she was so patient with us). We met his mommy and his daddy. We wanted to make sure he was going to fit in with our family before we took him home. Kristy and Kevin show pugs, and the pups they don't keep go to pet homes. I was very impressed by her and the way they care for their little cuties. I am also thankful she allowed us to have one of her precious dogs, she is picky about the owners she selects. 

We told the kids we were going to have an adventure and go meet some cute little puppies. I had bought a crate the day before just in case we took him home. We hid it under the blanket so there was so pressure from the kids to take little Ritz home if his disposition was not a good fit for our family or we weren't a good fit for him.  O and A adored him from the very start of our visit. He is a perfect mix of energy and normal pug cuddling. Alex and I fell asleep with him on the couch with him last night.  Those of you that know me I am not an animal lover per say, but I am in love with this little guy.  Alex adores him too. He even took Ritz upstairs with him while we were gone and Ritz took a nap on Alex's lap while he worked. We have been trying to think of a new name for him and we are in between keeping the name Ritz, and O's name "Biscuit". 

We have been thinking about a dog for some time. Our girls really are amazing with animals. Horses, cats, rabbits, donkeys and of course dogs. Any animals.  Neither one of them have any fear of animals and really love them. We see something amazing in their spirits when they are with animals. I don't know how to describe it. We noticed it at my mom's farm and with my Dad and Michelle's dog Mac. We thought about small pets, had some fish that didn't work out (thanks Uncle Ryan), and ruled out a cat because you can't really choose a temperament, most are grouchy and independent. Anyhow, our kids are over the moon about little Ritz. I'll post some pictures with the kids and him later.  

The pictures speak for themselves. How adorable is he? :)

If you've got any other good doggy names, please comment :)

Giving is Awesome

Chinell and I are humbled to have been able to be a part of this amazing opportunity. Thank you all for your support and love. The family we have chosen is incredible. The husband serves our wonderful country in the armed forces. He is in Iraq right now putting his life on the life for our nation.  Mom stays at home with 4 kids. I can't even imagine trying to care for 4 kids on my own, dealing with the day to day stresses, and on top of that worrying about my husbands life on a daily basis. 

Congratulations! Thank you for all you do to serve our country. We look forward to meeting you and taking pictures of your family!

Y family

The Y family was so much fun. Aimee's mom had won a mini-session at one of our open houses (an invitation only event-email to get on our list). She saved her session for them. They came all the way from Tennessee. The kids were so fun and energetic. As you can see they are very adorable kids!  If you would join with me to pray for Aimee's stepfather. He is quite sick and could really use the prayers.I had a great time with you guys. I hope you have a wonderful trip home!

The T family

Kathy's mom was here for a visit and wanted to bless her family with some pictures. What a sweet mom! We had so much fun just running around and playing. Kathy and Joel are super fun people and were up for anything. Having 4 kids under the age of 5 1/2 is amazing, and Joel and Kathy work together so well as a team. It was wonderful seeing them interact with each other and the kids. The kiddos were very cooperative and full of energy. We even got Granna in on some pictures. Thanks for a great morning! Here is your sneak peek guys:

You can completely see the love they have for each other in this picture.

Giving is Awesome

Remember nominations for Giving is Awesome are due on or by December 26th. We hope you are enjoying a blessed Christmas season! 

Giving is so AWESOME!

7 countries. 113 Photographers. Over $154,000 in photography. A huge thank you to Kristen Kalp for starting this amazing project and for helping us with words that express what we are trying to do (read: snag the words right from her website). What started with one photographer has given way to photographers from all over the world giving their passion to others. Chinell and I are thrilled to be a part of this. 

Chinell and I tend to be behind the scenes givers and servers. We almost hesitated to be a part of this because we didn't want it to look like we are doing this for any other reason except to bless another family. That is our heart. Also, we can't really find a needy person without blogging it. It would be hard for people to nominate others if they didn't know about the giveaway. :)  

Chinell and I are planning to give away over $1000 worth of photography services. Read on for the details. 

You know someone we know it. You know someone who's experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. Someone serving our country, someone in the mission field home on furlough, someone struggling the best they can to provide for their family. Someone that serves others with their time and energy even if they can't afford to give money. You know someone who can't afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family's spirit, love, and beauty. We want to create pictures that make their heart happy every time they look at them.

You know someone. We guarantee it.

We want to know who they are, and we want to give them the chance to experience custom photography -- $850 worth, to be exact. The winning family gets a complimentary session for their children and/or immediate family with both Chinell and I, a 11x14 canvas wrap, 20-30 images (knowing us probably more) of their session on DVD, and a $250 print credit.

Oh, and as an added bonus? The person who nominates the winner receives a free session and a $75 print credit. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, anyone?

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing our services. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a two-million-dollar-vacation-home in Paris does not qualify as sincere financial need.)

* The nominee must reside within 50 miles of Round Rock, TX. We are also including the Killeen area as it is just about in range, and we want this to be open for our military men and woman. Tell me who you know, what they're experiencing, and why they are deserving. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.

* You must e-mail me the full story : cutiepiephotography @ gmail.com (delete the spaces). 

*All entries must be in our inbox by December 26th.

*You don't have to tell the person you nominated that you nominated them...unless of course they win :)

*If the person you enter would like to remain anonymous we can honor that, we will just leave out their names when we post them as the winner.

The winner will be announced on December 31st -- get nominating! We can't wait to read all of your entries!

Open your heart to someone this holiday season -- and thanks for giving us the opportunity to open ours. We are so excited!!  When Chinell and I talk about this it about brings us to tears we so excited! Did I mention we were excited? :)

With love,

Chinell and Nicole

PS. To see who else is participating and to get more information about this amazing project please visit: http://www.givingisawesome.com/

***Update-December 19th-There are over 425 photographers participating, and giving away almost $500,000 worth of services....amazing.

the cobblers kids...

Brothers

Isaiah and Mateo are like my own kids. I adore them.  I have know Isaiah since he was 18 month old and he and my Olivia have been best friends ever since we moved to Austin.  Mateo is such a cutie. He makes the most adorable faces and has such a sweet disposition. Isaiah is full of life, kind hearted and has a wonderful sense of humor. I am blessed to have them (and their great parents) in my life.  Mateo:

Brothers:
Isaiah modeling.
Isaiah trying to help us get a picture (note Mateo screaming and crying)
Love this one of Isaiah:

Sisters

Loved these girls. Sweet sisters!

Twins

Friends. Playmates. Kindred Spirits. Siblings. Twins. It was the end of the session when I caught these last few pictures. They wanted to play in the dirt. I love kids that like to play in the dirt. This is how life is suppose to be lived.  Carefree, fun, and shared with a best friend.  

Little Z

I am a little behind on my editing. Here is little Z, she is an absolute doll.

More Workshop Pictures

This little guy was ADORABLE. He was so fun and a little sassy by the end.  He was so much fun and such a handsome guy.

Amazing Photography Workshop

My inspiration comes from so many things.  I love to see my Autumn playing with her doll or animal. My Olivia dancing around as a ballerina. I get inspiration from flowers, nature, old rusty looking doors, chipped stools, barns, lighting, animals...really from everything I encounter. I also get my inspiration from other photographers. Amazing Skye Hardwick from Work of Heart Photography was in town for a workshop I attended. It was beyond amazing. I learned new business type things, and she introduced me to some new vendors (more great things coming soon). She also talked to us a lot about inspiration. Her work inspires me within itself, but she shared so much about how to find my own inspiration from within. Did I mention how great it was? I really needed this workshop in my life, it was perfect timing with everything I have been going through in the past number of months.  

We also had the time to do a photo session with about 16 different children. It was SO fun!  You all know how much I love kids and it was so fun to get to know so many at one time and take their pictures. I will post some of my favorites over the next couple of days.

Newborn Isaiah

Back in August we did family and maternity pictures for a beautiful family who serves our country in the military and as civilian military support. Last week, I had the pleasure of photographing their newest edition.

Daddy flew home from Iraq in time for the birth, but he had to return within days after his son being born. This momma is not only Army strong, but Momma strong too...


Hey Daddy, I have a message for you!



He had other things on his mind besides getting his picture taken...

This is an example of me playing with selective coloring. I want to make it clear that this is not consistent with the normal style of photography editing we do. I am being a little edgy and playful. I have to be honest, Nicole, my business partner hates selective coloring and I like to play with edits a little too much.

Since M is wearing a blue sweater and she had a baby boy, I was being cheesy and selected the blue coloring and said: "It's a boy!"