I can't believe I am finally making this announcement... I am really excited, nervous, scared, happy, nervous, proud, overwhelmed, and did I mention nervous? to announce a new development in the Holriz Photography world.�

We moved to this blog (from our old blogspot blog) in November of 2007. It has served us well, and we have loved becoming close to our clients through blogging. Originally, this blog was created to be about Nathan and I... to introduce the two of us to our future wedding clients. At the same time, I was also countinuing to build a lifestyle clientele. Somewhere along the way, as my lifestyle clientele grew, wonderful babies and their equally wonderful families became my focus. I still LOVE shooting amazing weddings with my wonderful husband, and I can't wait to shoot the next one with him :) but it started to seem that since lifestyle baby photograph is such a specific niche, maybe that part of the business should be separate from the wedding photography part. We've been discussing the idea of this for ages, but finally, at the first of the year, we decided it was time to just do it.�

And so, the lifestyle baby photographer was born.� We've created a new place to showcase the amazing babies that I photograph. New look, new logo, new domain. I am a big baby when it comes to change, so I've been very nervous about doing this... but I am also excited :) I can't wait to hear what you guys think!

Soon, this blog (www.holritzphotography.com) will be archived as well... to be replaced by something new and excited to showcase our wedding photography work. I'm excited to finish that project soon, and to share it with you all!�

So add amberholritz.com, the lifestyle baby photographer, to your bookmarks... and head over there now to see the most recent shoots that I've done. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the new branding and blogsite!�

A huge thanks to Nathan for his unending support in this venture. I depend so strongly on him for tech stuff and design work and, well, just everything... and he really pushed me to do this, as much as possible, on my own. It's a really awesome feeling to work through something mostly on my own, and to receive affirmation that I'm doing it well. Nathan has done that perfectly for me. Thanks so much, babe.�

Another thanks to my clients and friends who have suffered through countless rounds of critique and questioning. I truly appreciate your feedback. You guys rock.

Keep checking back here... I'll still be posting anything wedding-y here between now and the time we get the next Holritz Photography project launched. I'll probably keep posting family and photographer stuff here, too, for the time being.�

I really hope to see you around at the lifestyle baby photographer :)�

much love,�

-amber

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Somehow, my adorable baby boy is really a mini-man already. How has our first born reached the old age of 8 years old so quickly? I know, I know... time flies, it's just gonna get worse, just wait til he's a teenager, etc... but this is MY baby... and I'd prefer it if he didn't grew up much slower :)�

I want to take a brief second to tell you a little bit about Austen. He's not your typical 8 year old boy, and yet, he is. He's such a boy... he loves superheros and playing xbox and star wars and legos. He thinks body humor is hysterical. He loves to describe in intense detail the last game he played on the computer (and sometimes I think he can navigate that computer better than I can!). Those things are fairly typical of today's 8 year old, right? But is it typical for an 8 year old boy to make a DAILY habit of asking the people around him if they slept well last night... if they're having a good day today... if they had a fun time tonight? Is it typical for them to just pipe up with reminders of their love? He regularly reaches forward when we're riding in the car to pat or rub my shoulders. He often reaches over and squeezes my hand if he thinks I'm sad or tired. If Addison is walking with her Daddy, Austen makes sure he waits for me... he wouldn't want me to feel left out in any way. He's protective (to a fault) of his baby sister. He always wants to make sure she's safe, even when Nathan and I are right there to watch out for her. I am daily amazed by his sensitive spirit.

Nothing I could say right now would effective convey how proud I am of our son. 8 years ago... on January 6th... late the night before my scheduled C-section delivery... Nathan and I hit a crisis moment. Suddenly, the reality of how our life was about to change became very real. It wouldn't just be "me and Nathan" anymore, but we would have the responsibility of this little life... this person. And yes, we loved him already... as much as one can love a being that lives inside your stomach and causes you to throw up a lot and not be able to sleep without the return favor of being snuggly and adorable... but we did not yet KNOW him, nor did we know what his arrival was going to do to our lives. We clung to each other. We might've cried a bit. And we prepared ourselves, as best we could, for the unknown.�

And when this unknown arrived, it was a bald little squirmy baby... and he was beautiful. And our lives did change. And we did lose some (albeit not nearly as much as we had feared) of our freedom. And it was scary and tiring and overwhelming. But it was amazing. I watched Nathan turn into a father. It didn't happen on contact... it was a process. But watching him fall in love with his child made me love him even more. Rather than taking up more room in our lives, Baby Austen's arrival created room. I was afraid it was impossible to love him enough. I didn't feel I had the capacity... but I was wrong. He's a lover... a snuggler... and I'm incredibly proud to be his mother.�

Austen, your dad and I love you so much. You're an amazing, amazing guy. We am daily impacted by your amazing spirit.

Happy Birthday, buddy.�

-mom

�(two galleries are below. The first is just a random sampling of Austen's life, and the second is from his birthday this year... enjoy!)

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The night before Austen's birth... (I really can't believe I'm putting this one out there:)) New Baby Austen! Settling into life. It took a bit to figure it all out. We're still at the hospital here... Nathan and Austen... one of my favorite things was to catch them napping together. So sweet. Nathan's first Father's day. How adorable are my two boys? :) Austen loved his bathtimes. Already turning into the thoughtful, contemplative boy that he is today... Fierce :) Already so grown up! I can't believe he was only 3 here... His first photo with Baby Addy. For weeks after this picture was taken, he would walk around telling people "I'm a model!" After Addy was born, Austen became the BEST helper. He'd take diapers to the trash, grab bottles for me, and the best thing was... when Addy would wake up from her nap... Austen would go climb into her crib with her, and they would self entertain for insane amounts of time. It was a lifesaver! Addy just wanted to be like her brother I loved this image... because he seems small. He was growing up so fast already at this point. A little bit nervous about starting school... (he learned to love it, almost immediately!) I'd never had him in khaki pants before... something about them seemed so grown up. He still needed some help, and that made me feel a little better. This image made me cry that day... and made me cry again today. It makes me feel so many things. Still just a little nervous... so heartbreaking. Typical boy... completely TV zoned. Always helping his sister. :) Don't you wonder what thoughts are behind those eyes? As of this year, we stopped doing birthday bath day, but in years past, we'd buy super fun bath stuff and let them go crazy. This is Austen on one of his bday bath days. The reading began early... and it hasn't stopped. He reads and reads and reads. It's as if he's consuming books, not just reading them. Teeth started falling out :) He's such a big boy... he HATES getting his haircut, yet when Addy was freaked out about having her first haircut, he totally volunteered to go first so she could see that it was easy. He's beautiful. He's a bit like me when it comes to food... tentative at first, but excited once he decides he likes it! They're crazy about each other. Big boy! Can you see how much Addy adores him? His best friend Ben. He's amazing with babies. It's remarkable to watch. He's often tentative and even afraid of new experiences... but he'll do it anyway, and loves it. One of his greatest passions... legos. Love this hair :) One of my favorite images ever. This is Christmas morning last year... More reading... Unprompted love. So grown up. And getting braver and braver. He's gorgeous, right? Look how Addy watches him... He learned how to do this quickly, and then did it all by himself with no hesitations! Onward. And one last image of Addy and Austen together... I just wish I could hear what they are saying.

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The arrival at Kathy's house... it was crazy cold, and we had a tiny bit of snow. Fun theme :) Sometimes he's a little bashful... I'm SO glad Nathan grabbed the camera from me to shoot this moment from this angle. I love seeing the people in the background :) This is what an 8 year old looks like when he receives an iPod nano for his birthday :) He's pretty excited :) Meleah got him special drawing supplies... she was telling him how to use them. He spends hours drawing, so I know he'll be putting those to use. So cute... he took the time to read everything that Theresa had written in his birthday card. He's a doll. Kathy got him a book about the human body... he'll be learning and sharing information with the rest of us for weeks! I love my family... :)

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For New Year, this year, Nathan and the kids and I drove to Asheville to celebrate with friends and family. We spent New Year's Eve celebrating with our dear friends Ian and Nicole (Ian's birthday is January 1st, so it was a dual purpose outing!). No pictures from that... too busy relaxing and enjoying one another's company :)�

On New Year's Day, we headed over to my Nanny and Grandaddy's house. My cousin Greg and his wonderful family had come in from California, and we were excited about letting our kids hang out, and spending some time together.�

The best part of this day was seeing my grandparents... They were so excited to be surrounded by their grandkids and great-grandkids, and you could see the pride on their faces. They have been an instrumental part of my life, and I always feel inspired to live and love better after I've been around them. It was the perfect start to my 2010.�

Nanny and Grandaddy, I know you guys will read this, and I hope you know how much we all love you! Thanks for letting us come hang out at your house...the pizza was delicious, and the company was perfect! Love you so much!�

Happy New Year!

-amber

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Greg took Nanny and Grandaddy out into the insane cold so he could take a few portraits of them... I snuck around and stole an image or two while he was at it. They've been married for so many years... and they're still so in love. And they laugh... a lot. love :) I love this house... I've been spending time here since I was a baby... so many amazing memories. I can't wait to see what Greg got... he shot film! so sadly, I have to wait... but I'm excited to see the results. Austen wanted to share his books with Grandaddy... I think Grandaddy liked them just as much as Austen did! My Nanny is so content. It was wonderful to watch. Addy and Emily... immediate best friends. Grandaddy and Baby Anna... love her hair :) love Grandaddy's smile. Austen is so cute with babies... he's so engaging. Wanna know what that look is? That's pure contentment. Makes me very happy.

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