Our new puppy Molly

Seriously, have you ever seen such a cute puppy? I was shooting a wedding in October, when the mother of the bridesmaid showed up with a puppy she had found on the reseveration in Kayenta. After seeing this photo, I'm sure you understand why I HAD to bring her home! After losing Ginger in June, we've been looking for a dog to keep Banjo company, but it never seemed right. I guess life kind of takes care of itself sometimes. She has added a lot of laughter to our days, and a lot of holes in my shoes and carpet. Totally worth it though! She weighed 8 lbs when we got here and yesterday she weighed 22 lbs! Oh boy!

Sophia waits for Santa!

Sophia is nothing but 100% sweetie pie and absolute apple of my eye. However, when it came time for her Christmas photo shoot, she didn't really seem to interested in being in front of the camera, but more interested in my gear and funny studio reflectors. I let her press the button to take a photo of her mom and she loved that! Of course, since I wasn't paying attention, the flash went off one inch from my left eye which left me blinded for about a minute. The second photo is of her and her Dad, Jonny. It's probably not going to make the cut for the cards, but her mom and I got a lot of laughs over this shot!

Abby and Jocelyn

I LOVE shooting little girls and this photo shoot was no exception. Something about it just makes me want to giggle. Jocelyn is about 6 months old and her proud big sister is six years old. They were so sweet during the shoot and the baby never got cranky, not even after me flashing over 100 times! Check out all their photos here and click on "The Bitsue Girls. Thank you girls, you look fabulous!

Twins!!

I've been shooting a lot of families and kids lately but this weekend I was given the opportunity to work with two girls who were twins. I've read that sibling relationships are the longest relationships we'll ever have, longer than relationships we have with our parents, spouses and even our own children. Amidst their antics and giggling, I couldn't help but laugh out loud with them! I would image raising twins has to be twice the work, but don't you think it's twice the fun too? Although these are probably not the photos their parents are going to choose for their Holiday cards, they are among my favorites. Thanks for letting me be part of your day ladies!

Diana and Neil Weintraub

Diana and Neil were married on Saturday in a meadow at the base of the San Francisco Peaks. It doesn't really get any better than that! Dianna was such a beautiful bride! Neil, you didn't look so bad either! The ceremony was the quickest one I've ever been to and had me scrambling to the front to get the first kiss. Being they are both friends of mine, it was a blessing to be involved in their day. Congrats Dianna and Neil! To see their entire slideshow go to www.melissagrimesphotography.com. Click on "Enter Website". Click on "Client". The password is "natra" (of course!).

Welcome to the world Ruby Taylor!

Ruby Taylor came into this world this weekend! She was welcomed by her mom and dad and proud big brothers! I got to hold her and she was so little and sweet. I just love photos of wrinkly newborn babies with their delicate skin and tiny, tiny hands and feet. Can you imagine what they must be thinking? Congrats to the Taylors!

Camp Dunstan

For those of you who know me, you won't disagree with my next statement. If reincarnation exists, I want to come back as one of my animals. Camp Dunstan was lucky to have our canine friend, Kaibee, come visit with us for a week while Cameron and Matt got some long overdue R&R on the beach. We spent the week hiking every day and exploring the mountain that I normally see via mountain bike. It's a completely different experience and allowed me some time to soak in our beautiful wilderness areas. The above photographs are from Doyle Saddle and the Weatherford trail, all part of the Katchina Peak Wilderness. Since bicycles are not allowed in wilderness areas, I rarely make it up there. Our dog, Banjo, had a blast trying to keep up with Kaibee all week! Although, he's been a bit depressed since she left. Take more vacations Cameron and Matt!