Being the youngest child of my family, and married to a first-born, I used to find it bordering on the ridiculous when my mother in law would lovingly say, “there’s just something special about the first one.” I’m not getting myself into trouble by posting this. T’s mom has long known how I felt by my eyerolls and elbows to T’s side.

But, I have to admit, it’s true. Not that the first is better or more loved. It’s that this child made you parents for the first time, and in the most traditional sense, a family. Right or wrong, so much of the joy, fear, excitement, stress and love that comes with that shift gets associated with your first child.

That’s what I was thinking about when I met this sweet and calm new family. Welcome to the world, baby A!

Three generations…

Miss “Inependent” is turning one this week, and although I heard she was walking, I was surprised by how mobile she already is. Not just walking, but running! This bitty thing made me work! I had so much fun chasing her around in Ortega and Avondale. While I love going into a family’s home to photograph them on their turf, I also have enjoyed exploring our historic neighborhoods on recent sessions.

Many thanks to Let Them Eat Cake! for letting us make a bit of a mess!

I love how you can glimpse Mom and Dad watching attentively from inside and outside the bakery window.

Share this…   …and a few more pics from this session will be on the JMP Facebook page ().

When you give someone the gift of a portrait session you are

…giving them an opportunity to record, preserve, and CELEBRATE themselves and their families.

…giving a gift that they will have and cherish for years to come.

…giving them the experience of a photo session where they get to be themselves and then see how beautiful that really is.

Gift Certificates can be purchased in any denomination and can be sent either to you or directly to the recipient.

This is also something you could register for if you are expecting a baby.

Contact me to register or purchase a gift certificate today!

If the image above looks familiar, it might be because you saw it here. Mom wasn’t kidding when she told me that really captured her son the first time around! This time we were on the beach and at their home in Fort Lauderdale.

Baby M is not saying much with words yet, but those eyes are definitely talking.

And they could be saying, “have you heard I’m going to be a big sister?! I’m not sure what to think about that yet.”

Congrats to the whole W family! Thank you for being such generous hosts and friends to me and my girls. Next time, really, we have to get A in there…along with the new baby!

I have too many favorites of these guys to post here. Check out the JMP Facebook page to see more!

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JACKSONVILLE – Just a few slots left for Holiday Mini Sessions! See Investment page for details.

I met the M family on a recent muggy morning when we got together to do a quick mini shoot at their new home.

I love this series of father and son.

But don’t forget baby sis.

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JACKSONVILLE – Just a few slots left for Holiday Mini Sessions! See Investment page for details.

I am honored to be invited into the homes and lives of amazing families through my job. The H family has so much going on, but it is clear that family is their priority. They have three boys. One in utero, one with special needs, and one with a brand new puppy. As if that wouldn’t be enough to keep you busy, they are in the midst of a MAJOR home renovation. So major that when I arrived I wasn’t sure where the front door was!

You know what’s important to them when the first things to be done at their house are the playroom, pool and outdoor play area. They even have their own ball pit!

Unfortunately, our shoot got cut short by a health scare that was both terrifying yet normal to them. Full plate, I told you. I can’t even imagine. Still, in the short time I got to spend with them, it was clear that this family is full of love and optimism despite their challenges.

K and M, good luck with the weeks ahead. I hope to get to pick up where we left off, next time with the new baby in the new house!

It’s been such a busy few weeks that I’ve not posted as much as I would have liked. These are from a mini session on the beach that I did recently near Fort Lauderdale. This shoot was late in the morning and it was HOT! We had to hide out under the pier to have any hope of finding shade. Miss E is beautiful, but wasn’t too keen on getting her picture taken by me! Thankfully, Daddy helped me bring out her smile.

So serious…

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JACKSONVILLE – Just a few slots left for Holiday Mini Sessions! See Investment page for details.

ATLANTA – One Day Only – Saturday, October 17 – until 2010! Contact me at jenmen@gmail.com

With all the H1N1 warnings out there, it’s hard not to watch your kids for the slightest sign of the dreaded flu. It seems that the bugs that have invaded our house are just the average back-to-school variety. Above is CM keeping herself and us entertained earlier this week. This was on the second day when she was getting back to normal…day one was not so cheerful.

I describe myself as having a green heart and a black thumb. The summer heat has finally broken here so we got out in the yard to clear out all the debris of what we attempted to grow last season, and the weeds that came up instead. It’s so nice to go outside to play and not instantly break a sweat.

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JACKSONVILLE – Just a few slots left for Holiday Mini Sessions! See Investment page for details.

FORT LAUDERDALE – Meet me on the beach! Only mini session slots remaining on Oct 4. Email me NOW to claim one!

ATLANTA – One Day Only – Saturday, October 17 – until 2010! Contact me at jenmen@gmail.com

Obviously, I believe in the importance of capturing moments, recording memories, and preserving them for the future. And while “a picture is worth a thousand words”, words are still incredibly and uniquely powerful. There are so many things that I want my children to know, big and little things that I want to tell them. I often want to write a thought or a story for them down, never to actually make the time. Something about putting pen to paper, in our digital age, is a barrier to me. I started out collecting random notes. I’ve tried to maintain journals for them. I haven’t had much success with keeping up with any of these.

But then there’s email. I can do that. I already do. All the time. Maybe too much. I decided to start email accounts for both CM and VC so that I can send them notes. Big ones about the things that are really important to me. And incidental ones about little things, like how they made each other laugh this morning. I can attach pictures (of course!), jot down the recipe to a meal I made for them, document interesting little things in their lives in a matter of minutes. I’ve also shared the address with their grandparents and a few special people in their lives so they can contribute as well. They should have quite an inbox by the time I actually tell them about this!

Dear VC, sometimes I worry and feel guilty that your diet is mostly composed of grapes and raisins. But right now all you need is one of those tiny little boxes, and you’re content! It’s hard to argue with that and I’m happy to provide such a simple pleasure. I love you and your sweet little pursed lips…Mommy

I’m very excited about this idea. It’s not mine originally. I saw it here. But I love it so much that I wanted to share it with you and encourage you to do it as well. I wished I’d done this when I was pregnant! I think that the ability to savor a moment frees us up to enjoy the next one, and that this will help me do just that.

I have a lot of fun sessions coming up in the next several weeks. I will get back to posting about other people’s children and families very soon!

And now, some business to attend to…

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JACKSONVILLE – Just a few slots left for Holiday Mini Sessions! See Investment page for details.

FORT LAUDERDALE – Meet me on the beach! Only mini session slots remaining on Oct 4. Email me NOW to claim one!

ATLANTA – One Day Only – Saturday, October 17 – until 2010! Contact me at jenmen@gmail.com

I am booking now for Saturday, October 17. This is the only day that I have free in Atlanta prior to the holidays, so book NOW and don’t wait until the last minute!

See the investment page for options, including Mini Holiday Sessions. Another great option is to get some friends or extended family together and split the session up. This is also a fun way to get pictures of grown-up siblings, cousins, best buddies, etc, which also make wonderful presents. I’m always willing to work out custom packages. Contact me to come up with something that works for you.

I know these pictures aren’t exactly relevant to the post, but I can’t post without photos and I just happen to love these random ones from last week…

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BOOK NOW for Holiday Mini Sessions! See Investment page for details.

A few spaces still available for the Fort Lauderdale families! Contact me at jenmen@gmail.com

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