birthday pictures are soon to come, but for now i'm so excited about the full set of family portraits we had done here are just a few of my favorites.

okay, so maybe its more than a few, but can you blame me? :)

happy birthday sweet lily. thank you for the last 365 days together! i have already learned more about patience and love than i ever thought possible and you still have so much more to teach me! you are a gift and a joy, sweet girl!

i could not be more excited!! i have had the privilege of doing a photography swap with another photographer and she did a wonderful job today- even from the sneak peek she posted i am already in love!

its my first time seeing my family through another photographer's eyes and it makes me even more excited that i get to offer this service for others :) custom portraiture is so worth it!!

you can see my images of her family HERE
you can see her images of my family HERE

sweet child, for the last time, my name is neither mimi nor amy. its mommy. sheesh. kids these days... if you've told them once you've told them a million times.

it doesn't seem like this could possibly have been a year ago...

i'm having so much fun playing with my new camera that sweet lily is being subjected to my daily torture again...

this one just makes me laugh.

she seems to think the old camera is hers now...

sooooo big!

as if i did not post enough pics of lily yesterday, here are more :)

she is almost one and it was a perfect cloudy day for pictures!

lily and i had a very fun time in dallas with friends and family. here are a few snapshots from our visit.

lots of good gaga kisses

we met our newest friend, ange and daniel's baby luke

we saw two bumps - this is brittany!

and the home of baby rhodes

fun in the pool with cousins

laughing at moon's 'camera'

and playing in the gillette's gorgeous backyard!

better late than never! my sister and i took our dad on a canopy tour a few weeks ago for his belated father's day present. we had a lot of fun, laughed a little too hard at beaver jokes, and probably annoyed most of the people on our tour in true donovan fashion.

dad with his girls

erin gets ready for the first zipline

this is the bridge where erin bit me. (i have been bit twice in two weeks)

coming in for landing

moon in motion

lily has a new game where she likes to play peek a boo with you. she checks to make sure you are looking at her, then she squats (her version of hiding), then she pops back up with a big smile!!

i took these today while trying to tie my shoes, pay attention to lily, and play with my new camera all at one time :)

sweet lily. her eyelashes go on for days.

its quiet moments like this that help me forget that she bit me yesterday. (yes. bit me.)

i don't have any adorable pictures of lily in red, white, and blue or even any fun firework shots. i've been sick the past day and a half or so, but i did manage to get a few of lily out for a walk with kevin this morning.

these aren't the usual fancy pants pictures, just snapshots of my new toddler :)

as if her walking isn't cute enough, she insisted on clapping as she walked...

if this doesn't make you laugh, you either

a) didn't go to showbiz for a classmate's birthday every other month in the early 80's

or

b) your funny bone is broken.