Raise your hand if you love Mindy Booth.

Approximately 1,448 people on Facebook would raise their hands (I just checked). I bet she knows all of those people, too.

See, Mindy is one of those people that EVERYONE loves. Everyone who meets her, across the social spectrum. It's kind of amazing, but not really at all surprising if you know her like I'm lucky enough to.

She's one of my favorite people in the universe, & I could give you an alphabetized list as to why (starting with amazing / articulate, beautiful / brilliant, & clever / Christ-like. See, I even have to double up on letters). She also makes really yummy chocolate chip cookies.

She's leaving New York at the end of September. This makes me terribly sad (while still maintaining excitement for her new opportunities & future).

Side note: why do people do this to me?!

I took her photos in the city that she has called home for the last 6+ years. New York will always love you, Mindy - & you'll always, always have family here to come visit.

Priest Lake '10: Paige & Andrew.

Blog, meet Paige.

Paige is marrying my little brother Andrew on August 27th. The last Hudson family wedding, & then my parents will have seven married children. 

We really love Paige. And I'm really lucky to have good sister-in-law's. All around. Love them all, & I'm happy to have one more.

I took their engagement photos yesterday, & I love how they turned out. But this one of just Paige? Her eyes are just beautiful. They're turquoise! Naturally.

You'll notice that they're getting married August 27th. This poses a bit of a problem for us, as Baby Boy is scheduled to arrive less than a month later, & I'm grounded on the east coast (with the sure-to-be accompanying humidity - say a little prayer for me mid-August, please) post-August 1st. As a matter of fact, my two-day intensive Labor & Delivery class is that very weekend. Sigh.

*Side note: I realized yesterday that I am seven months pregnant, after someone asked me how many months I was & I could only answer in weeks (it's all confusing). But really. Seven?! In my seventh month (28 to 31 weeks). How is this happening so quickly? Although it does make me feel better about the size of my growing belly.

I'm thinking that I'll keep my new (!!) iPhone with me all day & have one of my siblings do the same so that we can use FaceTime & I can "be" there.

Baby Hyrum.

I'm late on posting these, but it's been quite the week. Excuse me while I catch my breath... 

Baby Hyrum made his debut a few weeks early, giving everyone a little surprise & showing up last Friday night instead of on June 5th as scheduled. 

I watched Evelyn that day & my favorite was when I asked her if she was excited for her baby brother to arrive. Yes, he'll come out of my tummy as soon as he's big enough. I responded by reminding her how someday she'll get to be a mama, but first she has to find a nice boy, fall in love & get married. 

I was happy to get to visit the hospital about 14 hours after he was born. There's nothing like a brand new baby - & he's just perfectly handsome. Emma of course looked annoyingly perfect immediately after giving birth. I make the following prediction: THAT. WILL. NOT. BE. ME. I'm just sure of it. 

Brad + Jill + Jane.

It's sort of crazy that Jill's belly turned into this baby, & now to this family. I love it. Time feels like it's going zoom!

The Skousens are leaving New York this week. Jill snagged her masters in interior design a few springs back, & Brad just finished up his masters at Columbia. Now, they're  off to Illinois for Brad to work on his PhD (!!) & for Jill to be super mama + continue her work as all around creative master, I'm sure. We're sad to see them go, but so happy for their little family - as long as they pinky swear to visit. 

I had a hard time choosing my favorites. Obviously. 

Photos taken up in Morningside Heights - on Columbia's campus at 116th Street, in Riverside Park & on Amsterdam Avenue, mostly with my 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, but some with my 24-70mm f/2.8. 

Corinne & Ada.

I took their photos before lunch today at the garden at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Pretty girls! Lots & lots of sunshine, & lots & lots of bright flowers. Loved it.

People are often asking what my favorite lens is these days, & it has to be my 70-200mm f/2.8. Corinne may have made fun of me when I pulled it out. It might be huge & weigh as much as a small infant, but the color is always amazing & it's sharp as a tack. Seriously. I took each of these photos with it, & didn't want to adjust a thing (except maybe a little owie that Ada has on her forehead). I hate carrying it around, but I'm always so happy that I did when I do. That's sort of my goal with photography, by the way. To be a good photographer. Not a good photoshop-er (no glow-the-dark eyes or any of that silly business for me). I'm working on it. Practice, practice. 

Anyway. 

Ada's cute, Corinne is pretty. They're just a nice mama / baby pair. And the flowers! Can you believe them?