Archive for May, 2010

Danielle and Justin are such a sweet and in love couple!  I have known Danielle for a few years, we attended the U of A together and graduated from the Dietetics program together in 2008.  A few years back I offered to shoot Danielle and her friend McKinzie just for fun, and we did just that, had lots of fun!  We came out with some great shots of the both of them.  Since then we were able to shoot McKinzie’s wedding last summer at the Botanical Gardens and are super excited that she’s having a baby boy too!!!  :)  But we’re more excited that we’re lucky enough to have the opportunity to shoot Danielle’s wedding in Conway this October!!!  I can’t wait.  She is so beautiful!  This girl is truly amazing!  She works with kids on a daily basis and loves every second of it.  And thank you Justin for supporting her in life, because we all know she probably comes home sometimes wiped out and completely exhausted  from sharing that love all day!  We need more people in the world just like them!  Oh and a big congrats to Justin who just graduated from UCA in Kinesiology!

We shot these lovely engagements out at the Botanical Gardens on Friday!

Botanical Gardens Outdoor Engagements

Are they not just the most adorable couple ever?

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I just love the way she looks at him!

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This is just too lovely!

Ozark Botanical Gardens Engagements

Love love love love it!

Botanical Garden of the Ozarks Engagements

She’s gorgeous…….I told ya so!

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I just love this yummy light!

Botanical Garden Engagements

Love.

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Thanks you guys you were wonderful!

Enjoy!

-erika

Tummy Tuesday

May 18, 2010

Wow today is week 24!  I can’t believe it.

Baby Dotson is about eight and a half inches long and weighs one and a half pounds, gaining steadily at a rate of six ounces per week. Much of that weight comes from accumulating baby fat, as well as from growing organs, bones, and muscle. His little ears are getting sharper and can hear very loud sounds, from a yapping dog to a jackhammer. Also by now, that fabulous face is almost fully formed, complete with eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair. Is he a brunette, a blonde, or a redhead? Actually, right now his locks are white since there’s no pigment yet!

Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby Dotson is starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day.  He’s the size of a papaya until week 25.

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Enjoy!

-erika

Tummy Tuesday

May 13, 2010

I know I know Kori it’s two days late, but as they say better late than never!  :)

I’ve been working on lots of different projects recently that have been pulling me in a hundred different directions so sorry for my blog absence.  Today feels like my Monday (yikes have the week flew by already!).  Pretty sure I’ll have to start dropping some plates soon!

So today (well Tuesday) is week 23.  I went to the doctor yesterday and they measured my belly while I was lying on the table (man I should have asked her what the measurement was!), anyways I drank this HORRIBLE tasting liquid also known as Orange Flavored Cough Syrupy Disgusting Sugar Loaded Specialty Drink to test and see if I have gestational diabetes, which basically means developing diabetes during your pregnancy.  And also got to hear Baby Dotson’s little heart beat, which was 154.

Our little doll-sized babe is about to chub up a bit. His saggy skin will start to fit his frame as fat deposits fill things out. Beginning this week, he’ll start to pack on the pounds (which means I will too!) and by month’s end he’ll be double the weight he is now (though I won’t be — whew!). Right now, Baby Dotson’s organs and bones are visible through his skin, which has a red hue due to developing veins and arteries beneath. But once those fat deposits settle in, he’ll become less transparent!

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Enjoy!

-erika

I know there are some excited people out there waiting for this post!

Chelsea and Stew were married last weekend at the Botanical Gardens.  It was such a beautiful ceremony and while we worried about rain all day we sure got lucky….not one drop!  :)  Chelsea and Stew devoted lots of time into planning their wedding and you’ll sure be able to tell from their beautiful details!  Liz (you remember…my old business partner?) drove down from Dallas to accompany me on this wedding, it was a pleasure to be able to work along her side again!!!

Chelsea-and-Stew

Cake Artist: Shelby Lynn’s

Flowers: NWA Florist

Music: Big Smith

Caterer: Green House Grill

Event Coordinator: Amy Bates

Photo Booth: Vintage Photobooth

Party Rentals: Intents

Venue: Botanical Gardens

Jewelry: Dark Star

Photography: Erika Dotson Photography

I ♥ My UPS Man!!!!

May 6, 2010

Ok so I have been patiently (very patiently) awaiting a very exciting package today.  Since I live in the sticks I know when my UPS man will get here (well usually it’s around 6:30).  ALL DAY LONG I have been so excited that I knew what was coming to me in the mail……besides who doesn’t like a package!?!?!?!  I ordered this about a month or maybe two ago and have been thinking about it ever since!  thinking…..”hmmm I wonder when they will ship that package?”…….”I wonder how long it will take to get here?”………”Hopefully my UPS man comes early today!”

GUESS WHAT IT’S FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!

She even went all out with custom printed tape?!?!?!?! …….awesomeness!!!!

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Look at her being all eco friendly and everything with the recycled newspaper!

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And there she is all nested inside safe and sound awaiting me to find her!!!!  :)

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She’s here and ready for me to get crackin!!!

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Thank you so much to Millie Holloman who put all her efforts into sharing such sought for information by us awesome photographers who are horrible business managers!!!

Check out Millie’s Get It Together Kit here!

Enjoy!

-erika

All I can muster down

May 6, 2010

(365) Wednesday 5-5-10

It is extremely hot in my office.  I’m thinking because the sun sets right in the window.  Seriously walk into the other room and it’s comfortable……I’m thinking we are going to have to seriously do something about this.   I’m not usually a big eater in the summer time, especially when I am just sitting here sweating without moving anything other than my hands and fingers and yea the occasional leg switch-a-roo.  So today all I’ve been eating *was this huge bowl of strawberries.  ( I say was because this bowl was more than full this morning!  )

They are just so yummy!!!!

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Enjoy!  (I did!)

-erika

Tummy Tuesday

May 4, 2010

This week, baby Dotson weighs in at a whopping pound and measures nearly eight inches, about the size of a small doll. But our little doll (who now has eyebrows, eyelashes, and maybe even some hair on his little head) is a living one who can now perceive light and dark. He can also hear our voice, my heartbeat, my gurgling stomach, and the whoosh-whoosh of blood circulating through my body. And as his brain and nerve endings develop, he may reach for his face (or whatever he can reach) just to experiment with his newfound sense of touch.

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Enjoy!

-erika

Evelyn is a very creative and inspired gal.  I met Evelyn about a year ago while working at Forever 21.  She was the girl who introduces herself really quickly to you and just welcomes you as part of the family.  She was my go to girl if I didn’t know where something went or how to do something, she seriously knew everything.  I’ve learned a lot about Evelyn and the amazing young lady that she is.  She can be pretty feisty at times and then turn around the next moment and be the most gorgeous soul that ever walked the Earth.  She really is a doll and has some big dreams that I hope to see happen in her life.  She wants to open a restaurant/coffee shop/art gallery one day.  I hope that day happens soon, it sounds like a really cool place to hang out!  Evelyn and I have become pen pals at work and we like to exchange little love notes.  Most of her notes include how pregnant I am and that she loves it, but most of mine include comments about how beautiful she is.  She has just a lovely face and a wonderful smile.  She’s always happy and lightens up the store when she arrives, she’s one of those girls that you just love to be around.

Congratulations Evelyn on making it to this point in your life.  This is a big new step in the direction of better things to come.  I hope that you document your feelings and everything about graduation, you’ll love to look back at this time later in your life and enjoy recounting these times!  Best wishes and Good Luck!

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I told you she was gorgeous!

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I love how the wind was blowing her hair!!!!

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Some yummy light shining through her curls!  She looks so sweet.

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She’s stunning!

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I love this classic shot!

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LOVE.

Enjoy!

-erika

Photo A Day

May 3, 2010

Hey this is another catch up post.  I didn’t get a chance to blog on Sunday too too too much going on!  So here I am with two pictures for you today!

SUNDAY:

I was feeling a bit down and thought I would spend a minute with Roxy.  For those of you who might be new readers to my blog Roxy was our first dog together.  We got her about 7 months after we had been married (pretty much as soon as we moved into a house!).  She was a yellow lab given to us by my cousin Ricky (who is getting married soon!)  This doggie was amazing and we went through a lot to keep her with us.  She started off with demodectic mange which is unlike the regular mange you are used to in the fact that it’s not contagious but it’s hereditary?  Anyways we spent lots of money getting her better.  Then TW’s brother Luke backed over her in a Volkswagon Beetle sending her to an overnight stay at the vet’s office in which I really didn’t believe she was coming back home with us.  Then my lovely husband decided to throw her on the back of a flatbed truck at about 6 months old (without tying her in) and going 60mph down the highway.  Needless to say she fell off and we (nix that, I) had to doctor her for a few weeks.  Long story short we were on vacation and excited to see her when we got home.  We took some stuff to the dump and brought her along with us.  This is really sad and it was my fault completely, but I had let her off the leash to go to the bathroom and I wasn’t paying good attention to her.  She was across the street bothering (I like to call it loving) a little girl and the mom was obviously frustrated by my dog.  I immediately called for her not thinking and she ran right across the road in front of a truck (he was only going about 25mph).  I saw everything and ran to her aid.  I really thought she was the toughest dog on the planet at this point so there was no doubt in my mind that she would make it.  I got to her barefooted and embraced her.  As I lifted her up and ran to the truck I felt her body go limp.  Despite all our efforts (speeding to the vet and trying to give her CPR) I lost Roxy in my arms that day.  She knew I was trying to help her and it comforts me to know that I was there for her. It was a very very hard few weeks.  I never knew how much I really cared for her.  I was totally bummed.  I couldn’t function it was horrible.  I realized I didn’t even want to go home because I knew she wasn’t there and it just didn’t feel like home without her.  At that point I realized I needed somewhere else to funnel my love for her.  I took a few days and then started searching for my new companion.  I had Stephanie a good friend from college who loves doggies as much if not more than I do help me in my search.  She found some chocolate labs in the paper and called me up.  She went with me to pick her out.  I’ll admit it wasn’t love at first sight when I picked Ellie.  Sure she was cute as could be, but she wasn’t trained to do all the cool stuff I wanted her to do and she didn’t even know me nor I her.  Soon enough though time passed and Ellie is now my new best friend.  Roxy will never be replaced and these two girls are very much different from each other but she’ll always be loved.

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MONDAY:

Wow it’s been a super busy day over here, as if you couldn’t tell from how many blog posts I’ve made today!  I had to take a break and get outside for a minute.  Sometimes I feel like I live in cyberspace and not real life just because I can type faster than I can talk!  It was such a beautiful day today I sure hope you got a little bit of time to get outside and enjoy it for yourself!  I took a little hike behind our house with my camera looking for ideas of what to capture for the day to describe how I feel.  All day I’ve been feeling a little bit imperfect.  A little too large for a 21 week pregnant lady, a little too lazy around the house, a little too behind on all my shoots, a little messy without any makeup on, a little too distant from my family, a little too busy to spend time with Ellie, overall just not good enough.

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Then Kori a local photographer (also a friend who shares the same due date!?!?!?!) posted this on her facebook page this morning trying to enlighten us all.  I’ll say it worked for the few minutes I spent reading it as well as a few minutes following but then I fell right back into that rut again.

Enjoy!

-erika