Day 535

Scruffy...
My boys were in desperate need of a haircut so this morning before the girls got up they both left to get one. T said it took three tries before they found a place to get it done because I had completely forgotten that most salons aren't open on Mondays. In the end, they got it done, but here they are before they left. Did I mention that T dislikes his picture taken almost as much as I do??

Day 534

Table for 8...
This was a last minute session because dad and son just happened to be in town on the same day which is rare for this family. The little one was just as sweet as she could be and once again, I "employed" M to hold her toy above my lens to keep her attention. I really like this image cropped to 20x30 which is what I had in mind when I took it. Isn't it nice when that happens?

Day 533

They do...
I swear, I could post images from this wedding all day long! There was just so much love in the family that you couldn't help but take it all in. The day went off without a hitch even with the quick bought of thunderstorms which pushed the ladies' pictures to wait until after the wedding. A moment of less-than-professionalism from me when I slipped and landed in the mud, but oh well. These things happen.
The beginning of a new family tradition. Kristin's dad was giving her the baptismal ring that his parents (in the background) had given to him and she will give it to her firstborn on his/her wedding day. I feel just mushy inside having been asked to photograph this very special moment in their lives.

Aggie fight song. This is the second Aggie wedding this year for me!
J.J. was leading his A&M band mates in the band cheer after nearly falling onto his face moments before (sorry, J.J. since I missed it on film, I had to put it in print)!!

Day 532

Rehearsal...
This evening was the rehearsal for a wedding I will be shooting tomorrow. The best thing about rehearsals is being able to meet most if not all of the wedding party and let them meet me and know that I am very bossy, but I am there to get the job done first and party second. Most of the time, everyone figures out that I am 70% bark and 30% bite, make no mistake, I will stick to my guns. The other great thing is to be able to work with the officiant to get the best possible pictures. Sometime you have to compromise and that's fine as long as I know that I have done all I can to get my couples what they want. In this case, I had a terrific mother-of-the-bride who was willing to go to bat and back me all the way. Thanks, Nita, I really should put you on the payroll and bring you to all my rehearsals!



This was one of the many amazing details of the rehearsal dinner. I swear, I have seen some paid coordinators who couldn't hold a candle to this mom and bride. You ladies did an incredible job!

Day 531

Mini T...
I was going to post something totally different but forgot to take pics of it when I walked into the living room to see C trying on Daddy's glasses. Then he wanted to look at himself in the mirror while he did his facial tricks...there just aren't words. He will make some girl a very lucky wife one day, don't you think ladies?

Day 530

Empty...
Boy, I am just really not with it at all, am I? Just way so far behind lately which is a little surprising since this is my "slow time." I am still scratching my head on that one. When it rains it pours and I would sure hate to be bored! It's a darn good thing that I love my job! :)

Day 529

Awards dinner...
Tonight marks the official end of the summer swim league and the girls got their trophies. This year was kind of a let down for the girls because they are on the bottom of their age groups so they didn't go to any invitationals this time around. I know next year they will both do very well, especially L who is the fastest in her group.

Day 528

A view of the top...
Not to be confused with a view from the top. Poor little guy has no one around to hang out with him. The girls have found their happy place lately and the disputes have been minimal which is a great thing, but as they say, "two's company, three's a crowd." So there he sat at the top of the stairs being pitifull, breaks your heart doesn't it?
How dare I take a pic of L?

Day 527

Still out of the swing...
Yep, I didn't even think about a pic today. I was a good girl and took my time off to catch-up on the two months worth of laundry that was waiting to be done. Thank goodness I am such a shop-a-holic or my kids would've been running around in the only clean clothes they had, their birthday suits!!

Day 526

Backyard Picnic...
We cleaned off the patio set and grilled up some hot dogs this afternoon for an impromptu family lunch outside complete with oscillating fan and some music to listen to. After about 45 minutes of yummy dogs, jelly sandwiches and dancing, we all decided it was just a smidge too scorching hot to enjoy it any longer! That's Houston for you.

Day 525

Kids are expensive...
Oh boy. M decided that for 6th grade she was going to give up choir and play the flute in the school orchestra. No problem, being as T is a musician he was all for it. It just so happens one day leaving McDonald's that I see a little music studio that teaches flute lessons so I stop and get her all signed up even though she doesn't actually have one yet. I get home and get out the paperwork from the school detailing what brand/model flute they would like her to have and get on-line to order one up. HOLY COW. The flute was $977. Why couldn't she play the guitar or piano? After a failed attempt to get a used one and one class under her belt without one, I bit the bullet and coughed up the money for the new one with next day shipping no less. She swears she is going to play it all through junior high and high school and I said, "that's right sister." It arrived today...

Day 524

Sleepover...
Boo wanted to go to her girlfriend's house for a sleepover and had been looking forward to it all week. She even packed up last night and was on the stairs waiting at 3:55. At 4:01, her little friend called to see if she was ready to go. They are sooo cute at this age! Lately Bo has been having trouble with staying the night and wants to come home around 11pm. Unfortunately when the phone rang at a quarter past eleven, we knew all to well and daddy hadn't even gotten ready for bed yet. So she had a "half sleepover" instead. I guess I should actually cherish the fact that she just wants to be with mommy and daddy and isn't quite ready to go to sleep without her hugs & kisses.

Day 523

So much for that...
One day and already I have dropped the ball! I don't know where the day went!

Days 517 thru 522

Has it really been a week?
I wish I could say that I have been on vacation or have taken all kinds of pictures but haven't been able to post them. The simple truth is that I have been working and too tired to even want to look at my cameras. Of course I shot the last swim meet this past Saturday and as much as I enjoy shooting them and getting to know the kids, I am relieved to see it go. Processing and proofing 500+ images per week on top of my sessions and weddings is not easy and it has definitely caught up to me. The house seems like it is falling down around me and the inch of dust in the kids' rooms is disgraceful. On my list too is to find a housekeeper to come about once a week to help me out. Unfortunately, the house in it's current state would scare off any potential candidate! I truly hope to get back in the swing of things this week and maybe even get back into posting!
C has gotten back into Noggin for some reason and he has always been a fan of Oobie so today he made one of his own. Mr. Potato Head eyes and a Texans jersey koosey and Presto! we have an Oobie!

Day 516

Marathon session...
But it was so totally worth it! I would give anything to have pictures like this of my babies when they were newborns. It "almost" makes me consider having another one. Both my guys in the house fell in love with her and can you blame them? I mean just look at her!

Day 515

You've come a long way, baby...
Just look what some swim lessons can do for a kid! Last year he was a total shoulder monkey who had to be coaxed into the big pool and this year is a totally different story. He can't wait to join the swim team next summer too. Ugh, I don't know how enthusiastic I will be about another swim team summer, let's not think about that just yet!

I just had to throw a quick one of my little fish in here too!

Day 514

The Mother of Invention...
Are we so sure it's necessity? I think it's just as likely to be boredom! Even though our yard is ridiculously small, the kids find new ways to amuse themselves in it. The best thing is the giant retention pond that out back gate opens to where they can ride their four-wheelers and dirt bikes and such. The next house we plan on buying (very soon) will either have a yard big enough for a pool or have one already put in. In the meantime, we will simply have to enjoy ourselves by seeing who can throw the ball over the house. What really gets me about these images is the difference in which L & C move. L moves like a dancer even though she's never taken a lesson her life (I keep trying and she keeps refusing) and C moves just like your all-American boy should!

Holy cow! Look at those muscles in her arms! Think that's from swim and gymnastics, maybe?

Day 513

And on the seventh day, she rested...
Not entirely, but I took no pic for today. So tired and relieved to not have any sessions on the books for the weekends of the next few weeks. I have some scheduled on week days, but those seem to be so much easier for me to handle while in the midst of swim season. Big surprise, huh?

Day 512

Swim (what else?)...
M's swim friends, some are the same and some have moved on, but one thing always remains. M is always the fairest skinned! Poor thing.

Day 511

Beautiful baby boy...
This absolutely perfect baby boy came in to see my on Friday (yes, it's been a while since I've posted) afternoon and he was just a dream! I could photograph little ones like this all day, every day!

Day 510

Fruits of Summer...
Today was C's last day with his current swim class and one of the moms bought all of the kids popsicles! This has been such a great class, all the moms got along great, I will miss them and their children. Next week he starts the summer session and he will have a guy coach which he is really excited about. I made him wait til we got home to eat and by that time it had gotten a bit drippy!

Day 509

Unexpected...
These cases are absolutely the worst. Mom is a pediatric nurse who had been having some trouble controlling her blood pressure and her obstetrician was keep a close eye. Add to that, the umbilical cord was wound very tightly around the baby's neck and as he grew the cord got tighter. As recently as yesterday, baby Jacob was moving and kicking in the womb, but during her routine doctor's appointment this morning, they were unable to find a heartbeat and determined she had a spike in her blood pressure and Jacob was gone. An emergency c-section was schedule for later that afternoon. I arrived not long after she had returned to her room to spend what little time she had with her son. Such a horrible turn of events. His room was ready, his clothes cleaned and waiting but he will never be there to use them. I am praying tonight for peace and comfort in knowing that he went home to be with his Father in heaven and that you will see him again, healthy and smiling. This I can promise.



His big brother was having a terrible time processing this and I hesitated to take the picture, but I knew that mom & dad wanted it and had asked me to stay until he arrived. Hopefully he will take some comfort in them too when he has had time to grieve.