Jack's Back!

He's just so cute, and he's back! In September, I had the privilege of photographing little Jack, who was about ten months old at the time. He just had his first birthday last month, and I had the opportunity to do another photoshoot with him, Amber and Joe (his mom and dad) while I was in Houston for Thanksgiving. Yep, little dude was WALKING! Granted it was the wobbly, Frankenstein like walk babies do at this age, but still, this guy is mobile and will be getting into everything (I remember those days very well with my three!).

For his first year/holiday photos, we met at a park in League City, walked around and snapped a few. Once again, Jack laughed and smiled at the silly songs and bubbles my sister-in-law Kathleen was using to keep him entertained. It was a great day for pictures, and I absolutely love the way these photos turned out. Such wonderful expression on his little face! I'm so glad I got to see Jack and capture his personality once again. Thank you, Amber and Joe, for letting me photograph you all! Merry Christmas to you guys!

With Jack's birthday in November, I'm a little late here with this, but it's still very applicable, to commemorate Jack's first year: "Find delight in the simplest things. Today and everyday. And have the happiest of birthdays."

All the best -- S

Birthday Boy

Today, my little boy turns eight years old. And it's his golden birthday ... the day when your age matches the day of the month on which you were born. Such a special time for him!

Every mom says this on her child's birthday: "I can't believe it .... my baby ... is already (fill in the blank) years old. Where has the time gone?" But it's so true! My baby boy is obviously not a baby anymore. He's starting to lose some of the babyish features he had not that long ago. And let's face it, with his football player like size, he hasn't looked like a baby in ... well, even I have to admit he's hardly ever looked like one. ha! ha! But my little guy (I guess I should call him that instead) is growing up fast, and I'm so very proud of him! He's made a lot of progress in school, did well this past season in baseball and is doing well in his piano studies. But most of all, he's becoming a very sweet natured, polite and smart young man. I couldn't ask for a better son! Here are some pics of my little man, from his baby days to now.

So today, Chris ... have a wonderful day, full of all your favorite things and surrounded by your friends and family. I love you, sweetie ... Happy Birthday! Love, Mom


"Your birthday, as my own, to me is dear. But yours gives most, for mine did only lend me to the world, yours gave me my son." -- unknown

Remembering Mom ...

It's been four years ago today. My own personal D-Day, so to speak. My mother passed away December 7, 2005 due to complications from diabetes and breast cancer. I don't like dwelling on depressing things, so I won't discuss the events of her illness and death here. Suffice it to say, as in any close mother/daughter relationship, I miss my mother terribly. But today, rather than focusing on the bad, I'd rather write about a beautiful Christmas tradition my mother and I shared.

For any of you who knew my mom, you know that she loved jewelry. The nice stuff, costume jewelry, whatever ... it didn't matter, she liked it all. For as long as I can remember, my mom always wore Christmas pins on her coats during the holidays. She started out with just a few and would pretty much rotate those out. After a while, I began to notice a new one now and then, so she added to her collection as years went on. I remember one Christmas noting how pretty one of them was, and she promptly offered the pin to me to put on my coat too. I said, "no that's okay, it belongs to you, Mom" but thankful for the offer. She said, "Honey, it's okay ... take it. I have one for every day in December."

And that's when it started. That year, I realized how much these pins had come to mean to her, and I went out and bought her the most beautiful Christmas pin I could find. In my family we always celebrated on Christmas Day, but she and I would always open just one gift on Christmas Eve. I gave the pin to her that night, and it became our new tradition to exchange the treasured trinkets on Christmas Eve from then on.

Now, I have all the pins. Really, more than enough for each day in December. But I have Annemarie and Kate with whom to share them, and the memories of a beautiful mother/daughter Christmas tradition. So although today is a sad day for me, I thought it seemed like a good time to celebrate my mom's wonderful legacy! Blog posts are always better with pictures ... here are some pics of her collection, highlighting a few of my favorites.

Miss you Mom! And yes, I'm wearing a pin today, just for you.

With love always -- S

"Find something to celebrate. Then find more. Celebrate with others. Celebrate every single day!" -- author unknown

Christine, Randi & The Holiday Hounds

A few months back, I wrote a post about a photoshoot I had with Christine and Randi. You might remember that one ... the spunky, sassy ten year old girl and her mom ... with lots of personality, love in their hearts, and the beautiful souls inside? Well, guess what? I got the opportunity to photograph them again for their holiday photos. Them, and a little added craziness to the mix ... their two very active (and very big) black lab retrievers. Yep, it was hectic getting those two settled down long enough for a photo or two, but victory was mine! ha! ha! Here are some favorite shots of our photo session.

Christine and Randi -- thanks so much to you guys once again for having me photograph you and the pups. I always enjoy working with the two of you and seeing the special relationship and bond you share. My girls still want to meet you, Randi ... maybe next time we'll add even more craziness and add two more sassy, spunky ten year old girls ... won't that be fun? ha! :)

All the best! -- S

The C Family: Holiday Pics

We met sometime ago, back in the early days of motherhood for me, when my girls were small. To help me connect and bond with other stay at home moms, I found a local chapter of the MOMS club. I met so many friends there! Our schedules changed and I wasn't able to keep attending the club's events, but to this day I still have connections to many of those wonderful ladies I met then. Diane and I became friends, shared the same officer position in the club, and now share iHearts on Facebook! :::smile:::: (I love getting those from her!). I was very happy to photograph her and her family for the holidays! Below are several pics from our photoshoot.

Diane -- thanks for all the iHearts and for the great photo session with you, Frederick and the little ones. You have a beautiful family! All the best wishes! -- S

The W Family: A Holiday Photoshoot

Every once a while, you meet someone who makes an impression on you and they leave behind an everlasting mark ... kind of like a stamp on your heart. When my daughter Kate was in first grade, she was lucky enough to have a teacher who did just that. Beth was so wonderful with her! That was four years ago, but still to this day, Kate still gets excited to see her and to hear how she's doing. Obviously, Beth impressed my daughter greatly, and I too, am quite fond of her!

Beth and Jeremy -- thank you so much for allowing me to photograph your family holiday pictures! K, J and M are just too cute and I'm so glad that I was able to capture their personalities in these photos. Here are several favorites from our session! All the best! -- S

Thankful

Today is Thanksgiving, another favorite holiday of mine. I love just about everything about Thanksgiving -- the dinner, the wine, the relaxed feel of the day, the football on tv, and oh yes ... the pecan pie! Yum! But it's also a day to reflect on what I'm thankful for, the many blessings in my life, the things that make me happy. These are some of things in my life for which I'm grateful:


Family: I am blessed with a wonderful family -- my husband and our three beautiful children. Jon, Annie, Kate and Chris truly complete my life, and without them, I don't think I could exist. We share so many memories together, along with the rest of our extended family members, for whom I'm also so very grateful to have in my life.








Friends: Over the years I have really come to realize how much my friends have enriched my life, and even though I try to be expressive about my feelings for them, I doubt many know how much and how often I think about them. Particularly in the last few years, through life circumstances and even through Facebook, I am very grateful for the opportunity to reconnect and keep up with many of my friends!


Music: Always a driving force in my life, having music around, in one way or another, is something on which I depend. It's there to keep me going throughout the day, to pick up my spirits if I'm feeling blue, and to enjoy really at any time. And I'm so grateful to now have three little musicians in my family ... makes me so proud!


Photography: Everyone who knows me knows how much I love taking pictures, and how much they've always meant to me. How cool is it that now I get to do this for both fun and a job? It's SO awesome, and I'm so thankful that I have the opportunity to pursue my creative endeavors professionally.




Little Things: So thankful for all those little things that make me happy and put a smile on my face: Starbucks frappucinos, wine, reading time, butterflies, a friendly face at the local grocery store ... all the little things that add up and can make my day!



I used to not really think about all these things on Thanksgiving, or sometimes not much at all, for that matter. Just trying to keep up with the daily grind would have me so busy that I might take some of these things for granted or at least just not stop long enough to consider it all. But years have taught me to reflect and enjoy the good in my life, and today, this holds particularly true. And for that, I am grateful.

Have a wonderful holiday!

-- Thanksgiving is not a time of the year... but an attitude of the heart. May your Thanksgiving be abundant with the gifts of love and friendship. --