A Memo To My Dad

To: Dad
From: Your loving, favorite (and only) daughter
Date: January 3, 2011
Subj: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Just a few words to commemorate your special day today. Happy Birthday to the man who taught me how to catch a ball, taught me how to bowl, and passed on his love of music and family. Thank you for all the wonderful outings/lunches/bowling beat downs (ha ha) with you, Janet and the kids -- Annie, Kate, Chris and I have loved the time we have spent with you. I am so fortunate to have you as my dad, and I am very proud to be your daughter!

I hope you're having the happiest of birthdays today! I love you! -- S


A restored-as-much-as-possible photo of my dad with his trumpet, back in the day.

Dad and Janet. This is my favorite photo of them.

Dad at a family reunion, ready to get his game on with the grandsons.

Welcome Connor!

He's finally here! You might remember I recently posted pictures of my brother and his wife, who were expecting their first child. Well, he's here! My new nephew was born on December 15, and he's absolutely beautiful! Take a look at the photos (and okay, yes, there are a lot of them, but hey, that's what aunts are for, right?)

Welcome Connor! Can't wait to see you again, little one!

Love,
Aunt Sylvia

But before I show you my nephew, I thought I'd give you a little glimpse of Connor's Corner (aka, his nursery). It's decorated in a classic car theme ... so cool!








This is the Pooh Bear the girls gave to their new cousin when they performed "Return to Pooh Corner" at Meredith's baby shower.

And here he is!





Just love this one!

This one is a favorite too!







My brother is a trumpet player, as is our dad. So of course, Connor had to get his own special trumpet too, right? haha .









Congratulations Mike and Meredith! What a wonderful Christmas gift for the two of you! ♥

A New Road For The New Year

I've been having trouble sleeping lately. Not insomnia, per se. Once I'm out, I'm out, as in "zzzzzzzz" . More like just trouble going to sleep. Yes, one could say that it's all those Starbucks drinks I have (I've often said my blood type is either expresso or Merlot, but I digress ...), but that's not it. I know exactly what the problem is.

As a creative type person, I've always had this dilemma. I start thinking about all the things I want to do with my photography, and my creative muse gets going. Too often that happens late at night, and my ideas start flowing into the wee hours. My brain just goes into overload about all the things I want to accomplish, and it becomes difficult to wind down to sleep. I have tried many different things to change this, but it always comes back to the same situation. With the new year, I'm sure I will be trying to remedy this again somehow.

But, be that as it may, it's not altogether a bad thing. The creativity part, I mean. I so love what I do, and I'm so happy when I'm behind the lens of a camera. For those of you who know me and have heard me talk about my craft, you know that this is a long time love of mine and something of which I am truly passionate. This has not been an easy road for me ... starting this business with being a full time mom of twin tweens and a nine year old, and full of self doubt in my capabilities in the beginning. I've come a long way in the year and a half that I've been in business, and now, I'm pretty excited about the road ahead of me.

With the new year, I have all kinds of goals for my photography business. New photography challenges, different kinds of photo sessions and specials, and maybe testing myself out of my comfort zone a little. So, what about sleep? Yes, I'll work on that too, but right now, I have an exciting, open road ahead of me.

Happy New Year! -- S

Photos courtesy of Kimberly De Araujo


"I sleep all day
When I wake I run in circles in my brain
There are far too many hours to kiss
So I slip into the tempting stillness
I think about [it]
And I look out at the open road."

-- lyrics from Snow by Amie Miriello

Rocker Chicks Gone ... Band Nerds?

You're used to seeing them rocking out on keyboard, guitar, drums or singing tunes like Heart's Barracuda or Osborne's Crazy Train. Oh, that's still happening. Annie and Kate's bands -- Speed Limit 180, Chaotic Ei8ht and now On Target -- are still going strong. But there's one more band the girls are part of now, and they had their first performance with the Wildcat Band this week.

It's been a crazy last month or so. Holiday photo sessions have kept me very busy, and unfortunately, away from blogging as much as I'd like. But I didn't want to let these pics go by undocumented. Yes, I had to brag on my girls ... I'm such a MOM!!! Both Annie and Kate did very well in their first school band performance. You go, girls! Here are my musical beauties!

Have a wonderful weekend! -- S


Kate on clarinet, just before the performance started.


Annie was sitting right in the front, and I was sitting right in the front row with my zoom lens, so I was able to get some great shots of her.

Annie is very proud that she's been taking flute for about two and a half years, and that she is a first chair flutist in beginning band.


Annie and one of her classmates/friends next to her.


Looks like a fist bump in the flute section ...


Jon brought flowers for the girls to congratulate them.

Every once in a while, my night and day twins can look just a little bit alike. In this pic, I think they do. And they both have that same sweet smile!

Happy Birthday, Santa Baby!

I remember it being a very busy, crazy day. It was Friday, Dec 7, 2001, and I was nine months pregnant. Anxious and uncomfortable, needless to say. The Braxton Hicks labor pains had started a few weeks beforehand and I was quite frankly, a little nervous and ready for this baby to arrive.

Christopher's due date was actually not until Dec 20, but given his size, time of year, doctor's schedule, etc., we had already decided a c-section would be performed on Monday, Dec 10. My mom was visiting, ready to watch the girls when the time came. Still hadn't packed for the hospital, and was getting ready for relatives to come in that weekend. Outside of the Braxton Hicks contractions, I felt fine, so I went off to run a few errands that morning. I laugh at this now, but I remember talking to my dear friend on the phone at one point that day (who was also almost nine months pregnant and going through early labor as well), and we were trying hard just to get through a conversation without labor pains and telling each other "oh, another one? Okay, breathe!"

I had another friend who had given birth to twins that day, so we went to see her at the hospital. The same one I was scheduled to go to a few days later. The nurse saw me and said, "Careful, with a belly like that you could end up in a room here." Nice, huh? I assured her ... "oh, I'll be back soon." Only I didn't realize how quickly that would be.

After that visit, getting the girls home, fed, bathed and in for the night, I thought I'd start packing for the hospital stay. But, I just want to relax a little while .... "yeah, a little tv sounds good right now." Chris didn't think so. Labor pains started again, every five minutes this time. Uh oh! I called the doctor, but I expected this to pass. No, he said, "let's just do this now. Meet me at the hospital in an hour." And no, I still wasn't packed. Grrr!! Threw some things in a bag, kissed mom and the girls goodbye, and Jon and I headed out.

On Saturday, December 8 at 2:24 a.m., my Santa baby was born. At the moment that I first laid eyes on him, I thought, "he's beautiful", and I knew that my family was complete.

Today, Christopher turned 9 years old. My "baby" is way too big for me to call him that now, but I will anyway. I don't care how old he gets. haha. And this morning before school, when he came to find me to say good morning, I saw my boy, with his heart melting blue eyes and his sweet smile, and thought once again ... "he's beautiful."

Chris -- nine years ago today I received the best early Christmas present a mom could ever have. You are my sweet boy and I'm so incredibly proud of you. I love you, son! Happy Birthday!

Love,
Mom

Waiting for Connor

We're waiting, our family. Waiting for the newest addition to the Hernandez clan. My brother Mike and his wife Meredith are expecting their first child later this month. Last week, while I was in Houston for Thanksgiving, I got a chance to capture some photos of the two of them before Connor arrives.

There is a certain beauty in expectant mothers. That glow about them that is beautiful and unique. The anticipation of a little one on the way and seeing him/her grow inside is just so incredibly special. Since I've had two sisters-in-law with the name Meredith (Jon's sister was also so named), we've always said "your Meredith" and "my Meredith." Truly, with the baby's due date just around the corner and so full of excitement, my Meredith is absolutely RADIANT. Take a look at these pictures, and you'll see what I mean.

Mike and Meredith -- I cannot tell you how excited I am for you both, and I can't wait to meet my new nephew! Thank you for letting me capture these images during this wonderful time for you. Oh, and you might want to get ready for a little Christmas spoiling ... just saying. haha

With lots of love to you and Connor,
-- S

Holiday Photos, With A Little Surprise.

It's been a while, and she's still full of surprises. A year ago, I met and photographed this girl and her mom for the first time. Last year, a then 10 year old Randi showed up to our photo shoot not having known about our session beforehand. Her hair was still kind of wet from getting ready in a hurry, she was on crutches from a soccer injury, and at first she was quiet and withdrawn. Then, she surprised me. After talking to her for a little while and getting her to relax, the model in her emerged, and I got some great photos! Some of my favorite portfolio pics I have are of her from that first photo session.

When I photographed Randi and Christine the second time, we added a little chaos to the mix. Randi was then in a cast from the previous soccer injury (that was a little harder to hide in photos) and we added two great big dogs to our session. Needless to say, there were a few surprises here and there when the dogs came into the picture (yes, pun intended).

So, fast forward a year, and Christine and I talked about another photo session. "Randi's still playing soccer ... uh huh, okay ... oh, and she's a drummer now too. Cool. And no crutches/casts? Okay, very cool. We can get some personality kind of shots of her showing her hobbies", I said on the phone. At the photo shoot, I get there a little early to check out lighting. I'm expecting Randi in sporty gear, or maybe jeans & a t-shirt. What happens? TOTAL GIRL shows up in an awesome dress! And Christine? She looks AMAZING in a hot dress too! Check out their photos ... I love the way these turned out!

Christine and Randi -- thank you once again for another fun photo session! I really love photographing you both! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. All the best! -- S