A Mother's Pride

It's finally done! For many, many weeks, my daughters have been practicing for their first band gig. This past Monday night, their band, Speed Limit 180, performed at Junior's in downtown Round Rock. It was a scheduled day off from school, and between getting ready for the gig and school conferences, we were extremely busy! I knew they would do well, but still, I had the mommy jitters all day (does that ever go away? Probably not, right?).

Kate was on keyboards and vocals. Yes, I know I'm biased, but my girl rocked! She is a strong piano player and it all seems to come so naturally to her. It is incredible to me how far she's come in piano since she started just four years ago. Not just in her skills -- I knew that would come with time and practice. But really more in her confidence in her musical abilities. She started out kind of shy and unsure, but as she's developed she's learned to really embrace it and push herself to new musical challenges. You can see it now -- her strong piano skills and ability to pick up music quickly, her adding embellishment to a song where she thinks it needs it, and most of all, her confidence to sing in public. I so admire her voice, and I love the fact that she's no longer shy about sharing her talents with others. She says that this is her thing, it's what she does. Yes, my dear one -- and you do it well!

Annemarie was on electric guitar and vocals. She also been playing the piano for four years, and has been on the flute for a little over a year. With four musical interests (actually, there are more she'd like to learn, but I had to cut her off somewhere -- there is this little thing called school, you know), she is also a strong musician in her own right. Seeing her play guitar now and how far she's developed in such a short time, it's hard to believe that she had wanted to give it up at one point. She was encouraged by her teacher to give it another try, and I'm so glad she did! Monday night, she was having such fun, playing her guitar and performing in front of a standing room only audience. I even saw her winking at one of her friends while she was up there on stage. She's always been a bit of a performer, even as a baby, when she could charm strangers at a restaurant from her high chair with her eyes and her smile. Watching her now, I know that this is what my little love bug girl was meant to do -- and that makes me smile.

So, forgive me for bragging on my girls (but hey, that's what I do). I'm sure I'll post again some time soon about their musical endeavors. But in the meantime, check out their pictures here. And until then ... rock on! -- S











Kate's fast fingers on the keyboards ... she was so good, especially on 'Let It Be" and "Kansas City."

Annie had just winked to a friend of hers in the audience ... so cute!

All The Small Things

As many of you know, my daughters are in a band. One of the songs in their playlist in "All The Small Things" from Blink 182. Sometime within the last several days, they were practicing this song for their upcoming performance, and it made me think of a little ritual we seem to have in the mornings. I drink coffee to get me going ... one from home in the morning, and a Starbucks mocha later in the day to, well, keep me going (yeah, bad habit, I know!). We have a Keurig coffeemaker with those cute little pods. I like the Kona and French Roast blends, and every morning I have a cup, along with my biscotti while I catch up on email and the news with my iPhone as I get ready for the day.

Most mornings, I find the little pods right there by the coffeemaker, waiting for me. Sweet, huh? I suspect a certain little boy does this for me (smile). Usually, the cup is there too (that's done by my girl Annie). And the biscotti? Compliments of my other girl, Kate. And you know what? I just love it. It's "all the small things" that mean so much, isn't it?

And speaking of music, my girls' first "gig" is tomorrow night. Watch for pics of that soon! In the meantime, Happy Monday everyone! -- S



Requirements for my morning ritual ...


Annemarie and I -- 10.10.2009

Christopher -- exact date escapes me, but this was sometime last week. So cute ....



Kate and I both love the chocolate dipped biscottis! That's my girl!

The Soul Inside

I didn't know her, but I felt like I did. Well, at least I know girls like her, anyway ... I've got two of my own -- same age, same grade level. Randi seemed kind of quiet at first, knowing we were there to take pictures but probably not really sure what all we were going to do. Couple that with the fact that she had to meet us on a Sunday morning, hobbling around on crutches from a soccer injury, my guess is that she might have preferred to have stayed home and listened to an ipod. But it didn't take long for that personality to emerge ... you know, you've seen it ... ten year old girl, full of sass and spunk, and at that awkward age of still being mom's little girl and the beginnings of preteen rebellion settling in. Wanting to hug her mom, but then realizing with other people around that might not be so cool. Watching Randi and her mom Christine interact, talking with her a little, recognizing all the little nuances -- yeah, it all seemed soooo familiar!

My own daughters' sassy, spunky spirits and how I relate to them helped me to get to know Randi, and it wasn't long before we were all laughing and having fun in our photoshoot. I was happy to get pictures of mom and daughter together, as well as some beautiful shots of each of them individually. But I was even more glad to get pictures of the two of them showing more of their personalities -- a beautiful girl coming out into her own, and a mother's pride in her daughter -- the latter of which, a feeling I know all too well. I may have started out in this photoshoot hoping just to get some good pictures, but what I got was truly THEM and who they are, and their obvious love for one another.

Thanks to Christine and Randi for the opportunity to photograph you guys! It's always so rewarding to me to get the chance to capture people in their element and have fun while doing that.

"There is more that meets the eye; I see the soul that is inside." (Sk8r Boy, Avril Lavigne)

Have a wonderful weekend! -- S

A Time To Shine

Now that my kids are older, I'm not around too many little ones anymore. Every now and then, though, I get to be around babies and suddenly I'm reminded how different things were back when mine were small. With my kids at 10, 10 and 7, we've obviously outgrown all signs of babyhood by now, so to be around a little one that's in diapers, bottles, teething and into everything can make your memory suddenly take a step back. And while I have absolutely NO inclination to desire to have another child (believe me, three is all I can handle!), it's nice being around them to see their sweetness, innocence, and most of all, their wonder at the simplest things. This weekend, I got to spend a little time with baby Jack and his mom Amber. At almost 10 months old, his personality just shines and he is one happy baby! He seemed to enjoy being outside and looking at all the bubbles that my sis-in-law Kathleen was blowing in the air!

Amber -- thank you for the opportunity to photograph you guys and for a fun morning with you and the baby. As I was downloading these pictures and thinking of what I wanted to say in this post, I heard a bit of a Simon and Garfunkel song that seemed to kind of sum it all up for me ... I think it will now always remind me of Jack and these pictures.

"Your time has come to shine; all your dreams are on their way. " :) -- S

Trying something a little new here ... here's a little slideshow preview of more pictures. Don't worry, there isn't any music to it, so it's safe to watch at work! Just click on the arrow on the bottom left. :)

Musical Musings

I come from a very musical family. My grandfather played the saxophone and had his own orchestra in his day. My dad played the trumpet and was also part of the band. My brother Michael plays the trumpet, was a drum major in high school and now he and his wife are involved musically in the Houston community. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit the gene for musical talent, but I did get the music appreciation part. I guess said gene skipped a generation, because now it's alive and well in my kids.

On my daughters' sixth birthday, they were given a keyboard as a gift, accompanied with the promise of lessons. Although a birthday gift for both girls, it served another purpose, specifically for Annemarie. She had been in occupational therapy for hand strength issues, and we thought piano might help. Kate, well ... quite frankly, we knew enjoyed music from her constant singing, so she was just along for the ride. Little did I know how much these lessons would change our lives.

Today, we have three musicians in our house! Annemarie, Kate and Chris now all play the piano, and they think it's cool that they get to play on the baby grand we inherited from my father-in-law's dad. Annie and Kate both sing, and Annie now also plays the guitar and flute. Recently, they became founding members of a band, called Speed Limit 180. Ten very talented kids -- five girls, five guys, three sets of siblings -- all of them, rockers!! They have their first gig scheduled next month, and we couldn't be more excited for them. I have the honor of being the band's official photographer, and every week, I get to hang with the band, rock out with them, and take their pictures. How cool is that? I tell you, it's a highlight in my week!

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend --- filled with family, friends, all your favorite things, and most definitely, music!

Annemarie and two band mates jamming to John Mellencamp's "Rock In The USA."

They sounded so awesome!

Here's one of my favorite singers and keyboardists!

Bowling for Doggie Dollars

Well, okay ... I've been a bit busy since my last post. Once we got back into town, it seems that the entire month just flew by. But school has started, so at last ... a little more "me" time to blog! This past Saturday, my family and I attended the Humane Society of Williamson County's Bowl-A-Thon in Georgetown, TX. My kids were on two bowling teams and got to play the game for three hours towards raising funds for the organization. But more importantly for them, they had fun! Bowling is a favorite pasttime for them -- something they enjoy with both of their grandpas. My father-in-law likes to take them to bowl when we're in Houston, and my dad, being on a couple of bowling leagues, plays the game with them.

HSWC held a silent auction as part of their fundraising efforts, and I donated my photography services for a holiday portrait session. The bowl-a-thon went well in raising funds and they announced at the end of our time there that it also resulted in 150 pet adoptions that day. Much to my kids' disappointment, though, we didn't walk out with a puppy (Annemarie's allergic to dogs), but we helped with a good cause! Here are several pics from our fun day!

The volunteers who put together the bowl-a-thon. Great job everyone!

My neighbors, Melanie & Scot.

I like this picture of Kate and I! Photo taken by Kim de Araujo.

Chris, obviously in need of more practice .... LOL.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

It's a game I've played for a long time. I learned how to shoot pool in college (um, yeah ... I went to class ... just did this on breaks, you know!). I'm not especially good at it, but I do like to play. On one of my first dates with my husband, we were out at dinner and missed our movie time. Thinking "what do we do next?," he was trying to be all romantic and came up with different ideas. I said, "let's just go have drinks and shoot some pool." He says that was the moment he fell in love with me. (Wow, who knew guys really are that easy)?!

The night before leaving Houston, my sister-in-law Kathleen, her husband Fred, and their friends Terri and Trey (see earlier post of them below with their oh so cute dogs!), and I headed out to a billiards hangout to play. I got to shoot a few games, and shoot a few pics too!

.... aaaannndd, there's the game!

Thanks guys, for a fun night!

HAD to play at least ONE game! :)

This was along the side of the bar ... a fitting image for the end of our trip to Houston this summer!