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A World Full of No's

When I go to the store these days, I have been letting my 22 month old son walk with me instead of having him sit in try to climb out of the cart and scream his head off.  I also do this because it teaches him to walk around the store, stay with me, and not touch everything.  I have done this with all three of my kids and they are all very good when we go to the store. It's not easy and is a huge test in patience.  Toddlers are naturally curious little creatures and my little guy is no different.  Who wouldn't want to touch, shake, smell, and rub all of the colorful items placed on the shelves?  Since he is a curious toddler who tries to do all of these things, my conversation with him while we walk through the store consists of a lot of "No, No", "No Touch", "Walk with Mommy", "Be Careful", "No, not that". Today as we were checking out, it was no different. Of course he wanted to touch all the candy...so did I, so I patiently kept telling him "No" and redirecting his little hands to other activities. There was lady in front of me who had an extremely active 3 year old  who was running in all directions and pulling things off of shelves. We had a very lovely conversation:

Me: No, No Jack. No touching.

Lady:  Oh, how sad. Your baby lives in a world full of No's.

Me (with a look of 'Oh NO you di'int") : Yeah, it's sad, but I guess it's better than letting him run around the store and pull things off the shelves.

Lady: HMMPPH!

See, wasn't she nice (insert sarcasm)? She was giving me helpful advice on how to raise my child so he could grow up to become a vagrant. From now on I will not tell my children "No". Then they won't be so sad all the time (more sarcasm).

Help a local baby

The following is an email I received from my MOPS group. Please consider helping. She will be having a baby girl. If you have anything you would like to donate you can drop them off at my house. I will be taking a trip to drop items off tomorrow morning:

There is a teenage girl in the Bulverde/Spring Branch community
that can use any assistance we can offer. She is a teenage soon-to-be-mom with a difficult past. She has been living with her aunt for the  past few years. The doctors plan to induce her next week. This young
girl has _nothing_ for the baby due to huge financial restraints within her family.
The family has tried in the recent past to obtain  financial assistance and was deemed to make $42 to much per year for their household. /_This Thursday evening, May 1st at 7 p.m. at the
EMS station_/ they will be holding a surprise baby shower for this young mom. _*Anything*_ you would be willing to donate may be brought to the EMS station - *_used or new_*- would be greatly appreciated (preferably before Thursday night so that it may be given to this young mom at the baby shower). If you would like more information, please feel free to contact: Mechelle Salmon at 830-980-9452.

Squeezable

The T family is a family that I felt like I could easily become friends with. I could see them over at my house hanging out on my new (soon-to-be) deck drinking margaritas and talking trash about each others favorite sports team.  Their 4 year old twin girls and 14 month old sweetie were also lots of fun and didn't mind the camera being in their faces.  At some points they were even acting very silly for the camera...which I love by the way. I can't even give myself any credit for these great shots because the family is so gorgeous that my 8 year old probably could have taken their picture with her Barbie Camera and gotten good shots.  You'll see what I mean.....

Radiate Openings

**RADIATE** Saturday, April 26th
An event designed just for moms!

Hint:  This is a great way to get your maternity or senior photos at a huge discount. 

Hey guys...don't you think this would be a great Mother's Day Gift for the woman you love?

How many of you would love some beautiful portraits of yourself?  Would you like your make-up done just the way you want it?  You all radiate, let us capture that for you!  Here is your opportunity!  I am partnering with my friend,make up artist Katy Fulkerson to capture the radiance of moms.  Katy learned the art of make-up in Los Angeles and has had a few Hollywood clients to her name. We want to extend an offer of discounted make-up and photography to other moms just in time for Mother's Day.

Here is what you get if you sign up for Saturday, April 26, 2008:

- 1 hour of specialized make-up
- 1 hour of indoor and outdoor photography (bring magazine pages to show us if you want a specific look)
- appetizers
- drinks
- a few hours of kid-free girl time
-a CD of all your images that have been edited in my "Digital Darkroom"

Remember, these are not family portraits...they are especially for you.

The cost of this is $150. This is a $100 savings
Spots are very limited and filling up fast, so sign up soon.

Silly Sweetie

Over at Shuttersisters we were asked to share a silly picture. It's ironic because this is one I just processed last night.  It is a photo from a recent shoot I did with an adorable family.  I will post more of their photos later, but this was actually my favorite one of the day.They had lots of terrific shots, but I love how this one is totally unconventional, funny, sweet, and true - to- life for a 14 month.  I have noticed more and more that my favorite shots are the truly real and mostly funny  and silly ones.
What do you think??? Is it too much? As a parent, would you appreciate a shot like this from your photographer?

Fight Cancer in Style

This weekend I had the honor of being the photographer for a benefit hosted by the American Cancer Society called " Fight Cancer in Style". It is part of the "Coaches vs. Cancer" group surrounding the Final Four...woot! The event included brunch and shopping for the wives of the basketball coaches.  It created awareness and raised money for the American Cancer Society. The speakers were terrific as was the food and the beautiful products from the vendors.  Each vendor donated a portion of the money they earned that day.
The ironic thing about this is that the person who found me for this event had no idea that my son is a cancer survivor...I thought that was pretty cool and such a coincidence.
My girl Kristen came with me to help me shot some photos and it turned into a girls day since later that afternoon, she helped me out on a photo session I had with a  fun family that had twins and a baby.  I will post those photos later this week.  I think that I will have to pay Kristen to be my permanent assistant when I make it big time....she takes great photos and will probably become one of my photographers when my business grows.....sorry Kristen, I didn't even ask you yet.

I wish I could show all the photos...but I would be here posting all day!

This is Kristen and I lookin' stylish that day.

Yummy buffet pictures

The next few pictures are of AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, CUTE, UNIQUE products from a local children's boutique called Allie G's. The owner's name is Kim and you should go check out her stuff right in Alamo Heights on Broadway.

Two of my other favorite vendors that day were LeeLee Loves Shoes who had the best shoes and bags and also Penny Lane with their amazing clothes and dresses.  It would be easy for you to check these shops out since all 3 are right next door to each other.

See that dog? It's a purse and these purses come in many breeds...so cute!  See those jeans? the cuffs are interchangeable.  Scroll down for closer details.

Alaska...brrrr

So many people think you need to 'be a photographer' or have a 'fancy camera' to take good pictures.  This is where I prove them wrong.  My husband recently took a trip up to the beautiful state of Alaska.  These are all his shots he took with our old  5mp Sony Cybershot circa 2003...and they are great amazing!  I still use this camera when we go to amusement parks and other times when I don't feel like babysitting one of my other cameras all day. Taking those big cameras is sometimes like taking out a newborn.
I have never been there, but I hear it is beautiful and fun. One summer, we plan on going up there to enjoy 60 - 70 degree 18 hour long days when it is hot as blazes down here in S.A.
I have a friend from Alaska who jokes about the male to female ratio there. What she says about meeting men in Alaska is :  "The odds are good, but the goods are odd".
Anyway, here are the great pix taken by my husband Josh:

See, told you they were awesome!

Bree-Ah-Nee

Meet Brianne' (bree-ah-nee), my first Senior of 2008.  I love the pronunciation of her name...so beautiful and original! Isn't she just as beautiful as her name???? The girl is not only beautiful, but she has got style too!  I swear that I was not this cool and sylish when I was a senior waaaay back in ....nevermind about the year.
Brianne' was so natural in front of the camera, I hardly had to give her any direction at all. I guess those episodes on ANTM are payin' off.  I watch it too, but I never look this good in pictures.  What struck me most during this photo session is the closeness between Brie and her mom. I hope that my daughter is this close to me when she is 18.
Natalie and Brie, thanks for such a fun morning,  it was great spending time with the two of you!