Yuletide Transparency

I've exposed my poor mother to the horror that is photographing the Andrews family.

I don't know why I keep trying, or why I think it will be any different each time we pull out the camera and attempt to make ourselves look agreeable.  And so, in the interest of full disclosure, I will let you know that this Christmas card photo session made Pumpkin Patch 2012 look like a stroll through the... well, pumpkin patch.

Here is what you can expect when taking pictures of my family (so please remind me when I try to take some pictures in February for home-made Valentines, or some other equally hare-brained idea):

• My children will not look at the camera, OR
• My children will fuss and cry and scream, OR
• My children will look like lifeless, creepy dolls, OR
• My children will smile and look at the camera, but the settings will be off OR
• My children will smile and look at the camera, but the memory card will be full AND
• I will always be captured trying to resolve the above problems AND
• Koby will be the most photogenic and cooperative model of the group.

My emotions will follow this cycle: optimism, determination, frustration, exasperation, defeat, depression, hilarity.  Rinse, lather, repeat.  (I am woman, hear me roar.)
 
Knox has no interest in being held while out-of-doors, but since even the litter-ridden lake in our town is still cleaner than my living room, out-of-doors remains the only place we can take good pictures.  Koby was literally physically restraining Knox in all of the pictures, and Knox was putting up a good fight.  (Those cute poses where Koby has Knox on his shoulder weren't so cute in real life as Knox was kicking the tar out of Koby in efforts to get down.)

The lake and its wonder is beckoning to Knox, who valiantly reaches in vain with a cry of "UURGGHHHAAHHHH".

In between bids for freedom, Knox would become distracted by leaves/sticks/litter. 

Oh, and don't be alarmed by Hayes pretending to be a terrifyingly limp blob.  I assure you, he's perfectly fine.  So just ignore the next picture.

Of course, every once in awhile the stars would align and we'd get a GREAT pose. 

Unfortunately, the part that looks really great is the background in perfect focus.

Wonderful shot of the November foliage of Bryson, Texas.

I may or may not have given up after about 15 minutes of trying to get "just one good shot" for our Christmas card.  I may or may not have declared that we will "never take any more pictures, ever" after my mom sweetly and quietly offered to take us to lunch and then try some more poses.  I think I said "I'm done" about 500 times.  (Dramatic, much?)  Koby and I laughed all the way home, and seriously threw around the option of choosing the very worst shot for our card this year.  Even though this IS the more accurate albeit less flattering Yuletide Greeting, enjoy it here because it won't be gracing your mailboxes this holiday season.

THANK YOU MOM for taking pictures under increasing pressure and for not pointing out that I was throwing a bigger fit than my toddler son.

Why do I keep subjecting my family to this torture?  Why do I want to get sickeningly sweet pictures that in no way reflect our day-to-day life, which actually involves a lot of hysterical laughter, poop, and laundry?  Why, fellow mommies, why???

If you'd like to see the shots that survived as Christmas card candidates it at the expense of my family's sanity, you can visit our Facebook album.

Senior Moments

I've been taking lots of senior pictures the past few weeks... well, 'lots' for a girl who said "My photography business isn't quite ready yet..." Ashli is a multi-talented and strong cancer survivor who loves to smile and use her testimony to encourage others.  She is heading to UNT to study psychology.

Cassandra is a senior who I've watched grow over the past two years - this year she started a movement on campus called SELF, aiming to eliminate bullying and to encourage people to be themselves, including a few days this year where girls were supposed to 'Toss the Gloss' and come to school sans makeup.  See the shirt when I ran the 5k.

Marisela is my super-talented, bilingual advanced art student who also happens to be very intelligent.  She is the kind of student who actually goes above and beyond - the kind of student I wish I would have been in high school... and maybe college too.  I wish she was staying next year to be my assistant, but I'm proud of her as she heads to WTC to study nursing.



Visit www.paintsandpistols.com to see more of my work and for information about sessions.

Post #11, 12 and 13 of 29

It's Monday, I've sucked it up again with the whole "post every day" thing, but here's what's new: we spent a happy weekend in Austin with my family (sans a Pack 'N Play for Knox - NOT recommended) and got to visit with some of my college friends at a couples shower for my friend Marie, who is pregnant with her second baby.  It was great to see Abby, Meagan, Caroline, Hayley, all their respective spouses/boyfriends/offspring and of course, Marie...

Marie is one of those friends who's become like family to me.  One of those friends who I wish lived closer, so our kids could grow up together.  Maybe one day.

The morning of the shower I headed over to Marie's house to take some pictures of her baby bump.  Marie is on strict bed rest because of pre-eclampsia, a condition that caused her daughter Lyla to be born at 32 weeks.  She's currently at about 32 weeks with new baby Wyatt, and so we're all praying that she's able to stay pregnant as long as possible to avoid another lengthy stay in the NICU.  Anyway, we popped into her backyard, bribed Lyla with some jelly beans and snapped some non-strenuous photographs.

I can't wait to finish editing the rest of these pictures... two beautiful models = fun and easy work.  Check out www.paintsandpistols.com to see some more photography... and some exciting things are going to be happening with P&P Photography soon, so stay tuned.  Not telling yet.  It's a surprise.

Aerosol Artwork at the Airpark

I took some family portraits of Dan and Hartley (and their dog, Wylie) at an airpark in Abilene. Check out their pictures at www.paintsandpistols.wordpress.com

Smooches in Midland

I took Derek and Kim's engagements at the beginning of this month in Midland. Check them out here.

Capital Venture?

Check out Belinda's Bridals at my other website:

www.paintsandpistols.wordpress.com

Dixieland Delight

For Koby's birthday his parents surprised him (us - the perks of being married!) with a trip to Tennessee. It was fun, relaxing, and we are so grateful! It was up to us to decide where we'd go on our little vacation, so we planned the trip to include the following:

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE We knew we wanted to sample some delicious Memphis barbeque (a bi-product of watching the Food Network 24/7) and I wanted to see Graceland. (If you don't know it, I love Elvis. My first cd was his #1 hits.) So we stayed in Memphis at the historic Peabody Hotel for two nights and visited as many restaurants as we possibly could, stuffing our faces in the true style of the King himself. Included also in the pictures is the 'bump' - AND Koby felt the baby kick for the first time on Monday... exciting for him and gratifying for me (he finally believes me!)










SHILOH, TENNESSEE After our second night's stay in Memphis, we woke up and had a fabulous lunch at Automatic Slim's and then drove to Shiloh, where we visited the Shiloh National Military Park. Koby served as my patient tour guide. It was a beautiful and peaceful place - the photos we took there don't really do it justice.









JACKSON, TENNESSE When we'd finished at Shiloh, we drove on to Jackson, Tennessee where we had reservations to stay at Peaceful Oaks Bed and Breakfast. Koby was extremely skeptical about my insistence that we stay at a B&B, fully expecting a room in a little old lady's house where he imagined the beds to be "lacy and squeaky". He's totally a believer now. The downstairs floor where we stayed was perfect - unlimited coffee and tea, satellite tv, snacks and a full kitchen... comfortable, lace-free beds and books, movies and games to peruse. Oh yeah, and a fishing hole, a sinfully good breakfast and a sweet owner named Johnnie Sampson who is one of those people who becomes a friend in minutes. It was perfection. For dinner that night we drove into the small town of Medina to eat at a local family diner where they had TWENTY ONE FLAVORS OF SOFT-SERVE ICE CREAM. I was sold on this advertisement alone (and I chose Blackberry).









This is the letter we wrote for Johnnie before we left. I made sure to include the fact (and picture) that I caught more fish than Koby!

LYNCHBURG, TENNESSEE The next morning we drove quite a ways to visit Lynchburg, home of the Jack Daniel Distillery. It was surprisingly interesting to learn about the history of the distillery and how the whiskey is made. Things I didn't know: making whiskey SMELLS bad and the difference in the 'quality' of the whiskey is mostly the effect of where it is matured. It's pretty impressive that every bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey is made in the distillery we saw in a small town smack dab in the middle of a dry county.






Our trip ended in Nashville, although by the time we got there we were both happy to crash in the hotel room and missed out on any St. Patrick's day nightlife downtown. What a great Spring Break! And we still have the weekend to enjoy.