Confession.  I am a bad photographer mom.  You’d THINK I had a zillion photos of my own girls.  And, I bet you’d also think that every time we went somewhere fun or did something cool, or heck–just went on a walk, I’d bring along my camera to catch all those great moments.  That, my friends, is where you would be WRONG.  I have excuse after excuse:  My camera is too heavy.  Grace won’t even look at the camera anyway, so why bother.  It’s too hard to take photos of one while trying to keep an eye on the other.  And so on and so on…

But, I had an epiphany this weekend.  I’m not sure what really caused this epiphany because it’s not really anything new.  But, nonetheless, I realized something.  My girls will NEVER be like “this” again.  And, by “this” I mean “whatever cute little stage they’re in NOW”.  I’ve GOT to be better about capturing those moments.  I don’t ever want to forget these special times.

Today, I had to stay home with my little Merr Bear.  She was running a little fever, had a runny nose, and was a total crank.  (There were a few moments today that I would love to forget.)  But, as we were having a little quality time together on the playroom floor, my heart just sunk.  She’s already SEVEN months!  SEVEN!  It just goes by so fast.  And, even though she wasn’t feeling top notch, I managed to squeeze this little smile out of her.  <swoon>

And then, after she FINALLY went down for a nap at 4:30, my big girl helped cook dinner.  We made pizza and she loved every minute of it.  She even helped with the dishes afterward.  5 and a half already!  So glad she let me capture these sweet moments we shared tonight.

So, sweet blog readers, this is my reminder for us all.  Get caught.  Capture the moments that matter most.  Make memories with your kids.  Time goes by way too fast.

XOXO,

Kristie

Happy New Year, blog readers!  I wish you all peace, love, and laughter in 2012.  Remember to seize the moment and capture the people and places you want to remember most.

XOXO,

Kristie

No long lines.  No crazy hours.  No pepper spray.  Doesn’t get any easier than this, folks.  Give the gift of fine portraiture this year.  I’ll avoid the cliche about the gift that keeps on giving, but…. (Seriously.  This one really IS the gift that keeps on giving.  20 years down the road, you’ll still be in love with portraits of your baby, children, family, wedding, etc.  And 20 years after that, your kids will be in love with the same portraits…)  Darn.  Didn’t avoid it.

I’d like to title this collage “The Many Hats of Hollis”.  Edible, isn’t she?!?  The last one CRACKS me up.  It’s like she’s saying “Seriously, lady?!? Get this thing off my head.  I look ridiculous!”  (She doesn’t though, does she?  TOO DARLING!)  Enjoy your sneak peek!

Well, look at ME.  On a blogging/posting roll today.  A little surprising actually, because BOTH of my daughters are sick.  Yes, sick children plus a super busy mama don’t mix.  Oh well.  (I’m happy to report that they seem to be on the mend AND they both took a 2 hour nap this afternoon AT THE SAME TIME.  Poor Merritt has a double ear infection and Grace just has the cold/sinus stuff that seems to be lingering in our house.  Ugh.)  Back to the important stuff…

I had the pleasure of meeting up with this lively bunch on Sunday morning.  It was a gorgeous day to be outside and we took full advantage at the Dallas Arboretum.  I’m pretty sure I exhausted my list of kid jokes, potty humor, and pre-school sing-a-long tunes to get these kiddos to smile.  My tricks didn’t always work (Ummm, hello?  Who doesn’t laugh at me when I make monkey noises?!?), but we did manage some keepers.  I know Mom was worried, so enjoy yours sneak peek!  More soon. 

I’m trying to wrap up editing holiday sessions before, well, the holidays!  But, I got to take a little break from babies, children, and families last weekend to shoot the wedding of the gorgeous Kim and Zac.  No detail was left out and the day was absolutely beautiful–from the stunning venues and fabulous fall colors to the great music and party at the end.  Enjoy your very small (sorry!) sneak peek.  More soon…

Coming up for a quick gulp of air to post these sneak peeks from the last week.  I’m off to shoot a wedding, 2 family sessions tomorrow, then I’ll hibernate in my editing cave until I’m all caught up.  Thanks for being patient!

<The following post may seem a bit deja vu.  I’m fairly certain I’ve started my last few blog posts in the exact same format–apologizing for my lack of posts, showing you some great images, then apologizing some more.  Terrible.  Forgive me.>

Hola!  I know.  Long time, no post.  I’m up to my eyeballs in editing, but figured tonight would be a good night to catch my breath, have a glass of vino, and maybe, just maybe, make a dent in the growing list of DVRed shows I’ve accumulated the last few weeks.  Yes, folks–the holiday season is here.  And, I love it!

First up, is a sneak peek for an adorable baby girl.  This baby had the most gorgeous skin tone and an even more gorgeous head of hair.  Seriously.  Merritt is 4 months old now and she doesn’t have even a fourth of the hair this little peanut had!  LOVED it.  She was soooo good to me too.  I must’ve done something right in my previous life. 

A general update:  Mini-sessions from October 29 are completed!  Those discs have either already gone out or will go out Wednesday.  Sessions from November 1-November 6 will be completed (hopefully) by November 19.  I’m staying pretty much on schedule with taking about 2 weeks, but you never know what hiccups could come along the way.  Take a look at some of the images from these sessions…

All 2011 sessions are booked.  I am currently taking session reservations for 2012 and will ONLY be scheduling sessions 2 weekends each month.  These will be in both the Dallas area AND the Bryan/College Station area.  More on that later…

Meet Parker.  Parker is a tough lil guy, even though he’s only a little over 7 pounds.  This sweetheart spent 5 weeks in the NICU after he decided he wanted OUT way too early and has been home for a few days.  Hard to believe that he was only a little over 3 pounds at birth.  His due date was 2 days ago, yet he’s been “here” for over a month!  Congrats to this precious family!  Enjoy your sneak peek.  More soon. 

Last December, I met up with Jacque for a wedding consultation.  The first thing I noticed about her was her enormous smile.  It was infectious.  The girl was HAPPY and in LOVE.  Then, I met Ross for the first time a few months later and I knew why Jacque was smiling.  These two are perfect for each other–Jacque, the romantic who loves to laugh, and Ross, the funny, prince charming who’ll do anything to make someone laugh.

Their wedding day was gorgeous.  After MONTHS of 100 plus weather, their wedding week arrived in style with highs in the high 80s/low 90s.  Ahhh.  Relief.  The ceremony was perfection with the grandfather’s providing the beautiful and meaningful readings.  The bride cried.  The bride’s mother cried.  The bridesmaids cried.  And, yes–the photographer cried too.  Then, it was time for the party to begin!  No tears there (except tears of laughter when the groom and a friend had a Michael Jackson dance off).  It was a magical day and one this sweet couple will certainly never forget.  Oh, and how cool is it that their wedding date was 9-10-11!

Enjoy your sneak peek, Mr. and Mrs. Akers!  Thanks for allowing me to capture your day.

PS-How adorable is that last picture?  All of the men serenaded the bride with “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”, complete with the Top Gun down on one knee scene.  LOVE.