Uncategorized

Double the Cuteness – Sneak Peek!

Sister is smaller, but feisty! And, sissy has teeth, while brother is still working that gummy smile that I think is one of the cutest parts of babyhood. It’s hard to believe these two will be celebrating their first birthday in just a couple of months.

Okay, back to editing!!!

Happy, Hoppy Easter Everyone!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter with their family and that the bunny brought you all lots of goodies! I just wanted to share this little cutie!!!

And, then, also, my own little cuties and their Mama (me) in our jammies this morning. Very candid – Happy Easter to you all!

Reasons to Smile



Okay…so, granted, the economy is not a whole lot of fun right now (stinks!), and well, there’s plenty of other things to not be overly thrilled about either. In my own world, I found out today that my Mom has been in the hospital for the past couple days and didn’t even let me know. Here’s the thing though – through it all, and when we aren’t particularly feeling like it’s easy to keep our heads up – we can look at the little people in our lives and realize how lucky we are in that things that truly matter. We are loved and we are blessed! No bottom line and no paycheck can make up for that singular smile that creeps across our faces when our children light up our lives.

I remember when we had sold our last house, and were just getting ready to break ground on the one we live in now. The sale had already gone through. We no longer owned the home we were living in, but had leased it back temporarily. I was in the bathroom packing, and Drew was supposed to be keeping an eye on Kate. Well…something had gotten Drew’s attention (not Kate!) and Kate got a hold of a LARGE PERMANENT BLACK moving marker. By the time I came out of the bathroom to find Kate and her newest endeavor – she had managed to write on three doors, the wood floor in the hall, several walls, her dress, herself (of course!), her brand new quilt on her big girl bed, the chair that belonged to my father before it belonged to me which had been given to her, and her toybox, assorted toys, oh…and let us not forget the carpet as well. Now remember, we did not own this house anymore! And, we had already put our money into the new house. The LAST thing I wanted to do was pay for repairs on a home I wouldn’t even be inhabiting. So, I went to the kitchen, I sat down, and I began to weep. Drew was remaining calm, assessing the situation and damage control, while trying to calm me. And, up walks sweet little innocent (not really – but she was) Kate wearing a headband with a big old flower sticking up on it, and she says to me, in a way only an innocent child ever could, “Hi Mommy!” And, right then, I had to laugh. She had no idea what chaos she had created. And, really, it didn’t matter. She was fine. She was healthy. We were fine. The walls and doors got a new coat of paint, the floor got sanded and buffed a bit, the carpet was cleaned (amazingly), and well, the quilt still has a mark as does the chair and her toy box. The dress is long gone. Kate most likely has no memory of the incident. I will never forget it. And, the lesson is this…BREATHE!
They are only little for such a short period of time. Enjoy it, embrace it, and I guess like the old commercial used to say – “Never let them see you sweat.” They’re little, they’re resilient and we should likely take notes. If we’d lighten up, the world could be brighter. And, just so you know, I am going to try to take my own advice here!
So SMILE! Nothing is more precious that our babies!

Sneak Peek: Baby Natalie is Mobile!

Watch out world – once they go mobile – there’s no stopping them! Baby Natalie is moving and grooving now – she’s crawling, pulling up and pushing around. She’s going to be a full blown toddler in no time! She’s full of personality and communication skills too! Smart and beautiful – she’s quite the combo!!!

It’s so fun to see them as they change! Loved getting to play with Natalie today and can’t wait to see her again!

Baby Denny at 9 Months

What’s up buttercup?

Look at me on my Big Brother’s Doggie!!

A boy and his bear!

Held on high by Mama!

Look at me on my tummy!!!
Can you believe this little sweetheart spent the first couple weeks of his life in the NICU? He’s healthy and as precious as he can be now – and thank goodness for that!! He’s 9 months old and according to his Mama, has finally made it onto the growth chart.
Here are a few of my favorites from our most recent session!

Welcome to the World Baby Ryan!






And so the Baby Boom of 2010 continues! Actually – this little (getting bigger every day) guy was born in early February, but I didn’t get to meet little Ryan until today! Big brother Jake was doing a great job of being his naturally curious. handsome, friendly little self, and seems to be adapting well to having a new sibling in the house!

Smiles to everyone! And, to the Byrnes Family – thank you for letting me be a part of your lives. I love my job!!! Congratulations again on your newest addition! And, good luck getting any rest with two boys in the house!!!

Denny at 9 Months

Just a quick peek and more to come!
Denny is getting bigger! He’s 9 months old now (remember he got an early start in this world) and starting to catch up! He’s a rolling fool – and got the sweetest disposition and expressions!

Welcome to the World Baby Cooper!

Sneak Peek!!!

Little Cooper joined Big Sister Carly in the Weinberg family just this past week! I was so excited to meet this adorable little bundle today! He’s just four days old and he’s so sweet!!
The year started off with a bunch of Baby girls being born and now it’s BOY TIME!!!
Much more to come! So much editing, so little time!

Haiti Disaster Relief Fundraiser

From left to right:
Eugene Lockhart, Reginald Barnes, Ira Terrell, me, Jose Guzman, Michael Kiselak,
Jun Anderson, Billy Joe Dupree and Dudley Williams

All these incredible athletes were willing to donate their time. They signed autographs, met with people and as you can see, had their pictures taken as well! They are a fabulous group of men. Thank you to Laura Jojola, Senior Center Manager for the CO-OP Member Center, and also to Christi Braddock who served as my contact point the date of the event. And, special thanks to Dudley Williams for rounding up so many generous souls.

Below is the press release issued for the event, and I was there to photograph the event as it unfolded. More images to come – check my site and FaceBook in the upcoming week…

CO-OP Member Center and CUNA Mutual will be sponsoring a site-wide fundraising activity from 11:00am – 1:00pm on Friday, January 29, in an effort to raise money to donate to the Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief Fund sponsored by CU Aid. To date, the two companies have donated a total of $35,000 to the relief fund.

On January 29, 2010, we are inviting current and former NFL, NBA, and other sports’ celebrities to help us raise money for donations. We are planning to “sell” autographs and pictures with the players as a marketing tool to encourage donations. The fundraising event will be held at the CUNA Mutual building just south of the DFW Airport located at 4950 Amon Carter Blvd; Fort Worth, TX 76155.

CUaid.coop (http://www.cuaid.coop/site/PageServer) is an online disaster relief system organized by the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) and the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU). The credit union movement in Haiti is made up of 175 credit unions serving more than 400,000 members. Money raised is for credit union employees, volunteers and members affected by the powerful 7.0 earthquake that struck the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Additionally, WOCCU is now joining with Food for the Poor (http://www.foodforthepoor.org/)to help the Haitian people face this devastating disaster.

In July 2009, WOCCU (http://www.woccu.org/involved/support/haiti_relief) launched a three-year program to extend financial services to Haiti’s rural poor with funding from the United States Agency for International Development. WOCCU staff members working in Haiti are uninjured and accounted for, but there has been significant destruction to the island. WOCCU has fostered relief and rebuilding efforts during past international disasters, including the December 2004 Asian tsunami, the February 2006 Philippine islands landslide and earthquakes in Peru, El Salvador and Malawi. WOCCU is now accepting donations to provide similar assistance to Haiti and its people.

The National Credit Union Foundation (http://www.ncuf.coop/) dedicates 100% of disaster relief donations to grants. NCUF does not use disaster relief donations to pay for the CUAid.coop web platform, travel to disaster areas, or any of NCUF’s costs to administer the national disaster relief program for credit unions. CUAid is a service that NCUF provides to give back to the credit union community.

Not Yet Released

Soon it will be on shelves and available online – I already pre-ordered a copy for myself! I’m fortunate enough to once again be getting published – this time in a book by Vik Orenstein. The title of her new book is:

The Photographer’s Market Guide to Building Your Photography Business (Photographers Market Guide to Building) .

Yes, it’s a mouthful for a title!


And, a big thank you to Vik for believing in me and for using two of my images in her book. I can’t wait to get my hands on the real thing. For now – if you peek at the previews that are on Amazon, you can see page 5 which is one of my pictures of sweet Baby Carly!!

Baby Carly is just about to become a big sister! In fact, I will be seeing her family tomorrow to take maternity pictures of Mom with big sister and Daddy too! I can’t wait!!!