Archive for 'Austin Kids'
Earlier this week, I was blessed enough to get to spend a little time in the morning snuggling with each of my three in their beds. It’s so funny how each experience was so wonderful, but so different. Amry smelled like warm milk, rosy cheeks, breathy voice, hair parted just enough so I could barely see her eyes. She likes to snuggle. Tristan was wiggly and squirmy and busy and so excited to talk about his day ahead. He still likes to snuggle, though, and it made me sad to realize he won’t much longer. Logi Bear was still in hibernation, he is is own heater. He never woke up, but he let me cuddle up close…breathing deeply, resting so soundly. I fell back asleep next to him.
I cannot imagine my life any other way. These three keep me grounded and purposeful. They make me giggle each day. Their thoughtful Valentine’s Day cards they made while they were away made me cry. I can’t believe I turned into *that* mom. But I’m thankful for my sweet little Valentines and also of course my big, handsome Valentine who makes it possible for us to live this dream.
Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours!

I first met them when baby girl was still in mommy’s tummy. I was so excited for them because they were having a girl. At the time, I was just a few months pregnant behind her and didn’t know what I was having. (I think she did an excellent job of sending those pink vibes my way.) And then, I got to watch her grow up: newborn, 4 months, 7 months, and one year…and see my future a few months before my own little girl reached those milestones. I just love looking back on all of these images and I try to imagine what kinds of memories we preserved for this family.
[“Sweet” tidbit of info: a few months ago I was contacted by the owner of Hey Cupcake! looking for a family to serve as the models for a new print ad campaign and THIS family was the one they chose! I can’t wait to see how the ads turned out!!!]
There were two other dresses on my list, but Amry was only willing to do one more that day:


Their holiday card proved to be quite a challenge for me, though. There were so many images we wanted to feature, but short of sending out a poster-sized card, we had to come up with some way to tell the story of their session. So, we ended up with this tri-fold:
I LOVED how it turned out. In fact, I decided to turn the JOY, HOPE, LOVE lines into a 12×12 storyboard AND it was used as the title page of their album:

Your room looks like a funhouse, filled with all kinds of brightly colored things that come to life with the touch of a button. Your ability to read through those complicated instructions and turn those into real working models impresses me beyond belief. You live and breathe Legos and Erector Sets and Knex.
And that’s one of the things I love most about you. When you get into something, you jump in FULL FORCE, usually pulling in everyone else around you as well. It can be exhausting at times, but I love to watch your imagination on fire, your unbreakable concentration as you plug through a project, your elation when you finish and it actually works.
Today, you’re working on something that has 2,004 pieces and will stand a little more than 4 ft tall. That’s funny…you were born in 2004 and now stand a little more than 4 ft tall. You’ll get to break another board in karate to honor this day and then it’s off to the Lego store, followed by the dinner of your choice (sushi), and the birthday cake of your choice (key lime pie). You were totally understanding when we discovered your sister had already opened your birthday present. You’re up at the crack of dawn every day and chances are if I checked your pockets right now, I’d find some change and a bunch of Werther’s original wrappers (I swear you’re a 60-year-old man trapped in a 7-year-old’s body). You are a funny little man, T. My quirky, funny, sensitive, technical, creative little man. And we love you…

By the way, voting ends Jan 31st for 2010 Pinkle’s Pic of the Year. Have you voted?