December 31, 2011
home is where your stuff is...or something like that
I'm writing this on my phone in our new apartment. I have much to say but lack of a full sized keyboard and no Internet will probably keep this brief.
We are officially residents of Austin now, though we're headed back tomorrow for one last week of work. I was feeling incredibly sad about the move and I even cried during the initial walk through of our new home. But somewhere along the way, amidst the packing and encouraging words of friends and family, I started to get excited. The more we boxed away, the less our house felt like home. The place we built, in a neighborhood we love, near family we can't live without, where we started our little family - it will be missed. But at the end of the day, it's just a house (a really great one! And it's for sale!) and we can build another one.
After arriving in Austin on Thursday afternoon and putting our things away, I could feel this being home - just like that. I can't even describe how badly I felt for ever crying about it, just ridiculously spoiled. I mean sure, the kitchen is half the size of my old laundry room, but this place is really nice! And we're in Austin, our great state's capital! You know how much we love Texas!
Starting over is never easy, but what a perfect time with the new year starting tomorrow. I'm very excited to see what 2012 has in store for the Schilling Family!! I'll be back on a computer tomorrow and plan to share a few photos of the new place as well as my New Year's resolution. That's right, there's no 's.' There's only one and it's a doozie!
Happy New Year's Eve everyone! I hope today finds you giving thanks for the last year lived and looking forward to a new beginning!
December 26, 2011
a little christmas, a lot of love
I hope everyone had an excellent Christmas filled with wishes come true and lots of loved ones. Last year Deran and I went overboard with gifts and though we had a blast shopping and picking out things we'd like to play with (oh yes we did!), our girl could have cared less on Christmas morning. We decided to do things differently this year and we only bought a handful of gifts. I actually almost felt bad setting so few things under the tree last night, but honestly, Avery gets new toys throughout the year - nearly every time we go to a store! Besides, this holiday is about so much more than gifts under the tree.
But about those gifts? Well, Santa did good. She said her favorite gift was Chocolate Chip Puppy Dog. He traveled with us to the festivities today and when we got home she insisted he go out to use the restroom with the pugs. As she loves all things baby now, her new pram (on sale now!) and diaper bag were also a huge success. And I'll admit the Doodle Pro was a little bit for me too. I somehow went my whole childhood without having one and then my Mamaw & Papaw got me a magna doodle for my 16th birthday. It. Was. AWESOME!
So a half a dozen gifts and an hour to get through them because she wanted to play with each thing. Lunch with family, complete with TWO baby Jesus finger puppets atop a cake for a round of Happy Birthday. An evening spent playing with and enjoying the company of loved ones - it all adds up to a pretty great Christmas.
And so much for our scaled back style, I'm pretty sure my mom hit up every toy department from American Girl to the Dollar General. I kept reminding her that we're moving! TO AN APARTMENT! Her excuse for many things was the same, "It'll be great for her to play with in the car!" I'm not sure I'll be able to find my girl in the backseat for all the new things she has to play with in the car. But that's what grandparents are for, or so says Nana and Pop! It's pretty awesome for us too because we're setting the standard low. So like, next year we could get her seven things and she'd be all, "WHAT?! I only got six last year! AWESOME!" But when she walks into my mom's house she'll be like, "Um...these presents only cover the floor of the den. Why are they not filling up the kitchen? Cascading from the staircase? Spilling over the couches?!" If only I were kidding...
My crazy haired girl who we love so much. She's feeling bad this Christmas and I hope she's well soon!
December 24, 2011
happy christmas eve
Just in case I don't get a chance to say it tomorrow, I hope everyone has a fabulous Christmas celebrating the real reason for the season. Don't forget to give those loved ones an extra hug and enjoy the day!
I haven't taken photos of my own sweet girl in quite some time. About two weeks ago my sister brought over her three tots to get a picture for Christmas cards and Avery jumped in. A forced smile from one girl and bad lighting, but I love them because I love my girl and her silly cousin.
December 23, 2011
the m-l family
Alisha, it was so nice catching up with you and meeting all three of your cute kiddos! I hope you and your family have a very merry Christmas and safe travels!
December 22, 2011
wyatt has arrived
Remember this beautiful couple?! Their sweet boy has finally arrived...well, about a month ago really. :)
Cassidy & Jeff, thanks so much for letting me photograph Wyatt at this age. It's been a joy to watch your family grow and I hope the three of you enjoy this first Christmas!!
December 21, 2011
malik is one!
How gorgeous is this baby boy?! Goodness, look at those beautiful blue eyes!! And his momma did such a great job putting his wardrobe together, he really looked so cute!
Of course his parents are pretty gorgeous too!
Even though we had some really beautiful sunlight and color, I'm kind of partial to these in black and white. I really love the look on his mom's face in the first one!
Jenny, thanks so much for choosing me to document such a special milestone. Malik is such a handsome boy!! I hope you all enjoy this Christmas and that he has a fantastic 1st birthday!!
December 20, 2011
the standley family
I got to photograph this beautiful family of three in early December. I didn't know ahead of time, but there was an event going on at our location. The streets were blocked off, vendors and people were everywhere! Definitely lots for Miss Emma to check out. :)
From her head to her toes, Emma is ADORABLE!!
Thanks so much Trista and Shane, for letting me photograph your family this winter. I'm especially thankful you guys were such troopers on a crazy Saturday morning! And hey, at least it didn't rain! :)
December 16, 2011
i'm thirty, and i'm moving!
I'm officially 30, though I don't feel any different than yesterday when I was still a wee babe in my twenties. Today has been a lazy day, but a good one. Last night I went out with a girlfriend and we did crazy things like, have dinner & picked up a doodle pro for Avery at Target. Wild! And speaking of wild, 2:17 starts my favorite part of the whole movie. Though make no mistake, I love the whole movie!! And speaking of my Avery, she woke up at 3:30 this morning ready to start the day, meanwhile I was not. Around 6:00 AM I pulled the birthday card and made Deran get up with her. I woke up around 8:30 when I heard her ask for more Caillou and I could NOT believe she was still awake! I got up and we wrapped presents, delivered them, and went to lunch - where Avery literally slept laid out on the table because SHE WOKE UP AT 3:30 AM. We came home where Deran napped, I worked, and we called it a day. Tonight we visited with my parents, then Deran and I grabbed a quick dinner and now here we are...my two lovelies asleep and me working and blogging my very exciting birthday details. :)
There is actually a bit of exciting news, and that is we are moving to Austin! Deran will be starting a new job in early January and we've much to do in preparation over the new few weeks. Though we've known since Thanksgiving, I've been putting off anything moving related because I don't really feel like moving. I really love our life here and I will miss so many things about living local to where we grew up, namely our family. However, Austin is a really great place and I am looking forward to a new adventure, meeting new people, discovering all there is in our new city. I can't even imagine the opportunities and activities for me and my favorite girl. And actually, after a very busy (and amazing!) fall, I'm really looking forward to taking a break from business. A short break, but a break. A time to re-evaluate and focus a little more on my own sweet family.
So I'm THIRTY, and I think it's going to be an amazing year. Lots of exciting changes ahead for my personal and business life. I don't have any photos to share today but we do have lots of fun things coming up this week. I've got a few fabulous families to share next week and then the week after Christmas will be a little personal blogging because I plan to take LOTS of pictures this week as we head out of town for a birthday party, make a trip to sign our lease on the apartment (we're really moving!), travel downtown for Avery's first ballet experience, and just live this life of craziness and fun with family before Christmas day!
December 15, 2011
the dawn of a new decade - almost
Tomorrow I turn 30. THIRTY. That's like, not twentysomething anymore. It's kind of a big deal! The thing is though, I don't feel any older. I still feel about 18, give or take fifty pounds and a little something we'll call RESPONSIBILITIES. Being a grown up is mostly fun though, and I definitely love this life I lead. I had big plans to celebrate the 30th in style but then life was like, "That's awesome! But no, you can't do that." So instead I don't really have plans, and I'm totally open to suggestions.
This year also marks the year I've been with Deran longer than I've been without him. At 29, this just sounds so weird to me!! We officially started going out in November of 1996, we just passed up 15 years of togetherness. Well, mostly. There were a few breaks along the way, but here we are all these years later, living this life together.
What to do, what to do...I'll be back tomorrow to tell the tale of how I rang in my new year!
December 14, 2011
the p & r family
I met up with my good friend Rachael and her family the day after Thanksgiving for a few photos with extended family members. Let me just say how much I appreciate these guys sticking it out in our woodsy location. The mosquitos were awful! And the poison ivy/oak/something/everything?! One of my better choices, yes? :)
The one on the right seriously cracks me up! Brady was so concerned about the bugs and Macks just wanted his momma. :)
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