SubscribeI was in Dallas last weekend……and it rained like crazy on Saturday. But I have to say, even with the rain, my hair looked FABULOUS!! What a difference no humidity makes! It ALMOST makes me want to move to Dallas.
Almost.
On Sunday, I had the pleasure of photographing these beautiful sisters. The overcast skies acted like a giant softbox, and we got some super-cute shots.
Remember my recent post where I talked about my friend LeeAnn and her new baby? This is her husband, Bennie. He trains and shows cuttin’ horses (I know that’s not the way it is spelled, but it sounds good that way!), and he asked me to take some shots of him working one of his horses when I was out at their place for the newborn shoot. It was a lot of fun, and surprisingly challenging. I didn’t think that ANY being could move faster than a three-year-old boy, but man….! These horses are fast! They are trained to keep cattle together and not let any of them wonder off from the herd. Bennie has a mock-up calf attached to a wire at one end of this arena, and he operates it by remote to make it go back and forth along this wire. Every time he pushes the button, it changes
the direction of the calf, makes it pause and then move, etc. He teaches the horse to stop on a dime and turn in the direction of the calf, as if it were trying to keep this calf from escaping the herd. Its absolutely awesome to watch. He trains and competes his own horses, and other people also hire him to train and show their horses.
Its been busy around here this week, so I’ve gotten a bit behind on my blogging. And on just about everything else. My “other” day job is as a CPA, and with the tax deadline coming up this week, I’ve been working at the office more than usual. Not that I mind it, I have a great boss and the extra funds come in very handy, but other things get left undone. In addition to that, Evan started at a new preschool this week, which he loves, and that took some prep work. We are still adjusting to the new schedule, but it is totally worth it. I worked at the office everyday but Wednesday - including Saturday. Then, my car started making really strange noises and the “check engine” light was screaming at me. Yak! So it went to the shop. That involved getting up WAY early so I could get Evan to preschool as soon as they opened, and make it to Clear Lake by 8 am then on to work (Thank goodness for loaner cars). I seriously didn’t think we could do it. But we did. (Thank you Mom for helping with Evan). $428.00 later, the car is fixed. I think I worked all week just to pay for the car repairs.
I’m just a little worn out today. Who would’ve thought that being a single mom of a 3 year old and having two jobs could be so exhausting??! Yea, right…..
Evan is at his Dad’s this weekend, which gives me some time to get caught up on housework and editing. I miss him terribly, though.
Evan had two Easter Egg Hunts/picnics this week. And with that comes….guess what?? Yep, LOTS of candy. He had a party at his school on Thursday, and when he came home he wanted to open every package of candy that he had. He didn’t eat it all, mind you, he just wanted to open them all to see what was inside.
Remember the days when WE could eat all of this that we wanted to, and the only thing we had to worry about was a possible tummy ache? He did eat some of it, and I was happy to let him since his Dad was picking him up in a few hours….LOL
I really wanted to get a picture of him showing off his candy, but this was one of those days when he really wasn’t in the mood for Mommy and her camera.
So I tried again……
Then after more begging and pleading on my part, he gave me this shot and just melted my heart.
Thank you, baby, for just being you!
Last Sunday, our church had a big Easter picnic and egg hunt. We had a blast! They had an awesome, blow-up bouncer-climber thing (what DO you call these things??), and Evan made the most of it. He had no fear of the heights, and I think the hardest part for him was waiting in line for his turn!
This one was after he slid down the big slide at the end.
After going down this thing three or four times, it was time to get ready for the Easter Egg Hunt. It was more like an Easter Egg Frenzy, because all of the eggs were lying on the ground, in big squares taped off by age. The kids were all standing around the square, held back by their parents waiting for the “Ready, Set, Go!” signal. Much to our surprise, Evan did a great job of waiting for the start signal. You can tell he was really trying hard!
Well, she’s not officially my niece, but I consider her that just the same. Remember my friend who just had a baby? Although I don’t have a sister, my relationship with LeeAnn gives me an idea of what having a sister would be like.
So, she is “Aunt LeeAnn” to my son, and her husband is “Uncle Benny,” and I will be “Aunt Dalene.” Like one, big extended family. 
I have been so busy with work, life, etc, that LeeAnn hasn’t seen any of the pictures of the baby from our shoot. And I KNOW that she is just dying to see them…..so, here’s a sneak peek sweetie!!
A couple of weeks ago, I met this great family at the park for a photo shoot and had such a fun time. Two sisters brought their children - a total of FIVE kids between 5 months and 5 years old. These little guys don’t get to see each other very often, since one of the families lives in Norway (and is in Houston for a year for work), and the other family lives in St. Louis. These moms were SO excited about having their children photographed together! I felt honored to be able to capture this wonderful memory for them! We almost didn’t get to have the shoot, because it rained for - oh, I don’t know - FOUR days straight! But the rained cleared just in time, and although it was chilly and CRAZY FOGGY that morning, we got some great shots!! I showed Mom #1 the slideshow yesterday, and it brought tears to her eyes! That’s when I know I have done my job. I have captured images of her children that really show who their personalities, and reflect why she loves them as only a mom can.
Here are some of my favorites.
How BEAUTIFUL is this little girl??!!
This is her brother - what a cutie pie!
This baby has the most beautiful blue eyes. And an amazing smile! He was happy and laughing the entire shoot, and was just a joy to photograph.
These kids had so much fun together…..
Thank you so much for letting me photograph your families!
Everyone around here has been sick this week. Mom sounds awful, like a a frog has taken up residence in her throat. Evan has had a fever of 103 and a cough, which got worse as the week progressed. He was home two days, and by Thursday I had started his breathing treatments. Poor baby, even the smallest little cold can turn into bronchitis and leave him struggling to catch his breath. We are saying our prayers that it doesn’t turn into pneumonia again this time! He has had three rounds of that already, and I think he is way over his quota for such a young little guy.
I took this shot of him during his breathing treatment on Thursday morning……he was so tired he wanted to be in bed for this, and I think he had only been up for about an hour.
He’s tough, though, and was up playing not to long after this. Then up for a Movie Marathon!
On another note, I had two photo shoots last week, and I can’t wait to post some of those images! One was of my dear friend LeeAnn and her sweet newborn daughter. What a cutie! And so GOOD, I don’t think she cried but maybe once the whole time I was there, which was about 5 hours. LeeAnn, you are so lucky!
The other shoot was a referral from a client (thanks so much, Pam!!). Two sisters and their children - 5 kids!! That was a first for me, but it was so fun. Fortunately, one of them was only 5 months old, so we only had four to round up and try to maintain some time of control with (yeah, right!). It was SUPER foggy that morning, and quite chilly, but even with the drab weather we got some great shots! The two families live very far apart - one lives in St. Louis, and the other in Norway! (she is here in Houston for a year for her husband’s work), so it is rare that they are all together. I was so excited to capture this moment for these moms! I am showing Mom#1 her images on Friday, and I can’t wait for her to see them!
No sneek peeks, Katie…….you have to wait until Friday!!
Yesterday was Evan’s birthday, and I just can’t believe that he is now three years old! Where in the world did the time go??!! It seems like just days ago that he was learning to crawl, trying to figure out how to grasp objects with his ENTIRE hand, and pointing at the birds and squirrels outside in pure amazement. Now he is learning to WRITE LETTERS, can get dressed virtually by himself (still working on the shirt part), can eat an apple whole (without me having to cut into into tiny, choke-proof pieces), and makes the funniest jokes!! He is a little boy now, and I don’t think that I’m quite ready for that yet. I wanted my baby to stay - well, a BABY - for just a little longer. Do any of you Mom’s out there know what I mean?? Since he might end up being my only child, I wasn’t wishing for him to fly through any stage, not even the crazy two’s. He’s such a sweetheart, so loving and affectionate. And he is not stingy with the “I Love You’s” which is so wonderful. Yep, he is a handful at times, and in some ways is fiercely independent. But no human being has ever made me feel so loved, and I am grateful to God beyond words for that.
He had a great time opening his presents last night….
We had cupcakes instead of a big cake. Cupcakes are so fun to eat!!
YUM-MMMEEE!
Here are some more images from our trip to the park a couple of weeks ago. I’m just now getting around to posting these! I am going to get better at blogging on a regular basis, I promise! 
I wanted this one to have an old fashioned feel to it, with warmer tones and some great textures.
Hooray! My blog is now up and running! It has been a long time coming, but procrastination got the better of me for awhile. My hope is that you can get to know me a little better here, and see some of what goes on in Dalene Killian Photography. I’ll also post “sneek-peeks” here for clients - those are so fun!
Okay, everyone who knows me, KNOWS that I am crazy in-love with my son Evan. He will turn 3 years old on March 16, and I cannot even believe it! Time has flown by SO fast since he was born! Thus - I take about….oh, I don’t know….500 or so pictures of him every month! I’m not kidding. I’ve already had to upgrade to a 1TB external hard drive to hold them all. We stopped by a little historical park on Thursday on the way to his preschool, and got some really precious shots.
Follow me, Mommy!
Isn’t he just the cutest??!
