Italian MOMster

We bonded over our explicit language and laughed like we were old friends. We were animated when we spoke about motherhood together and hugged like we knew each other forever.

She is candid, funny, loud and real.

I wondered as I saw her newborn son sleeping so soundly if he knew the ride he was in for. The personality, enthusiasm and charm of his mother...that was going to carry him (literally) through life.

There is nothing that really prepares us for that moment when we are handed a baby and given the toughest job we'll ever have. Yet somehow, some way, we know what they need. I am convinced that no matter what books we have read, or the advice that we have been given, nothing is stronger or more poignant then a mothers intuition.

When Maria picked up her new son she spoke in Italian...fast and furious, loud and lively. Her little man laid nestled in the crook of her arm looking up at her with bewilderment, amusement and pure affection. I'm guessing he was thinking she was a little crazy too - yet what kid doesn't think that of his folks? ; )

And as if right on cue baby G listened to his Mama, snuggled in for a nice nap and let us get some adorable sleepy shots.

Okay, if the head of hair is not enough to make you giggle and sigh out loud, check out those billowy lips.

He is one beautiful baby boy.

Mom told me there is nothing better in the world then when he snuggles under her chin when they wake up for late night feedings. I would have to agree. It's kind of a moment when the world feels perfect. Well, for only like umm five seconds, cause you mind quickly replaces it with, 'I wonder when he will finally be able to sleep through the night so I can finally get some sleep' as you are trying hard not to drift off

Hold them tight.

It goes faster then you can ever imagine.

As we were winding down, we heard the back door swing open, and Dad yelled 'did I miss everything'?

Nope, just in time.

21 days of pure perfection - slept a good hour for us. Usually at this age, newborns are much more alert which sometimes makes it harder to get those sleepy shots.

I'm not sure what Mom said to him that made him behave, but what ever it was it worked!

The look of love...

Thanks Frank and Maria for being so gracious and making me feel at home in your home.

Maria, you did a fabulous job keeping the house nice and toasty so baby G could get all sleepy.

It worked like a charm...or whatever you bribed him with did?! ; )  

Help these folks reach 20 comments (right below) for them to receive a complimentary gift!

My Dad

"Tony", a little more to the left. 

He climbs all the way down the 15 foot ladder and moves it over an inch and goes up
and re-adjusts it. 'Nahhh...I like it back the other way', the voice bellows from below.

He doesn't say a word, he turns and looks at my mother with an amused look on his face,
but also with a smile.

This goes on for ohhh, two months straight during Christmas (well actually through out the year too ; ).

He is nostalgic, sentimental, and ummm emotional. 

When he laughs - he laughs until he cries, and really, you can't just sit and watch,
you have to laugh until you cry too. 

You know that laugh where no noise comes out really, just that hissing sound? That's him.

Once it's starts, you're done. 

It lasts a good half hour.

His hands are larger then life, kinda like his heart.
He gives his all, all the time, at every moment.
When he gives you a hug - it's a bear hug. You're engulfed.

He can do anything. I swear.
And I'm not just saying that cause he's my Dad ; )
Not only can he do anything, but he has a sense of humor and is enthusiastic while doing it!
A rare combination. I can assure you.

In between the bills and catalogs I was carrying in today, I see it.
An envelope written in all cap letters in his hand writing.
I know it comes each and every holiday (even the small ones),
 yet I'm still surprised.

Before I even reach my front door, I have opened the envelope. I pause to read the words that he carefully chose. Tucked inside is a scratch off lotto ticket, in place of the fresh pressed dollar bills he use to send when I was younger. Every holiday like clock work a Hallmark card comes to my home.
You would think we live across the country!
Nope.
20 minutes tops.

Now, what is even more crazy is that not only does he do it for me,

but also now for my husband and my three kids.

It is one of the most thoughtful gestures someone has ever done (and continues) to do for me traditionally.

I'm not sure Dad if you know it or not, but you can stop with the 'win for life' lotto tickets.

We have already won....we got you!

And because I know my Dad, he's going to say,

 'What, you couldn't put a picture of your old man on your fancy blog'? 

So without further ado, meet my Dad (along with Mom)

 They make ordinary moments, extraordinary...

annnd there is the laugh...

Happy Birthday Dad,

I love you! 

You make my life happy...

Peeping Tom - Facebook

I was dead set against it.
Wouldn't even listen as my younger sister would tell me how much she loved it.
I couldn't think of a more horrible way to waste my time then to read about old high school acquaintances
(no offense). 

Not friends - acquaintances for crying out loud. 

I didn't get it.

Fast forward a few years later and social media makes it a necessity to have a Fanpage on Facebook for your business. I was annoyed that I was forced into it, and even more annoyed when I found myself getting sucked into it. 

Why did I care what you ate for breakfast or when your child had their first bowel movement?!

 But strangely enough it was amusing, entertaining and addicting as hell. 

People that I didn't know even had a personality, were hysterically funny.
I found out early who loved to bitch and who I had things in common with. 

What was even more crazy was that it wasn't even the ones who I had expected.

It was a new way to judge people.
We all stereotype - its human nature. But now without the face or the clothes to hide the disguise,
we are all being judged on our personality or public persona.

Soo, yeahh...

that innocent remark you made last week about your husband -
has now gone through the grapevine and the whole web thinks you're getting divorced.
The weekend get away that you couldn't wait to tell everyone about,
is now being shared with 500 of your ummm closest 'friends'.
Friends that you knew, what, twenty years ago?!
They haven't changed much, right?
(where is the sarcastic font when you need it?)  

I remember growing up where the golden rule of my parents home was 'whatever we discuss in this house, stays in this house.' We didn't air 'dirty laundry'. Ever. And in this ever changing world it has not only become acceptable to do so, but encouraged.
We have all become stalkers, creepers - peeping Tom's. 

We peer into each others lives like we belong. We make opinions and judgements and then realize with fear that we are all not that different after all, no matter what high school may have labeled each of us. 

We all live in 'glass houses' and our words and comments make an impact,
regardless of how big or small we may think they are.

'Remember the days when Sunday was meant for re-couping from the weekend, chillin all day, relaxing? Not any more! Now it's laundry, cleaning, organizing for the week, cooking meals...yeah...it's fun to be an adult!

I read that quote above from the FB wall of one of my past bride's.

I sympathized. I reminisced. 

I felt compassion for the new Mom. 

I liked her more for sharing the same opinion as me. 

I silently thanked her for not making me feel so alone in this big old world.

I have come to accept and 'like' ; ) FB more.
I appreciate it - for all that it is and all that it is not.

While we (the Face Book community) may not be in each others lives on a daily basis for one another,
our words certainly are.

Use them wisely.

Autumn's Bridal Session

I was recently going through my archives and came across some shots I had taken of
Autumn as part of her bridal series that I had never posted.

Just thought I'd share...

How often did your wedding dress get worn or do you expect to wear it? Pretty much once, right? That is so not fair! It's something that you paid waaaay to much for, that fits you like a glove and makes you feel like a million dollars in it - and you wear it once.

Whether you are hiring/hired me or another photographer, make sure to ask them about a 'bridal' or the 'day after' session. It's a great time to get relaxed shots when you're feeling comfortable and not

crunched for time. Plus it's one more day to wear something that's amazing and

hold on to the feeling of 'Cinderella' a bit longer.

*sigh*

Cinderella...

hmmm...do you think my husband would find it strange to come home and find me doing the laundry in my wedding dress?

haha - that's if I can even get a leg into it stll ; )

Pay it Forward

Taaa - daaaaa!!

So, I finally had a free moment to work on a new blog design/navigation.

I'd love to hear what you think in the new comment box (yuup, bigger and better) below. 

'Blogger' has a limited number of templates available and sometimes it limits your creativity a bit. But I found a fabulous designer who was able to achieve the look of my marketing material into a blog template just for me. Yay! You can find Angie here. She can make anything you can envision come to life! What I love most about her is how very thorough she is. If there was a design aspect she wasn't familiar with, she found out how to implement it. I also loved how she kept me involved with the process the entire way, which (being the control freak I am) was right up my alley. 

A few other people who I have worked with that I wanted to give a quick mention to, just in case any of you are in the market for are below:

Brand identity was improved by Shorty Red Designs. She took my existing logo and refined and created the clean marketing material around it. Thanks 'S1' (her name is Stacy as well, hence the S1) for all of your hard work, long hours and great ideas.

'Introfy' who is putting a new look together for me on the Fanpage on Facebook. It will be going 'live' shortly, so keep on the look out for that. There will be a new area where you can leave reviews and be lead to short cuts to reach my blog and site. The finishing touches are in the works and I'm super excited to see the end result. Introfy was a pleasure to deal with and had a super quick turn around time.

I have been so fortunate to be surrounded by such a talented creative bunch of people. Each of you inspire me, and give my ideas life. I'm grateful to each of you.  I truly feel graphic design or social media work is such a hard field. Although it may look easy, there is so much that goes into  trying to get the look right to please the client. The rounds of revisions and the ability to come up with something new and fresh must be exhausting. So I'm indebted to each of you. 

One final 'thank- you' needs to go to all of my readers/visitors. I'm in awe when I hear from you that you take a moment out of your day to read this blog, stop by Facebook or visit my site. I love, love hearing your thoughts and feeling the support and encouragement it brings.  

I would love for you to 'follow' me via the blog or Facebook by clicking 'follow' in the menu bar (up at the top of the page) to keep current on what Show and Tell is up to!

Going forward, I'll be making 'Thank-You Thursdays' a weekly blog post.

Hope to see you again soon!

Brand Spankin' New...(Year)

What is it about a new year that is so refreshing? 
It comes in like new falling snow. A white, clean blanket of freshness, just waiting for our footprints. 
It's a time for reflection, organization, change, perhaps regret, and gratefulness. 
It's a time to see how far you've come or haven't at all. 


It's a time to re-think your strategy and make a plan of attack. 
Take inventory on what works in your life and what does not.  
Make change and be the change you want to see.

I read a quote once and I'm paraphrasing here 

'this time next year, you're going to wish you had.'

Hmmm...interesting. Thought provoking.

Procrastination.

Who hasn't been there?

The room you wanted to paint, the closet you meant to clean out, 
the vacation you wanted to take, the time you needed for yourself.

Goals, plans, schedules... and my favorite, organization.

So, with the holidays past us and the cold weather to slow us down a bit - 
I have begun the new year with zest. Great word right?
 Okay, it wasn't as 'zesty' as I would have liked, but I'm working on it. 


office organized - check
new blog design - check
facebook make over - in the works
new computer to speed up editing - check
simplify - in the works
frames I want to fill - in the works
diet - check, well...in the works ; )
exercise - ummm where is that zest when you need it?


Those are a few of the things I want/wanted to accomplish this year.
 It's amazing when you write out your goals and think about them,
   you're much more likely to get them done.
 The things I mentioned above, have been on my mind for sometime - 
but in the last three weeks I have finished half of them. 
I think that's a pretty great start!


Now...where did I hide that box of cookies? 
I digress... ; ) 

Snuggling...

We were snuggling watching Rudolph when my five year old said, 

'I think I liked it better when it was just you, me and Dad.' 

It caught me by surprise. I'm not gonna lie.

A million things go through your head.
First...that I thought the same thing when I was around her age.
Poor thing, is not getting enough attention.
How do I make her understand that having siblings is the best thing ever?
Will she need therapy?
Note to self - to make extra time for her.
How to answer?!


Hmmm, I decided to take the road of devil's advocate. 

'Oh Adryanna, when I was little I wasn't crazy about having a brother and a sister either. 

I know it's hard to share, but I promise it will get much better when you get a little bit older. 

If you want, we can find a new home for Vienna and Anderson.
What do you think?' I said.

With a new found excitement, she sat straight up and said, 

'that's a GRRREAT idea - can we visit them for Christmas Eve?'

niiiiice