Hope-Help-Heal -- Angel Photographer -- Child Photographer Cypress Texas

Here's a quick preview of the sweet, sweet angel children that will each be spotlighted in upcoming blogs.

And I know the story on here is a little longer read than I usually include, but it so poignantly captures the love and beauty of this experience for these families. One of the angel mamas gave it to me to share.



I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.
by Emily Perl Kingsley












For more information on this amazing fundraiser, please scroll down just a couple of posts. And watch for the blog posts with more information and images for each child.

Yall truly blessed me,
Andi






All images copyright 2A Photography.

Magnolia Newborn Photographer--Newborn Twins

Look what I've been doing today! Yes, falling in love . . .

With these twins.



Oh--I just loved loved loved getting to see them and spend time with them and the family. All their squishy, sleepy, baby wonderfulness.



This is a true sneak peek! There'll be more, including super sweet shots of the twins with their 3 older siblings! Yes, you read right!

Precious blessings for all of you,
Andi

PS--One of the few non-personal posts that remain on the blog. But it is personal. Love this family. And the first one is the shot that was selected for the Design Aglow newborn guide, which was a very cool personal accomplishment!
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All images copyright 2A Photography.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I hope your holidays have been as wonderful as ours.



I promised Christmas tree shots a while ago and I'm just now getting around to posting them. It's amazing to me how warm and happy Christmas pictures can make me.



Growing up my best friend and I would squint our eyes and look at the Christmas tree. The effect is lots of bokeh--a photographer's term for blurred light. I would dream of having my own family and my very own Christmas tree. And now that I have it, it still feels like a dream to me.




This year I taught our 3 year old how to squint his eyes and look at the pretty lights. I love the wonder of it all.



And I love the process. Our homemade nativity scene. (If you don't think it's stunning and beautiful and amazing then please don't tell me. Our "little project" turned into a 6 hour affair. Quite the undertaking with the aforementioned 3 year old and a hot glue gun. Remember that a camera is my creative weapon of choice!)




Catching my boys putting presents under the tree.







Decorating cookies for Santa--and Lane considering whether to eat them or not.







Champagne on Christmas Eve.





Waiting at the top of the stairs on Christmas morning.





The magic.




The reason.


And with the new year I can't help but get filled with joy and gratefulness for all of you who have shared your lives with me this year. Thank you so much for all you've shown me, all you've taught me. I'm just flooded with images and all your laughter.

2010 is going to be fun. A schedule that is already 1/2 booked through the Spring (contact me now if you want to hold a date!!), lots of seniors, plans for bluebonnets, a couple of weddings, new policy changes, new products to offer, lots of good stuff. Stay tuned--(oh! and let me hear from you--I think I have my new comment function working where we can all communicate better on here! Yes??)

Blessings for a rich 2010,
Andi


All images copyright 2A Photography.

Speaking of what I love . . .

So I can't finish my first blogging session without showing you the little angel I was talking about. It's such a blessing to get to be his Mama.



By the way, I'm so excited about the sessions that I have scheduled for this weekend. It's going to be a busy weekend with lots of family sessions and a bunch of kids. I'm so excited, yall. Make sure you let me know if you want to talk about ideas in advance or what to wear. Bring your stuff and I can help with that, too! Thanks for including me in your life this week.
Blessings,
Andi