kristinenoel

Baby C Sneak Peek

admin — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 03:19:19 +0000

What as sweet little one. He has some great parents, grandparents, great grandparents, cousins, aunties and uncles. And I met them all We did some really nice and heartfelt things and are working to create a “love video” for all the grandkids. This is something new that I am working on and I am really excited about it. It is a combination of photos and video and audio that together create a really powerful story.

But onto the adorableness!

-KristineNoel

The many faces of Baby s

admin — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 03:25:05 +0000

This little girl was so sweet and cuddly. Plus she already knows so many interesting ways to express herself. Kind of like how the Inuit have many words for snow. This little one has many ways to yawn

This collage made the most adorable birth announcement!

-KristineNoel

Infinite Possibilites

admin — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 02:02:10 +0000

There is the great new complex in the medical center that I have been wanting to check out for years now. I met the construction project manager while in line waiting to vote in the last presidential election and it is so close to my house, but I think it has only been finished around a year or so.

I love the details in the windows the stairs the landscaping and I especially love the windows. One side says “infinite” and the other says “possibilities.” Oh and there is this fantastic coffee shop that is filled with natural light, has the most incredibly tall ceilings and this radial neon installation that is stunning.

The kids liked exploring the space and really liked the grassy lawn and the art installations.

-KristineNoel

Summer twilight

admin — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 04:20:56 +0000

Summer is really over. Just like that.

The 100 degree heat is gone and we are enjoying cooler nights. and one morning this week the kids said that it felt like New York outside (really they can only remember being there in heaps of snow – so no it is not really feeling like New York just yet).

The following are a couple of images from Cape Cod that were perhaps the most beautiful moments of the summer for me. I only wish that these images are half as lovely as it was when I took them. Both late evening sunlight that is filtered through the canopy and seen from the porch of the cottage. The light had a warmth and a richness that was slightly pink and I loved how it glinted off of Beccs hair and skin. As if she were enveloped by that last reminder of the day. Then looking up and towards the trees. The summer light is so fleeting, yet so perfect for that moment.

-KristineNoel

Twirling

admin — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 20:25:53 +0000

Sometimes Rebecca can be such a – well girl. Most of the time she is all about her favorite t-shirts and shorts, but sometimes when the mood strikes and the music is just right she will get in the mood for tutus and twirling. One night last week both she and Chase decided that they wanted to run upstairs and get the tutus and come down for a quick dance number. Chase is still all boy (despite what he is wearing) and insists on trying to jump as high as he can while twirling in mid-air. This usually results in hitting the floor pretty hard. Rebecca on the other hand really listens to the music, adapts her movements to the rhythm and is quite graceful when she dances. Both styles are fun to watch.

-Kristinenoel

Chase’s First Day of School – EVER

admin — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:00:58 +0000

He did so well today! Just jumped right into it and started playing. I think I was the one that needed a “transition” time. But that is who he is. Always seems ready to get into things. His teachers said that he was the kind of boy that everyone wanted in their class. I even heard him say “yes ma’am,” “thank you,” and “please” while I was in the classroom. So great job Chase!

Speaking of jumping here are some photos of my little star student from today.

-KristineNoel

From the Farm – Blueberry Buckle

admin — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 19:42:11 +0000

Another lesson learned. Here is a recipe from my grandmother Shirley’s collection for a Blueberry Buckle. I had to look up what a buckle after I made this to understand that at buckle is an entire class of baked goods that consist of a cake like bottom with fruit either mixed in or placed on top and baked and finished off with a crumb topping. I don’t bake a lot of morning types of pastries, but since we joined costco and I purchased A LOT of blueberries, this seemed like a good idea. Actually it was a great idea because it tastes great and the kids liked it.

I love how the recipe was dated in her file. It makes me wonder what she was doing, who she was baking for and if this recipe actually made the cut or was it one of those that got clipped perhaps was never made and just didn’t get purged. But heres to buckles. That wonderful genre of baked fruit goodies. I think I am going to enjoy these more often. The cinnamon crumb topping is really great. And this freezes well.

Blueberry Buckle – From Shirley

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 tsp. soda

1/3 cup buttermilk

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Cream together butter sugar and egg. Add flour, soda, and milk. Mix well and spread in a greased , floured 8 inch pan and cover with blueberries. Bake 20 minutes and remove from oven. Sprinkle with topping and return to oven for an additional 15 – 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Topping

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

Enjoy!

-Kristine

A little More Travel as Summer Comes to a Close

admin — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 03:07:07 +0000

Can you really say that summer is over when it is 104 degrees consistently day after day. I guess I am on school time once again. When school starts summer is over. Kind of like when I was growing up the county schools tried to prevent kids from being tardy by mandating “school time” that was actually 5 minutes behind regular time. Not uncommon to hear “is that school time or regular time?” Yes it was a strange concept but completely accepted in certain small town southern circles.

These are some photos from our day trip to Nantucket. Favorite memories of that day include going on the ferry ride, taking a photo walk and marveling at all the burst of lush colorful flowers, and I am sure ice cream must have played a small but important role as well. Some other cool things we ran into were some great old cars and this charter fisherman cleaning the days catch. When I asked him what kind of fish it was he said “AKA dinner.” I guess anything else is superfluous. Is it strange that I love how gore covered he is in the photo?

-KristineNoel

Waiting on the Blue Minvan

admin — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:17:31 +0000

We were in Cape Cod last week and had such a great time. I am just now going through my images and there are so many moments and stories that I have and want to remember from that trip and the place that we are all in right now.

We had a early, early flight out of Houston and were able to watch the sun rise and the change in colors of the sky. Not something that I do everyday I can assure you. The kids were so good on their flight and had a row to themselves. When we landed they were so excited to get into our rental car. We picked a minivan and they just loved every second of opening up the automatic sliding doors and getting into their own car seat atop of their own captain’s chair. We had just a few minutes wait while the rental place cleaned and washed out awaiting chariot. It was sunny so the kids rocked their new sunglasses (full disclosure – I may or may not have borrowed Chase’s blue ones the last day at the beach:)). What little rockers.

Chase guessed the color of the van. Blue. And all week he would talk about his “Bluuue Minban.” Slow on the blue and quick quick on the Minban part. There are so many little moments that I hope to collect here…

-KristineNoel

Cypress Family Portraits

admin — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 20:58:27 +0000

It has been a couple of months since I posted one sneak peak of an adorable little baby that I photographed in Cypress. But here are some more images of the day. This location is amazing and just right for extended families. It was such a pleasure photographing and meeting this wonderful family. I still love all of these images! So if you love them just as much drop me a note in the comments section and I will have a fun little gift for each of the families in this series.

-KristineNoel