Merry Christmas

This year our Christmas Card was Chase outside on the ONE day it snowed...I clicked a few images because of the snow...plus it was my buddy's birthday!!!

I hope each of you had a Blessed Christmas with all of your family and friends...we did!!
Wendy

~~A Baby's Hug~~

~~My Aunt received this story through an email wanted to share the sweetness to all of you~~

We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly sitting and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, 'Hi.' He pounded his fat baby hands on the high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled with merriment.

I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man whose pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map.

We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled.. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. 'Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster,' the man said to Erik.

My husband and I exchanged looks,

'What do we do?'

Erik continued to laugh and answer, 'Hi.'

Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby. Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, 'Do ya patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek- a-boo.'

Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk.

My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments.

We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the door. 'Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik,' I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's 'pick-me-up' position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man.

Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love and kinship. Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time.

I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms and his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, 'You take care of this baby.'

Somehow I managed, 'I will,' from a throat that contained a stone.

He pried Erik from his chest, lovingly and longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, 'God bless you, ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift.'

I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, 'My God, my God, forgive me.'

I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not. I felt it was God asking, 'Are you willing to share your son for a moment?' when He shared His for all eternity. How did God feel when he put his baby in our arms 2000 years ago.

The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, 'To enter the Kingdom of God, we must become as little children.'

~~Many Christmas Blessings to All of You!
Wendy

Happy Birthday...Big 14 year old!!!....and....Let Snow!!?!!!!

Happy Birthday to My Very Precious Boy!!!

I prayed for you since I was a little girl..I couldn't WAIT to be a mommy and trust me I practiced alot with my baby dolls!!! When I found out you would be would be my son, I knew that my already blessed life would be even more blessed because you were my gift from God. I was and still am so Thankful for you!

The night before you were born your family was in the hallway and waiting room "betting" on when you would join us...you see...you were supposed to be born on the 9th...but you knew how to be "fashionably late" and waited until after midnight!! It didn't matter to me...I just wanted to know that you were healthy...and that you were!

We have had such a wonderful time for these past 14 years! I'll never forget when we went to Disneyworld, just the 2 of us...what a great time we had! Us going to "That Frio River, where you learned how to swim" (thank you George Strait!!), with Mimi and PawPaw...you hated the firefly's buzzing around your head... and now going back every other year...now you even go down the big drop and you aren't even scared! Mexico with Mimi and PawPaw those 2 times, the one year we were at Tulum and you wanted me to hold you but it was soooo hot...all you wanted to do is hug me and you said "Thank you Mom, this is beautiful...I Love You"...I melted!!! Swimming with the dolphins..and experience I'll NEVER forget! The Cruise with Wayne....what a blast!!! Henry saying..."Can I get a Whoop Whoop!!" AND..you won $120 playing Bingo..way to go! Oh my gosh....we have so many WONDERFUL MEMORIES!!!

I am so very proud of you in everything you do! You are so sweet, smart, loving, kind, funny, thoughtful, caring, loyal, bold, athletic, brave, talented and I absolutely Love EVERYTHING about you!!! Thank you for being such an awesome son!!!

And your friends....you choose such great ones, I hope you will continue to remain friends with them for years to come....these are just a few!!

Oh.....and to add to all the fun.....TODAY, on YOUR BIRTHDAY....it started snowing!!!!!! That's a once in a lifetime thing to even happen in Houston...needless to say on your birthday! Like you said 14 must be your luck number!!! It might not have been much, but hey you get what you can take, right!!?!

"Hurry up Mom...I'm COLD!!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I LOVE YOU BUDDY!!!!!

Mom
xxooxxooxxooxxoo

p. s. You are ALWAYS in my Heart!

Peek.A.Boo

Ok...here's a question for ya.......is little angel the most precious thing or WHAT!!!

This cutie is the youngest of four girls and you would think they were quad's born in different years...they look soooo much alike!! I have had the honor to photograph this family with all their girls for years and it's been awesome to watch them grow up!

LOVE the ruffles!!!

"huh!!??!"

I just love to capture the interation between Mommy and Baby...so sweet!

Enjoy these wonderful times..

Blessings~

Wendy

We Are Family......

They've got the Whole Family with um'

LOVED working with this family........The grandparents came from North Carolina to see their family. It's so awesome to photograph an extended family, it's like a family reunion and I "kinda" get to be a part of it, not only that day but for years to come as they see the images around their homes.

The Kiddo's!

Sist'as

Grandparents with their Grandchildren

Until next time....keep smilin'!

~Wendy

Today is a Very Special Day!!

It's my 2nd Wedding Anniversary to my Wonderful Husband!!!

After being a single Mom for almost 9 years I really didn't think I would get married again....However, God had bigger plans for me! My father-in-law, sister-in-law and Mom all had a part of getting us together and I thank them very much!

We have had 2 years of happiness, hard work, challenges, love and laughter and I am so greatful! I can't wait for many more years to come!!

I Love You Wayne!!

Happy Anniversary!!

~Wendy

Ben Franklin finally came to see the Cafe...

.....and he brought his kite with the key!!!! Wayne's restaurant FINALLY has electricity!!! WOW....how we depend on it!!! We are up an running to full capacity!!! YEAH!!!!

Still praying for those who don't have it in the area.........hopefully it will be soon!!

Next Post.....................some PHOTOTGRAPHY!!!!!!!

~Wendy

Schilleci's All-American Cafe....still cookin'

Even though we have been fortunate at out house, the Restaurant is still without power. :-(

BUT....we are still cookin'....my husband is the hardest worker in the world (along with my dad) and he doesn't let much get him down. Even though we do not have power inside the restaurant, we decided to grill outside. We have been very blessed with WONDERFUL weather!! The huge oak tree by the building was ok so everything has been great outside. The area where the restaurant is located has been hit hard....so power is taking a LONG time to get back on.

Not only do I have the BEST photography customers in the world....the restaurant has the BEST customers as well!!!! Everyone is so happy we are out there and are thankful they can get some AWESOME food! We thank everyone for coming out!!!

No, this is not Wayne's Brother and Sister....they are his parents....can you believe it!!! They came out to grab something to eat!!!

Me and My Sweetie!!! Still smiling through the storm of Mr. Ike!

(Jo Jo in the background!!)

Check out the Web Site:

www.SchillecisCafeandCatering.com

See ya there~

Wendy

Y----IKE---S!!!!

I'm a native Houstonian, have been through many storms, including Alicia and I have never seen anything like Hurricane Ike! We woke up at 3:15 that morning as the storm moved through and have never seen wind like that....the trees swayed so much it was scary!

Well, I do have to say, that through the hurricane we have not had any huge problems at our house. We had a few fences down and one tree (that was already dead!) tilt over.

Our great neighbor came over with his power drill and helped to cut it down.

Then it was time to
clean up!!!

It made me sad to see the pile of wood because I personally planted this tree, years ago :(

HOWEVER......we are extremely blessed because we did not have major damage, never lost our water and were without power for literally hours, and we at times feel so guilty for that. We feel for and pray for those who have not had the same fortune, however we all know in Houston, we will all build everything back to normal eventually!

Blessings to everyone~

Wendy

First Day of School AND American Idol Concert!!!

Well....yes....it's been almost a month, but better late than never, right?!

This is the morning of the first day of school, of the last year of Middle School...confusing??!!! YEP!

The night before school we all went to the American Idols Concert, even my Mom (she was a big fan and voted a ton for David Cook..!!) BTW...when I bought the tickets, I had no idea that the next day would be the first day of school =)

We had so much fun and absolutely LOVED the concert...it will be interesting to start hearing everone on the radio! Before the concert we went to eat at The Hard Rock Cafe downtown, maybe some of the artist will have some of their things at the Cafe's one day.

Needless to say.....there were a few yawns before getting on the bus :-)

Besides being a little tired, the first day of school went great!

Isn't it cute how Chase has his earphones on in all of the images...wonder what he's listening to? Typical teenager!!! Love that kiddo!!!

Until next time....

~Wendy

Bringing up Boys!

This is one of my favorite family's to work with! I started to photograph their oldest boy when he was a little guy....now he's about to start 1st grade!!! So....in turn I've seen the other two boys as infants. I just love watching these guys grow up!

LOVE this image....it truly shows who they are as a family! Close, fun and loving!!
Headin' home!

Thank you for allowing me to capture these special times for y'all!

Blessings~

Wendy

Happy Fathers Day to My Dad!

To honor my Dad on Father's Day...I just wanted to say a few words about him!

Warning...this is a long post for me and a Kleenex was necessary for me!!

My Dad has made more sacrifices for his family than anyone I've ever known!

Before I was born, he went to U of H working on his degree....it took him 10 years because of the sacrifices he made for us. He sometimes worked as many as 3 jobs to keep things going for our family. And he never complained...he just took car of us! Years later, he was very successful in a Property Development Company and then it was time to go out on his own. He started his own business in 1974 and was the most dedicated, hardworking man to make it successful...and that it is....successful!

As a child, on Saturday morning's my brother and I would beg him to get up and watch cartoons with us and after we "tried" to put water in his ear to get up he would come to the living room and watch The Looney Toons Show with us and just crack up when Road Runner kept trying to get Wylie Coyote....I still love that laugh!!!

During High School my mom and I would go shopping and I would come in and "show off" everything that I got and of course had to tell him how much we saved...he would look at me and smile and say..."but how much did you spend?" Again...never complaining.

He taught my brother and I to pursue our dreams and work hard so because of that we both went to college and both graduated in 4 years. I'll never forget that day and the feeling I had of my Dad being proud of me. After the ceremonies, he would come to me hand me $100 and say..that's for your Freshman year...then another $100..that's for your Sophomore year...etc....I ended up with $400 and was just thrilled!!!! I think I might have even said, I should have stayed for 6 years!

After college, I started working full time (it was about time, I actually started working at 13 years old) and I will always cherish Friday's at work....I'd walk back to my Dad's office and just sit and talk to him for HOURS about business, work, life...mainly business. They are conversations I will always have with me. After I started my own business, we would sometimes go to Willie's for a beer and talk, and the talks were still inspirational.

There are so many things about my Dad that I love and memories that continue to happen...the Frio River (teaching Chase to jump rocks), Mexico, going to Del Pubelo...so many things..but today Dad I just want to honor YOU!!! God has blessed me with the BEST father in the world!

You have always been there for me and you're the Best Grandfather to Chase...thank you for YOU! You are my hero and the wind beneath my wings.

I LOVE YOU DAD!

Wendy

The Last Day of School

The last day of school was last week and every year I always LOVE to surprise my son when he gets off the bus! Even though now I think he expects my little surprises!

My mom comes over and we get water balloons filled up, shaving cream "pies" ready on paper plates and of course....ya gotta have some silly string!!!!!

He doesn't look too disappointed about gettin' it...does he? Actually when he saw us outside right before he got off the bus, I could hear his friends say..."you're gonna get it!" So he takes of running acting like he doesn't want to get pegged, then it turned into..."come and get me Mom and Mimi!"

To be honest with you, I'm not sure who has more fun!!

Congrats on a GREAT year Buddy!!!

WE ALL LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!!

Looking forward to a great summer!

~Wendy

Happy Mothers Day to My Mom!

Most of you know just how SPECIAL my mom is to me!!!

(WARNING: this is probably the LONGEST post I've ever typed, but I just had to say it all! Please take the time to read it!)

But in case you don't, let me just tell you what I think of her!!!!! She is the most Amazing, Wonderful, Loving, Patient, Caring, Loyal, Incredible Lady I have EVER known in my life!!! I am just about in tears as I write this about her because I Love Her So Much!!!

My mother has ALWAYS been there for me...during good times and bad...she has always been the BEST girlfriend I have ever had and I just wouldn't be here without her!

As a young girl, she taught me how to be a young lady, have good manners, be polite and respect others. My dad went to night school for college and sometimes worked 3 jobs when we were little, so she had us in a Mothers-Day-Out program, and instead of going and have fun, doing something for herself, she would do her grocery shopping and mow the lawn so my Dad could have a relaxing weekend with all of us. Every Saturday night, after we grilled outside, she would wash my hair and put it up in curlers so I would look pretty for Sunday morning at church.

When she and my Dad started their business in 1974, she would be there for me and my brother when we came home from school and then stayed up until the "wee" hours of the night doing work for their company...these are things I didn't know until I was older...and she NEVER once complained about anything!!!!

As I got older, we had tons of fun shopping!!! She always taught me how to look for "deals" and save money so sometimes you could get more!!! Then after hours upon hours of shopping, we would drive back home (after eating Mexican food for dinner of course!) and then we would sit in the car on the driveway and talk about anything and everything for even more hours!!! I will always cherish those times!!!

During college, she always made me feel special about coming back home for Holidays or Weekends (half the time she would do my laundry...thanks mom!). She always encouraged me to have my friends but be safe and good....her normal saying when we left the house was "Be Sweet!"....now I say that to Chase!! She was always a great friend, but also meant business and could be strict...she even made me sleep out in my car one night because I always had a hard time making curfew....she had enough so it was time for her to put her foot down! It was one of the best lessons she ever taught me.

Jump ahead a few years and I become a Mom myself and when Chase was just over 2 years old I become a single mom. AGAIN..........I could have never survived those almost nine years without her! She helped me all of the time with Chase, helped me with my Photography business, always listened to me if I needed to talk, cry or even laugh. I am almost speechless (if you can believe it) about some of this!!! She taught me how to be the best mom I can be (even though I don't know if I could ever be as good as she is), to ALWAYS put my child first, trust in the Lord to get me through, look at the positive, be bold, be loving, be patient. I know that all of these things she has taught me, she learned from her own Mother (Happy Mother's Day to you too Nana!).

So now as a Grandmother, she is Awesome...she goes to all of her grandchildren's events, drives them to many places they need to go, lets them have slumber parties in her living room, plays basketball with Chase and his friends.....and she's really good!!! She wants to do it all!!!

When I got married again, I found it fitting that she was my Matron of Honor. I had to have her as the one to stand beside me!!! (These photos are from my wedding) And now that I am married, she has taught me how to be the best wife I can be and she mainly does that by example...she is the best wife to my dad (almost 47 years!!)

THANK YOU MOM!!!!!

FOR NOT GIVING ME EVERYTHING I EVER ASKED FOR....

BUT

FOR BEING THE BEST LADY, DAUGHTER, SISTER,

WIFE, FRIEND, GRANDMOTHER

AND MOST OF ALL

MOTHER!!!!!!

I hope you have the Best Mother's Day Ever!!!
I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!
Wendy

Little Red....VW

Just think of the song by Prince, except put VW in place of Corvette..haha!!!

Seriously.....What a cute car and beautiful girl!!!

I photographed this girls family years ago when she was in Middle School...time flys by so fast!! She was so fun to work with and has an amazing smile and awesome eyes!

I did some unique techniques to this image to make it look almost like a Black & White Color tint...cool huh?

Love the waterfall in the back ~ you feel like you're up in the mountains somewhere!

Best of Luck for your future!!

Blessings~
Wendy