Weekend Update, Like SNL only less funny...

After the movie on Friday, I was fixing the kids a gourmet dinner of spaghetti with sauce straight out of the jar, when I heard the garage door. Brandon was in Chicago for the week and told me he wouldn’t be home until “late.” He came home early and hungry. A jolt of inadequacy shot through me.

I explained to him the kids weren’t hungry after all the popcorn and candy, but did agree to eat a little pasta before bed. He wasn’t impressed, but he didn’t starve to death either.

Saturday morning I was out of the house by 9:30 for a full day of shooting. It was chilly, but I would much rather be cold than hot. My argument is always, “You can add layers, but when you’re hot that’s it. Nothing you can do.” I have trouble shooting in a coat. It feels like my arms are bound. So, I shot in a vest, scarf, and a hat I was particularly thrilled over when I found it at Steinmart. When I came home, Brandon took one look at me and said, “Wow! You actually wore that all day?” I’m so glad he came home early! Who needs pasta?! I can live on Brandon’s compliments alone.

I had grown ups for this shoot and that really makes a difference. They sat where I asked them to and looked right at the camera without so much as a single package of fruit snacks waved in front of them. They brought along their dogs and had me use the words, “Treats!” “Breakfast!” and “Dinner!” to get them to look my direction. I felt like Benedict Arnold. I didn’t have so much as a Snausage to offer. You can’t argue with success.

Some of you may recognize the people in the picture. That’s Jeremy and Amanda Williams. Amanda recently completed her residency in psychology and lived in St. Louis for nearly a year while doing so. As a gift to thank Jeremy for being so patient about her absence, Amanda arranged the photo session as a surprise. They were so much fun to shoot and tolerated me dragging them all over town. They even bought me lunch. Not a bad gig!

Sunday we went to Newton to celebrate all the Cucinella children’s birthdays. Maria is turning one today and Giuseppe and Frank had birthdays the previous two weeks. Jill’s a planner, isn’t she?

I did a mini session for our friend Jennifer of her two adorable little ones in Jill’s yard. Jennifer’s normally smiley Reese was in no way impressed with my camera. Reese wanted to show me his serious side. We completely corrupted him by handing him a sucker near the end of our shoot. I would post a picture here, but I think Jenn is planning to use them for her Christmas cards and I don’t want to give an unauthorized preview.

I also shot Jill’s Christmas card photo and did a first year portrait session for Maria.

I would shoot all day every day, so I loved every minute. Maria is so ridiculously easy to shoot; she’s lucky she had birthday guests coming or I would have monopolized her all day long.

Alex had more fun than you can well…shake a stick at. Giuseppe, Frank, and Alex spent the majority of the day in Jill and Gaspare’s wooded acres. I’m not sure what they were doing, but it sounds like it involved dragging loads of sticks through small creeks. Giuseppe wore a red shirt, so we could see them and knew they were safe. I was so grateful that Alex had the opportunity just to romp around in the woods and be a boy. He came back covered in mini cockaburrows. Brandon was already flipping out about Alex hanging out in the woods unsupervised, so Jill and I quickly changed Alex into one of Giuseppe’s sweatshirts and went on with the day.

We got back in just in time for bath and bed. If it were up to me, every day would be timed like that!