Grab a memory you will cherish forever!

With Christmas and New Years coming in a few days, many of us will be getting together with family--some that we haven't seen in quite some time.

If you are fortunate to be able to visit with your grandparents or parents during the holidays, I encourage you to grab your camera and catch some video. Some day you will be thankful you did!

It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Just grab your "point and shoot" camera (or cell phone), put it on video mode, and ask a couple of questions:

What is your favorite memory of Christmas?

What is your first memory of Christmas?

What was your favorite gift?

What was Christmas like when you were young?

After you grab this memory, make sure you back it up. You will want to save it for your children!

Happy Holidays!

Bob

Getting Ready for Christmas!

Is it Christmas already?

Like everyone, we get so busy during the year, then BAM, Christmas is here! Thank goodness for our children who slow us down for a moment to show us how to enjoy the season. Of course, we are catching those memories with photos and videos.

Have you thought about combining your photos and short video clips into short movies? There are several very easy to use programs out there that can do this for you. It is an easy way to hold your memories!

Here is our family's latest--"Getting Ready for Christmas, 2008".

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Our Family Christmas Session

It is that time of year! We brought the family in for our annual Holiday Photos. The kids are growing. We are very blessed. I wanted to take this opportunity to show off MY kids!

Click on the arrow to see our session and images:

The Hurricane

Our lab and corporate offices are in Houston. We were very blessed to be spared the wrath of Hurricane Ike. We are in a new building that lost power for a few days, but that was about it.

Our Baybook studio associates seemed to be hit the hardest--along with some of our Baybrook clients. Sue, our manager at the Baybrook location, just sent me the email below--it is a reminder of how important photo/memories are to everyone.

>>>Pearline _____ and her family lost EVERYTHING in Galveston. She was so upset about her pictures. Cleaning through the muck, she found our CD still in its case, and floating in water. She brought it in last night and I was able to upload them again. She and her husband were so happy! We will redo them when they get settled, they are living at a Comfort Inn the next few months. <<<

We are happy that we could help Sue's client, and would be happy if there are any other clients that we can help with their images.

Meanwhile, we count our blessings. Although some of our friends, family, and associates were hit hard by the storm, everyone appeared to be safe.

Is it Christmas time already?

I am sure you have noticed it. As we get older, Christmas just keeps coming faster!

With tomorrow being October 1st, we are in the home stretch for Christmas. Of course we will have lots of memories to collect and share during the holidays.

I wanted to share a "video Christmas card" that we sent out to some friends last year. Before we went to church I took out my "point and shoot" camera, put the kids in front of the Christmas tree, and asked them to sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". I sent this to family and friends. It is a fun memory that my wife and I can look back on in ten or twenty years (when the kids are all grown).

As you go through the holidays there may be moments you want to catch, share, and review in years to come. Grab your "point and shoot camera", put it on video mode, and capture those memories!

Wiggly Teeth!

If you have children, you know what it is like for them to lose that first tooth!

"Do you want me to pull it?"

"No Daddy"

"Can I just feel how loose it is?"

"If you promise not to pull it"

"It's pretty loose...are you sure you don't want me to pull it?"

"Will it hurt?"

The first tooth is special. Not just because they are losing it, but becuase it signals a change. For my daughter, it is the first visual cue that she is growing up. Once they lose that first tooth, their look changes. It seems they automatically age a year by losing that first tooth. Then, when the permanent tooth comes in, you can add antoher two years! Once you see that first tooth start to wiggle--grab your camera--take those still photos, take some video--take them to a studio! This is your last chance to catch that age! Of course, once they lose that first tooth, grab that camera and catch the moment--in pictures and in video! My daughter lost her first tooth at Christmas last year. Check out the next song that played (what a coincidence!)

Catch a Memory!

A couple of weeks ago my youngest child had to make a trip to the hospital--it seems he had stuck a Leggo up his nose!

My wife had our point-and-shoot camera with her. She pulled it out, put it in video mode, and captured a few minutes of Jacob talking about his "event".

This is a memory that we will play back for him in the years ahead--and being as it is video, will be much more ""memorable" than my wife simply telling the story.

I share this because I encourage you to take not only photos, but short videos of your children. You don't have to use your old bulky videotape camera--use your point and shoot camera--or your cell phone--or something similar to the "Flip Video" I mentioned in aprevious post.

These memories are fleeting--catch them while you can!