Veritaz Photography; Dallas, TX
Manish is a professional photographer based in Dallas who specializes in documentary wedding photography with a photojournalism style.
The first Saturday of 2009 and our first wedding of 2009. In most states, a January wedding means snow and nasty weather. But here in Texas, you never know what you will get. Turns out that Kristina and Brandon’s prayers were answered with perfect weather. Both the wedding and reception took place at Temple Baptist Church in Flower Mound, TX. Enjoy some of the highlights below.
What a year it has been! Although we faced a number of challenges and difficulties in 2008, we had even more to be thankful for. The best gift of all? We enjoyed our first holidays together as a family, which was such a blessing. In 2008, Aiden spent nearly 50% of the year as in inpatient in the hospital. We look forward to 2009 and hope and pray it is nowhere near as crazy as this year was. Many thanks to all of you for your faithful prayers and support. We simply could not have made it through everything without knowing that you were praying.
Below are many Christmas pictures and video for all who asked! As you will see, Aiden has grown significantly just in the very short amount of time that he has been on the J-tube, which is an answer to prayer. He continues to constantly vomit bile. We had a promising first appointment with a new GI doctor this week, so we are hopeful that we have found someone here who is willing to work with the doctors in Boston.
The boys are talking up a storm, although we are not always certain what they are saying! 😉 . “Apple” and (ironically enough) “butt paste” are some of the new favorites for both Ethan and Evan, and Ethan loves “gars” (cars). Of course, “dis” (this) continues to be another favorite.
They are sprinting everywhere and trying to get into everything. They are also systematically destroying the house, one room at a time, as you will also see from the video. They love to empty the toy box and climb inside. Evan has figured out how to get to the TV by climbing over the couch and jumping across the gap to the chair so that he can reach and turn on the TV. In the video below, he miscalculates his leap and crashes (until he recovers and eventually succeeds). Just before Christmas, a friend from church shared some of their toys with the boys, including a stuffed Texas A&M musical mascot. In the video, you will notice that Ethan has adopted it and loves to snuggle with it while it plays the A&M fight song! Without a doubt, 2009 will hold many new and interesting adventures!
Our best to each of you in the coming year. From our family to yours — here’s to the New Year and all that it brings.
Ethan loves putting things on his head
Ethan, why so puzzled?
Aiden just loves life
Evan loves hanging out in his birthday suit
Quick, let’s turn it on before Dad sees us!
We tried to take a cute Christmas picture of all three boys in the box with little bows on their head. But as you can see, Aiden sunk.
…and he continued to sink…
He finally said “Enough”
Such an adorable Christmas gift
Ethan realizes he is being photographed in his birthday suit
He loved “swimming” in styrofoam
Aiden loved watching (from a safe distance)
Love the pants, Evan!
Ethan enjoys reading
Boo has such big, expressive eyes
All dressed up and ready to go in his little Christmas outfit
Peek-a-boo
So cute!
What big eyes you have, my dear!
Brrrrrrrrrrrrr! It’s cold out there!
Loving his little frog
Ethan and Evan believe that Aiden should share whatever he happens to be playing with
So excited to open gifts on Christmas morning! The boys are excited too 🙂
Ripping the paper off is just as much fun as the gift!
Aiden was excited
He loved playing with all of the paper!
The twins loved all of the new toys
The little dog was a popular toy…
Manish kept saying he loved the boys’ PJs and wanted some like them….soooooo…. He says he will only wear it and have his picture taken when Hannah also does
Boys and their toys
Awwwww, Aiden!
Evan loves jumping on Daddy. Manish’s back takes quite a beating.
Ethan saw this little shoe box and decided to climb in for a ride
A perfect Christmas gift: Three Little Monsters
It fits Evan perfectly
Aiden thinks he is too sophisticated to be a monster
Ethan says he is a terror, not a monster
Aiden loves the little table toy that plays music
He also likes to pull his socks off
Their first Christmas together
The little cars were a huge hit!
What an eventful Christmas day
Aiden found this book inspirational
Peas in a pod, er, twins in a box
This was what they did to our family room
We tried to replicate a picture from last Christmas (see below), but it did not quite work out. Even so, we are so glad that Aiden is home.
From Christmas 2007
One last book before bedtime
Velisa and Chase’ ceremony and reception took place at the historic Earle-Harrison House & Pape Gardens in Waco, TX. With Christmas just a few weeks away, the decor reflected the festive spirit. Enjoy some of the images from the wedding below.
The lovely bride
The beautiful Victorian setting made for some great pictures!
Velisa is naturally photogenic
Here comes the bride
The happy couple
A picturesque setting
Adoration
An old-fashioned Christmas
The cake was exquisite (and delicious)
The sparkling champagne glasses were specially made with crystals in the stem
The decor was perfect for the holiday season
The grooms’s cake was also fantastic
Priceless moments…
A sweet toast from Velissa’s sister
The first dance
Romance
Everyone had a great time dancing
Party Time!
The dollar dance was a big hit
The girls lined up to dance with Chase
Having Fun
Velisa waves bye to the crowd just before departing
One last shot before the night is over
Those frigid, chilly winds have started sweeping down from Canada, through the plains, and straight into the DFW area. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! We even had a few snowflakes in Dallas the other day–can you imagine? It felt like we were back in the Northeast. I am extremely thankful to report, however, that it was back up in the 70s again today! I’m all for a tropical Christmas! 😉
It seems that we are always talking about this, but….the boys are getting SO big! Ethan and Evan had a couple of outfits that were too big for them just a week or two ago, which now fit perfectly or are getting tight. Ethan is eating like a little garbage disposal, and has taken over the title of “chow hound” in our house! (You can see him in the video below carrying around a jar of pretzel sticks – almost as big as he is – and trying to get them open!)
Last Thursday, we were finally able to have the procedure done to replace Aiden’s g-tube with a G-J tube. It was a very painful procedure for Aiden, made even more difficult by having to work with some recalcitrant doctors. Unfortunately, the G-J tube is not working as expected. We knew that Aiden would continue to vomit constantly, but it was supposed to lessen the volume of liquid that was coming up every time (as it had previously when he was fed through the ND tube). Given the nature of feeding into the intestines, he is not supposed to be able to throw up milk. Instead, it seems to have made it even worse in some ways. While he is not throwing up as much milk, he continues to throw up not only milk but also large amounts of bile and dried blood. As a consequence, he is also requiring more oxygen.
Another urgent prayer request: for months we have been attempting to find a good local GI doctor for Aiden. We desparately need someone who will provide continuity of care, be available when Aiden needs to have procedures like this done, and be willing to work with the doctors at the Center for Aerodigestive Disorders (CAD) in Boston. The doctors in Boston have been wonderful, but we really need a local point of contact as well. Sadly, we have experienced numerous and strange road blocks and challenges. One doctor had been highly recommended to us, and after jumping through all kinds of hoops to try and get Aiden in to see him, he came back this week and told us that he would not see Aiden. As you can imagine, we are completely stunned and don’t know what to do next. However, we would rather know now before we start down that road. As we have learned the hard way throughout Aiden’s long illness, it is so important to have the right doctors. We are praying that the Lord will direct us to the right GI doctor for Aiden very soon. Please pray with us!
PS: lots of pics below for those of you who asked!
Aiden is in hiding
Discovered!
Peek-a-boo is tiring for a little boy!
Staying warm
Ethan is loving his food these days
Evan is Small, Mighty, and Handsome (with very big brown eyes)
The Little Stinker
Ethan believes in doing his own stunts
What stunt are you plotting now, Ethan?
What a face!
Aiden is already into technology (he thinks he should have the camera)
Evan holds his bottle with just the one hand
Snuggle time with mommy
Ethan can’t get enough!
Aiden has all the toys to himself while the twins are taking their afternoon nap
This past week I shot Vanessa’s bridal portrait at the Dallas Arboretum. It was a gorgeous day for this photogenic bride and the pictures reflect this.
