Evening at Mandola Winery

My baby girl is turning ONE in just two short weeks! I am proud to say we made it a whole year! I bought her this yellow dress with white polka dots for Easter, but conveniently forgot (since the dress at this point had captivated me with its cuteness) that our church doesn't meet on Easter, but instead goes downtown to grill one thousand hamburgers to share with our homeless friends. Her little yellow dress wasn't really the appropriate attire for the occasion. None-the-less it had to be bought and had to make it's way into a portrait somehow, in some way. Well, I finally found a good reason to dress her up (before she outgrew it, no less). The Haynes family was in need of some family shots, so we decided to make an evening of it. Mandola Winery in Driftwood sounded like a perfect fit. As soon as you step on the property, you feel like you have been transported to the Italian countryside. Impeccable landscaping (despite the extreme drought level in Central Texas), beautiful fountain amidst the garden, vineyards, a clay tiled-roof, stone villa...PERFECT! Not to mention the food is pretty delicious, too. Another great part about the venue is that scattered amongst the oaks are picnic tables. You can order food from the restaurant to-go, then enjoy your meal with a glass (or two bottles if you are us) of wine in this gorgeous setting. Absolutely the best way to dine with children!

Here is some shots from the evening:

Elaina

Luke

The Haynes Family

Latest pics of the kids

I took these portraits of the kids this past Feb. Elaina was 7 months and Luke was almost 4. You can tell in the pics how much they love each other. I am going to Mandola Winery to take Elaina's One year and Luke's Four Year shot tomorrow. I'll post those soon along with some good book suggestions. I started a bookclub six months ago and we've read some good ones. I'm definitely not the best blogger. Thank you Jessica Jett for your encouragement :)