Photography – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

Personal November 24, 2015

Week in Review

Today’s Christmas countdown is brought to you with sheer excitement as well as some panic, given that I have not bought a single gift, and we’re going to be sitting under a tree unwrapping presents in just 30 days. Yay and yikes. Black Friday sales, here I come. And by that, I totally mean Cyber Monday because let’s get real: I am not patient and will not go and stand in any lines at the mall.

I don’t want to sound like a broken record, so I’ll save you from the details on , and that Sasha told me he felt like a stay-at-home dad (SAHD) this weekend (ha, shocking that a husband would do dishes and laundry!!). I am so incredibly grateful for amazing opportunities, but also ready for family photo season to come to an end, as I want to see my family again!

Also, my mom was unexpectedly in the hospital this weekend, but she is back at home now and in good spirits. We greatly appreciate the calls, texts and prayers!

Other than that definite low-light of the week, some of the more fun moments included:

Meeting and photographing Caroline Harper Knapp of House of Harper at her house twice – the second time involved a very smokey situation, as the flue was stuck… and we only realized that after the fire was started! Thank goodness her GC was nearby and came to fix the situation!
Going to the Buzz magazine office for a meeting – excited to work with them on photography and contribute for a fun (and relevant to all of this blogging/Houston creatives) article!
Ducking out of the rainstorm for TCBY with Leah of The Monogram Shop – I love her!
Taking head shots with the fun gals behind Moms Without Answers. They were very colorful, and I’m excited for you to see them (sneak peek below!).
Doing a holiday blanket pickup around town and getting to chat briefly to Meredith and my old Accenture boss, Andrew, whose wife just had twins!
Taking five sets of family photos at Rice University (with Elly Brown‘s adorable family!), Lakeside Country Club, Lost Lake, the Arboretum, and the Menil Collection.
Going to Isla’s swim class, which is always so much fun until we have to leave… which she never wants to do. Cue tantrum! She would truly want to stay in that pool all day long!
Meeting my good friend Alexis for drinks at Devine in Memorial. I could literally talk to her for hours at a time, and I always leave with a laundry list of things I forgot to ask her about!
Taking photos for Lauren Mills of Sunday Beach twice on Friday – in the morning and afternoon. She is a doll, and that bump is the cutest thing ever!
Going to Sasha’s grandma’s Slava, which is a holiday celebrating a family’s patron saint. His mom hosted it at her house, and it was so great to see Sasha’s cousins and their kids.
Surprising one of my best friends, Kirby, at Down House for dinner on Sunday. She is visiting her family for Thanksgiving, and we got to shower her (and sweet baby Henry in her belly) with love! I miss her so badly and wish they lived in Houston!
Eating lunch at Carabbas on Saturday before heading to REI for our family’s annual trip where we all get a new jacket. I got a new ‘Underwater Blue’ Patagonia puffer jacket that I love, and Isla got a new fleece and her first backpack. I’m obsessed!
Having my SIL, her boyfriend, Sasha’s dad and stepmom over for late lunch on Sunday. Ivana lives in San Francisco (we’re visiting in a few weeks!), and I love when she is in town. As does Isla, who has been saying, “NANA!” on repeat for days.
Photographing our sweet friends, Amanda and Scott, at Memorial Park with their rescue pup, Gilbert. We may or may not have been surprised mid-shoot when the cops showed up with flashing lights on. Whoops. I guess we weren’t supposed to drive down that dirt road! No arrests though, thank goodness.

I hope you had a fabulous week and that this one is starting off well too. Happiest early Thanksgiving!! xo

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Week in Review September 7, 2015

Week in Review

Happy Labor Day! I hope that all of my American readers are enjoying their holiday weekend! It’s funny how having one extra day in a weekend can make all of the difference in the world. This week flew by even faster than others with a few photoshoots – one that I was in for a change (for this Bikini Body Guide review post). We broke bread with friends on a number of occasions, which always makes me happy. In addition to playdates and pool days, I would say this was one of my favorite weekends in ages. I wish it would never end!

Some of the highlights from the past seven days include:

Visiting with one of my favorite people on earth – Brooke – at our house on Sunday, and having Isla feed her a million Goldfish. She’s such a joyful soul, and I love her to pieces!
Having a playdate with Esther and Naomi at their gorgeous house. Naomi is such a little chatterbox. I love her!
Swimming at our good friends’ house with their little ball of happy energy, Ellery. It was so fun watching her and Isla play… and by that, I mean determine whose things were whose. Isla kept pushing sweet Ellery off of her own chair! Such a little bully!
Worshiping at Bayou City Fellowship and listening to Pastor Derek talk about Godly parenting. I was so inspired! I think I’m going to do a blog post on this topic soon!
Taking photos for my Bikini Body Guide review post with Paige and getting my hair and makeup done by Britt beforehand. Paige had a meeting to go to afterward, but Brittany and I ate breakfast at Sweet Paris in Rice Village together afterwards. I treated myself to a mimosa!
Eating breakfast at Buffalo Grille on Saturday morning with my older sister, Karine. I love their oatmeal, and Isla adores their pancakes! It was a treat to eat breakfast out twice in one week!
Finally getting most rooms in our house painted (we chose Benjamin Moore Classic Gray!) by Alvarez Painting. I didn’t quite think about how ALL of our stuff would get moved around, so the house was super chaotic, but it’s all back to normal now, and I love it.
Attending a Memorial High School cheerleading practice to chat about Senior Photos, and having some of the male cheerleaders put Isla into her first stunt! She loved the attention she was getting.
Going to Isla’s 15 month doctor appointment at Blue Fish Pediatrics. She weighs 22 pounds and is 31.5 inches long! She’s getting so big – it’s crazy! She did not like the three shots she had to get one bit. Poor baby girl!
Taking head shots and product photos for Nine0Nine Creative on Tuesday and Friday at Meredith’s house. Mother Nature was certainly against us, but we made it work!
Meeting my former co-worker turned friend, Nastassja for lunch in Katy at Dish Society on Friday. I always love catching up with her!
Decorating vegan sugar cookies (adapted from this recipe) with watermelon colored icing on Monday to surprise Tata when he got home from work! He ate them all in a matter of minutes.
Stopping by DEFINE and briefly catching up with Kasey, who gave Isla a grand introduction to the class she was teaching. I documented it on Snapchat (@aileepetrovic) – are we following each other yet?
Eating frozen yogurt from TCBY and getting some for Sasha and Isla at Orange Leaf – it was a froyo filled week! I also treated myself to a number of Sinfull Bakery’s Everything Bars from Georgia’s Farm to Market, which are seriously my favorite treat in the entire world. I would choose those over any other sweet or dessert!
Dropping by The Monogram Shop to pay for a gift I had ordered and picking up a sweet gift for Isla from Leah, the store’s social media guru. I love it! I’ve been meaning to snap a photo of Isla with her new bag, which gets carried around everywhere.
Eating dinner at our favorites – Garbanzo, Buff Burger, Ruggles Green, Rosie Carrabba’s – we are such creatures of habit, but have a list of new spots to try and are going to make a point to visit them soon!

How was your week? What exciting things did you get up to?

Personal August 17, 2015

Week in Review

Mondays can be rough for everyone, so I’d like to start off with some exciting news: Only 129 days until Christmas! I am already excited for my favorite holiday and all of the festivities that encompass it (songs, decorations, wrapping gifts, etc.). Anyways, Houston had temperatures over 100 degrees all week long, so I clearly just need a mental escape from the heat. Hope that helped with Monday blues!

The past week was full of highlights, with the only low light being Isla’s three new teeth coming in (her fourth up top and two on the bottom). Teething really is terrible. The interrupted sleep is not fun! However, she is not sick, so we cannot really complain! Homemade popsicles really were a saving grace this week though (she woke up and had one at 1am one night!).

My favorite moments this week included:

Making a trip to the dentist (my friend Dr. Matt Nickolas) because my jaw has been extremely sore recently. It turns out I have TMJ and will be that really cool lady sleeping with a night guard in a couple of weeks. I am so relieved to know that my mouth will feel better soon!
Meeting our friends Lainey (a month older than Isla) and Kathryn at Sweet Paris at City Centre for breakfast and then playing in the central green afterwards. The photos of the two girls together are so sweet!
Getting juice at Big Power Yoga on Wirt with Amanda who works at Zomato. She told me about the company and the exciting things they have coming up as part of the official launch. I can’t wait to share more details in the near future!
Attending Houston’s first Rising Tide Society (Houston Facebook page) meeting (or a #TuesdaysTogether) at Kraftsmen Baking in the Heights. One of my best friends, Meredith, is the city lead and she did such a great job.
Shooting the cuteheads 3rd birthday party celebration on Wednesday with Esther, Megan S., Megan B., Lyndsey and Meredith at Fill in the Blank Studio. Esther posted this #bts post and will publish the rest of the photos today!
Going to Isla’s swim class at Dad’s Club after missing it for 6 weeks (mainly because of our trip to Colorado). She is so much more confident now than when we left.
Eating lunch at Dish Society in Katy with my mom and one of my favorite women in the world (also saved as ‘Mom’ in my phone). We had so much fun laughing and catching up – and Mrs. Burkett gave Isla the cutest flap books which have been read about 1,000 times since getting home!
Having my friend Erin over for a little work project and deciding that interior design really might be the most fun occupation ever (unfortunately, it’s not my calling but I do love it!).
Hosting a little dinner with my insanely sweet and talented friends, Desi, whom I traveled to Australia with in 2010 (photos here). She just graduated from the art conservation program at NYU and has been in Spain and DC interning and just returned home (so excited!). She starts work at my favorite gallery in Houston next month.
Visiting my older sister’s new-ish rental home (for the first time – worst sister ever!) and taking a walk around the neighborhood. She lives in the Heights and some of the homes nearby are unbelievable (like the one she owns!).
Eating lunch at True Food with Meredith on Saturday. I see her often, but we have never once eaten a meal just the two of us. Sangia, margaritas, delicious healthy food and good conversation – I had the best time!
Going to church (we attend Bayou City Fellowship) and volunteering for the first time with the pre-school kids after our service ended. I will be watching toddlers/babies normally, so this was a challenge of my readiness for older children. It was exhausting, but the little ones are so cute. BCF has the best kid’s ministry!
Getting a small gift for a friend at Macaron by Patisse and letting Isla try her first macaron (Birthday Cake flavor). Needless to say, she loved it. The photos of her shoveling it in her mouth are my favorite!
Taste testing Friohana Shaved Ice as part of my ‘Best Snow Cones in Houston’ post which I hope to publish soon. I’m going to try SnowBlock, Yeti Sunshine and Mango Beach next!
Watching Season 2 of True Detective with Sasha on Saturday night. As I shared here, we never ever watch television, but Sasha has gotten us hooked on this show. We’ve got three more episodes to watch, and it’s so captivating. I won’t lie though – I’ll be glad when it’s over to I can get back to reading My Paris Dream.
Getting a visit from my Dad (mainly to sign paperwork, but a visit nonetheless!). He is so incredibly cute with Isla, and I love seeing them play together. Melts my heart! I’m so glad he is retired now.
Swimming at our friend’s house on Saturday (going to publish a home tour later this week – they house is unreal) and also at our sweet next-door-neighbor’s house. I’m still incredibly pale, but it’s the best natural tan I’ve ever had! Besides the insane heat, I don’t want summer to ever end.
Shooting for Jessica’s blog, Feather Thread, in Discovery Green on Friday evening. We found some gorgeous tall grass and the fun, colorful walls outside of The Grove to photograph next to. Can’t wait for her to share more pictures!
Fulfilling our sweet tooth craving with our favorite frozen yogurt at TCBY! I used to eat it all of the time in college, and we normally sneak it in once a week now!
Letting Isla try her first vegan crepe, which she adored. I make them using very few ingredients – and no sugar! I’ll share the recipe soon! They’re delicious and a much healthier alternative.

Personal August 13, 2015

Sophia Turns One!

Last Friday, I had the privilege of taking photographs for sweet Sophia’s first birthday. She is as smiley as they come and would very proudly hold up one finger when asked how old she is (smart cookie, right?). We shot the photos in the early hours of the day in Memorial Park, and although it was extremely hot, the weather was just perfect.

My favorite part of the shoot was definitely the cake smash. Sophia took ahold of her cupcake and gave it a firm squeeze… then proceeded to mash it all over the blanket. Kids will be kids, right?

If you’re in the Houston area and want family portraits taken, check out my website – Snapshots by Ailee Petrovic – and email me! Below are a few of my favorite photos from Sophia’s shoot (to be added to my portfolio soon!).

Personal August 10, 2015

Week in Review

Is it Friday yet? Kidding, but only slightly. The past seven days flew by, and I’m definitely planning a much more relaxed weekend ahead! As I mentioned on Instagram last night, I am definitely not complaining, as we got to see lots of friends and family, meet new blogger friends (and old Instagram friends!), take lots of photos (with Cake & Confetti, Willow Crowns, Feather Thread, Butter and two first birthday shoots – one for Meg!), swim multiple times, praise God at one of the most incredible concerts I’ve ever attended and decorate a new set of bookshelves!

In a little more detail, here are some of my favorite moments from the week:

Attending the Outcry tour with Hillsong, Bethel Music and Kari Jobe (amongst others!) with my friend, Ashley, and catching up over food and drinks at The Grove beforehand. While we were gone, Sasha had three of his friends over with their little kids, and I managed to snap some cute pictures of Isla and Ellery before I left. She is such a little lady! I love her.
Going to the first Blogger Brunch hosted by Justin James and Carrie of Wear Where Well at Tout Suite on Sunday after church at Bayou City Fellowship. It was a lot of fun meeting ladies I’ve followed on Instagram for a long time.
Swimming and barbecuing at our friends’ house. I want to move into their home immediately. Everything is so gorgeous, and Nina is so sweet and is letting me do a home tour post, so be on the lookout for that soon!
Having couples over for dinner on Saturday to discuss Paris plans (they’re going next weekend, and I’m so jealous!) and then playing a few games of Taboo and Bananagrams (I’m such a game nerd!).
Shooting the fall line with Willow Crowns at Megan’s house on Tuesday. Her and Olivia, her daughter, are truly the sweetest, and we had the best time playing after we took product pictures. The new bows, headbands, clips, etc. are gorgeous, and I cannot wait for the launch!
Taking two sets of first birthday photographs – one for Sophia and another for Caroline (Meg’s daughter). Both girls were super cute and happy, which makes my job lots of fun.
Shooting photos for Jessica’s blog – Feather Thread – and hair styling photos for Brittany’s partnership with a hair product company. So much girliness going on!
Swimming multiple days at our sweet neighbor’s house – we’re so blessed to live next to her. Isla and Sasha also headed to my parent’s house after church on Sunday while I was at the Blogger Brunch to swim with them! She’s a fish.
Receiving our new Sawyer bookshelves from Crate & Barrel and getting to work on decorating them. They’ll likely change ten times in the next two weeks, but this is how they look right now!
Spoiling Isla with some Bahama Bucks (taste testing all of the sugar free snow cone places in Houston!) and cotton candy (made by Meredith for an upcoming cocktail!). She’s a lucky lady!