This week has been sort of a blur. We started this week by going to Disneyland, our passes expire the end of this month so I figured I should try and cram in at least one trip per week because I’m crazy like that. Truth be told- I have mixed feelings about our passes expiring. I’m a bit sad we won’t be renewing them because our middle child is just starting to realize how much he loves the place. But when I see the price for them…I’m not so sad anymore. ; ) Sometime after Tuesday we got hit with the stomach flu. Let me just tell you- I was about to trade in my mommy card for a time card. No kidding. Being puked on was never in my job description, come to find out it is, they just don’t tell you about it. I couldn’t help but laugh when my oldest said to me- “Mommy, why is the milk in the cupboard?” Because mommy is busy with throw up, dirty sheets and cranky babies. Yep- it’s been a long week.
I don’t want this post to be all about my puking kids. So I’ll tell you all about how last week I got to take a few really sweet pictures of the baby:
I was just telling the husband last night that I feel like I don’t know what his personality is like yet. He’s 7 months old, trying to crawl and smiling at everyone/everything. He seems like a perfect mixture of his two older brothers. He can be very serious like my oldest and incredibly cuddly like his middle brother. He doesn’t suck his thumb- he’s actually trying to suck on a light saber in that picture.
This photo totally reminds me of our oldest and I could stare at it all day:
But I won’t because it makes me bit sad. He’s growing up to fast. Soon he’ll be tagging along with his brothers and I’ll have no more babies, just little boys. {looong sigh…}
Happy Friday everyone : )
Love Deeply.
I posted on facebook this morning that I like Thursdays. For many different reasons: Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, The Office, it means tomorrow is Friday and then it’s the weekend, Mikey goes to school. Just to name a few of them. But for some reason Thursdays always start with me being very to-do list oriented. I woke up this morning with a list of 9 things I wanted to do. Right now I have 7 of those things done (don’t worry this isn’t a post about how organized and efficient I am. Promise.)
Anyway- one of those things was to update my scrapbooks and the boys’ baby books. I had to comb thru folders and folders of events and activities from the past few years and it made me realize how quickly time has gone by. My oldest went from a toddler to a little boy in the blink of an eye. As I was updating the middle child’s baby book it made me realize that he too, isn’t a baby anymore. That leaves the baby, who’s NOT the size of a baby, but doesn’t even exist on the scrapbook shelf yet because I just ordered his baby book. Man, I’m behind.
This picture makes me happy and sad all at once. When I took this picture I was about 4 months pregnant with the littlest Loya. The oldest had just turned 3 and the middle Loya was 6 months old. What’s even crazier to think about is that today- the baby is this exact age (and about this size too).
What else is on my mind-
-I need a quick nap to recharge my batteries and finish my to-do list.
-I hope Izzy doesn’t try and give anymore advice tonight (if you know what I’m talking about leave a comment 
- I’m ready for Spring, I have some changes I’d like to make in our backyard. It’s hideous right now.
-I should finish the load in the dryer…then again..maybe I’ll just “fluff” it again and take that nap I was talking about. (don’t act like you all haven’t done it- you know- fluffed about a hundred times?)
-How does Pandora know when I’m not listening? It’s kinda creepy.
That’s all for now. Happy Thursday everyone!
I’m sitting here listening to the rain drum softly against our office window. And for some reason it reminds me of fresh starts and spring. Thinking about spring reminds me that this July my 2 little boys will be turning 1 and 2 (that’s no typo internet-I’ll have a 1 yr. old and a 2 yr. old the same day). I can’t help but wonder where the time has gone and I’m mindful to not take one moment for granted. A few weeks ago some friends of ours came from Tennessee to spend the holidays with their family.
You know those people in life that you don’t talk to for months and then you see each other and you pick up right where you left off? Well that’s Jeff and Ang. I love their friendship- they’re easygoing and beautiful. And when someone is this beautiful inside and out- it’s hard to take a bad picture.
I love how sweet this picture is. Love never gets older, just deeper.
Doesn’t she have a great smile.
The whole fam-
If you’re a mommy of boys you know EXACTLY what this look means.
Don’t worry- I jumped back before he swung that stick at my head ; ) In case you’re wondering- yes I wanted to kiss his little face right off.
Thanks for the fake smile Abby- no really- I love it. Thanks.
She just needed her daddy-
Ohhhh this is bad. This makes me want a girl. (Good thing that’s taken care of)
And sweet little Jackson- isn’t he just a doll face.
Finally- my favorite picture. I stared at this picture for a long time. I think every wife knows this place- of familiarity and comfort. That place where you lay your head on his chest and take a deep breath. Because you can and because his arms feel good around you.
Jeff and Ang- our time was short but sweet. Thanks for stopping by and letting me photograph this chapter in your lives. Love and miss you both, very much.
Love Deeply.
Does anyone remember my New Years Eve post? Well, this engagement session was one of those posts. You know, those sessions that you dream about shooting, editing and blogging? Well this is one of them. For sometime now I’ve been wanting to do a cow-boy, rodeo, ranch-ish style shoot. I had poses in my head that I wanted to try, I had a certain way I wanted to edit the pictures, etc. I met Riley thru a past client and she started telling me that her parents own a dairy, her fiance is a palm-tree/date farmer, they have horses and hundreds of cows. Can you feel my excitement growing??? Well- fast forward to last Saturday. Riley met me in her cowboy boots and super duper cute dress. Her fiance, was somewhere on the farm (oh how I just LOVE that phrase!). As we set out to find different locations, I just kept hoping that I would remember all the poses that I wanted to capture.
Anyway- I think I did and I’m thrilled with what I got. In fact, as I went thru their session, I kept thinking that I’d love to do it again (so if you’re a cowboy or cowgirl- hit me up! ; ) Here’s what we started with-
Told you- super duper cute. What was awesome was that 10 minutes into our conversation, I felt like I was catching up with old friends. They’re both just beautiful people, inside and out.
When I shot this- I had an idea of what I wanted it to look like. Well, I almost died at my computer when I saw it. Seriously. Almost died.
I probably could think of a country song to go with each photo. But I won’t. Even though I want to.
This photo makes me want to buy the husband a cowboy hat and some wranglers. But I won’t. Because he’d probably throw them at me.
I love this picture for so many different reasons.
This just screams romantic. Which is one of my favorite words. How romantic…{sigh}
We literally shot at about 8 different locations on her parents dairy. This is a field of – I don’t know what- but I love it. Isn’t she just beautiful?! And Darl- what a doll huh? (I’m sure he just l-o-v-e-s that I just called him a doll ; )
These next two…I’m over the top in love with.
They don’t get any cuter. For reals.
Lastly- this is by far one of my top 5’s. I simply adore this photo.
I can’t wait- like seriously CAN-not wait for this wedding. I know it’s going to be beautiful, just for the simple fact that the two of them adore each other. I’m pretty sure Darl would walk to the end of the universe for her, it’s so sweet to see them together. Riley I have to agree with you- he’s a good man. Congrats you two. I hope you love these as much as I do!
Love Deeply.
Here I sit on a Friday night…blogging. Yep- I’m officially old. But in my defense- I had this senior session last week that was a total blast and I’ve been excited to edit and blog the session. I met Randi thru another senior (thanks Jessy- you rock) and let me begin by saying this: I absolutely l-o-v-e when clients tell me they have some different ideas of places to shoot at. She didn’t mention that there was a rusty old tractor on her property- which I’m still trying to figure out how to get to my house 
She only said that there were a lot of “different” places. I was thrilled to see that she was open to shooting anywhere and everywhere.
So…here she is:
The minute I met Randi I knew this was gonna be a blast. I giggled to myself because she wasn’t wearing any shoes. When I asked if she had shoes she wanted to wear she laughed and said “nope”. Love it. And I’m lovin’ the little barn on her parents property too:
We ventured down the road a bit and shot some portraits. I have to say- she just makes me smile. She’s constantly laughing and giggling, I don’t think I had to tell her to smile once.
Notice she’s holding the shoes.
These were shot a bit further down the road in an open field. I’m starting to really love wide open spaces, its kinda my thing I guess.
So we ditched the open field and headed down to the golf course. Yep- golf course. I said a silent but VERY heartfelt prayer that I wouldn’t get knocked out by a flying golfball. But there was no way I could pass up this light and these beautiful little rolling hills.
But more than anything that light. I mean seriously? It’s a photographers dream.
I’m having a blast shooting these senior sessions. There’s just something so exciting about that time in your life. It’s an old chapter that some of us want to hang onto just a bit longer. But a new chapter that’s waiting to be written. I know Randi is excited about this new chapter. And before I let you see any more pictures, I have to say a little something. She is an amazing girl with a great outlook on life. I feel incredibly blessed that I got to spend a few hours getting to know her. Ok- here’s more pictures. Thanks for sticking with me : )
These last three are by far my favorites. I think they sum up her personality very well. Happy, carefree and delightful. Just delightful.
Randi- I hope the very, very best for you as you start college and this next chapter of your life. It was a pleasure getting to know you and laugh with you (even while we were ducking golf balls! ; ) oh…and I was serious about dibs on your wedding! I wish you all the best and more.
Love Deeply
This is my first post of the new year! Whoooo-hoooo. I’m very excited about this upcoming year, both personally and professionally. Twenty-ten is off to a good start and I’m anxious to share what I’ve been able to do over the Christmas break. Tomorrow starts the real routine with our family, as the oldest goes back to school and I get to meet with a girl about her vow-renewal ceremony (I’m totally stealing that idea!).
Anyway- somewhere around the chaos of stockings and preschool Christmas performances, I got to shoot an awesome engagement session with Marshall and Krista. Marshall’s a firefighter and Krista’s a preschool teacher…could they possibly get an cuter?
This was shot at their house before we headed down to the Mission Inn. Let me say- I really, really, really loved shooting at the Mission Inn. It’s a beautiful place in the first place, add the Christmas decor and it’s just awesome. We started near the front and just walked around.
I really love this next shot, it’s just romantic. And you know I love me some romance.
I have no idea what this is they’re standing in front of (if you know PLEASE leave a comment and tell me!), but I think it’s gorgeous.
I love when people laugh at my jokes. ; ) just kidding- I’m really not that funny.
Note: the firefighter boots + those Fire Engine Red heels= awesomeness (yes awesomeness is a word. promise).
This might be one of my favorites.
But then again, I always have lots of favorites : )
Marshall and Krista- I can’t wait for your wedding! I’m excited to have a small part in it and I’m even more excited to see the two of you start your new life together. Thank-you for being so excited and for being so easy going.
Love Deeply.
As I sit here on New Years Eve-Eve, I have lots of random thoughts. So- I thought I’d share just a few as we say goodbye to 2009.
-I’m thankful for the amazing clients I’ve been blessed to work with this year. I hope to have many more in the coming year.
-I’m SO very glad I’m not pregnant, this would make 3 years in a row. Can you even imagine the horror of that?!
-I wonder if this next year my kids won’t need me the moment I sit down at my computer. Probably not.
-I hope the husband gets to play more golf. No seriously, I hope he does.
-Most days, if I’m not going anywhere I don’t take a shower till 4pm, an hour before the husband comes home.
-I hope I can be more of a praying wife and a praying mommy.
-I can’t wait for preschool to start next week ; )
-I want all the best for my sweet friend Sara who’s starting a photography business. Oh- and I hope her husband lets her buy 2 more much needed lenses! HA
-I want to keep growing as a photographer.
-The husband and I need to go on more dates.
-I want to do something to give back, like take photos of kids who don’t have photos of themselves.
-I want my boys to feel my undying love every day. All four of them.
-I want to be a better friend. A praying friend who loves unconditionally.
-I hope Elin and Tiger stay together- I hope he’s truly sorry and gets help. Seriously- divorce just makes me sad.
-I’d love for a Starbucks to open in the shopping center near the corner of our street.
-Some nights I stay awake thinking of blog posts. I know- I have problems.
-I hate ironing. Like, let it sit on the counter tops for weeks, hate.
-I have amazing friends that I don’t deserve.
-Maybe this year, when I start to shoot a wedding I won’t have those few seconds where I think I’m gonna throw up. But, maybe not.
-I want to make 1 new meal every month.
-Sometimes I hear our middle child crying and I ignore him.
-We’re going to San Francisco in May and I CAN’T wait!
-Why does the dust on top of my fridge totally gross me out?
-I hope the Laker’s win another championship- (that’s just for you honey)
Told you. Random. Anyway- I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year. We’re celebrating by spending the ENTIRE day together. Just the two of us. I’m so excited I might not be able to sleep.
Happy New Year dear internet. Oh and because no post is never complete without a picture- I thought I’d post one of our middle child. I don’t want him to have middle child issues- so I’m hoping this will help ; )
Love Deeply
I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas this past week. I feel like I’m coming out of a week long coma that’s just going to last another week. I really enjoy the last week of the year. Reminds me of the last week of highschool for some reason. Speaking of highschool- a few weeks ago Jessy and I headed up the hill to do some senior portraits. Let me first say- my new obsession is snow. Sometimes I wish we lived some place where it snows a lot. But then I talk with my friends who actually live in the snow (hi Grid, Hieds, Julie, Sara and Jamie) and I change my mind very quickly ; )
Anyhow- we drove for a while and found this beautiful open meadow covered with snow. It was the perfect picture spot:
I couldn’t believe how stinkin’ cold it was! Seriously- my fingers were like popsicles, but it was SO very worth it!
Isn’t she just the cutest thing you ever did see?!?!
Jessy just makes me smile, she has the sweetest personality. Ever. I don’t think she has a mean bone in her body.
This is one of my favorites from her shoot:
Well…this one is too:
Look at those cute little rosey cheeks:
I really just wanna squeeze her after looking at this one:
And I have to admit something, my oldest has a TOTAL crush on her : ) She babysat for me a few weeks back and for about 3 days straight he asked me if she was coming back to babysit again. Yep- total crush.
Jessy I had a blast with you and your mom, I can’t wait for you to see all your pictures. I hope you love them- you’re fabulous girl! I know you’re not excited about your senior year ending. But trust me- life is just beginning.
Love Deeply
The gifts have been opened, the food has been eaten, the stockings are hung back up…this is Christmas night. As I sit here listening to the Charger game from the living room and my boys all sleeping soundly, I feel overwhelmed with thankfulness. I have a husband who loves me, 3 beautiful healthy boys and an even greater family. We’ve spent the last three days with family, good friends and laughter. Lots and lots of laughter. I can remember when laughter wasn’t a huge part of my life, today I’m thankful that it is. I could literally name a hundred things I’m truly thankful for. But mostly, this year I’m overwhelmed by love. Love from my husband, love from my family, love from my Savior. There is no greater love than His. And I’m overwhelmed at the thought that I have His love.
Merry Christmas to you all and to all a good night.
Love Deeply.
ps- this photo was taken by my amazingly talented friend Jolynne. Love you my friend!
I’m finally getting Melissa and Johann’s wedding up on the blog for the world to see. I must say, as the last wedding of the year, I’m a bit sad. Blogging these today made me realize how much I miss shooting weddings. Don’t get me wrong, I love my senior and family sessions. But give me a good wedding (like this one) and I’m a happy, happy girl.
To say this wedding was beautiful is a bit of an understatement. It was amazing. Melissa’s attention to details made me just giddy. And the flowers…oh… the flowers were to die for. The ladies at Acton Florist really outdid themselves with these. Enough of my jabbering and onto the good stuff…
The Brides Bouquet, looked AND smelled amazing:
I want these quaint little pots all over my house…maybe one day ; )
My next favorite part…the dress:
Missy didn’t stop smiling all day and I couldn’t help smiling every time I saw her.
This photo just makes my heart smile. I remember that exact moment in my own wedding. That moment I saw him waiting at the end of the isle. In that moment a girl realizes- what it’s all about. The beginning of forever.
Just lovely:
Here they are, all married and ready to start forever.
I could have taken photos of them all day long. For reals.
Onto the reception, which was equally as lovely. I want to thank the sun for shining and making such pretty light for me:
Lastly, probably one of my very favorite pictures from the day:
I think it’s just a pretty photo to end on. And with that, I’ll be posting a ton of family, senior and engagement sessions. Not to mention, this little thing called Christmas coming up and other random posts I have in my head already.
Melissa and Johann- thank-you so much for letting me be a part of your day. I feel blessed, and happy.
Love Deeply.
