The Aquarium!

We are members of the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific and there is a good reason for it. My daughters just LOVE it here!! Somehow looking at the fish is relaxing and fun at the same time. For my kids its a game to find a certain type of fish in each tank. To their surprise this trip they found a diver! What really freaked them out was when the diver started talking (via microphone) to them from inside the tank. Once the diver mentioned something about Lauren's beloved "brown bear" it was over. Lauren was sure her precious bear was in danger and we had to evacuate the area....lol

Beach Babies!

We took the girls to beach this last weekend and had a blast!! It was a perfect day and there was a wonderful breeze coming off the water. When the girls sat on the blanket to eat lunch and I took a picture of their feet. I love how the picture turned out. How cute are those sandy feet sticking out of the towel. I think its pretty cute that Lauren still has "baby feet"! Her lil toes are so plump and sweet!

Summer Hiking!

Here are some images from a recent hike I took in Thousand Oaks, CA. It was super hot out and there wasn't a cloud in sight. However the super blue in the sky make a perfect backdrop for the dry landscape. These are a few of my favorites!

What a happy couple!

Did an engagement session this last weekend at my favorite secret beach. Keith & Kelley are such a great couple. They're relaxed and fun.......so great to photograph! I love the footprints in the sand which was Keith's idea. Thanks Keith! I will be shooting their wedding in September!

Lets Play Catch-Up!

Okay all my loyal blog readers, I apologize for being super busy and neglecting my blog. But I will be posting a bunch here to catch things up. First I want to share some great pics. These are from a recent shoot. This little cutie was a doll to work with!

Ballet Recital

I had to post some of the cute pics from Lauren's first dance recital. She is a natural on stage and really works hard to do her very best. I have to share that in her final number "The dance of the Fairies, Lauren was the youngest performer on stage. This was an ensemble number in a cast of over 50 dancers in a age range from my 4 yr old Lauren up to 22 yr old pros. She has only been dancing for 3 months and was selected by the school's owner to dance in the ensemble number. which is a huge honor since not everyone got to dance in it! My baby held her own up there with the "big kids" I am so proud of my lil dancer!

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

This weekend we celebrated Madison's 7Th birthday! We had our little event at Olivia's Dollhouse and Tearoom in Thousand Oaks. The kids loved dressing up and having a tea party!

Here are a few of my favorite shots!

The Bridge

Shot this the other day of Lauren at a park! I love how the lines of the railings curve down and the dappled lighting falls through....so pretty! I'm keeping this place in mind for the future... I had some great ideas here!

Too Dog gone cute!

Just had to share this shot of our dog "Mr. Itchy"! I swear there isn't a sweeter droopy faced puppy around! He was taking a nap in the grass today when I got this shot.

A Little Western Style

Howdy Folks!!! Today was Western day at the kids school. Hats and boots were flying everywhere as I got the girls dressed for school. Lauren was really into dressing up saying "Yeeeha" every five minutes. Where as Miss Maddie was a bit wary of the whole idea. She doesn't like to be uncomfortable at school so I had to "make it work" for her! Anyway hear is a pic of my Lauren doing a little cowgirl booty shake. I have to say Lauren was the cutest dang thing this side of the Mississippi! Sorry but there isn't good photo of Maddie to share..due to her lack of excitement over this theme she refused to pose.

The Carnival!

This Friday Lauren's class had a field trip to the local Carnival. Although she has been to many theme parks she has never been to a carnival. This has to do with the price gouging and over crowding of these local events but I digress...lol We piled on the stinky school bus full of kids and headed out. Lauren was bouncing in her seat by the time we arrived. The event was sponsored and everything was free for the kids.....but here's the rub......we only had an hour and a half to play and it was super crowded......so we spared no time.

First, I got her on as many ride as I could.

Rides= smiling kid!

Next we did a Carnival food pit stop and loaded her up with pink cotton candy and popcorn.

Rides+ junk food= happy smiling kid!

Finally we hit the "try your luck" games and she won a few prizes.

Rides+ junk food+ prizes= ecstatically happy smiling kid!

It was really hot and we were exhausted by the time the bus arrived to take us back. Lauren passed out asleep on the bus holding her carnival prizes. Here are a few favorite photos from the day! Lauren was so sweet and gave one of her prizes to Maddie...what a nice sister huh! I felt bad that Maddie had missed out but she was so happy with the puppy Lauren gave her that she didn't care. I don't think the pink cotton candy we brought home hurt either!!!

Engagement Shoot!

Here is a shot from a recent photo shoot! A great couple with an adorable little boy!! I must say I love this look! The sun was hitting the beach just right to give it that glow and silhouette shading. it all timing here! I will be shooting this couples wedding next month. I must confess I can't wait! to see their little boy all dressed up!

Beach Baby!!!

We took the girls and cousin Kali to the beach this last weekend. We hit our favorite spot and enjoyed the sound and sights of the ocean. It was a day full of surprises. We saw a seal on the beach, dolphins playing in the waves, and helped the kids find sea-stars and hermit crabs. The day was simply perfect. I know in the weeks to come we will be spending more and more time there. Here is a shot of Madison with cousin Kali! Madison really looks up to Kali and adores her! Its so nice that she could come along with us.

Little Dancer!

Lauren had her first dance lesson this week. She was so very excited as I put her hair in a perfect ballet bun. She had visions of beautiful ballerinas as we headed to the dance studio. There my little diva pranced in a tutu on her tip toes. Then she put on her tap shoes and "shuffle stepped" her little heart out. I know I am biased as her mother but the kid did great for her first time. She kept up quite well and made me so proud. She has wanted to dance for months now and I am so happy it is everything she wanted it to be. I love my little dancer! MWAH!

Waiting... takes a really long time!

Its been super warm these last few days...90 degrees! So we picked-up a kiddie pool for the girls. They were dancing around the yard in anticipation as the pool was pumped up. "Is it ready" they would yell ..."Just wait" ...I would reply. Then the hose began to fill the little pool with water. "Is it ready now" they asked...."just wait another minute for the water to fill up" I answered. They watched and waited. And waited... and waited. For at any moment it would be full enough to start sliding in! I hear a loud sigh! Then Maddie said "Mommy this waiting is taking a really long time". Ain't it the truth sweetie! BUT ....good things come to those who wait!

More to get your Getty on!

Here are a few more from the Getty....I know, I know but i can't resist sharing!! The first is the Getty building from the view below in flower sculptured trees. They are really cool iron coils formed into trees and then flowers are planted inside. The patio over-looks Los Angeles and has stunning views. The second is another looking through the garden back at the museum buildings.

Birthday at The Getty!

Its my birthday this weekend and to celebrate I wanted to go to the Getty Museum! I love it there..... its so beautiful and relaxing. I bought a new super-wide lens and had it on my camera to play with. These are a few of my favorites: The second images is.. "the Getty Gardens" aren't they just incredible!! I love the scale of the design as well. The buildings flow down into the gardens so effortlessly. The first is "A Window to the Sky" amidst the museum towers coming together! The clouds had broken and the sky was super blue!! I'll post more soon!

Spring Break!!!

Took this shot at the beach today...what a stunning view. All the yellow daisies were in bloom and covering the hillsides. The kids had a blast and loved playing with cousin Amee. They spent most of their time searching the tide pools for sea-stars and shells. The waves where enormous and Amee (and myself) watched the surfers rip.

Bunny Eggs!!

The Easter bunny came today! Although the kids had an amazing day hunting for "bunny eggs" (as they are called in our house) things were not as I wanted them. As many of you know my mom was hit by a car on Monday and is still in the hospital. We celebrated our traditional Easter brunch but it was lonely without her. My mom is very outgoing and full of life. A room is always filled with her voice and laughter. Its was so quiet without her, so unsettling!!! After the kids hunted for eggs we visited her at the hospital. I brought her this pic of her three grand-daughters.

The Tar Pits!!

We spent this Sunday at the La Brea Tar Pits. Maddie is a big fan of "The Ice Age" movies and this was a chance to see it up close. If you have been before as a kid I can tell you that absolutely nothing has changed since the 80's...lol! However for the little ones, who have never been, it's a fascinating journey. Both my girls had wanted to see the enormous Mammoth and they weren't disappointed. Here is a pic of Maddie posing beneath him. The other skeleton is of a Saber-toothed Cat..very intimidating!

Extremely Sweet!!

Here is my little Miss Madison! Always silly and full of surprises. Things to know about her: Organizes a game of hide and seek at the drop of a hat, loves dalmatians and favorite pastime is eating ice cream!

THE CUPCAKE-INATOR!!!

Here is another cute one from the other day. Lauren is "my little cupcake".......so sweet and girlie! This shot is Lauren is showing off her muscles....whoa baby!

Together we go!

Here is another from my mini shoot the other day! The sun was beginning to set over the ridge. My girls are walking off together hand in hand! Cute huh?

Everyone loves flowers!

Spring has arrived and the flowers are blooming everywhere. The other day my friend Alex and I went to a local park to play with our cameras. The hillside was overflowing with yellow flowers and I couldn't resist taking my girls back later for a mini-shoot. Miss Maddie was "not in the mood" to have her portraits taken. I was bummed since I wanted pictures of them together. Well I gave in to Maddie's refusal since my Lauren was up for the shoot. As you can see they turned out lovely and I can't wait to frame them. The funny thing is that half way through Maddie got jealous of Lauren and wanted to be in the pictures too. Its great when that reverse psychology works. I'll share more of them later!

Little Cupid!

Here is one from my latest shoot. This little angel was born on Valentines day! It's very fitting that she is wearing wings, she was hitting everyones heart strings with her "Cupid" arrows. Gotta love that delicious deep red these roses have going!

The beauty of nature!

My husband and I went for a hike this last weekend. The weather was amazing and everything was so lush and green. ME.....Not wanting to miss an opportunity and LOVING to take pictures..... I had to bring my camera along! I wanted to share one of my favorites from the day. I like the haunting beauty of it!!

Make a wish!

Here she is, the birthday girl, blowing out her candles! We had a small party just family except two friends. Lauren chose a cosmic bowling birthday party....hence the blue glow! We had pizza, cake, bowling, and dancing...very fun! Everyone had a great time!

101 Dalmatians!!!!!

Disney re-released the original 101 Dalmatians Movie this month. They had a special showing at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. Seeing as I live in a house with "Dalmatian lovers" this movie was a huge hit. It was Lauren's 4th birthday so after the movie we celebrated at the Disney Soda Fountain. Everyone sang her "happy birthday" and they gave her a special birthday button to wear. My Lauren, who loves attention, was very happy!!!

The Birthday Girl!!!

My little Lauren turns 4 years old tomorrow! Here she is with her cupcakes for school! As you see Maddie loves her little sister and will be happy to assist in any "cuppycake" eating!

OK just one more favorite!!!

I LOVED doing this session! A great family with a stunning little girl! I cannot wait to meet the new addition!

Beautiful Bellies!!!!

Heres are some more beautiful bellies to share!

Bellies everywhere!!!!!!

Yes, the preggo women are coming out of the wood work and I am very happy to be doing their portraits. I love the fun and spontaneous type of portraits that can come from a relax couple. I love to see how people interact with one another! The chemistry that is unique unto them. On this story board you see him trying to make her laugh and she is trying to keep a serious expression. Then she can't hold in her laughter any longer! Of course we have an adorable belly shot with both mommy's and daddy's hand on the baby belly. We will be seeing the little cherub baby next month. I cannot wait to meet her!

Silent Night!

Here is a shot of our Christmas Tree with all the gifts from Santa. We had a fantastic Christmas!! The kids were in absolute"gift-getting" heaven and their excitement never stopped. I received some wonderful gifts and so did Michael. All in all was another wonderful Christmas!

Anticipation is making me wait!!!

Anticipation is the best and worst part of Christmas. The kids are dying for Santa to come and they are getting antsy. Michael and I are on the other end and we can't wait to watch them open their gifts. Today due to freezing wind we were cooped up in the house. We broke down and gave the kids one of the DVDs we had bought them. Its was "Underdog" and Maddie was so excited she kissed the case...lol. Here is pic of the kids being silly by the tree today!

The Gingerbread House!

We have a annual tradition of making a gingerbread house. We don't do it from scratch but instead buy the kits from Costco. I love how each year the kids become more and more creative. This was the first year that Lauren was really able to put her own style into the house. She was all into decorating the gingerbread man and woman. She really did such a great job. Maddie is semi-pro at this and did great with her roof design. It was lotsa fun and I'm sorry to say pieces are already disappearing from the house...I wonder what little people could be nibbling on our house.....tee hee!!!

9 more Sleeps till Santa

Yeah we are counting down till the big happy guy comes. This is Maddies facial response when I told her how many days were left. She looks giddy in the photo and she was...lol!! Gotta love this age when they are totally into it Santa and you get to go along for the ride like your a kid again. Notice her new million dollar smile? Well it didn't cost a million but around 6 grand in dental work. They pulled out four teeth and did a bunch of work on the rest of her teeth. This is our reward for having a child who was very sick at birth. Illness and tons of medication effected her teeth. Yeah I know...with Maddie everything is always 10 times harder but YIKES!!