We are officially booked for all holiday sessions this season and are currently booking January for any portrait sessions.

I hate having turning people away…it makes me so sad…so here is the official announcement.

If you want, Devon offered to beat up the person who took your spot:

[I do have a waiting list for anyone who is a gambler. Call or email me if you are interested.]

“Sweet and spicy,” they both told me, “that is how we think of them.”  I love that.  Being a parent myself of one spicy toddler, I can really appreciate a parent who sees the beauty in their own spicy toddler.  And Jean and Matty are totally those parents.

Parenting is not easy.  For me anyway.  Maybe you all have the “easy button”, but I haven’t found mine. But almost everything about it, even the hard things, I LOVE.  Yes.  LOVE. One of the most challenging things for me though as a parent is figuring out how to appreciate my toddler in all her passionate ways, embrace her, cultivate her, but also to get her to fit in the “mold” that will make her able to cope with school and other activities.  The truth is, my little Dayla wants nothing to do with the mold.  She wants to make her own mold.  And although it is sometimes pretty embarrassing in public, and challenging as a parent, I love it about her.

I share this with you because I have a feeling that little Madelyn is also a mold maker. A leader.  A girl with “spice”, as her parents say!  And I can’t tell you how much I adore that!  I just loved her.  She didn’t fall for my usual “photographer tricks”, she instead just looked at me with a total straight face, as if to say, “This lady is nuts.”  I can’t help but wonder if Madelyn and Dayla got together if they would be friends!  I don’t know.  But I know that if they ever stand behind something, and did it together, they would probably be able to move mountains.  And I can’t tell you how much that excites me.  We need some girls who aren’t afraid to move mountains.

Sierra Ava also thought I was a little nuts to tell you the truth (and to be fair, they are right!).  But when her daddy threw her up in the air that first time and I saw the ray of light that was her smile, I was addicted.  I wanted to get more and more of that smile.  Her little smile is one of the sweetest grins I have seen.

These two little girls each gave me some sweet and some spicy, and I was eating it up.  And their parents were the perfect balance too, if you ask me. I adored capturing this family! There is nothing like watching a family play together, laugh together and love on each other.  It is truly one of my favorite things in the world, and this family gave me A LOT of it all!  I could eat them all.
Meet Madelyn and Sierra Ava

Jean and Matty both told me how much they love candid family portraits, catching the “real” moments. I love them TOO! I love capturing who you ARE, really. I have to say, I am not that great at “posing” people. But I can’t get enough of capturing families having fun with one another, loving one another and laughing with one another. That is what makes my heart race and my joy fly through the roof. My heart was racing with this family!


This is *MY PICK*. The one that I would print up and hang on my wall for this shoot? THIS ONE (me luuuurvvvs it!):

Speaking of capturing real moments, I have been thinking a lot recently how fun it would be to capture a family flying a kite! I mentioned it to the Jean and she said they were totally up it! I LOVE when a client is willing to take a risk and try something I have never done before! And I have to say, I LOVE how these came out. Capturing a bit of real family fun, the family’s first time flying a kite together:

I truly LOVE LOVE LOVE when I can capture someone laughing like this. I am not sure if my clients love it or not to be honest, but really…how awesome is Jean’s laugh here? Can’t you just feel the joy leaping out of the image? I can’t pose this. This is real, genuine, awesome clients.

This last image I got when the “photo shoot was over”. Some my favorite images always seem to come once everyone thinks we are done.

Thank you so much to you all! I had so much fun and I can’t wait to fly more kites with you!

Have you ever read those books, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”? I will tell you right now, I am not that big of a fan. I mean, I used to be when I was a kid, I LOVED that book when it first came out in 1985. Now they have a whole accompaniment of them involving moose’s and pigs and the sort.  But the real game changer regarding my love for them was when I became a mom.  As I am reading them to my toddler, I can’t help but notice that those animals seem pretty ridiculously demanding. Cupcakes, beach, party, carnival, sleep over all in ONE DAY? Right? Crazy. I mean, they don’t even say PLEASE.

But I could help think of it as I started this post. I wanted to start it with “If you buy a box of dates…”

We recently ventured out, bought a box of dates, wrapped them in bacon and stuffed them with blue cheese. That left us with a whole other 1/2 box of dates in our fridge.   I have an idea, says Daniel. I have learned over the last 7 years of marriage that when this man has an idea, it is wise to jump on board. My tummy usually is the all too lucky benefactor.  This was one of those ideas.  It may not have made the prettiest of pictures, but my tummy is still saying thank you.

[This is one I can't include the recipe link because it was a Daniel creation.  Sorry.  You can either jump in his head, make it up on your own, or just come over for dinner.  Really. We would love to have you!]

Today’s Feature:

Grilled Chicken Topped with Caramelized Onions, Medjool Dates, and Blue Cheese.

Accompanied by a Parmesan Rissotto

Sometimes Food Friday is not at all the choice of two logical, rational, intelligent adults.  Sometimes Food Friday is the result of a curious toddler.

Today is one of those days.

Dayla has been grocery shopping with me since her birth, but only in recent months has she taken interest in the store around her.  It is actually a little phase that I am loving, and hence embracing with full gusto, trying to solidify my nomination for “mom of the year”.  Okay, the last part of that sentence is a bit of a stretch (or LIE), but the first part I will totally own.  I love this phase of food curiosity and I LOVE embracing it!

“Mom, what is THAAAT?” is now a common phrase that starts our conversations at the grocery store.  ”Can we buy it?” always seems to be the end of the conversation, to which my staple reply has now become “Sure!”

I have not always been willing to put radishes, eggplant, purple cabbage, among other things into my cart.  In fact, a year ago I would have winced at the thought. But something about saying, “That is just not something WE eat” or “Oh, you won’t like that” …it just didn’t feel right to me.  I mean, who am I to say that she won’t like radishes (she did not) or eggplant (and she did!) or purple cabbage (this week’s curiosity that she still has yet to try)? And now it is almost like a fun game we play.  We buy it, we come home and look up a recipe, and then we (most times) cook it together.  It is a weekly food adventure! Last week’s food adventure was a KEEPER.  Daniel and I wouldn’t claim to be eggplant likers, but we both thought this was scrumptious!  If you are hesitant, I urge you, give this bad boy a try:

Today’s Feature: Eggplant Bruschette on Grilled Naan Topped with Sauteed Garlic Shrimp

Eggplant Bruschette recipe here

The recipe is a “Egglant Brushchette” to be but on top of a Sourdough toast or something of the like. But I thought it would be fun to put it on Naan, grill up some garlic shrimp, put a little hummus on the side, and call it dinner. I am so glad we did! I hope it becomes a regular guest in our home….

Over the last few weeks we have tried several renditions of these…each one delicious, the one stuffed with blue cheese being the clear winner in my opinion, and each one adding just a couple inches to our waistline.  No one really needs a waist, right?  I mean not when there is bacon and goat cheese and blue cheese and dates involved.  You are with me, I know you are.  These are worth the extra pant size.  Just give them a try and you will see for yourself.

A few years ago I came home from an amazing girls only outing with my friend Kate, bragging of the best appetizer I have ever had.  EVER.  Bacon wrapped dates.  Daniel retorted that he didn’t like dates.  Wouldn’t try it.  Wouldn’t like em.  Nope. THEN, the years go by.  Just a couple days ago Daniel went to Palm Springs for work and had the pleasure of partaking in bacon wrapped dates at Circa 59 ( a chic restaurant in the hotel Riviera).  Since it was a work thing, and someone ordered, it was only polite to try them.  I mean, he is a gentleman.   And yep. It happened.  He came home and told me that I was totally right, a genius practically, in knowing that these were the best appetizer of all time. Too bad that last part wasn’t true at all.  But he did come home and told me all about them like I never had them before, and immediately said he couldn’t wait to make them at home.  Oh well.  At least I got some YUMMY bacon wrapped dates out of it all!  Seriously.  Try these at home.

Today’s Feature: Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Goat Cheese (or Blue Cheese)