To all the dad’s out there…there are never enough thanks for all you do.

Happy Father’s Day!

She has always been a bit of sunshine to me.; her care-free personality the perfect complement to my strict upbringing and her laughter the perfect balance to my high-strung nature. As we have gotten older over the years we have both changed and grown so much, but she has always been a bit of sunshine in my life and in my days.

We get about 10 days of rain a year here in San Diego. And yes, that is why I live here. And yes, that is why it is easy to be an outdoor on-location photographer here. However, every once in a rare while it is cold, grey, windy or rainy despite our “sunny city” name. Jen and Jeff and Mallery traveled came to San Diego from Sacramento hoping to soak up our beautiful beaches and glorious sun, but the skies had a different idea. We had 3 days to fit in a photo shoot while they were here, and just as luck would have it, those were 3 of our 10 days of rain. Jen and I had about 100 phone calls back and forth to each other. Can we pull it off? Will the skies open up for just enough time? Will the wind be kind? We wondered, we hoped, then we decided to give it a shot and I am so glad we did.

The beach was cold and windy and cloudy and on the verge of another bought of rain, but true to her form, Jen lit up the whole beach with her sunshine smile. I really have to give a big shout out to the whole family because truly you would never know how cold it really was by looking at them. Now that is what I call having the best clients ever.

We started the shoot at some nearby buildings in attempt to avoid the cold and wind.  I love love love this modern architecture and was so excited!

Then we headed down to the beach at La Jolla Shores. They played, ran, dug in the sand, and shared plenty of laughter….you’d never know that the weather wasn’t ideal.

Since it was so windy I knew I had to throw in the back of my car a kite and blanket.  I always feel like the best “props” and the impromptu and natural ones, the ones that make sense for the day.  I am so loving the flying kite and the way that the blanket encouraged lots of sweet snuggles.

Got to end with this one, I just love this love.

They were good friends and roommates, nothing more.   We have heard the story before; perhaps you have even had a chapter of this story in your own life.  A best friend.  A roommate.  Nothing more. But fate knew that this time it was going to be different; that this time there was in fact something more ….love.

When she told me their story I couldn’t help but think of all those romantic comedies that I spent much of my single life watching. You mean the guy really can capture the attention and love his cute girl college roommate in real life? Turns out that sometimes romantic comedies can come true. When I met Melissa and Erik and saw them with their daughter, I saw that there is nothing more real than these two; nothing more real than their friendship, then their love, and then their absolute head-over-heels-smitten-ness for their daughter Olivia.

But I have to tell you, there is more to this story for me.  As strange as it sounds, I fell in love with this family long before I met them face to face. When I first met Lexi I swear I had never laughed so hard or been so comfortable right away with one of my clients (not to mention that she has incredible style that I have swooned about many times on this blog before). Tanya, Lexi’s mom, did a playroom for her grandkids that is simply the cutest and most divine playroom I have ever seen. (In fact, I stole her idea of a “dress up corner” for my very own daughter’s room too!)

So when Tanya emailed me and told me that Lexi’s brother Erik was flying out from Boston with his family and that I had to do a family photo shoot for them too, I jumped out of my chair and screamed with glee. A chance to meet more of this family that I am already in love with in a strange stalker kind of way even though I haven’t even met them all? YES PLEASE.

They didn’t let me down. We hugged. We laughed. We told stories and I teased them about their accents. We took some photos. They made me laugh an awful lot more. They made me feel like I was a part of the family.  I fell in love with Olivia and her eyes and threatened to steal her.  I took some more photos.  Then I realized I want Erik and Melissa to move back to California so I can invite myself up to hang out with this ENTIRE family every weekend.

After the family portraits we headed back to Tanya’s house for some fun with just Olivia. Hold onto your seat.  You are about to see just a part of the best play room EVER. [Not to mention, the super cutest baby ever.]


I am on this adorable couch, but WAIT, what is that over there? A dress up corner?

Yes Olivia, that was my exact reaction the first time I saw the dress up corner too.

We ended the session by giving Olivia her first bubble bath. I had been dying to try out this tub so I asked Melissa what she thought and was trying desperately to hold in my school girl excitement when she said she loved it too. (Just another way that Melissa won over my heart; being up for my crazy ideas!) Thank you Melissa for this these, you were a total trooper!!

To the entire “A” family….thanks for everything! Each and every one of you has stolen my heart! Your kindness, wit and generosity is topped by none. I can’t wait to come to your next family reunion (it is okay if I just invite myself like that, right?)

“A possibility was born the day you were born and it will live as long as you live.” -Marcus Solero

When I get a chance to photograph a newborn, my soul is refreshed.

Sure, if I were to photograph your newborn I would warn you that there is many hours involved with sweat, projectile pee and poop, baby tears, nursing, and a lot of patience.  And that  is all true, but there is also so much love and beauty and hope…. and so much possibility…that cannot be replicated by anything else in the world.

They are just so perfect.

So fresh from God.

Such a gift.

And if you have read my blog in the past you know how much I adore this family, so this is where my heart swelled up….

Elliot will fit in just scrumptiously with his family;  he is already so photogenic and was easily the most easy-going  2 week old I have ever met.

I was really excited to sneak in some quality time with little Elliot, just me and he.  He was quite the little model; peaceful, perfectly sleepy, and willing to go into anything I put him in.  This next image is of Elliot with a antique fire extinguisher that will be in his room.  Isn’t it the coolest room decor you have ever seen?

Here is my attempt at capturing a mother’s love….a beautiful beautiful thing.

Again R family, all I can say is thank you. You are simply amazing in every way.

I am not versed in boy.  I can speak girl and princess and doll and all things lacy and pretty until the cows come home, but I when it comes to speaking boy, I am only “conversational”, not fluent by any means.

But I love little boys.

Their energy. Their love of dirt and all things slimy and disgusting. Their fascination with cars and trucks and trains that seems to be inborn. Their need to run everywhere and tackle a lot.  I love little boys.

Just like I believe there is simply nothing sweeter than a dad who dances or plays princess with his daughter, right up there with those dads are the moms who aren’t afraid to do all things boy with their little boys.  I cherish those moms.  Just something about it melts my heart.  Sarita is one of those moms.  Mud, bugs, fishing and all.  She even can talk about axles and trains like no woman I have ever heard.  Love it. And when I watch Sarita with her two little boys, all fears of ever having a boy seems to dissipate.

“Frogs and snails and puppy-dogs’ tails, that’s what little boys are made of.”

But it is not just Sarita. I simply love this family inside and out. And I love that when I happened to capture the picture of Alex tripping we all laughed and Jason said, “I have to have that picture.”  When you are a parent who is willing to put the tripping picture on your wall, right next to the perfect family portrait, you are one amazing set of parents in my book.  Cause isn’t it laughing that gets us through parenting?

The next set of pictures makes me swoon and gets me giddy in all the right ways. If you follow my work at all, you know I love candid photos WAY more than the traditional family portrait. The trick to good candid photos is having something fun to do. After brainstorming with Sarita, I remembered that Jason likes to fish, and if mud and rivers and fishing poles don’t scream BOY, then I don’t know what does. So I fashioned some “fish” to catch and let the chaos (I mean fun, yes FUN) begin. It was a bit of an adventure having twin two year old boys next to the water and trying to prevent them from jumping in head first,  but I LOVE LOVE the way these turned out.