Furry Friends

Dr. Serbe, a local Vet in Decatur, runs an office called Cats Only - it's a stray cat's dream to end up living there. The moment you enter through the door, all cat eyes are on you and you are bombarded with welcomed kitty greetings. My daughter, who pretends to be a kitty cat daily, was in H E A V E N. The cats responded to the shutter clicking on my camera which gave me quite a few good shots. Itwas tempting to take one of these little guys home for my kitty obsessed girls, but with two dogs and twins, we've got our own little zoo already.

Summer is Here!!

What a bittersweet memory - The LAST day of school which arrived each year - another year behind you and now just another year older. How we rushed life as a child! We tagged along with Aunt Connie at the Pershing School's Playday where the girls got to see a petting zoo, fish for prizes, play instruments, and well, just be the three year olds that they are! Even with all the excitement and smiles surrounding them, they both left claiming that they weren't going to "sool" next year. Here's hoping I survive the first day of preschool, let alone them surviving - yet, it will be the last day of preschool before I know it!

Home with the Cousins

We traveled home to Decatur, Illinois on Wednesday, just the girls and I for the first time on our own. I couldn't have asked for better behaved daughters yesterday - they were perfect for me, to the extent that the man sitting in front of us complimented me on well-behaved kids - I thanked him for making my week! So we had a safe arrival, were met by the cousins and my sister at the airport, and had a nice midwestern evening of "playing outside in the front yard until the sun goes down, " just like I remember doing as a kid - but back then, living in safer times, and refusing to call it a night, we went inside to grab flashlights to play flashlight tag and glass jars to catch fireflies. My girls witnessed their first game of "double dutch" jump rope and I am adamant about teaching them how to catch fireflies during this visit. They are in heaven being home with so much attention and having their cousins to play with. We miss them daily way out there in California!

Birthday Party

I photographed a little boy's 3rd birthday party a couple of Friday's ago - What a cutie - and it was a first time i had been to a "boy's birthday party" - my world is always girly girl and princess stuff, so seeing so many toddler boys in one place was a new temporary world for me. such energy! i really enjoy photographing birthday parties - they are fun, candid, entertaining, no pressure - just go with the flow, follow the children and laughter, and capture the memories for the parents who are too busy to do it themselves. even being a photographer myself, it wasn't until after the my girls' princess party, with each of them dressed as a princess, cinderella and sleeping beauty to be exact, that i realized that evening, that there wasn't one picture taken of jason and i with the girls - not even of one of each of us separately with them- so as the mom and princess party planner, i remembered my tiara for the day, but didn't do so well with remembering to take significant pictures -- you just can't do it all mommies!!! i hope to photograph more events and occasions - i get such a kick out of the photojournalistic aspect of it all. i am still waiting for my first person to let me in the delivery room with them to photograph a birth - not ick shots, just the whole eventful process of bringing a baby into the world.

anyone? anyone?

mother's day

it was a nice mother's day for us - my third mother's day - funny how mother's day seems to hold more meaning than your own birthday - so so blessed to add mother to my list of accomplishments, topping that list for that matter. it was so fun to watch the girls at the park, showing off all of their new "big girl" tricks on the swings and monkey bars. the girls kept calling the day itself "happy mother's day" - asking me "mommy, are you getting ready for happy mother's day?" ..and at night when i begged to be able to take a bath in peace i said

"please, it's mother's day." maddie responded, "it's over, see it's dark now, mother's day is over. it's not mother's night." where does she get this smartness from? her mother, of course!

just when i think....

I am content with the decision of "no more" little ones, i get the camera on a cutie like this -- guess that will be something i will be facing throughout this photography adventure! what a sweetheart - she loved those pearls!

Aliso Viejo Festival

The Aliso Viejo Chamber of Commerce held a street fair today in the Town Center. This is our 2nd Weekend of attending a festival, as well as Jason participating in one - it's kind of new experience for us as a family, but I know two little ones that just love all the little freebies they get to bring home --balloons, balls, endless suckers and pieces of candy, balloon hats, and of course paint either on the face or arm -- a must!!! They enjoy it, and hopefully Jason's time and dedication to these will pay off! It was a great opportunity to break out the camera today as well. There was a Corvette show and Jazz band performing, two favorites of my dad's - if he could have just been there with me!

Hoops Joins the Hood

We've been blessed with wonderful new neighbors across the street in our cul-de-sac. It's such a comfortable feeling to have good neighbors on all sides of us now...makes your house a true "home." Our neighbors are following the what seems to be the "normal" routine - get engaged, plan the wedding AND get a dog to make the house a home -- we did it twice! Anyway, Hoops came from the San Clemente shelter and was more than happy to enter his new home - he made fast friends with our Java and Guinness as well... Welcome to the neighborhood Hoops ! maybe you should bring home one of Hoops' friends??? http://www.petprojectfoundation.org/index.htm