Santa Ana Country Club wedding photography - Santa Ana, CA

The best is when a bride is a past bridesmaid. In this case - the bride had gone to B & G's wedding - recommended us to her friends A & C (she was in their wedding) - and now it's finally her turn! It was a beautiful wedding at the Santa Ana Country Club. All the guests were so nice, they had a great band, fun dancing - just a really good day all together.

The happy couple


B&G who's wedding we did a few years ago


A & C - we also did their wedding a few years ago


Stunning Bride




















A&C did this at their wedding to the current bride (who was her maid of honor). When cutting the cake - instead of feeding it to each other - they smashed it in their best man/maid of honor's faces.




One of the funniest "party" shots ever! :)

My friend does something that I think is so smart. She writes "Quotables" - basically cute things her kids say. I am horrible at journals, documenting, taking photos of my own kids, etc...and remembering what they say is the hardest thing for me. So - I am going to start Quotables. Mostly for myself to remember what they say - but now you get to read some of my conversations that I have daily with my kiddos.

Today Brian had a runny nose...
Me: Brian, do you want a tissue?
Brian: Yes mom. I need to wipe the syrup out of my nose.

Me: Does my tummy look big?
Brian: Ya. You sleep with Daddy, then at a lot of food - now you're big like daddy." (9-7-08)

Last one I wrote down was driving home from preschool.
Me: Doe we live in a big city?
Brian: No we live in our house. But sometimes an old man lives in the city.

Tonight - Brian and Brian were singing if you are happy and you know it - taking turns thinking of things to say. When it was Little B's turn he sang:
"If you're happy and you now it dump on the floor."
Daddy: What does that mean?
Brian: Dump your cheerios on the floor and make a mess.

As for Tyler - not too much of actual conversations to write about - but he does like to play a copy game with me. For example - I showed my mom tonight how I can say something (like "hello") in numerous different pitches, speeds, etc - and he copies each one exactly. Kind of funny.

Announcing the winners....
Farthest Location: The Smith Family
Most Original: The Papa Family
Most Creative Home Location: The Wheelers
Favorite: The Davis Family

Contact me within the next 2 weeks to claim your prize! :)

Family reunion portrait photography session - San Clemente, CA

This was a family reunion we shot this summer - and I thought WE had a lot of people in my family. :)


The Grandkids

Crescent Bay Park wedding photography - Laguna Beach, CA Reception at Woodburry Village Irvine, CA

I did this wedding back in July - but have not posted any weddings since then - so I am going to try and play catch up. They are such a sweet couple! They were close to the first people we told about my pregnancy because the bride kept insisting I have a drink. :) I love when we have time to walk around with the couple alone - that's when we seem to get the best shots.

















We went to their house in between the ceremony and receptions and got shots with all four of their dogs and their bird. I just really liked this one....






Father daughter dance - I love how she is resting her head on his shoulder - she was like that almost the whole dance.

Woodbridge Park engagement session w/ pet photography - Irvne, CA

This couple was a lot of fun - we went down to their park in Irvine with their beautiful dog. We are so excited for their wedding in November!

Here is another contest entry we received:

"Here are pictures of Joshua in Glacier National Park with Pancake Pete. The picture of him in the tree is followed by a picture of just the tree. He's also there infront of a gorge fed by glaciers. I love the one of the massive roots of a fallen tree. And finally there is him in the middle of the ceder forest."

We had a few stragglers - so we extended the contest until the end of this month. The 3 runners up get $100 Gift Certificate to a future session and the grand prize is a complimentary session and an unframed 16x20 canvas! (to see the details see this blog link: (CONTEST SECTION OF BLOG)

Here is an entry from Luke - his mom just had a baby - which is why I think Pancake Pete is hanging out with Mr. Turtle. :)

Some exciting news for our little family ...

Now I lay me down to sleep (NILMDTS) stillborn baby photos Hoag Hospital - Newport Beach, CA

WARNING - These are very sensitive photos. Please skip this post if you wish.

This past week was one of the most emotional weeks for me. Last Sunday I got a call that my brother's friends had gone into the hospital because the wife was having pre-term labor on Saturday - 20 weeks pregnant. Sunday they came to the conclusion that the baby would have to be delivered - and would not survive. They had originally asked if I would take their maternity photos and newborn pictures. When the nurse asked them if they would like someone from NILMDTS to come take photos - they immediately thought of me. They did not know at the time that I was a member of this group.
I went to the hospital with my brother at 8 - and hung out for awhile with them. The feeling in the room was more relaxing than I thought. Watching this couple was one of the most life impacting things I have ever seen. They were leaning on each other - and something that could break a couple - only made them stronger. Their strength they had during such a time of grief was amazing.
At 12:30 a.m. I went home because she had decreased her dilation to a 3 - and at 2 a.m. I got a call that their little boy had been born. When I got to the hospital - it was very emotional. But - again - this couple was amazing. Instead of grieving in the loss of their stillborn child, they thanked him for the opportunity to bring them closer as a couple, and helping them learn things in life that they needed to learn. Throughout the next few days I got some prints for them - and they have the funeral service on Saturday. I have never been so touched by a couple and their love for each other. They are both amazing people and I feel honored to be a part of their family's life.