*evelyn*

i was so honored to be asked back to photograph one of my favorite families! my beautiful friend juli has such a charming back yard and gorgeous home. her little slice of heaven was the perfect spot to capture sweet little evelyn who is now two years old!!! we had so much fun with her bubble maker and she also showed me all the veggies that she has grown in the garden with her daddy. absolutely precious. what a difference a year makes! click here to see her one year old photos!!! 

{mason}

if you think this mommy's hands are full you should see her heart

yet another reason why i consider myself so lucky. mason was born a few hours after turning 23 weeks on july 30, 2009. for those of you not in the NICU world....that is sooooo extremely early. a typical pregnancy lasts around 37-40 weeks. just remember this as you scroll through these photos how much of a miracle mason is. i remember when he was born and i was caring for him and watching his sisters come and visit him in the NICU when he was so fragile and sick. he immediately had 4 mommies. could he be any luckier? his 3 older sisters were so protective and loving over him from the beginning which helped him grow into the handsome sweet little man that he is. it is so rewarding to watch the dynamic between the girls and mason. they are not only beautiful girls but so helpful to their mommy who is also a great friend and a fellow nurse! mason is an expert crawler  who is learning how to walk but most importantly he is beginning to really learn to express his wants and needs! 

i love you not for what you are 

but for who i am when i am with you

i can't think of anything i enjoy more than getting mail! actually, ok....maybe one thing....getting mail that includes photos that i have taken : ) congrats to my beautiful friends michael kridler and laura pakula on their engagement and upcoming wedding. you know when you have two friends who are going to get married and you just have that feeling that they'll be happy and in love forever? well that's these two. i've written about them before and you really really should check out their engagement shoot by clicking here, but truly, i couldn't ask for better friends who i actually consider family. they used my photography for their save the date. I.AM.SO.FLATTERED. we had so much fun in solitude, utah back in march running through the snowstorm to get these fun shots! laura is so naturally beautiful and michael's smile couldn't be more telling as to his happiness : ) this is one of those days that i wish we could relive because it was filled with laughter, friends, love, children, family and memories. that week i was also able to introduce my kridler family to my new love and it was so amazing. that little slice of heaven in utah will always have my heart and i think i can speak for laura and mike, it holds theirs as well : ) 

**kaia jo**

little kaia is turning one year old this week!!! she was a baby that i took care of in the NICU last year and i also got to photograph this sweet family when kaia came home from the hospital last november. you can see those photos by clicking here. i absolutely love this family and they have raised the sweetest and most beautiful little girly. i enjoy watching her grow and i am so thankful for the friendship i have with sara and todd.

~ celebrating our little grads ~

Every year our NICU at UCSD holds the most wonderful party to celebrate all of the families who have spent time in our unit throughout the years. Families look forward to our "picnic" and return to celebrate year after year. It's a great time to catch up with those who trusted the life of their baby to us and to finally enjoy life as it should be~ outside of the hospital! Once again, I am humbled by how gracious people are and how lucky i am.....some of these families have become lifelong friends to the NICU staff. These pics I posted are just a small amount of the hundreds I took! I snapped shots the entire day and those pictures can be seen and purchased by clicking HERE (password : NICU).