freedom

ugh. when i think about it i get choked up. this sweet little angel....who i've photographed many times here and here and who i love dearly has to spend the holidays without her daddy. he is fighting for our country, freedom and for our abilities to celebrate christmas this year without worry. thank you jason for your service and thank you to his family for being strong and making this sacrifice for me. ok, back to the cuteness....can you believe how much little kalei has grown over the years?!?! it warms my heart! my little NICU micro preemie has a mind of her own and a beauty that obviously comes from her stunning mommy and grand mommy! as always, it was great to spend time with them and to see their smiles through the lens! not to get all holiday sappy on you but thank you terrell family, your friendship means so much to me and you are the reason i love my job(s)!!!!

{ethan}

holy moly is he precious. michele warned me at the beginning of the shoot that ethan was not in a good mood. well, that quickly changed as soon as we started collecting rocks on the beach. he had them in his pockets, in a pile, in my pockets until we couldn't possibly hold any more.....such a boy, something as simple as rocks made him happy : ) as you can see here he is a beautiful combination of his gorgeous mom and his handsome dad. and clearly, the beach is where they are most comfortable. i love shooting the carsons. 

  

veteran's day

thank you....

thank you for protecting our country. thank you for your service, time, dedication and strength. thank you to your families for holding strong while you've been away and working hard. i consider myself so lucky to live in san diego where the military is very present and extremely appreciated. many of the families i photograph serve our country. check out the links below of each family's photo shoot and their beauty. let it remind you that behind every soldier is an amazing and loving family who we should thank not just today on veteran's day, but each and every day. 

terrell family

holian family

cornellison family

garcia family

melonas family

cornellison family again : )

terrell family again : )

neesham family

truhlar family

from the bottom of my heart.

*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!