A picture is worth 1000...

I have bloggers block.... I have no interesting anecdotes.... no titillating tales... sentimental stories... IN short.. I'VE GOT NOTHIN! Maybe it's the cold weather causing a brain freeze.
Anyway, what I do have to share are some adorable photos of my lil cuties...

With all this cold weather I am so thrilled to have children who warm my heart =) ENJOY

<3

Think warm thoughts.

Well I had expected to talk a little more about my trip to NY on this post.. but maybe next time.  I find myself completely bummed about the current weather situation around here.  Although I am pretty envious of the Cali photogs and their constant beautiful sunshine and beach walking, ocean waving, sunset sky photos... I have been able to keep the green eyed monster at bay with the thoughts of bright red and yellow trees and cozy cute jackets and sweaters. but alas it is SNOWING!  Fall (though there wasn't much of one) is officially a thing of the past and is now 300 and some odd days away. And although I once saw this picture of a couple kissing under a tree while it was snowing wearing cute hats and scarves and have been OBSESSED with getting one of me and the hubs in a similar fashion.  (Now if I could convince him that it's a wonderful idea we'd be in business.) I'm pretty sure that I'm the only fool dying to get pictures in the snow done. (If I'm not CALL ME, Email, text, comment on this post... GET  A HOLD OF ME!) And so I'm bummed... and feel like i'm all dressed up (as a photographer) with no place to go...  I can't wait til warm and happy days are here again!

For now here are some great memories from fall...

He was SO excited about his first pony ride

SO excited we had to do another one!

This is probably my favorite picture of her... EVER=)

<3

Time we Met INDEED!

I had planned on blogging a little while I was on my trip but we had some technical difficulties so I was unplugged for about 90% of the time.  I mean COMPLETELY.  I didn't really mind it for the most  part because it kept me from spending time making calls and checking in with what was going on at home. I was able to focus on what I was doing and enjoy all the activities.

This was a bus trip with 4 days of stops. There was just SO MUCH going on that it's hard for me to focus on what to tell you... I could talk for hours about it! But by far my favorite stop was The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  I had been dying to go most of my life but despite MANY MANY  trips to NYC I had never managed to walk amongst those halls.  Until NOW!

An advertisement I saw out the bus window that seemed all too perfect for the occasion =)

Those famous stairs

I'M IN!

I

Amongst the million very strict VERY serious rules at the Met ....There is NO FLASH allowed. So I had to make due.  Some of the coloring isn't perfect. It's almost impossible to take in everything around and more impossible to remember it all once you've left.  I tried to capture all the things that really taught me something in hopes of remembering the thing that is taught me.

I do believe THIS was the start of "Girl Power" ...(Sorry Spice Girls)

Cold is a four letter word.

I think it's safe to say that I've been in denial about summer being over for pretty much the whole fall season.  I've tried to squeeze in many outdoor activities... put off taking out my box of warm clothing... and in a final effort to dig my heals in the ground I made a giant bowl of pasta salad today. A summer party staple as far as I'm concerned. But alas it is dare I say it...COLD. And tomorrow I will be reorganizing the closet. Since next week I'll be packing for a trip even further north I better have appropriate clothing to pack. So out will come the sweaters and all that other stuff and away goes my bright array of tanks and cute sun dresses and beautiful sandals... I'm feeling weepy already.  I did have a lovely fall which will be over very shortly and while I am a fan of many snow related activities... I'm still trying to figure out a way to make snow without it being so cold out! HAHAHA.  On a brighter note... Hot chocolate was on sale at the market... yeah I stocked up.

Me+Photography: A true love story

Like everyone at 18 years of age graduating from high school, I was lost.  All of a sudden I had to decide what to do with the rest of my life and it seemed insane to me.  There were 2 things that I knew for sure.. 1.) I was never going to make it through years of college. It just wasn't in me.
2.) If I didn't spend my life creating... SOMETHING I just wasn't going to be happy.

So I went to a 2 year business school studying graphic/web design.  At first I really liked it... not LOVED but liked, enjoyed and was semi-interested in MOST of what I was learning... then one day.. I HATED IT.  Just wasn't motivated.  I felt like a failure... like a quitter... because, well,  I was a quitter. So after a handful of jobs that I VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY much hated.. I stumbled into a lil' photography place and what do you know they were hiring. I've always enjoyed taking photos.. although i hadn't treated it like an art exactly I just wanted proof of just about everything that happened in my life. I was the one on every vacation snapping away at everything.. spending money on 5 disposable cameras of extra film or whatever.  SO i figure what the hey. Well I got that job and my life changed. I enjoyed going to work. I was always trying to learn something new, try something different and challenge myself more.  I was IN LOVE! During that time I fell in actual real life love with my darling husband as well. 2 true loves in 1 year... what more can a girl ask for?

A little after we got married he bought me my DSLR. I was the happiest girl in the world. It was the best present he could have given me... Not only because I needed and wanted it but because it showed he believed in my talents and abilities and ME. Shortly after that I lost my job... I was sad I had enjoyed my job so much but things had changed there and I was no longer encouraged to be creative.  I found another photography job after a while that I loved even more. I also took some sessions on the side. Family portraits, senior pictures, engagements... so things were looking up. Then we found out we were expecting our first child and the financial worries kicked in along with the guilt about the camera payments. I offered to sell it but Derrick argued against that.  When our son arrived taking photography jobs seemed a lot less important and when our daughter arrived 17 months later it seemed impossible.  I used my camera strictly for chronicling ever nap, sneeze, roll craw, smile, every important and unimportant moment of those children's lives!

Now that she's approaching a year old things are becoming a little calmer and I'm ready to do all the things I've wanted to accomplish with my photography. I'm nervous and excited and falling in love all over again.

<3

The REAL love of my life

My apology

Did you miss me?! Well I missed you.. whoever you are reading this out there.  I can't believe it's been so long since I had a moment to sit and think and type.  I do believe I owe you an explanation. So let's just start with this.  I have 2 kids and they've been sick. For any of you mothers out there I know I need explain no further.  I will not go into too much detail in case you're eating or sensitive or contemplating having children of your own at some point... but trust me, it has NOT been pretty.  But fear not I can see the light.. one child has made it through and the other HAS to be getting over this soon... and then hopefully things will be getting back to normal.  I'll keep you posted!

<3

My 2 Peas.

When I found out I was pregnant for the 2nd time it was a bit of a shock.  Derrick was dead set on having a second child. He had informed me of this in a very matter of fact kind of way while I was still in labor with our first (not the best timing!). We agreed on 2 and that we wanted them fairly close together. We had planned on waiting until Cam was around 2... well as the saying goes we plan and God laughs. When my son was only about 9 months old I found out that I was indeed pregnant again. I remember thinking.. HOW am I going to do THIS.  Well now Avriona is 8 months old and while I still sometimes think How am i going to do this, I couldn't imagine not having her. The kids are 17 months apart and while there are days that are just SO HARD. There are plenty of things that are SO GREAT about them being this close in age. One of the greatest things is that they just crack each other up.  They are constantly laughing at each other and doing things that they know will make the other laugh. Lots of time Derrick and I just don't get what's so funny... but we think it's definitely cute. Cam never tires of her he adores the way his baby sis follows him around and mimics his actions. They are just 2 peas in a pod. More accurately they are partners in crime... and although having to clean up the crime scenes isn't my favorite thing.. I wouldn't have it any other way ;)

He did this pose with absolutely no "coaching" from me. Melts my heart.

Photographer VS Mother

Let me just start by saying I'm a little bummed that I didn't blog anything on 10/10/10 but things just got so busy.. I'm looking forward to next years 11/11/11!..and 1/1/11 and 1/11/11 and 11/1/11 hahaha I'll be with you for them all! 


That said we had a GREAT weekend.  It was nice to get out in this gorgeous weather with the kids and do some new things.  But with every outing with the kids I always find myself a little torn between 2 cameras.  I LOVE taking pictures of my lil ones... every mom does but I mean LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. I use to drag my fairly big Nikon EVERYWHERE.. and Derrick was always asking me "Why are you bringing that? What are you going to take pictures of" and my response was usually "Just in case.. You never know"  and he'd just roll his eyes. In my life If it I don't get a picture, it's like it didn't even happen.  But when I had to start carrying the kids and their 50 thousand items all with me all the time my camera become a bit more cumbersome. Then I finally got a little point and shoot that can easily be taken everywhere without even thinking and thrown into any bag.. or even my pocket. But here's the thing I HATE THAT CAMERA... it's a perfectly fine camera for what it is suppose to do... but that's not what I want to do. I want to take gorgeous, perfect, interesting, awesomely lit, right that second pictures. But then Derrick reminds me I don't need amazing pictures all the time... it's about the time with the kids. They don't care if the pictures have noise or hot spots or whatever. They'll look back at these and remember that we had adventures and FUN and time together.  So here are some very NON professional pictures of our awesome weekend. Because at the heart of things I'm just a mom.  ENJOY!

A sleeping baby won't stop the adventure! 

Saturday was the Get Lost Corn Maze 

I was the only one who had ever done a corn maze before.. but not like this one! Cam loved it.. he wanted to tell us which way to go the whole time.. needless to say we got REALLY lost. LOL The next day I took the children to the zoo all by myself.. yup 2 kids and just me. 

Ready to rock and roll!

His favorite... and i think they liked him too =)

So I have to tell you that before we left the zoo we swung back around to see the tiger again (another of Cam's favorites) since he just so happens to be near the entrance.  While there a lovely man and his daughter where enjoying the tiger as well but also... lollipops. Camden was clearly having lolli-ENVY and they noticed.. and gave him one of their extras!  HOW SWEET (pun intended) So thank you again kind strangers wherever you are.

We love this part.

Once he got that lolli ....
the tiger didn't seem as interesting

Once in the car it was treat time..

For both kids! 

Great weekend!

<3

The piano, mood music, and twinkle twinkle little star

Every time we go to visit at my parents house besides be excited to see abuela and titi my son gets extremely excited about one other thing...the piano.  My sister and I took piano lessons among our many other activities growing up. I have little to no skill left in my memory my younger sister still practices just about every day.  So Cam grabs titi and heads off into the "piano room" so they can show off their skills to each other.  For a 2 year old he isn't bad.  He can't actually play anything but he doesn't bang on the keys either so we don't mind listening. He seems to have in mind what he wants to hear and sometimes he kicks titi off and plays all alone.

There's something about music isn't there? From classical all the way to our guilty pleasures and one hit wonders. No matter what kind of day you're having or activities you're planning you can find a perfect song to express the mood.  If you're married you get that same feeling every time you hear your "first dance"song. My daughter enjoys the same song to comfort her to sleep at night.  My sister and I use to make mixes for family road trips and we'd try to find a song that named whatever state or city we were going to.  I don't think there is a person in this world who doesn't have a connection to a certain song... or many songs for that matter.  Music has a way to bring back feelings and memories that is second only to pictures. So what's my list of important songs?

In no particular order:

Feels Like Home by Chantal Kreviazuk (our wedding song)

The Middle by Jimmy Eat World (high school memories)

Buscando Guayaba by Ruben Blades (I learned to salsa to this as a kid)

Pretty much any Bon Jovi Classic (My first concert)

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.. when my son sings it.

I'm sure later I'll think "how did I forget to put THAT on the list"

What's on your list?

<3

Overcoming Fear

Sometimes life lessons come from some unexpected places... usually if you're a mom they come "out of the mouths of babes" Yet, another blessing of motherhood.

Last night was a "bath night" for the kiddos and with the fall weather moving in we decided that our son was going to have to face.. (cue villain music) the DREADED BLOW DRYER! Our son has a full head of gorgeously thick locks which takes forever to air dry.  We had not worried much about it all summer but sadly summer it is no longer. So while we prepared for what would surely be a 2 person job ... one trying to hold him in place and keep him calm while the other handled the heavy equipment, I watched the look of "NOT GOING TO HAPPEN" cross upon my son's face.  Derrick switched on the lowest setting and my son LEAPED toward me... then in the very next second looked at the dryer stood in front of it and GIGGLED!

 Derrick and I starred at each other in shock and amazement, as our son made faces and shook his head from side to side enjoying the warm breeze. We of course busted out in laughter and I of course captured some of the fun.  He got so bold as to grab the dryer right out of Derrick's hand and finish the job himself.

Sometimes when we stop fighting things because we think they're scary and just go in with a "can do" attitude we'll find something new fun  and exciting.... I'll apply that to my photography.. what can you apply it to?

<3 

4 Generations and Pizza

This weekend my Children met their GREAT grandpap.. for the first and hopefully not last time.  My Husband (Derrick's) Pap. I was not fortunate enough to have either of mine growing up.  The moment Great Pap (as we were trying to teach our son to call him although it ended up sounding more like E pap) saw them you could see him fall in love.  We took them over twice. He was staying with Derrick's parents for a week. The final time we visited, my MIL made her homemade pizza with her special sauce.  As I watched her kneading dough and grabbing jars of her special sauce I all of a sudden went rushing to get my camera... 

THIS was one of those moments. One day my children will ask about her... for a class project or just to know more about who she was. And I'll pull out these pictures and say "Where as she could have picked up the phone and ordered something.. much like your mommy does.. Grammy put labor and love into making very special pizza for dinners with her family"

Bon Appetit!

The finished oh so delicious product.

This was a reminder that pictures aren't just jogging back memories of days we've had but also SO IMPORTANTLY for giving our memories to those who otherwise would never know.

<3