Miss T finally earned her wings this week and learned to ride without the training wheels.  Thought I’d share a few of her showing off her stuff.

p.s.  Helmet was removed for photography purposes only.   Do not try this at home..

Last Sunday we took the girls over to our friends at the Silver Spoon children’s boutique to photograph some of their brand-new spring arrivals.  We all agreed that some of the outfits definitely needed live models; enter Reilly & Teagan.  While the ladies pulled outfits, I styled the girls in and out of clothes as fast as Superwoman changed into her digs.  The girls had so much fun trying on all of the super adorable clothing, and even insisted on choosing a new hair accessory from the store’s vast assortment for each outfit.  Enjoy a peek at some of the Silver Spoon’s gorgeous new selection!

Last weekend we were fortunate to have been asked by our good friends to join them at their family lodge in S. Lake Tahoe for some winter fun (and superbowl).  We were thrilled and jumped at the invite, as poor Teagan has never been to the snow (she’s 4 1/2!), and it’s been so long I doubt Reilly even remembers it.  We were a bit nervous about how the weather conditions would affect our drive up, but just like magic, the clouds parted, the roads were clear, and there was no traffic!  Then, as is we had control over it, a ton of new snow fell all day Saturday, creating the most gorgeous winter wonderland you could imagine.  There was so much snow the kids were able to sled in the front yard right off the new hill that was once just a flowerbed of bushes.  In a word, the kids loved the snow!  Teagan was particularly fond of a giant snowball she found in the yard (see below).  We could not have asked for a better weekend–great friends, great weather, great fun.  Then, to top it off, the sun came out Monday when it was time to drive home.  In a word–amazing!  Thanks to Ann & Matt for being such gracious hosts!

The lovely folks at Good Day Sacramento took an interest in our awards from SPA this year and asked to come down to the studio to chat about them.  They also decided to have us do some shooting with Lori & Cody (the morning anchors) to “relive” their senior portraits.  Lori was a natural.  Cody was…well…Cody.  Big thanks to both Lori and Cody for having us, Dale for taking care of us, Ashley for all the communication, and last but not least, Ann Wokas for the hookup.  It was a fun time for me and a great TV debut!  Here are a few images from the shoot.   Enjoy! 

Last week James and I were in San Diego for the SPA event 2010 (SPA is short for Senior Portrait Artists).  This organization attracts some of the most talented high school senior photographers in the country and hosts one of the premier educational (and social!) events of the year for photographers.  After James attended last year’s SPA event in Las Vegas without me and came home completely fired up, there was no way I was missing this one (especially because it was at the beautiful Hotel del Coronado).  Aside from meeting up with hundreds of others talented photogs and hearing loads of great speakers, a main attraction and highlight of the event is the competition, which many of the attendees enter each year.  This was the first time James entered the SPA competition, which included categories for senior girl and senior boy folio (a composite of multiple images from the same subject) as well as a single-image kids competition this year.  Now, James has entered and done well in competitions before, but never anything quite like this.  After all of the folios and prints have been judged, they are displayed all over tables so everyone can look at all of the entries.  James felt quite intimidated when he saw the caliber of artists entering the competition.  You can imagine the thrill we both felt when his name was called not only once, but SEVEN times at the awards ceremony!  I thought he might pass out from the excitement (or the weight of all of those beautiful statues!)!  I’ve included a photo of James with six of his gorgeous (and heavy) glass statues (the biggest one shattered in shipping and is being replaced), as well as a few of the winners.  The awards he won are as follows:  Top scoring folio; First Place girl folio; Judge’s Choice senior folio; People’s Choice folio; People’s choice single image; 2nd & 3rd place single image kids.  James is so humble and if you know him, you know that he would never go out of his way to tell you about this amazing honor, but I can’t help myself, mainly because he works so hard and I think it’s so well deserved.  Way to go babe!

Every year I have a Christmas “moment”.  I never know what it will be or when it will come but it always happens.  This “moment” is something defining in a day that totally gets me in the mood for the season.  This year’s was about a week before Christmas.  The girls and I decided to take a nice walk in the cold air and head over to the Boxing Donkey for dunch(late lunch/early dinner)  The pub was fairly empty so the Reilly & Miss T got to run around and dance (yes our girls were dancing in bar) like little craziacs and all kinds of fun.  Next was a trip to the madness of the mall (which actually wasn’t too mad), and soaked up some more of the Holiday spirit.  No agenda, no plans, just a walk in the mall with the fam.  We finished with some caramel corn and some holiday movies at home.  That was it.  Nothing overly special.. but special to me.  A great day, and a great “moment”.

Also, Reilly made a really cool portrait of me!

This week we had one of those experiences that we’ll always treasure, as this year marks the last of it’s kind for us–the preschool Christmas program.  Teagan attends Adventure Christian pre-school, as did big sis, Reilly.  We just love the school and the staff, and they really put on a cute Christmas program with the three and four-year olds.  Teagan decided she wanted to wear the black and red pettiskirt from our studio; it’s big and bold, just like her personality!  She did a great job and enjoyed the performing in the show, but I think she had  more fun running around the courtyard with her friends afterwards.  The last image here is with her BFF at school…she and Teagan are like two peas in a pod together.  So sweet!

Santa Claus came to town!  Last Sunday we held our first annual Toys 4 Tots Santa portrait event at the Silver Spoon children’s boutique, and it was wonderful all around.  Santa came to hear the Christmas wishes of close to 200 kids, all while we captured those wonder-filled (and sometimes tear-filled) moments.  It was great to see how many people came out to see Santa and donate toys for less fortunate kids….a great reminder of the kindness in our community.  These were two of our favorite images of the day…okay, so we’re a little biased…it’s our girls!  Grandma brought them at the end of the day so daddy could have the rare honor of capturing the true innocence of their childhood.  A huge thank you to the Silver Spoon and everyone who came out in the cold to support our local Toys 4 Tots!

“Will you take a picture of me?”

On a rare occasion (and on her terms), Teagan will take a great interest in having her photograph made.  It typically happens seconds before we have a family of four ready to go for their own portraits.  Being the great helper she is, Stef and I have countless “test” shots of Miss T doing her thing.  And no matter how much I try to persuade her otherwise, she manages to always get the perfect Chandler Bing smile ready the moment the viewfinder reaches my eye.  Funniest thing is, she really thinks she is nailing it.  I have never met anyone so proud of a cheeseball smile as Teagan.

Now, I have seen countless parents try everything in the book to get their kids to do anything but the silly smile and I totally get it.  Something we are known for is getting that odd look that you rarely see (which may have something to do with me falling, tripping and otherwise making a baffoon of myself), but I gotta say, every time Stef and I see a photograph of Teagan and her C.B. smile, it well…just makes us laugh.

I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Another Halloween has come & gone, and I’m proud to report everyone has survived. The girls paraded the neighborhood grabbing their loot, and Stef & I traded off passing out candy (and convincing kids to walk through our castle.) Candles, lights, fog machines, and spooky music were all going in creepy harmony for several hours of madness. Here are a few photos of the Enchanted Castle. Happy Halloween!