Baby N was here a while back for his 2nd Bebe session, and big brother A jumped in a few for their Christmas portraits. They were so cute in the holiday outfits and kicked back comfortably in our red chair, but I think our fav’s were definitely the blue “nakies” of N; he was a speedy little dude and had to be wrangled back to his spot several times, but we were able to catch a few of these serene moments that just take my breath away. Thanks to their mom and dad for coming so prepared and being willing to break a sweat to capture these precious moments!
We met the Nelson’s thanks to our clients/friends, the Mitchell family. Emily looked so great and Ben was phenomenal; he may not have been super excited to be photographed, but when he stood next to his beautiful wife, he just lit up. Their interaction together was some of the sweetest we’ve seen and made these portraits so special. Little miss K obliged us for the maternity portraits, but she clearly enjoyed her moment in the spotlight in the tutu she chose to try on. It’s amazing what a little tulle will do for a two-year old! We would like to formally congratulate the Nelson’s, as they welcomed their son this past week–can’t wait to meet him!
Stef and I took the girls on the Polar Express train in Old Sac last night and what an impression it made on them. If you have kids under the age of six, I would highly recommend this as it can be quite the magical thing.
Reilly is six. Just the age when some of the older kids in school try to debunk the existence of Santa. If I could get a hold of any of these kids I would…express my displeasure in their communication regarding these matters. That being said, Reilly approached the trip to the North Pole with a mild amount of skepticism, but was excited nonetheless.
When the train arrived at the “North Pole”, the first thing Reilly said was “Wow, Santa has lost weight.” Fearing the worst, I really turned on the excitement, desperately trying to distract her from anything mundane. Moments later, Santa entered our rail car. Teagan was overjoyed, Reilly remained fairly calm. He passed out jingle bells to all the kids and gave his ho-ho-ho’s and at one point he stopped, looked at Reiily and said, “I got your letter…you must have written that a couple of days ago.”
I was sitting behind her, and all I saw was her head nodding. She turned around and had a smile that remained present the rest of the evening.
Now, not wanting to get myself into a trap, I didn’t address Santa’s question to Reilly. I later found out from Stef that two days prior, Reilly and her classmates had all written letters to the big guy.
I felt like Fred Gailey on Miracle on 34th Street. I don’t know how much longer we have, but this year, she believes.
The last image was taken after Santa had left the car and the hobo character (from the film) walked through, stopped and said, “How many of you believe?”
I think Reilly’s hand was higher that anyone’s…except mine.
Before I talk about the lovely Lusk family, I must first apologize for our speed (or lack thereof) of posting on here these days; we’re working feverishly to make sure everyone gets their cards and portraits in time for Christmas! Now, on to the Lusk family! We were lucky to meet the Lusk’s thanks to our friends at pediatrician Dr. Valdez’s office. Mom Tara also works for Sacramento Parent magazine and has helped inform us of some great opportunities (look for us in the new Sac Parent Source Book and their Babies & Bumps Expo in March!). Anyhow, they brought little M for his 2 year portraits and were quite concerned about what would come of this portrait session. Well, suffice it to say, they were pleased with the outcome! It was so fun working with this family and we’re so grateful to Tara and Bob for all of their excitement about their portraits, and most importantly, their sweet boy, M.
Teagan’s first Christmas show.
As I stood outside the auditorium doors with dozens of eager parents, I had one thought in mind. Get good seats.
We arrived plenty early so we could get nice and close. The doors opened and we- waitaminute…there were already a ton of people inside! Must have been two ways in. So, Stef and I did what any respectable parents would do.
We ran.
Short of knocking people over, we plowed our way through groups of frantic parents and secured seats in the.. 20th row.
20th row!!! This would not do. I said my farewells to Stef and embarked on a mission to get closer even if I had to sit alone. As I stood in the front of the auditorium desperately searching for a seat, something caught my eye. An open seat in the front row, dead center.
“Excuse me, is this seat taken?”
“Nope, it’s all yours.”
I spent the next few minutes in my best Rocky Balboa pose, arms in the air. Ok, time to get ready, the show’s about to begin. I unpacked the camera equipment and all the other gadgets and was good to go. Lights go down and out come the kiddies.
As they took the stage it became quite clear to me why this choice seat I was in had been available. I couldn’t see. The sound equipment nearly covered my view of Teagan’s class.
No seats around me and nowhere to go, I sat there, helplessly hoping to get a view.
Well, I did manage to get a few photographs of our starlet, but after a short while I gave up on the effort and put the camera away. Now, with everything packed up there was nothing left to do…except enjoy the show!!! And I did.
Sometimes it’s best to just spend the time watching your kids be kids. Thank you to all the teachers and assistants who helped in the show, it was fantastic!!
Miss T warming up.
Hey Teagan, tell us how you really feel about the show!
This was the 2nd time we photographed little R, and he was as cute as could be. The Wokas family is just another one of those we felt comfortable around immediately; mom cracked me up with her awesome singing to get great smiles from R (no really, she has a great voice and knew a million songs!). Ann is self-admittedly one of our biggest fans, and we appreciate that so much! Thanks for all the kind words and fun times!
When Stef and I met with Shelby to discuss the design and look of her senior portraits, we were thrilled by her ideas. She was going for a vintage-y glamour look and I think she nailed it. Shelby is a dancer and knew how to take the stage…even if it was in front of a camera. Her look, her style and her attitude all came together and helped make some wonderful images. Great, great time.
Stef, the girls and I had the privilege of seeing Shelby perform in the “Rhythms of Christmas” show at Whitney High School. It was a show filled with singing, LOTS of tap dancing, and even a Radio City finale that nearly brought the house down. This was the final show of the season and would be Shelby’s last performance of it as a senior.
Wow. I’m not sure what I was expecting but the show blew me away. What a treat to see that much young (and old!) talent all on one stage. Thanks Shelby and Amy for inviting us, we all loved it! Best of luck in New York!
We first met the Monk’s at our Costume & Cans event in 2007, when K was still pregnant with Miss E. Well, E is now a member of our Bebe Collection and these images were from her second Bebe session, which also doubled as a family session. We just love it when they come; Kayla is just one of those people who always makes you smile when you’re with her. Did I mention that she always comes with the BEST clothes and hair accessories for her girls? Well, as you can see from here, this session was no different! You might also recognize little Miss E from our Red Chair-ity promo…she was one of the little darlings on it!
…are better left to others. Still reeling from the Halloween gingerbread house failure, the girls and I decided to give it another try. Stef picked up a ‘smaller and easier to build’ version this time so things should run smoothly.
Well…
It was about ten minutes into the assembly when Teagan looked up and said “I think this house has seen better days.”
At that point I made the executive decision to abandon the construction and eat all the candy decorations.
I got no arguments…
The Primes came for Miss K’s first Bebe session and she performed like a star! We met the Primes thanks to our friends at pediatrician Dr. Valdez’s office right here in Roseville. We especially love these images with mom and dad; I’m sure K is already too big to cradle like that in dad’s arms. The grow up so fast!
