Thursday, July 31, 2008

Something Pretty for Alicia

It was my dear friend Alicia's birthday earlier this week...a perfect occasion to do something crafty. Of course, in my normal fashion, I waited until the last minute to do something so I figured hair clips would be the easiest to manage with me and my hot glue guns schedule. A quick trip to Beverly's Fabrics with a handful of feathers in one hand, and a piece of specialty paper in the other was all I needed..all the other trinkets I had at home. I wanted to make some unique-quirky accessories for Sheesa (as kyla used to call her) because she always has the most amazing clothes from Anthropologie and Banana Republic.. and better yet,she ALWAYS lets me borrow numerous amounts of articles from her closet and vintage jewelry collection , so I figured I would make a few little things, I might want to borrow in the future..aren't I smart??
This was a wooden flower that Jasons mom gave me that is made out of pine cones..add a few feathers and say goodbye to that boring pony tail..
This hair clip is made up of a bunch of vintage buttons and old broches that used to be my grandma Teresa's. (You will hear me mention her often..she was an incredible woman with impeccable style..) People always ask me why I give away her jewelry when I use it for cards and gifts like these...the truth is...I have sooo much of it..I've saved a ton of my favorites just for myself to keep..plus, I would rather share a little piece of her with family and friends..I think it's a great way to honor and remember her...so girls..don't throw away your cards and clips!!!
These last little clippies give a quick little punch to the side of your hair..and of course I chose these colors because Sheesha is the jewel tone QU-EEN!!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Routines..

Life is all about routines. If you have kids you know the importance of "the routine". The eating routine, the sleeping routine, the diapers routine. It never ends. Sometimes the word routine is used in a negative context, when someone is bored in life, and they have begun doing the same monotonous acts day in and day out. Some days I feel like that, yet some days I love knowing what to expect..I have just come to realize that pretty much everything in life is based off of some type of routine...whether you like it or not..Sometimes the days of the week start to blend together for me because they somehow are all crazily similar. I will give you a pretty similar play by play of a day in my shoes, or my flip flops for that matter....(this will probably be VERY boring for 99% of you to read..I wont be offended if you stop reading this very moment, and check back in tomorrow for something more interesting:)
*My day starts at about 6:30am.. Hayden wakes up hungry..( from this moment on, he eats about every 3 hours)..I feed him even though I'm still half asleep.. Kyla joins us within a half hour.. we giggle and tickle and play with the baby, until Kyla wants to watch Dora and eat blueberry waffles.
* Hayden is up for a little over an hour, then wants a catnap for about 45 minutes. Those 45 minutes are seriously very similar to some type of game show for me...like super market sweep or something, where you are being timed to fulfill a certain task within the allotted minutes, and what you don't finish is just lost:) I literally stand in the middle of the house and take a quick 360 around me and have to decide which is most important to be completed..the laundry..dishes..editing pictures on the computer..picking up toys..returning emails..rest??? ya right. rest. I never choose rest as my option, as much as I should.
*Once Hayden wakes up we play with Kyla and when baby doesn't mind being put down, I try to juggle playing with him, and to finish whatever it is that I chose to work on during his nap. I usually pace around the house and make phone calls, this is usually when my girlfriends or parents call to check in:)
*Once 11am comes around we start to anticipate daddy coming home. Even though he technically gets off at noon, he doesn't get home til closer to one..but we still get excited in case it's a day he comes home early.
*Once daddy gets home we make lunch..which is usually one of three things...sandwiches, soup, or on lucky days..burritos:) Kyla is stubborn, so her lunch is usually along the lines of macaroni and cheese, rice, toast and yogurt, or a quesadilla..that sits there for hours, cuz she never eats a quesadilla the first time its offered to her. Weird. Anyways..
*by this point in the day if I have not had coffee, I am starting to get a massive migraine..After I hang out with Jason for a bit, we put Ky Ky down for nap, Jason takes a nap..and Hayden and I usually do a coffee run and do errands I have any. (Sometimes Hayden naps right now for a few hours).This is normally the time in the day that I schedule appointments and photo shoots if I need to..
*Then come 5:00... Jason and I ask each other "what do you want for dinner" about 6 times. Serioulsy. Every night. We call it the "dreaded question", because we always go grocery shopping yet never feel like eating anything we have once dinner time comes. Neither of us EVER have a preference, so usually one of us starts to to get crabby because we are starving, and we finally choose something.( This is usually a 3 part equation..2 frozen items from the freezer from trader joes, and one boxed item from the pantry..from Target) and WHALA..dinner.
* After we do dinner, Jason and Kyla water the plants in the backyard and play a bit. Then we start getting Hayden and Jason ready for bed...funny I know. Jason has to be up for work at 2am so he actually goes to bed before the baby most nights...AWW so sweet:) Hayden usually wakes up at least 2 times before he stays asleep, so I try to get him to sleep before Jason does so they can both sleep peacefully:)
*From then on, its pretty much just night time routine for Kyla..bath...negotiate the terms of brushing her hair..choosing which "Jammas" she wants to wear..play with the puppy for a bit..eat a gogurt, pick the accommodations for her sleeping..(because there are SOO many). Top bunk or bottom? Big polka dot pillow or small striped pillow? Cabbage patch dolly or purple care bear? Rainbow comforter or fleece blanket? Fan on or fan off? The only thing that TRULY stays the same every night is these three things. 1.) Kisses. 2.)after kisses, the phrase we both repeat, which is "Best friend in the WHOLE world" and 3.) Kyla prays. Don't even dare try to pray..she will shut you down every time. Once Kyla learned how to pray that was just it for mommy and daddy trying. When she first learned how to pray, she used to say the funniest things..she would say "Dear Jesus..thank you for....and then she would list the most random things..what ever was on her mind ( or whoever she saw that day)..sometimes she would say "thank you for spongebob, squidword, crabby patties, Dora, boots, Diego, pancakes, Landon, daddy, string cheese, Nana, Donalds (McDonalds:) crocs, love you sooo much..AMEN. " But now her prayers at night time are the exact same, "Dear Jesus, thank you for our food, thank you for my friends, Love you SOOO much..Amen". Seriously at the end of the day, when I am soo tired.. hearing her pray is so cute, and makes me just breathe a little.

You can tell that tonight she was thrown off a little by the nigh time routine, because it was 9:00..Hayden was fussy all day from his shots, and being a little sick, that I couldn't get him to go to sleep for the life of me.. So instead of putting Kyla in bed, I told her to put on a dress and that we were going for a drive. You can tell she is pretty used to her routine at night, because she looked at me so weird and said.. "a DRESS? where are we going??" I said, we are going to drive to Starbucks cuz mommy wants Hayden to fall asleep in the car. She looked at me and said.."Starbucks..at NIGHT TIME??" yes Kyla, I said..hurry and get dressed"..(as Hayden was crying in his car seat)... So we got in the car with Calvin (the pup) and drove to the only drive through Starbucks in the area, which is the farthest Starbucks away, but would guarantee that the baby would fall asleep..and he did. After getting my chai, her apple juice box..and 3 bones for calvin..YES..bones!!...the girl and the window said that they had little bones for dogs as well. Is that normal??? I know they just ventured into offering smoothies last week, but dog bones too? Pretty soon I bet you will probably be able to get pizza and premium denim at Starbucks. You just wait:) Anyways, it was quite the adventure for Kyla..once we got home, I realized I told Jason I would water the plants in the backyard, so Kyla and I did that in the dark, which she thought was so funny. She kept telling me, "we don't water plants in the nigh time mommy..only daytime"..clearly..I was messing with post-dinner routine with daddy:) Once I tucked her into bed (on the top, with the striped pillow, purple carebear, fan on, and absolutely NO blankets)..I gave her a kiss, said we were each others best friend, then I turned for the door...All the sudden I heard her abruptly sit up in her creeky ikea blue bunk bed, and with a totally disappointed tone, she said.."ahh...you didn't let me pray!!" It was so priceless..she was genuinely frustrated with me that I had forgotten that very important detail.( she didn't care how tired I was:) Once she prayed and I closed her door, I couldn't help but realize that even though she is so free spirited and pretty much tries to do whatever she wants..she SO likes her little routine..
*And here I am..this is my routine once the family's asleep. Do I sleep or stay awake? To blog or not to blog? Work on photography or make a card? Sleep..wake up. Repeat. It's pretty safe to say that tomorrow will look alot like today. I don't really mind that too much however..some people hate doing the same thing everyday...I guess that really depends on the people and things that makeup their lives from morning til end. For me..adorable kids that want me to play with them all day long.. a fun husband who just wants to spend time with me...great phone calls from my family and friends..taking pictures..Cleaning, or just adding to the mess...all the while knowing I get to have all those things makeup all of my "tomorrows"....A girl can't complain:)

More 61 Brand...

Heres a few more pictures of the infamous belts I have been workin with last few weeks. They have actually had alot of action the past few days..thanks to a few friends who were wonderful enough to model them for me:) Thank you Aaron and Janelle for rockin the big hair at Santana Row and just being a hot little couple:) As awkward as you might have felt, you did great:) and Markus, my elementary school friend:) Thanks for helpin me out so last minute, it's always fun catchin up! The whole line of belts and shirts will be available in select stores and on 61's website in the near future...stay tuned for updates:)






Sunday, July 20, 2008

Matt and Marilyns Wedding..

Yesterday Jason and I shot such a beautiful wedding at Clos La Chance Winery in Morgan Hill. Marilyn and I had yearbook together in high school, and a year or so of basketball:) She has always had such a sweet spirit, and you are somehow just drawn to her...Matt, she's quite the catch:) It was great seeing some old friends from high school.. Everyone is so grown up and collected, each unique with their careers, (and spouses for some). I feel so honored that I have been able to be part of so many peoples weddings this year, its a great excuse to get re-acquainted..
This particular wedding had a "candy bar" like a few weddings we have done this year. Gotta love the candy bar. Usually champagne is what gets the party started..not this one..give people a bag full of gum balls and hot tamales, and you've got a full dance floor. Nothin beats a sugar high right? Normally I'd be ecstatic about the endless supply of sweets...but my high school/college days of chewing 2 packs of cotton candy bubble yum have caught up with me...and my wallet. My few trips to the dentist this year have given me all the reason to resist the rock candy, and save the sugar for my daily coffee:) yikes. Anyhow, it was a perfect day, Marilyn was just a knock out...and so easy to work with. She has filled her life with extraordinary people, and it was evident in all the family and friends that made us feel so welcome on Mare's big day:)



Tuesday, July 15, 2008

::Meet Calvin::

Gotta love a spontaneous husband. Sometimes he likes to walk in the door with flowers..somedays, it's my favorite Starbucks drink. Burrito perhaps..or maybe even a new Target dress hidden in the bag of grocercies. Not this time. No, this time my surprise wasn't edible, or worthy of a vase. It was yellow and furry, and likes to bite toes. This particular Sunday I woke up with 2 kids and went to bed with 3. This was the day I met Calvin. You all know we have a history with dogs..we have never been able to keep them because we never had yards for them. Jason has been very sad since the day we gave our chocolate lab to another family...I knew it was only a matter of time until I had to hide my shoes again...that is unless teeth marks are in style...


61 Brand..

*Designed for Freedom*
I just wanted to post a few pics of my latest little photo project. I'm currently photographing some belts and shirts for a new clothing brand called 61. These are just a few of the pictures I've done so far, I will post more in a few days..You should check out their website..it will be updated with all the new stuff pretty soon..hence the need for pictures:) http://61brand.com/









Sunday, July 13, 2008

Jamie and Roberts Wedding..

I think some of my favorite weddings are backyard weddings...cute, quaint..and normally very low-key bride and grooms. Yesterday was no exception:) I went to high school with Jamie (as most of my brides this year:)..yet I didn't get to really know her until she booked me as her photographer. Between meeting up at Starbucks or exchanging paperwork at swim lessons at the YMCA, I learned that I just love that girl! She is perhaps one of the sweetest people I have ever met, and is just genuinely joyful. My dear friend Alicia worked Jamie's wedding with me yesterday..she has done many weddings with me this year, and is such a talented photographer...did I mention, SO FUN to work with?? We always have a habit of showing up to afternoon weddings without have really eaten breakfast or lunch so we are always talking about food and trying not to fall over..or like yesterday, we shared an apple and 4 red sweedish fish, and about 20 glasses of punch like it was our last supper or something..luckily Jamie had incredible food and we had a few moments to recharge and ooh and ahh over some of our favorite pics we had taken during the day...It was truly a beautiful day...and a happy bride makes a happy wedding..yay JAMIE! You and Robert are amazing...

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Oh Hayden..

These are just a few pics of my little butterball in the backyard and house the other night..I am so in love with each and every roll on that little body of his..he's the most squeezable little thing ever...




Tuesday, July 8, 2008

What Makes Your Garden Grow?

Water. Sunshine. Love..AND..a little help from some of my favorite boys in the world...it's as easy and simple as that. Anyone who has recently been over to our neck of the woods..knows that this last month has been all about gardening. We've really never had a yard we could truly invest in, until now..so you better believe we are puttin down some roots:) My sweet daddy was in town a few weeks ago, and he helped get us started..him and Jason went to the nursery and came back with a trunk full of goodies to plant in the yard. My dad has always had a bit of Martha Stewart syndrome in him...HE LOVES THIS KINDA STUFF...and we LOVE that he loves it. So we planted corn, peas, squash, pumpkins, basil, and cilantro. Kyla has already developed a green thumb in a matter of weeks:) From dawn til dusk..little miss garden boots wants to be watering her corn. Her favorite time of day is when the sun starts to go down, and her and daddy get to give the garden some lovin.
My brother Corey hadn't been back to visit in about 6 months, so him coming into town last week was very anticipated on our end. He had never met Hayden, and hadn't seen Ky Ky since New Years, so she has been ecstatic that he has come over to play with her every day that he's been here. One of the many, many things I love about my brother Corey is that just adores his family...whenever he comes down to visit, I know he has a million friends that want to see him.. yet he still puts sooo much of his time and energy into getting the most out seeing us family. This is no exception when it comes to his time with Kyla. He has spent so many hours in the garden with her..teaching her to blow kisses to her plants....doing yoga and stretches with her on the lawn...doodling with chalk on the patio, even teaching her to bowl with a water bottles. I appreciate his love for not only me, but for my kids as well. I snapped a few priceless shots of him and Kyla in the yard, that were just too sweet for words.
We are hoping that as the year progresses our garden and flower beds will continue to flourish...maybe by the fall you can all come over for some homemade ratatouille:) you can lay under the stars with us..and enjoy the simple pleasure of family, friends, and pink garden boots..

Click to play Ky Ky's Garden
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Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Heathers Photoshoot...

Here's a few pics from the session I did with Heather today. She is an incredible dancer, who needed some new head shots and pictures for her portfolio. We had fun dodging security at Santana Row, and having a million wardrobe changes in the trunk of her car. She was so fun to work with, not to mention just stunning:)