Good bye 2009! Don’t let the door hit you on the behind as you leave! I think 2010 is going to be a great year and a new start for many of us. I welcome the new decade with open arms. I have been quite busy since Thanksgiving and neglected my blogs. One of my favorite sessions in December was this adorable little baby boy from San Rafael. He has a classic name from literature that I love.
This San Francisco family invited me to the city to capture them in their comfortable, beautiful home. Awesome people with 2 adorable young sons. Sneak peak for them. Thanks for having me!
Doesn’t little R look like he’s a wise old soul? At 4 months of age he is taking it all in.
After jumping up and down on mom and dad’s bed D paused for a quick rest.
Almost three years ago I photographed these twin boys when they were just days old. Now they have a new baby brother that I photographed today and will be showing a sneak peak soon. Just wanted to show how twins have a connection from the day they are born throughout the rest of their lives. Can you see it then and now?
This was their Mother’s Day present to their mom they told me. Sitting together, posing and surprising her with a new portrait.
Today I stopped off in Burlingame to photograph baby K. Less than 2 years ago I photographed her big brother J and it was such a pleasure to see how he has grown into a sweet little boy with a new baby sister. One for now. She was the happiest little newborn I have come across in a long time.
I wanted to send a sneak peak to the parents of these darling siblings. I photographed H last year and baby sister C just arrived to make their family complete. Very pretty and extremely alert. She seemed to enjoy when I spoke to her and stared at me for long periods of time. I always have fun shooting on location in San Francisco! Congrats and thank you for having me in your home! Just one for now. More to come.
Yesterday (well now it’s more than yesterday since it’s the early morning hours right now) I traveled to San Francisco to photograph a family and their beloved toy poodle. The mom and dad are proud parents of a 7 month old baby boy, S. This little guy has the biggest brown eyes and happiest face you would ever want to meet. I promised a few sneak peaks before I get swamped this week. First we have Mr. Adorable…
Mom and Dad are crazy about their son.
One of the whole family. It was a challenge to get Toby the dog sitting pretty with baby S. While I managed to get Toby’s attention, S. thought his hand tasted pretty good.
It was Fleet Week in the City. Loud planes rumbling back and forth. My clients were only a short walk away from Alamo Square and we thought it would be fun to capture some shots of the Painted Ladies while watching the Blue Angels buzz by near us. Unfortunately S. fell asleep on the way up to the park, so Toby decided to strut his stuff and pose.
Thank you B. Family for the nice time together. I always love a beautiful day in San Francisco.
Apparently I am getting more and more of the combination together which I enjoy. We just returned from Southern California for a little downtime after the “termination” of my IT career. Sara Evans was playing at the Ventura County fair and my husband is a huge fan. Me, not so much but I admit she’s a good singer. We also stopped off in Camarillo to grab a few shots of this little miracle girl and her siblings. I hope her parents don’t mind me sharing the story with you–well actually Dad gave me permission (but I was hoping Mom would speak up.) 
I just want to say that it’s never too late to have the family you always dreamed of having. No matter how your child comes to you, the opportunity to parent a child is by far one of the most rewarding lifetime experiences. S and R tried for many years to conceive a child on their own and finally adopted their first child, a boy. M came along and guess what happened one month later? R found out she was pregnant! At the age of 40 she delivered a brother to 10 month old M.
It gets even better! We received a call a few months ago that a happy surprise was coming. R was expecting another child–a girl–at 45. Congrats to the family and to her big brothers M and M. Ha ha…sounds like a candy plug doesn’t it?
By the way, Maggie is the new family dog. Sweet addition to an already full house!
Today I did 2 family sessions in Walnut Creek. The weather has been extremely hot! I think we cracked over 100 degrees today but thank goodness the fog is rolling back in and cooling down the Diablo Valley and San Ramon Valley.
The first baby is 8 months old and I had the pleasure of capturing him as a newborn. Baby L is on the go now and probably going to be walking very soon. Mom played a big part of the session today. I promised a quick sneak peak for both families.
Now baby W is a little younger at 4 and a half months and not yet as mobile. She definitely loved her beautiful room and her tummy time.
Whew…my office is still warm and my computer is working overtime. Where’s that San Francisco Bay breeze I was hoping for? Tomorrow it’s only going to be in the 80’s. Everyone stay cool. Off to check on the boys. Until next time.
I love love love this mommy. She has known my children since my oldest was in her preschool class. He was in her first class–my youngest in her second to last class. Her gift that she has with children is beyond amazing. I am so happy both my boys experienced the time they had with Miss Michelle. Now that she has her second child she is taking a break from teaching preschool. I am selfishly glad that my youngest made it through her class. There are a lot of heartbroken parents this year that lost her and I am sure they miss her terribly.
Michelle has a wonderful sense of humor. That smile–she lights up a room with her smile. She smiles so much you can’t see her shining blue eyes because she is too busy grinning from ear to ear. She has a lot to be smiling about. Her son was born last week and their family is complete. Just 21 months earlier, her daughter came into the world. I remember how badly Michelle wanted these children and was thrilled when her daughter E was born.
See how funny Michelle is? All I have to do is tell her a naughty joke and she is laughing her head off. I recall her whispering to the baby that she would pay her $5 if she pooped on Daddy. Baby had a bank account start that day!
This is baby E today.
And this is her new brother D.
Michelle, thank you for teaching my children. Thank you for all those hours of hard work and love you gave to all the children that have been your students. It was such a joy to watch both my boys go through graduation and successfully move on to kindergarten. Thank you for loving my oldest and understanding him. You were his fan and never criticized him for being “energetic”. You applauded his unique thinking outside the box. You believed in him with more patience than most teachers would. Thank you for doing the same for my youngest. He’s 180 degrees different than my firstborn but challenging just the same. Thank you for those lovely presents my children made for me. Mother’s Day and Graduation Day made me cry watching those special DVD’s that you created for the parents. Thank you for loving children. You put your heart and soul into your work and the kids blossomed. Now that you have 2 of your own I wish you much love and happiness raising your children to be all that they can be. I know they are lucky to have you for their mom.
I do travel for clients. Today I photographed a nice family in the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose. Baby M turned 8 days old and was a little doll. My usual newborn–alert. We have been having a heat wave in the Bay Area. My thermometer in the car said it was 103 degrees when I left San Jose late this afternoon. I think the heat finally got to M as she fell asleep for a bit and we were able to work with her. The best time to photograph newborns is under the age of 2 weeks. The earlier the better. I have found even less than a week old to be ideal. My motto to my newborn parents that contact me for newborn sessions is “Call me when you are crowning” so we can fit you into my schedule and I can arrange to capture the baby when it still can curl, fold and sleep. After 2 weeks newborns are sleeping less, develop baby acne and often won’t curl any longer.
Baby M’s mom was quick to advise me she delivered and we managed to capture some interesting images throughout their beautiful home. No need for studio lights today–all natural light. My hat goes off to Baxter, their lovely Dalmatian. He was a gem with the baby and as you know dogs are my thing. Give me your dog–I want to capture it too!!
I promised a few sneak peaks
Dad’s smile was making me laugh. He wouldn’t stop beaming at his beautiful girl.
Baxter was a champ! He’s been under the weather but put up with the humans’ desire for the perfect shot
