Sound-off 1 – 2; Sound-off 3 – 4…

I don’t know what you’ve been told…but Kaleb turned six years old!  Sound-off; 1 – 2; Sound-off; 3 – 4…

For my son’s birthday party this year we decided on an army themed party and boy was I excited to start planning the second the theme was selected!  I love planning parties that include lots of little details to give the event that special touch.  I drive my husband crazy because he always gets dragged in to help out .  Well, I must give him tons of credit this year for helping pull together such a fun party!  Not only did he help plan the obstacle course and put all the labels on the water bottles, he dressed up as the drill sergeant and led the kids through boot camp!

As the kids report for duty, they sign in at the registration/induction desk.

Big shout out to the Army Recruiting office in Issaquah for providing some amazing items for the party favor bags.The kids then headed out to get their pictures taken by the flag.

They lined up and marched off towards the obstacle course for an intense boot camp.

My daughter working on her jumping jacks.

After such an exhausting boot camp, we headed inside for some snacks.

Awesome cake topper made by my creative sister-in-law, Lisa (Jadestone Studio).

Happy birthday buddy!

baby sisters – so much fun!

The day started off with big sister Tasha who is just an absolute doll.  She happens to be my daughter’s BFF from school so not a day goes by that I don’t hear about Tasha and the adventures that they had together.

The buzz around school was Tasha’s new baby sister, Talia.  All the kids were excited to see her and every time Talia came to pick up Tasha, of course they would crowd around her in her car seat.  This has lead to daily requests from my daughter for her very own baby sister, just like Talia!  LOL.

Well, after meeting Talia, I could see why my daughter would want her own baby sister.  Talia is such a sweetheart and oh so lovable.

Congratulations again Sean and Lorna!

Hello Kitty was never far Dad and his girls – LOVEBaby sisters are so much fun!

Welcome to the world, Talia!

Gung Hay Fat Choy / Chuc Mung Nam Muoi

No matter how you say it, it means Happy New Year!

Over the weekend my husband and I took our kids to the Seattle Center to celebrate the Lunar New Year.  This weekend they had the Tết Festival (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) and we had so much fun participating in this event.

The kids had such a good time taking in all the activities and understanding their culture.  My son Kaleb, who’s 5 years old and very inquisitive, was asking lots of questions and internalizing how this all relates to him.  I was glad to see him doing this, as it is very important to me that they understand their culture.

Below are some pictures from the festival.

Opening ceremony with fire crackers and dragon dance.  

Lots of fire crackers.My daughter thought the music and fire crackers were too loud.The kids watched the rest of the show from inside.
So many booths and activitiesKids activities – paper windmill and lantern.Year of the Dragon!Kaitlyn getting her li xi (red envelop containing lucky money).  Kaleb opening up his li xi.The kids felt that they learned a lot about their culture and showing off their Kung Fu moves

Happy Lunar New Year everyone!

Lisa & Dan – Family Time

It was my pleasure to photograph my sister-in-law, Lisa and her cute family!  We did the photo shoot at Tanner Springs Park in the Pearl District in Portland, Oregon and I just absolutely love this location.  There were so many interesting statue and art that added to the photos.  It also had a pond that kept the kids  entertained!

The kids were cooperative, playful and as cute as can be!  Thank you Eli & Naiya for making it so easy for Auntie Dy

Eli is the biggest Beaver fan and wanted to get some pictures of him in his Beaver rain boots.

Such a big girl paying for the parking Love the bond between father and daughter.

Krause Family – Fun, Fun, Fun!

I had such a great time taking pictures of this adorable family!  Allisyn and Tim are one of the cutest couple I’ve ever met and their dog Jack is just too cute for words.  We only had about 20 minutes to take pictures before the sun set and it would be dark.  That was all the time I needed to capture the love between these two.

Happy New Year Allisyn, Tim & Jack!  

How did November pass by so quickly?!

It seems like only yesterday November was just beginning and here we are now, December 1st and starting a new month.  As I prepare for the winter holidays, I still can’t believe how quickly November has gone by.   I am thinking back to the beautiful fall day I spent with Jamie, Donovan and their dog Trixie.  It was such an amazing day and I absolutely love the many different colors that we were able to capture in their session.

Jamie & Donovan – I had such a great time getting to know you guys.  Happy Holidays to you and your family!

Love the colors!

sweet baby e

I could not have asked for a better photo shoot.  Baby E was the sweetest and most cooperative baby.  I know what you’re saying…every photographer says that but this was honestly the case with Baby E.  For three straight hours, through all the various setups, he remained the sweet baby his mama told me he was .  You’ve got a keeper Heather & Kevin!

Awww…I remember many late nights holding my babies just like this and not wanting to put them down.  Love this view.

genesis & juan | fairy tale wedding complete with horse & carriage

It was a Wednesday morning in July when I received an email from my friend Delanae Lindstrom of Delanae Lindstrom Photography asking me if I was free THAT Saturday to second shoot for her at a wedding.  Although it was short notice, it didn’t take me long to make arrangements so that I was available for this opportunity.  Boy, am I glad I did! Genesis and Juan’s wedding was beautiful.  The ceremony was done entirely in Spanish and although I didn’t understand a single word of it, I felt like I understood everything because I could see and feel the love between Genesis and Juan.

Congratulations Genesis & Juan!

new adventures

This year has been full of changes for me and my family as we embark on a couple new adventures together.  Our first adventure was when I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a photographer and started my own photography business.  Yes, the fear of failure was overwhelming but my passion for photography was too strong to ignore.  When you discover something that you truly love, you have to follow your heart and go for it – to not try, is failure in itself.

Our second adventure was entering the world of kindergarten as my son, Kaleb started his first day last week.  Although two completely very different adventures, both have similar elements to them – the excitement  of trying something new, the apprehension of the unknown, and the courage to face our fears head on.  Of course, there are always bumps along the road and sometimes you fall but you just have to get back up, learn from it and try again.  Kaleb just completed his first full week of school and although the mornings start out a little rough as he tires to get excited for school, he always comes home happy.  Here are some photos I captured of that exciting first day.  It’s a brand new world that Kaleb is stepping in to and I am a proud mama of a kindergartener .

Getting dressed and doing it all on his own.

Starting the day off right with a bowl of healthy cereal.

Waiting for the school bus.  He’s looking a little nervous but he tries to be brave and give kindergarten a try. 

I love all the bright primary colors!

All sharpened and ready to be used.

It was a good day!