Skylanders Themed Birthday Celebration // Playland Cafe in Irvine

A little while back we had the pleasure of celebrating Matthew's 5th Birthday with him and his awesome family.  Matthew's party was held at Playland Cafe in Irvine.  It's a indoor cafe fun for the kids AND adults!  Chris and I had a blast running inside their mazes, capturing the essence of fun only a kid or kid-at-heart can have.  

They wow'd their guest with a delicious array of desserts, all themed Skylander.  Some of the highlights of the table included the cupcakes topped with the Skylander elements, as well as the talents of Milkstashe with their super amazing looking and tasting macarons.  They delicately make masterpieces out of macarons.  

Patricia, Billy, Mattie and Megan thanks SO much for inviting us to celebrate such a special moment in your lives.  We look forward to many more celebrations in the future.  

Have a celebration coming up?  Use the link below to contact us to see our availability.

Oak Glen Family Portraits on The Farm // Merino Family

I have been so excited to share this session with you all.  It's truly amazing to meet so many awesome family's. I thank GOD everyday for placing such wonderful people in my life, allowing us time together to celebrate and share these cherished moments.  Luis has been my son, Jarron's, classmate since Kindergarten.  Luis is silly, makes funny faces, a smile that will make your day brighter, and has an infectious laugh.  He loves cars, Disneyland, swimming and life.  When I talked to Sylvia, Luis' gorgeous mommy, tears begin to accumulate at the bottom of our eyes. You see, Luis was diagnosed with Duchenne Disease just a little over 2 years now.  You can find more information about Duchenne Disease here.   

Our school has been amazing, showing their support every way they can and the teachers even came together last Christmas and bought Luis his wheelchair that he uses when he gets tired at school.  Hats off to their continued love and support.

After over 2 years of Silvia and I passing by one another as we drop off and pick up our children at school, exchange smiles, hello's and engage in small talk, I wanted to show her my support and love.  As GOD does amazing things, our timing was perfect, she had mentioned that she had been looking for the right photographer to do family photos as Luis continues to fight this disease. Gladly, we scheduled our time together.  

Capturing moments with the Merino family was easy.  Their love for one another naturally shows and the love that Silvia and her husband, Luis have for one another is truly eminent.  

Silvia and Luis, we thank you for allowing us to take part is such important times in your family's lives.  You are amazing parents and wonderful friends. 

Little Luis, you are amazing and awesome!  We look forward to seeing you continue to fight on and be strong.  Your brother and sister, Diego & Daysi are so blessed to call you their BIG bro! Jarron and Jade are thankful to have you as their friend.  We need to plan another day out together soon.  

XOXO!

We had a blast with the entire Merino Family.  Here are more amazing images of their gorgeous session.  

We love and support the Merino family and with your help we can continue to share our love.  As fall is just around the corner, it's time to start scheduling holiday portraits.  We are offering you the opportunity to show some love to Luis and his family, simply schedule a family session with us and proceeds from your session will be given to the Merino family to help with care for Luis, support his continue his fight against Duchenne and help find a cure for this devastating disease.

We are encouraging everyone to share this blog post with friends and family to help spread the word.  Please take a moment to fill out our form below for more information on scheduling your family session.

You are Beautiful // Just the Way You Are

If you only knew how many drafts it has taken me to write something so near and dear to my heart... self image & self love.  For so many of us, men and women alike, we struggle with this on a regular basis.  It's so much more easier said than done, as with many things. I'll save my personal struggle in another post, but for now, I felt the need to share this with you all.

John Legend recently put out a new video for his new single "You and I (Nobody in The World)" from his album 'Love in the Future'.  When Chris tagged me on FB to see this video, it brought tears to my eyes - yes, this is one of Chris' favorite songs to play [for me] =), but the message is so much greater.  

LOVE YOURSELF, EXACTLY THE WAY YOU ARE - NOW.

-sending all my love, always <3

Gorgeous Outdoor Maternity Session // Sneak Peek

Justin & Hannah are Expecting!

We are excited to be welcoming baby Samuel soon.  Be sure to follow us on Facebook to find out  on when their entire session is featured on our blog.  

Pursuit of HAPPYness // Papa & his boy

"Don't ever let someone tell you that you can't do something. Not even me. You gotta dream, you gotta protect it. When people can't do something themselves, they're gonna tell you that you can't do it. You want something, go get it. Period. " - will smith (pursuit of happyness)

Fullerton Arboretum // Adamik Family

Strength in Love & Family

As many of you already know, the Mommy & Me Cancer Foundation MAMCF holds dear to my heart.   Having the opportunity to be part of these beautiful mommy's is truly a gift from above. Photographing so many amazing families allows us to be part of the fight and share in the support and strength to continue to fight.  

We spent some time together at the beautiful Fullerton Arboretum on the grounds of Cal State Fullerton. Meeting Christianne & her beautiful family for the first time, we knew love, strength and fight were eminent.  Their smiles and hugs exchanged said it all.  We invite you to take a moment to enjoy their amazing family.  

Christianne, it was amazing to meet you and your family.  Your strength and love for your family is nothing short of amazing.  We constantly have you in our thoughts and prayers and are with you always in your fight to beat cancer.  We love you!

Los Angeles Family Portraits // Speirs Family

We had the opportunity to spend some time with the beautiful Speirs Family.  I love it when you meet a family for the first time and have so much fun on the session that you become friends and it feels like we have known one another for years.  This was exactly what happened with our session with Travis, Amy and their adorable daughter Harley.  As most sessions begin, Harley was a little shy and surely wasn't sure about the lady calling her name & making faces behind a camera. As we spent a bit more time together, Harley's playful and loving personality shined naturally and we became the best of friends.  

The above photo has got to be one of my most favorites.  We asked the amazing family to take a short stroll together, as Chris and I stayed back a bit to capture their moments together, Harley looked back at me and said "C'mon, let's go!" as she told her mommy that she wanted me to come along.  My heart melts as this image takes me back each time to her beautiful and contagious laughter, as a carefree little princess.

Travis, Amy and Harley, words cannot express how grateful we are to have been able to capture moments with your beautiful family.  We look forward to seeing Harley continue to grow more and more beautifully and hope we can see one another real soon.

Harley, you + me = hide and seek friends forever.