there was this one time...

before

we were 6, we were 4. seems so long ago. we lived in santa barbara while chris finished up school. cameron was just born.

thanksgiving always makes me think of this period of our lives. cam was a few days old, we didn't travel to LA to be with our family for the holiday, but my sweet sister in law and her family and my mom came to us and made us dinner. i look at that picture of cam and i remember those skinny, hairy arms. i could smell the baby detergent on that outfit. chris spent lots of time rocking him in that chair that we got as a handmedown from someone, can't remember who. our tiny apartment in santa barbara. every year we try and go back. post one. post two. post three. so nostalgic! i specifically remember nights where chris would be up late writing papers, i'd sleepily hand him an awake baby and he'd put him in the little baby chair and the boys would be up together. 

and now our boy is 11.  

he's been athletic all his life, but recently found a new passion for the piano. this makes his mother very happy and proud as she played the piano from 6-16yrs. (i miss it!) he watches snippets on youtube and then rushes to the piano to play it. he knows snippets (as youtube only shows a certain time length and not the full song haha) from coldplay, pixar's UP (my favorite!), super mario brothers, zelda, indiana jones, and star wars :) this past year he has changed so much, becoming more adventurous and social but still the sweet boy he's always been. he's kind and compassionate and i do believe that he will grow up to be a very good husband. we love you cammy!

almost at the end

of a crazy couple of months. we have had 4 weddings and 2 engagement shoots in the last 4 weeks. i've had a child turn 14, run for class office and have a sleepover. i've had baseball playoffs which turned to championships, where my son's team came in at 2nd place. here are some pics just from the weekend. sleepover and championships.
can't believe i don't have a solo shot of kira at her party! we were running around like crazy as cam's championship game ran 1.5 hours late, we were scrambling to get everything out before people showed up.

i couldn't be prouder of cam! he was one of five 10 year olds who moved up from nationals to major league this season. the overprotective mother in me wasn't sure moving up was the best thing but dad convinced me it was. he amazed his coaches and team with his maturity and good attitude. i loved watching every single game of his.

i think she's waited all season to get on that field!

and the two patient ones :) it was a long season!

i've physically and emotionally had so much on my plate, i just crave some quiet. i'm tired. in 2 weeks we are off to australia. i can't even begin to think of the packing and planning involved with that! i want to get all our shoots done so i can go to australia without thinking of them sitting here waiting for us! i need to get all my scrapbook stuff done through june and july as i won't be scrapbooking there! we have father's day next weekend. we have our wedding anniversary the weekend after that, and actually are attending a wedding, like as guests! we are so excited. :) this week we have 2 graduations. i went to the store this morning, thinking... this is my last school lunch shopping trip until september. i've packed 3 lunches every school day since september. :) that's a lot of sandwiches. :)
this post is all rambly. i apologize. i will be back with graduation pics. that is, if i can manage taking them through my weeping! :)

fourteen

I have been a parent for 14 years now. (crazy!) and if anyone were to ask me which years were the most significant in milestone jumps, I'd answer: a} kindergarten...all of my kids entered without knowing how to read and left 9 months later, reading. I think that's pretty significant (it's also the year that starts the entire school career, which I also think is huge.) and answer b} 13-14. which is where kira was last year. slowly, she has been changing from a child, to a preteen.. even the jump to 13 was not as huge as the jump to 14. in my opinion. she is now a little taller than me. her feet are bigger than mine. she has an opinion and she voices it frequently. she knows how to manage her time and is responsible beyond belief. i can hardly believe how much she's changed this year. it's sometimes hard to look at her as my baby, when she's becoming such a young lady. you think about that all the time as your baby girl grows up, but then she actually becomes that and you wonder how that was possible. 
In two weeks, she will graduate from middle school and enter high school in the fall. this week, she will run for freshman class president (they vote this year so that they will work on planning all summer). she is confident, happy, has got major school spirit, she's friendly and has spunk. she is a team player. she knows that the next 4 years are going to make a huge impact on her life. if you knew me in high school, and you know kira now.. you'd know that we are COMPLETELY opposite. she is the kind of girl i was not in high school. she is super social. she is not the kind of girl i would have hung out with but yes, we would have been acquaintances. it's so interesting to think of our lives like that. that my daughter will be where i was not so long ago-- but with a whole other perspective.
she is the kind of girl i want to be with now. she is smart and sarcastic. she sings and dances and plays sports. she likes chick flicks and pedicures. she is strong. she likes to ride bikes. she questions us. she cares about herself and her future. she has been such an amazing gift from God. i am thankful for her presence in my life daily. i am extremely honored to witness the last 14 years of growth. i just wish i could pause these next 4 years every now and then... ( and fast forward the bits with the attitude :) ) before she moves on again. i know they will go by so quickly.

mother's day birthday

this year my birthday landed on mother's day. when i was a kid, that happened a lot. i don't remember having a lot of birthday parties but i do remember the ones that i did have, i would get declines as kids would be spending the day with the mothers--- and now as a mother, i see, that's exactly how it should be! :) i got some fun goodies for my birthday, clothes and new flipflops. but it's the handmade i love most :) i love chris' wrapping. good boy. :)

weeks ago, he scoured the artstore and paper source for just the right papers to make this for me. my own little polaroid book to carry around. the cover is made of lovely japanese silk.

he also purchased this art piece. we shot an engagement shoot at the lab recently and i fell in love with so many peices in the gallery! little did i know, he went back and got it for me.

me and my girl :)

my mom and me -- i got my mother in law that necklace for mother's day and chris surprised me with my own for my birthday! yay! we'll be matchy matchy :)

mom came up to watch the kids as chris and i went on a birthday date. so grateful for all the time she gives not only chris and i to get away on dates but for all the wedding watching she does. we could not do it without her. (and her workload is about to get crazy busy as we enter a very hectic next couple of wedding weekends!) we are so thankful!
my mom got a little herb garden. planted with love by her granddaughters :) they totally helped and didnt ditch me halfway through :)


my mom loves gardening and cooking so we thought it was most appropriate :)



my mother in law gave me an amazing gift. she gave me her time and energy as she helped me reorganize my kitchen and living room (aka elsie's toys) and i am so grateful. it has been a huge process and i am just amazed at her eagerness to help me. im ever so thankful.

i hope your mother's day was ever so special and sweet.

eight is great!

(warning, we write these posts for posterity, as such they are FULL of praise for our kids- read at your own discretion!  let the dotage begin:)
what does a dream day look like for a newly minted eight year old?  not what you might think.
no race carts, no roller-coasters, no fancy dinners.  with the one day a year that was his to write, caleb penned a simple tale: toying around with his best friend (his brother), tackling the marvel universe in 'ultimate alliance,' and spending some quality time at home, his favorite place in the world! in fact, if we hadn't dragged him to church and to the grand opening of dots, i'm pretty sure our little homebody would have been happy to stay in his pj's all day.
caleb is also our little firecracker, bringing a spark of joy, humor and passion wherever he goes.  he may be small (and he is, still wearing size six jeans) but he has a large and welcoming presence that makes him a favorite at school and of course, here at home. 
for years caleb was the baby of the family, and in many ways we still see him as such.  he's just so darned snuggly!  despite his propensity for home, caleb easily makes new friends and is extremely adaptable in his play; he's up for whatever suits his playmates, and dives headfirst into their pursuits.  his teachers appreciate this gung ho approach as well as it applies equally to his classwork.  in this manner, caleb leads in a non abrasive way, if it's possible, he leads by following. 
what i love most about caleb is his laugh. it's quick, a little husky and hopelessly contagious, tinged with just enough mischief to make it unmistakably boyish.  it's the kind of laugh that draws in all comers, the kind that makes us pray that the well from which he draws it out never dries up.
with caleb, eight is truly great!
p.s. my favorite gift for caleb was the new diary of a wimpy kid.  if you have boys, are a boy, or want to understand them, read this book.  caleb gives it a thumbs up, and take it from caleb, he knows funny:)

happy birthday chris

this man is so busy i don't know how he does it. he works like a madman but still has time to come to all of his kid's games and be their loudest cheerleader :) this year he's been to 7 countries for work and one to cheer me along as i taught in italy. in a way it was strange to see him with all that free time on his hands in italy, as he hardly ever has free time. and as our year comes to and end, that would be my wish for him. more free time, more sleep. :)
here he is shooting a wedding with me

and surprisingly having some downtime in yosemite, playing golf

in new zealand (gosh this seems so long ago, but he went here twice this year)

in italy

in london:

and home. which i believe is his most favorite spot in the world :)

we love you!!!

ten years ago today

our first son was born. ---- if you can't stand the sap, turn away now. :)

so ten years ago, right now.. it's night time. i would have probably said goodbye to chris and kira as they would have gone home and it would be me and the bubba alone in our hospital room. he was born naturally, so he started the night in his little clear cubicle cubbie thing, what are those called? and when he cried i was able to get him myself. i know that it's all a blur that first night. he'd cry, i'd tend, i'd put him back and that would continue thru the night until i couldn't get up anymore and i'd let him sleep with me. i know because chris has pictures of us the next morning, totally knocked out but sleeping together. the first of many nights where our children slept with us. for so long i have wanted a son. and there he was. looking so much more asian than i would have thought :) my big 8 pound baby boy. hard to believe that he's this full on kid now- double digits- who plays competitive sports and actually is interested in watching real sports with daddy, plays video games, who's best friend is his little brother, who can hardly stand not to give his little sister whatever her little heart desires, an avid reader at times, he read the entire kids bible in a weekend and memorized the books in the old testament in order. he is a loyal friend, so loyal. i can't say enough about him. he's wise beyond his years. and those who know him know what i mean. i think back when kira was 10 and now she's 13, and that jump is just HUGE. and it happened so QUICK. the thought of him growing as fast just amazes me. i am not ready for all my babies to be big kids, kira's my height now, it's a matter of months before cam is there with us as well. it's a strange thing to see these children who you cared for and taught SO many things for so long grow up and become their own person.

it's amazing and such a privilege. we love you cameron. so happy you are in our lives. so thankful to God for you. xooxox

his photo collage...four times as large as this picture shows- caleb did the decorating this year :) 

4th of july

our 4th was spent with grandparents, a BBQ, lots of running around and getting grubby. and as much prep talk as i gave her... it's gonna be loud, gonna be big, gonna be bright, gonna be loud... i dont' think she ever expected what she finally saw.

LOL LOL
we have the best seats for the 4th of july.. right in front of us with the high school across the street. they fired over 300 fireworks this year. the best show yet :) and for the first time in years.. i didnt have to take a crying baby inside. go els! :)

her party

first of all thanks for all the super kind comments on the hair :) i felt much better today :)
sharing some pics from k's bday bash... of course i start with details.. i scored these cute boxes at a bath & body clearance sale

is it bad that i made my daughter make her own cupcakes? (ha, not since she loves to do it so much, it's not)

the gang.. i love this shot so much. i am goign to have to enlarge it for her!

her and her 2 bff's

this one was right in the middle of the party- especially with all the dancing.. she stayed up so late too.. party animal!

 

 

 

and super duper thanks to chris.. he hosted a scavenger hunt for the girls on their home turf aka the middle school, RHYMING scavenger hunt nonetheless! AND did a photoshoot with them the next day... such a stud. love him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

it's party night

thanks for all the great suggestions for kira's party.. we are in the midst of it and i am sure i will be up all night :)