2/52

Julian - my favorite laugh...deep belly, eyes closed

Ella - she can always find the biggest or the tiniest anything.

1/52

I loved the portrait series I did last year of taking one picture each week of the kids.  I definitely did not get a picture in every week but I want to give it a go again this year. Looking back and seeing the  change over one year makes me want to step up to the challenge again.  I want to try to capture a little more of who they are with these pictures...facial expressions, activities they are into, their personalities, etc.  

Ella - ok, so I'm already cheating.  This picture is from Christmas day.  We were getting ready to leave to my aunt's house and she came walking out with her floral crown.  Love it!!

Julian - flying his remote control helicopter.  When he is in deep concentration or when he is doing something challenging, that little tongue always pops out.  

31/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Ella - a little out of focus, but something about this picture just says 'ELLA'... she is always making me laugh and she is completely fearless.

Julian - as he is getting older I'm realizing that those chubby baby cheeks are almost gone. Maybe that's why this picture caught my attention...either that or those lashes!

22/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Ella - I could look at those sweet eyes all day long.

Julian - showing me daddy's big knife.

I rented this fun lens for a wedding this past weekend and had so much fun playing with it.

I am way behind posting my 52 weeks pictures so I am just going to post them all at once.  Luckily all of my pictures have dates in their files.  

Here's to catching up.

Crystal Cove

We headed to the beach last weekend to do a shoot with my cousin and her fun loving family.  It was really cold, windy and a little overcast when we got there.  Besides getting a little cold, this weather made for some great pictures.  

They were so fun to shoot.  I don't think the boys even really knew I was there because they were having such a great time running around, splashing in the water, and jumping seaweed rope.  I did get a lot more picture of little Grace because, well, just take one look at that cute little face.  She is super shy, but she would give me the sweetest little smiles.  

These are just a few of my favorites!

15/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Julian- sat just long enough for me to get this image of him.  

Ella - being so silly with her floral crown. 

The kids were on spring break the last two weeks and this morning it was rough for all of us trying to get back into the routine of things.  Ella is just like me.  More of a night owl and definitely not a morning person.  Thankfully, Julian is the definition of a morning person...we can't all be half asleep in the morning.  

Spring break went way too fast.  I am counting down the weeks until summer just as much as they are.

14/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Ella - deep in thought while painting

Julian - he knows I love when he talks out of the side of his mouth like this...this kid is funny!

11/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Ella - swimming with 3D glasses on

Julian - hiking

As soon as the temp hits anything near 'kind of warm', these kids are begging to jump in the pool.  

With the water still so cold, most of the time their play consists of trying to figure out how to stay above water.  Boogie boards and inflatable toys are their best friends.  

Ella is my brave one.  

She will always end up going under with a loud shriek as she comes back up, wide-eyed and a huge grin.  She has gotten pretty smart about the rewarming process.  There are small black rocks around the pool that she will place all over her body while she is lying on the warm concrete.  Then, of course comes the towel over all of that.  She can't stay out for very long and back in she goes to start the process all over again. 

 I love watching my babies! 

10/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Julian - new hat, big imagination

Ella - making her meal an occasion

09/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Julian - helping daddy in the garage

Ella- lost in her own world of thoughts and exploring

08/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Ella - roaming free

Julian - simon love

07/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Ella - new hair cut

Julian- in need of a hair cut

03/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Ella - new helmet and focused on her bike riding skills
Julian - new helmet and being the silly boy that he is

So I'm starting a little late but I love this idea I have seen around on a couple of different blogs.  It's a 52 week project of taking a portrait once a week, every week for a whole year of my kiddos.  I think Jodi started this project.  I take millions of pictures of the kids but purposefully taking a portrait once a week will be fun to look back over at the end of the year.  It is also a project I feel like I will be able to accomplish.

I think I might go back and post a couple of pics from the previous weeks.

01/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Julian - tired eyes after hours of swimming

Ella- baby bangs growing out...finally

I'm pretty sure at some point I posted about when Ella cut her own hair...but if I didn't, here is the story.    We had made some silly putty, OK lots and lots of silly putty.  At some point the kids were playing with it and Ella got some stuck in her hair.  Not just anywhere, it got stuck front and center.  I never saw it stuck in her hair but I'm assuming it was smooshed on her head, based on how short she cut her hair.  I just remember seeing some hair on the bathroom floor and being completely puzzled.  It was early in the morning and I don't think I was quite awake.  It was a really long chunk of hair.  When I saw Ella it seriously took me a minute to realize where the chunk of hair came from.  It was that short.  It looked like she had shaved a little patch of hair right in the front.  So for the past 6-8 months we have been strategically pinning back what we now refer to as her 'baby bangs'.  She has a crazy cowlick front and center so having bangs was not an option.  Whew, so happy they are growing fast.  That first month you could just about imagine what her hair looked like.  It wasn't pretty.  There wasn't much we could do with it.  Luckily she didn't seem to care much. 

I guess cutting your own hair is just a monumental event that happens in most kids lives.  Yes, it has been about 6-8 months so I can now laugh.  I still remember sitting under our dining room table, as a kid, with my brother Gabe and cousin Yvonne as we took turns cutting each others hair. HA!

Sorry mom.

Chloe and Rebecca: Orange County

a couple of weeks ago i did this photo shoot with little miss Chloe and her beautiful mama.  

she is not a model but should be.

she was seriously beyond amazing.  

it was like she knew what to do. 

 i gave her very little direction and she blew me away.  i think her mom was pretty baffled also.  

my friend rachel was on the hair and make-up and did an incredible job.

(morning: Yorba Linda secret spot)

At the Stable

Such a cute family.  

Just a couple of my favorites from a shoot this past weekend. 

I have known the mama since I was about five...she was the big sister I never had.

I had so much fun!

hi autumn...

it's chilly.

it's overcast.

the kids wore sweaters to school today.

today it feels like autumn...

but last week we had record highs in the triple digits.  

we couldn't pass up an evening at the beach soaking in the last of what felt like summer.

we loaded up and packed into the car as soon as Andy got home from work and even still we ended up piling out of the car as the sun was getting low in the sky.

one sure sign that summer is truly gone until next year.  

the days are just a little shorter.

as I was running around with the kids and taking pictures, I noticed a family all dressed up walking straight towards me.  the mom asked if I could take a couple of family pictures for them.  they had planned on family pictures that night and their friend/photographer was tied up and unable to make it.

ha, well okay why not.

they were such a cute family I wish I would have shot a couple with my own camera.

ella kept trying to jump into their family pictures.  

she is a crazy one sometimes. 

I got plenty of her before and after my little impromptu shoot.

pretty much every time we go to the beach she manages to get

 the sandiest kid award.

love that girl!!