Cousins make the Best Friends

These were a group of "matching cousins" I had the opportunity to photograph last week. They were SO fun!  The matching hair, make-up and smiles were to die for! Two of them decided they wanted to wear something a little cuter, but the only thing available at that moment were shirts that absolutely DROWNED them! We fitted the shirts with hair-ties in the back and made them work. The pictures really captured the craziness and fun of "The Three Musketeers". This has to be one of my favorite shoots ever! 

Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, and Eye Candy

I have been such a slacker with blogging!! Matt says that slacker is not NEARLY a strong enough word, in fact he can’t think of one strong enough… But, we have been working like crazy trying to catch up from having baby #2 and then the spring wedding season… well, needless to say we have kept pretty busy! 

These are a few of our favorites from a wedding we did recently. It was SO much fun! Cherie and Jeff were such a fantastic couple. They were married at the Mandalay Bay and had their reception on the patio at the Bellagio. The fountains were right behind us and set the perfect ambiance for the evening – as well as for the pictures!

We also made a trip to the Las Vegas sign for some pics with Elvis, and topped the evening off with some pictures at Eye Candy, the club inside Mandalay Bay. It was such a fantastic evening, and the pictures were too amazing not to share! 

I have so many other events I need to post pictures here with some of the most fun pictures ever! I hope I can get around to them all soon. In the meantime, I am thrilled to be able to post these

And Counting....

I am officially 35 weeks along today! Wow - I can't believe it has gone by so fast. Matt and I had to go buy another crib a couple of nights ago. Kylan is nowhere near ready for a toddler bed. I always swore I would never be "one of those people" who had to have 2 cribs because their kids were so close together. My dad laughed when we told him where we were going (they watched kylan while we picked it up). He said it was pennance for all the crap I gave him and my step-mom for having their kids so close together. :) I have to say, he is probably right.

So, the countdown is on! I am "full term" 2 weeks from today..... We spent all afternoon and evening yesterday and all morning today sorting through hand-me-down baby clothes. We're going this afternoon to pre-register at the hospital. We need to do my pregnancy pictures before the next semester starts, and on top of it all we are still catching up with editing from the fall season! *sigh* wow, it makes me tired thinking about it... But, she will be here before we know it, so we are trying to get as much done as we can. 

We had an ultrasound last week and they did some 3-d pictures. I think the kids always look like aliens in them, but I thought I'd post them anyway. Why not, right?

San Francisco

Since we're working over our supposed 'vacation' this christmas, I figured I would take a break in between editing weddings and post some images I should have put up a long time ago. These are a few pictures from a wedding we did in San Francisco this summer. I've needed to post them for ages - it was such an amazing event. Ben and Lela were married in the botanical gardens at Berkley, surrounded by huge Redwood trees. WOW. It was absolutely gorgeous!

Pregnancy Update

For the few of you who actually read this... I thought I would give an update on the baking of baby #2. We have decided to name her Leighton Michelle, if you were wondering. And yes, there is method to our madness at picking out such a different name! As you can see with Kylan, we like names that stand out. Leighton is actually the last name of the grandfather that Matt grew up with. We both come from multi-generational homes, and I have to say that growing up with a grandparent living in your home is VERY cool as a kid. Papa was the one that got matt hooked on cars and cooking... they were extremely close, so when the opportunity came up to use the name, we jumped at it. Plus, it is the only girls name that we could agree on! :) Michelle is actually after my mom, who passed away when I was little, so of course that one was a no-brainer. 

I am feeling pretty good, VERY tired, but good. You forget how much energy it takes just to be pregnant, not even doing anything like working, school, chasing a toddler..... Plus, this kid is doing ballet already, which is nothing short of uncomfortable and downright terrifying! I am so worried I am going to be in a lot of pain from her pirouettes in another month! My youngest brother actually broke my step-mom's rib, so that doesn't comfort me much!

I am getting bigger by the day and I think I look like I swallowed a pumpkin. Matt is really great about my deteriorating self-image and has made it a point to get me new shirts several times over the last few weeks. It is amazing what a new shirt can do!!

We are still crazy busy as we try to finish up all of our loose ends before we take off for christmas, I am hoping I don't have to work while we attempt to take a vacation. Unfortunately I don't think I'm that lucky. :)

Randall Family

Once again it is Christmas Card season... I thought fall would be slower for us with the end of wedding season since we really don't advertise for family shoots. But we have been just as crazy as ever, and have had a blast doing it! The Randalls were so much fun to photograph. I love Rachael because she wanted us to capture her kids as they really are, and we got some really fun shots!! We also had puppies at the time we did their pictures, and they made for GREAT bribery for a smile from Eli...

Instead of managing to choose less than 20 favorites to post I thought I would put up the Christmas Cards I designed for them instead. The last one was the one they chose. 

Indian Wedding

We had the opportunity recently to do an Indian wedding! WOW. That really sums it up. I can't even begin to tell you how much I wish ALL my brides could wear RED! Simmi was absolultely gorgeous. Her huge brown eyes and to-die-for full lips really showcased the color and gave her a dramatic effect that was nothing shy of STUNNING. The details of the jewelry, the henna and the embroidery on her dress were just breathtaking. We took a lot of extra time just to do more bridal pictures of her in-suite when she was done getting ready. She was so beautiful and such a unique bride that I just couldn't stop taking pictures! I was a little dissapointed that she and her husband changed in to "regular" clothes for their bride and groom pictures and their reception at the Venetian, but on the other hand I completely understand. It was hard enough for her to walk down the aisle in all that, can you even imagine walking down the strip?!  

CRAZY weekend!

Matt has two cousins, brothers actually, that both just happened to fall for girls from vegas - and got married ON THE SAME WEEKEND! Their poor mother! The friday wedding we not only photographed, but coordinated as well. Boy am I glad I have done a few of these in the last 8 years! :) Matt's parents and brother stayed with us, which is always fun. Kylan got a bunch of new toys and a temperature of 103. Never fun having a sick kid. AND, we found out that Kylan will be getting a little SISTER in february! Her name will be Leighton Michelle, and we are just thrilled. 

I really need to post some pics of the many shoots we have been doing. We have just been so busy I haven't gotten around to it. *sigh* well, this will probably NOT be the week for it anyway, with tests and moving it is going to be a little nuts....

Die Hard Twilight Fan

I am not ashamed to admit, I am a huge Twilight fan. Matt is not as much of a fan, as soon as I pick up a good book I don't resurface for hours - or more often days at a time. But, for the most part, he supports my little reading addiction. :) I hope to one day write a book myself, but with life as crazy as it is that dream has been put on the shelf and is readily collecting dust. It irks me to no end that a 'friend' of hers would post an unfinished copy of her next book online. Rough ideas are just that - rough, unrefined, and a bad representation of what her work really is. It would be like posting pictures where we were checking lighting or in the middle of adjusting settings that would eventually lead to getting a really cool effect - it just doesn't work. While the end result is usually awesome, the stuff in between is often not. Personally, I hope Stephanie will eventually get back on the horse, shake off those that made her miserable, and see how many people there are out there that adore her and her work. It's hard to have people tell you your work isn't good enough, or exploit your ideas. But, I won't read the book online. I will wait until I have my hard-bound copy with its pretty black and red dust jacket to join the rest before I open it. As an artist (in a different genre, obviously) I just won't do that to her. I just hope she doesn't keep us waiting too long!

Walking, Stairs and Laundry

Kylan LOVES laundry, of all things. Lately I have gone into his room in the morning to this: He has managed to get the laundry out of his hamper, into his crib, and then throws it on the floor. He LOVES to throw things...


Somehow he got ahold of a sheet and did his very first Superman impression! Since he couldn't quite tie it around his neck, well, I guess his head would do!



This is what happens when I do laundry if Kylan is awake. He ends up INSIDE the basket, and somehow the clothes end up on the OUTSIDE. He is great at UNfolding clothes... I wish we could teach him the other way around!

This was funny... He managed to het himself inside his hamper and then couldn't figure out how to get out!!





Other Updates: Kylan is officially WALKING! He has taken a step here or there, but in the last few days has really gotten the hang of it! His favorite thing: take a toy from the toybox, walk as far as he can toward the top of our stairs (fall if needed depending on how big the toy is and crawl the rest of the way) and throw the toy down the stairs. If the baby gate is up, which is extra high, he somehow manages to stand on his tip-toes and throw the toy over. When he is done, walk as far as he can toward the toybox and repeat the process... He gets a real kick out of it. It's kind of funny. It's not so funny when he throws his bottle over the gate and it leaks all over the stairs.

Kylan LOVES our dogs. The other day he spent the entire day playing with Chloe, our big weimerauner. He has figured out that I freak out when he plays in the dogs water dish. So he will very slyly crawl over to it and then laugh uncontrollably as he slaps his hands in the water waiting for me to come roaring after him and rush him to the sink and scrub his hands. I don't know if it's the water or me freaking out that he finds funner!

He is such a cute kid. We are really having a blast with him! He does the funniest things and definitely keeps us on our toes. Especially now that he has discovered the stairs!