…is what was running through my head as I proofed this session. How sweet, lovely & beautiful – an adorable baby boy with his pretty pretty mama – these two are a vision of perfection with the soft sunlight behind them :) And would you look at those big blue eyes?! Stunning indeed! He was such a calm, cool & collected little guy – he was a joy to photograph and I’m very much looking forward to our next session! Here are some of my favorites :)

…If you’re looking for a sure-fire way to photograph beautiful smiles, introduce the huge swirly lollipop :) Oh, and a purple balloon for the girl whose favorite color is — purple — is also a winner! So, today is December 1st…what in the world happened to November? I can hardly believe it’s almost 2012! And I really can’t believe it’s been 7 months since I did little man’s newborn session! I really, really enjoy catching up with families at the end of the year because I get to see how much the kids have grown and changed. It was so much fun hanging out with this sweet family!

Gorgeous, sparkly blue eyes and a sweet, bubbly, sparkly personality to go along with them :) What a sweet, sweet baby girl! Not only is she beautiful with her charming smile and striking blue eyes, but she’s also got such a wonderful personality. She seemed quite easy going and just a happy girl all around. She gave me lots of different facial expressions – all of which were just as cute as the ones before! I can see why mommy and daddy are smitten :)

…liquid sunshine. Being that mommy and I both have roots in Hawaii, I thought she’d enjoy my blog title :) Yes, on the islands, liquid sunshine is quite enjoyable & very beautiful. When we met up for our session though – I was definitely missing that liquid sunshine because it was the exact opposite: “liquid gloom” – wet, muddy & cold :( But that didn’t stop us from setting up a kiddie tent on a bed of fertilizer, lol! Thanks to dad for being a trooper, squatting down in the rain and laying down plastic sheets for us. And thanks to mommy for allowing her beautiful quilt made of kimonos get soaked in rain water! The verdict though = success! As always, I had a wonderful time photographing this lovely family – and even more enjoyable was chatting with mom. It always feels like I’m just visiting with friends – which is the best feeling :) Oh, and thank you to dad for cleaning the fertilizer off of my shoes before I left :)

…of greeting is one that involves a sweet, adorable, cuddly little boy and a great big bear hug! The first thing he did was run up and give me the cuddliest hug! I was so very happy that he remembered me even though it had been an entire year since  I last photographed him & his beautiful family. I had a feeling at that point that our session would rock! This was definitely the case :) Everyone was full of energy and you could just feel the love! And big bro was so super cooperative – it’s hard photographing kids between 18-36 months because they really just want to do what THEY want to do, naturally – but this little guy makes my job look so easy because he pretty much enthusiastically went with the flow of what I asked him to do – even laying on the moist grass – which he actually liked and thought was funny! Aaand, I was even able to get what I call the “impossible shot” – which is a good smiling shot of itty bitty siblings together — and they were even both looking at the camera – wow! This family session was so refreshing…I just love what I do! So lucky!

The science behind a fabulous photo shoot involves…..toys!  In this case, building blocks, inspired by – what else? Science! How cool are these blocks?! I think our little guy may have a future in science just like his momma :) I wouldn’t be surprised at all – because he seems to be a very smart boy. He has some amazing concentration. When he was doing an activity he enjoyed, he was totally focused – he’s going to do amazing in school! He’s also one of the sweetest boys I’ve ever photographed. He’s gentle and sweet….and very loving. You can see just how sweet he is by the way he smiles. What a little angel :)

…this is what I was thinking when I read her email. We were BOTH at the hospital, both in LA (well, I was in Santa Monica – but close enough). Why? Because we both had just given birth to baby girls on the same day! Annd, we both had our first borns (both boys, and both preschoolers) waiting back at home with daddy! FUNNY! I knew from our email exchanges that our session was going to be awesome, and boy was I right. THEY are awesome! THEY are an amazing family. Our session was loooads of fun. There was lots of running, laughing, tickles, hugs & kisses…and of course, a bit of candy (sometimes a little candy goes a long way for photo shoots, lol). What a gorgeous bunch, fun loving, carefree and really down to earth :) I had an amazing time guys!

…lovely morning light, lovely girls to photograph, and a very lovely home. What a nice change from typical green and red holiday photos. I loved mom’s idea of two little princesses in front of a pretty pink teepee :) How sweet are they together?! These girls are so beautiful (just like their mommy), and it’s been wonderful photographing big sister since she was 6 weeks old, and now, little sister – who is 5 months! I can’t wait to see her grow through the years! And would you look at their gorgeous home? I had to add a few at the end of the post just for eye candy :)

First off, I cannot believe it’s November! I also cannot believe I’m getting ready to blog my first sessions since coming back from maternity leave. As I was sitting down to write about the amazing families I’ve had the pleasure of photographing recently, I realized that I haven’t blogged an update about my new little girl! I suppose I can blame it on getting used to my new role as mom to two. What a wild ride it has been.

My labor and delivery were very fast! With Drew, my contractions started 24 hours before I went to the hospital and gradually started to get stronger, as expected…and it was a full 12 hours at the hospital before he was finally born! It was loooong and sloooow. BUT, I had an epidural to keep me happy :)

This time around was different. My early contractions were very irregular and were not getting any stronger or closer….until BAM, it was extremely sudden when I just knew that the real thing was happening. So I rolled out of bed, went downstairs and did what any laboring mom would do – I proceeded to clean the house. Lol! Mostly, I was trying to keep my mind off of timing each contraction…but also, I was grossed out by the dust bunnies under my dining table :)  About an hour later I decided to wake my lovely snoring husband from his beauty sleep (although I’ll admit that I stood in the doorway for a while watching in pure jealousy how he could sleep so well while I was doubling over from the contractions) and called my mom to come over to watch Drew. My hubs later told me that he *knew* I meant business because I didn’t bother changing out of my pj’s or even putting on my eyebrows! Hahha! Hey, I didn’t think anything was wrong with my uber classy Dos Equis shirt! At least I wasn’t wearing my usual favorite jammies that night: My hubby’s No Ma’am or Buttweiser shirt (they fit so comfortably over my HUGE belly). Come to think of it, I must have been quite a sight…Big preggo lady wearing a beer shirt that looked more like  a baby tee :)

So we arrived at the hospital and I was 5cm at that point. The pain was moderate, but I thought “I can do this, what epidural – no thanks”. Ha. Little did I know that this was just a taste of the pain…little did I know. After an hour or so, I felt a trickle down my leg and thought, GREAT, I peed myself…but no, it was my water that broke – and that’s when I got excited! I waited about 30 minutes before I told hubs that I wanted to walk around to get the labor going, I told him I wanted “harder contractions” and was ready to rock and roll. He said I was crazy, and yes, what a fool I was, a fool I tell you. Suffice it to say, I got what I wanted, and within 10 minutes of walking – literally – the pain intensified 1000% (is that even possible?) Because I had an epi with Drew, I never felt contractions during transition. I know everyone has a different threshold for pain…but man, I must be a wimp because I was in bad shape – the pain was insane. The contractions felt like my pelvic bone was being broken in half. I would preface every contraction with “Ohhh noooo, another one”. I didn’t have a doula & hubs didn’t have any “coach training”, but at the very least I had photographed enough unmedicated births to know what not to do – scream or tense up. So I moaned, groaned and breathed deep. I sounded like an injured pig. I grasped onto my husband, swaying from side to side. I really couldn’t bear it anymore – which is when I grabbed him by the head, looked at him dead in the eyes and said “get me drugs, NOW” –  he called the nurse…and they said my angel (the anesthesiologist) was on the way. Little did I know that they lied to me to keep me sane. It was way too late for an epi, but they told me I would get one because if they had told me the truth, I’d probably go crazy (smart move by the nurses). Aaaanyway (at this point I was only at the hospital for 2.5 hours) they checked me, doctors and nurses flooded the room and they said I was almost ready to push. ALMOST?! Really, because I wanted to push NOW. The urge to push was so severe, I was on my side clenching and straining in order to prevent myself from pushing. What a sight. At least I was in a gown and not that Dos Equis shirt. Hahhaa! All the while I was alternating between moaning “Where’s my epidural”, “This is so wrong, so unnatural” and looking hubs, again, dead in the eyes saying “Help me, I’m dying, DYING”- LOL! Poor guy. I saw his eyes full of tears because he felt so sorry for me.  Then I heard the nurse say “Honey, no epidural, it’s go time”. Wha? What? OMG I thought, I’m SOL. Then something came over me, it’s like angels above were on my shoulders, because I got it together, realizing that no one could help me – that I had to get my sweet girl out and into my arms by myself, no one could save me from the pain. So I put on my game face, and pushed – I pushed like a deadlifter getting his weights up and over his head – with brute force, but controlled and steady. I didn’t scrunch up my face or squeal. I stayed quiet, relaxed my face and breathed deep with each push…and before you know it, she was out, and in my arms :) The best feeling of my life. My girl in my arms…and feeling like I had just taken the biggest ___ of my life. Ahhh, relief and joy! And it all happened in 3 hours!

It’s pretty funny in retrospect now that it’s been over a month – but man, what an experience, what pain! All worth it of course…I felt great afterwards. No drugs to recover from and I was totally present to take in and savor the fleeting moments of holding my precious newborn for the first time.  I’ll be the first to admit that it has been tough with 2 kids though – TOUGH. So challenging in fact that I had to start Drew in preschool part-time earlier than I had planned. It was just too hard keeping him busy and happy at home 5 days a week with a newborn. Between two kids, breastfeeding on demand, soccer and karate classes, cleaning the house, making meals & proofing sessions, it’s a wonder that I haven’t totally lost my marbles. But at the end of the day, when my babes are fast asleep…I reflect on my blessings and realize that I am so, so lucky – to have two beautiful, healthy children and an amazing partner. And when I wake up in the morning to hear my son say “Good morning Emi, I love you” in the sweetest, softest voice, my heart melts, and I remember that THIS is what life is all about…it’s more than a little chaotic, but it’s beautiful…and I wouldn’t have it any other way :)