Lifestyle: Oh my Oh me, my Son is Three

Another year,  another birthday card photo shoot!

If you read last year’s post "not so terrible Two's...yet" then you already know that I established a yearly tradition of sending a birthday photo invitation every year, mainly due in part that our family lives in different parts of the country. By sending a photo birthday card I am able to use it as an invitation for family and friends who happen to live close by and it also serves as an birthday announcement and yearly photo to our families who live in different parts of the country.

I love doing them and I will probably continue to torment my son by taking endless  photos of him until he is an adult (lol)

Here is the world's most handsome 3 year...  Enjoy! (stay tuned to the very end to see the final product)

Simplicity at its finest !

Dear Julian,

One day you will see all the photos I take of you, and either you’ll be embarrassed or elated  that your mommy took so many photos of you while you were growing up ( my guess is embarrassed. I apologize in advance but I can’t help it, look how unbelievably adorable you are)

It goes without saying how proud we are of you. I love watching every step you take in your growth path.

In these photos you are turning 3 years old and you have a slight obsession with Toy Story  and love learning about dinosaurs. Your favorite foods are bananas, cereal bars and mommy’s brown rice and chicken balls. We celebrated your 3^rd birthday again at the zoo and all your buddies from school came and we all had a blast watching you and your friends touch a scorpion, snake and armadillo.

We love you endlessly,  Happy 3^rd Birthday Julian!!

Love Mommy & Daddy

Randomness: Happy Mother's Day 2014

{ this is part 1 of a 2 part post }

As I look back at these pictures from Mother’s Day and sort through the ones I want to feature for this randomness post,  I have the overwhelming sensation to cry. When I dropped my mother and her husband off at the airport, I was so sad to see her go that I accidently dropped them off in the arrivals section of the airport…subconsciously I wanted to start their visit over again.

                Going back to my childhood home (WEST-COAST is the BEST-COAST) is not always easy and is a rarity.  With the cost of airline tickets, pairing up vacation time with hubby (and his accursed school schedule), and toting a two-year old across the country…well, sometimes it’s too large a feat to undertake.  Unfortunately for me most of my family is there. You can just imagine everything I miss: new family additions, birthdays, holidays, etc etc. Luckily, I have an awesome husband, son, dog, and my 2nd family (hubby’s family) is all along the east coast and in driving distance to spend long weekends with.…But a daughter needs her mother! So, I was elated when my mother planned to come visit us for 3 weeks.

We shared some amazing memories during these past weeks, Mother’s day being one of my favorites.  I haven’t been able to celebrate this particular holiday with my mother since I moved to the east coast (9 years ago) and now that I am a mother myself it truly meant a lot to spend mother’s day with my mom.

                For this special day, my husband and I planned an elaborate brunch where we enjoyed everything from fruit and fresh bread to mimosas. 

Madre, this post is dedicated to you, I love you!

 Here are a few photos we took of our Mother’s Day Brunch

Thank you to catch my party for the assist on the oh so cute printables

This quote is perfect!

Although I know if my mom could she would still want to hold my hand thru life. But don’t worry mom you have what’s most important , my heart !



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Kisses for Grandmita after presenting her with her mother’s day gift



… and kisses for me. I love love love my new moccasins, thank you Julian aka Daddy

After a relaxing morning we packed up our matriarchs and took everyone out for a late lunch to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.   This bridge tunnel, for those of you who do not live in the Hampton Roads area, connects Virginia Beach to the Eastern Shore and spans miles of water using a system of…you guessed it, bridges and tunnels.  Having driven across this bridge/tunnel system numerous times for camping trips in Assateague or to visit my other Family in New York, I have always seen signs for a restaurant located on one of the bridge portions of this mega-cool road.  I must say, the 360 degree views of the ocean were fantastic, the atmosphere was beach-y yet sophisticated, and the company I kept was marvelous.  This ended up being a highlight of spending the day with my mother, as we were able to see a lot of history on this little outpost, snap some wonderful pics, and eat a satisfying lunch (definitely try the flounder if you go!)…plus the drive was about as beautiful as beautiful could be.



My mom and her son-in-law





What would a mother’s day post be without  a selfie from my mom and i!



This post is also dedicated to the other 3 special moms in my life; my dad’s loving wife Ada, and my husband’s wonderful and amazing mom and stepmom, Karen & Virginia. I love you all dearly 

Lifestyle: The Insanely Talented, Taylor

I would like to introduce you to my insanely talented Brother-in-law, Taylor.

When Taylor was 15 years old I remember being in awe of him. At that age he was teaching himself Korean and was already composing his own music. Fast forward 6 years; Taylor is graduating from Full Sail University, and about to embark on a journey of a lifetime. Taylor’s passion is music… all types, all genres, you name it and he can play it.  I’d like to believe the stork dropped him off sporting an American flag bandana with a guitar in one hand and a sign “will play for milk” in the other.  Alas that is the imagination run rampant. The truth is, Taylor is an avid musician; demonstrating not only skill on the guitar but bass, piano, and drums as well. 

I’ve been dying to take pictures of Taylor in his element but every time we are together family fun takes precedent. Well, this past Easter in-between family time we decided to play with my camera. We did some edgy stuff but of course my favorites are these first All-American Boy shots.

Taylor has been my favorite model thus far (I might be a bit bias) to work with and shined under the lens as much as he shines on stage, in the studio, and in every other venture he attempts.  It seemed to be his natural element and I got the distinct honor of being the first to shoot this force in music before he starts getting calls from the likes of Rolling Stone.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome to the stage, Taylor



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just a cheeky little bird there on the left lol

 

Taylor thank you for allowing me to capture you in your most natural

We are so extremely proud of you!!

Love your Big Sis & your Big Bro

Lifestyle: Daddy's Girl, Ariana

Since I’ve started this small venture, I’ve had the pleasure of shooting some of the most gorgeous children in the state of Virginia and my most recent model is no exception!

 Just like every mother believes, I too believe my son is the most handsome, most special little person ever.  He is my inspiration; hence the moniker of my photographic adventures.  So for me to update the photo associated with the JFP facebook account says a lot!  I would like to introduce you to the fabulous Arianna.  She has the manners, grace, and poise to match her wit and beauty.  Her spunk, tenacity, and shining personality are enough to rival any Disney/Nickelodeon kid  and gracing magazines like Babiekins Magazine.

 We had such a blast at our rendezvous this weekend and unlike most children (mine included), she did not breakdown or lose interest after 30 minutes of shooting.  Ari was the consummate professional and a true pleasure to spend a wonderful afternoon with.

                For this shoot Ari’s mother and I talked about doing a special photo for father’s day by incorporating small personal touches for Ari’s dad; I think we nailed it!  Not only did those photos come out perfect but we were able to let our hair down, have some fun, and capture her lighthearted personality and exquisite beauty.  Thank you for allowing me the pleasure of spending a gorgeous Sunday afternoon with you….

 Without further ado here is the stunning...   ARIANNA

 





bohemian beauty





i adore this photo



i just love this shot, i hope Ari's dad will too

WERK IT!



... and that's a wrap!



Thank you Ari for hanging out with me and allowing me to capture all your beauty for the world to see!