A Sedative? Why on Earth Would I Need A Sedative?
I have a stack of sessions to share again. I think that being able to instantly share sneak peeks on facebook is making me lazy. I am all about the instant gratification. I have the attention span of a fruit fly. I start to work on something, and inevitably, a few minutes in and it is…”Oh, look! Something shiny!” And it doesn’t even have to be that shiny……FarmVille anyone? Or maybe I think of something I wanted to look for online, google it, and then get stuck in an infinite google loop…..with one website leading me to another. A trail of bread crumbs to complete and utter slackination. Yes, I just made that up. I think it will catch on. You’ll see that baby in urban dictionary in no time. I would add it myself, but I am feeling like too much of a slackinator right now. (You see how I just did that right there? Bam!)
Ok, so when I am not busy adding new words to the English language, I get to take pictures of lovely families like this one.
This is Taylor. And she is not cute at all. Nope. Not those pigtails, or those cheeks. It’s a shame, really.
(and good grief, that was verbal irony, for the two of you that thought I may actually be saying she really was not cute, and are already composing your nasty email to me)
The hair. Dude. Kills me.
This is Shelby. Shelby is pretty cute herself. And a pretty awesome big sister too. And quite a fancy jumper.
And this is Ryan and Sara.
Sara invited me to lunch the next time she was up my way…and…..because she was so cool, I completely ignored the fact that I am antisocial and never leave my house and said that I would love to meet her for lunch. Maybe it was the pink in her hair. It is not often that I bump into someone else with pink hair. Either way. We are going to lunch this Monday. And I am going to try my very best to not act like a freak and scare her away. I do that sometimes. I have issues. One of those issues being that I tend to ramble…especially when I am nervous…..which is mostly always….especially if I am not in my house…..or I don’t know someone…..or if, I am, you know…breathing. And the interesting thing is, I do the same thing when I type…..yeah….just go on and on about nothing important…..all random and incoherent…….and I may type something about how my kids have a mii parade on the wii, with a mii of Jesus right next to the ones of Bugs Bunny, Luigi, and Billy Mays……what kind of freakishly awesome parade would that be if it were real? And then I catch myself and think, “Shutup, Melodee! Shut. Up!” And then I start to get more nervous…which makes me ramble even more. Ok, wait….what were we talking about? Oh yeah! Sara and Ryan! And their cute kids. And here they are….. Ok, bye.
I’m Not Crazy. My Mother Had Me Tested.
So, Julie contacted me, and talked about scheduling a session that involved the word “horses”…..which immediately caught my interest. I mean, how cool is that, right? So, for weeks, I was all excited about this session…but then..ultimately, I went through what I go through before every single session. What if it is awful? What if they hate me? What if the kids won’t cooperate? What if the parents won’t cooperate? What if they think I am a dork and don’t tell me? Or worse….what if they think I am a dork, and do tell me. Yes, I do this before every session. Yes, it is tiring. What can I say? My mind is a complicated place.
So it is always a little nerve wracking for me to meet clients at a session. The hellos can feel like the first few minutes of a blind date. And I always try to be on my best behavior…not just for the first few minutes, but for the entire session. But sometimes I slip and say stupid things or maybe do amazingly humiliating dancing. Then I spend the rest of the night rehashing all of the dumb stuff that I said or did in my head. I can’t help it. It’s what I do. Most of the time, I make a big deal about nothing…at least I hope so….But this particular session, something happened that will plague my brain for way longer than is considered sane and rational. And I am going to share it with you. Just dump my crazy right out there for everyone to see.
Well, I am super paranoid about visible boogers…or stuff in my teeth….any of that kind of stuff. I do not ever want to be standing, talking to someone with a chunk of my lunch in my teeth….GAH. The horror. You know that white crusty stuff that you can get at the corners of your mouth? I know. Gag. ::shudder:: Well, I felt like that could be, sort, of maybe….a possibility for me. So I spent the last 20 minutes of my session, swiping at my mouth. First discreetly….then a little frantically. Gave myself a quick check in my iphone screen. Saw nothing. Relaxed a bit. So, then, the session is over, and I stand and talk to Julie for a good five minutes. I am sure I pawed at my mouth a time or two during the conversation…which does not make me look weird at all…..but….after I said goodbye, and got myself all situated back in my car….I looked at my reflection in the rear view mirror…and there they were!!!!! The dreaded white crusties! A glob in each corner of my mouth. What the hell? How did they escape my prodding? Or avoid detection when I checked my reflection? Dude. Not cool. Not cool, at all. So, I apologize, Julie, for you having to talk to me and act like everything was normal, and I didn’t have gobs of goo all over me. 
And if I wasn’t paranoid enough about this before, this just cranked it up to a whole new level. Neato. I can always use a few new freakish quirks. Ugh.
Ok..but enough about my crazy. Let’s talk about something better……..Like Emilee! and Brodee!
And Julie! (who sweetly ignored my mouth goo) and Brant!
And Pancho!
Julie, your family was all completely fun and wonderful…including Pancho. Thank you so much for sitting through my hideous dancing and Lord knows what else. You guys were awesome.
Brotherly Love
This weekend I got to do a newborn session with the youngest baby yet. Emma was only six days old. She was tiny and perfect…and also? Wide awake. Which can complicate things a bit. Emma has an older brother, Kevin. Kevin is adorable and sweet…and still kind of warming up to this whole new baby thing. I don’t blame him. It has only been a few days. I know he is going to be an awesome big brother.
Ok, so this next shot may be my favorite image from the session. POKE! No worries…no babies were harmed in the making of these photographs.
In all fairness, his mom asked him, “Kevin..where are the baby’s eyes?” Yeah…lesson learned. Next time, maybe where are the baby’s toes or where is the baby’s belly would be safer.
Asleep, at last.
If She Couldn’t Convince Me…..
So many times, when women are around newborns, they talk about how it makes them want another baby. There is just something about their tiny, little fingers and toes that causes some sort of biological reaction. Yeah…um….I am not one of those women. I am perfectly content with living the rest of my life without ever holding a sleeping baby, of my own again. Never putting another itty bitty hat on a sweet little bald head. Never seeing the first real smile or hearing the first little belly laugh again. Um..yeah…..completely….fine…with… th…
Ok, wait a minute…..I also will never have to clean up another diaper explosion……carry a diaper bag…or chisel hardened teething biscuit from a high chair tray, ever again. I will never walk around all day, with a spit up stain on my back, that I did not even know was there, until the cashier at Target pointed it out to me. Not that that ever happened to me or anything. Ahem.
So, while I am totally not ever going to fall prey to baby fever from holding a newborn, I do think they are pretty awesome. And this one was no exception.
Meet Madison. (Yes, Madison’s mom and dad are in a few of these images too, but, I don’t think it would hurt their feelings at all, if it were Madison that really captured your attention. )
Madison’s mom, Leigh, has just started her own business, making baby blankets and burp cloths, and things, with a military theme. See the quilt she made in the third image up there? Be sure to go pay her a visit at Baby Battle Rattle.
So, Um..Yeah, Hi.
Ok, so…we are just going to gloss over the fact that I have neglected to post for two months and just move on like nothing ever happened, ok? That way, you don’t have to hear my weak excuses and empty promises about how I am going to be a better blogger and I don’t have to come up with them. The time that will save will come in really handy, because I have a lot of stuff that I need to get posted…..including a sweet, little 11 day old newborn session. That is much more interesting than me blabbering about my life being crazy, or busy, or whatever. So, I am just going to jump right into it, before I start doing that foot shuffle thing, while we stand in awkward silence, until one of us says something like, “soooo…..you like…stuff?”
This session was done at Harveston, in Temecula. Which has been such a frequently chosen session location lately, that it feels like a second home to me. Amber was referred to me by another family I have photographed, which always makes my day. It makes me want to go all Sally Field….”You like me…..you really like me!”
This is Jake. Yeah..he is not cute, at all.
Yeah, and neither are his little wrist rolls and chubby fingers.
Thank you Amber and Matt, for a fun session….and congratulations on your next little one on the way!
Darby’s One Year Session – Sneak Peek
This little lady is probably starting to look pretty familiar. I got to see her at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and now….she is one year old!! She went from, pretty much just laying there…to sitting up….to crawling for the first time ever, at our session…and now walking!
And she did most of her walking, at this session, in red classic Vans. Sweet.
Darby had just had her birthday party, and her favorite gifts were books. How cool is that? She spent a huge part of the session reading…..
….and reading…….
….and reading……
…aaaaaaand……reading………
She ended her session with a piece of birthday cake…..which is awesome. I am a firm believer that all of my sessions should end with dessert.
Neil and Brenda…It has been an honor to watch Darby grow over this past year. I don’t know what I am going to do when three months passes, and I have no Darby session scheduled. You may just come home and find me sitting on your porch. I am kidding, of course. That would be creepy….wouldn’t it? Yeah, ok…..creepy. Ok, email updates it is. But I have heard that 15 month sessions are all the rage these days…..just saying.
A Second Shooter That Works For Lollipops
So I mentioned in this sneak peek, that I had 4 year old, Ethan, use one of my backup cameras to “second shoot” with me during his family’s session. Well, I wanted to share some of the images he took. The images were not cropped or messed with by me….the compositions are all his. I just sharpened them. He is quite the talented little guy. A guy who is going to put me out of work because he is sweet and adorable and likes to be paid in candy. Come to think of it…..that is not such a bad deal. If you have a session coming up, and would like to discuss paying me in candy…..or ICE CREAM!…let me know.
Here is Ethan with my trusty old Rebel. It has a 50mm 1.8 lens on it and was set to AV for him, for those of you interested. I think he was taking these at 2.8…but I can’t remember and I am too lazy to go check the exif data. Point is….little man was not using the green box.
The next image is Ethan’s sister, Emma. Ethan’s view on the left and my view on the right.
And while I was taking this image…….
Ethan grabbed this one…..
I like his better. I love it, actually. And I am a little jealous.
I am also a little jealous of this next one.
Is that not awesome? I did my black and white conversion on it, but nothing more than I would do to any of my own images. He just has a good eye….and a steady hand. We were inside and using available light only. I am just so amazed with what he came up with.
I put his images from the day into a slideshow for him. It is short and sweet, so take a minute to watch it. I am sure you will be as impressed as I was. Leave him some encouragement in the comments, pretty please.
Playing Catch up – Family Photo Session – Glendora
Ok, I have so much to catch up on here, but the last week has been a little crazy. My daughter fell and broke her ankle…the day after my mom electrocuted herself. Yeah…you read that right. Apparently that stuff really happens. Who knew? My mom is fine, and didn’t even get any cool super powers from it or anything…which was kind of disappointing. I mean, it would at least be cool if she could make a bag of microwave popcorn, just by holding it…but not even that. Total ripoff. If I ever electrocute myself, I would hope I would at least have a super power to show for it, but whatever. And my daughter is now all casted up….I will share more about her later.
So I have more than one sneak peek to share, but I wanted to start with this one. I did a session with this family last year, and met Ethan. Ethan, the budding photographer. Well, Ethan is now almost five, and his interest in photography has not faded. I had the idea to get him all set up on one of my backup cameras, and have him shoot some of the session with me. I can not wait to share what he came up with. Some amazing shots…seriously. But for now, you will have to settle for mine.
Look at Emma on her tip toes…..
One of my favorites from the session…maybe ever.
Ethan, checking his shots on the LCD screen.
Ethan, loving on Jillian.
Emma loves Jillian too.
Thank you so much for having me back to your home, Sean and Joyce!
How Could I Ever Forget This One?
I put this on facebook and completely forgot to put it here. I am such a blog neglector (apparently, neglector is not a word. Psssh, whatever spell checker. I disagree). Maybe if my blog had farms and Mafias, like facebook, it wouldn’t be so easy to forget about. I can’t send people sheep and M16′s on my blog. Hmm, at least not yet…..
So, a couple of weeks ago, I got to shoot the homecoming for a man that I had done a deployed session for. I had already gotten to meet his beautiful wife, baby girl, sweet mom, and very energetic dog, so I was pretty excited for this one.
The scary part is…I almost missed it! Argh. Curse you AT&T and your crappy reception. If I didn’t love my iphone so much, you would be dead to me. Dead to me! Hrmph.
But with a little luck…and maybe some breaking of the speed limit…..I made it! Woo hoo!
This is Mari and baby Ailah waiting for daddy.
Woo hoo!
Ailah was a little overwhelmed by the whole situation. But there was a ton of people, a lot of commotion, and two big, loud buses.
As soon as the commotion died down, she was fine.
But! The homecoming wasn’t over yet…Friends and family were gathered at Indigo’s house to welcome him home.
And so was Sammie.
They hugged, said a prayer, had some cupcakes, and then disappeared…..no one wanted to be the third, or fifth…or 27th wheel.
Welcome home, Indigo!!!
Op:Love Pre-Deployment – Tyler
This weekend I did a session for Tyler and Sophia and their family. It was one of those things that I almost didn’t do….You know the ones…..
too busy….too short notice…..no time……no one to watch my two crazies. Tyler contacted me about doing a session with his family before he deployed on Tuesday…he was deploying on Saturday. I was just about to send him an email telling him that there was just no way I could get it done before he left…but then, I thought….Really? Can I really not make this work? Am I really going to tell this man, who devotes his life to protecting my country, that I couldn’t find a few hours to take pictures of his family before he left them for months?? Lame, right? So we worked it out…and I am so glad that I did. I was having like, the crappiest of crap days ever. I am talking Crap. Py. I was all grumbly and on edge all day. I was ready to crawl in bed and tell the world to suck it. (Can I say that here? Oh wait, it’s my blog…..Yes. Yes, I say I can.) So I packed up and headed off to the session, and it was all humid. Bleh. I hate humidity. My hair hates humidity. So, I looked like poo and I felt like poo…but I was there and ready to go. And you know what? Almost as soon as I met his family, the whole bad day thing? I forgot all about it. And I know that right about now, some people (::cough::Lynsey::cough:: ) are probably rolling their eyes at my sappiness, but it is the absolute truth. I left that session feeling better…and I realized how absolutely lucky I am to have this as my job. So the next time I am up to my ears in editing to finish, and I wonder why I never say no……I will remember this. And the next time someone asks me why I am killing myself with all of the free sessions….I will remember this. Because any job that can take a day that is suckish and turn it around like that…well, it kind of rocks….well….that, and the fact that I can wear jeans and converse to work every day or even work in my pj’s….that is a pretty big selling point too.
So here are some images from the session that turned my day around with a bonus slideshow at the end….
This is Elise. She was such a pro at this whole getting her picture taken thing. She needs an agent. She could do cartwheels and flips and pose like nobody’s business, and was so not impressed with my bad jokes or my extensive knowledge of all things Disney Channel. I’m pretty sure I was just some crazy lady with frizzy hair and a camera to her. Did I mention I hate humidity? She gave me several looks of pity and a few courtesy chuckles, but I was able to get the upper hand again…oh yeah, I was…..
Want to know how to completely gross out a 7 year old? Tell her parents to kiss.
Op:Love – Pre-Deployment Session – Temecula
This weekend, I got to spend some time discussing Transformers with Kyle and Brandon. Getting to talk about giant alien robots kind of makes for a pretty cool session, in my opinion. What does it say about me that my favorite Transformers are Decepticons? Don’t answer that. Maybe it is just too cliche for me to like Optimus Prime, like everyone else. Although…laser rifle? Dude…that is pretty cool. Any kids (or really cool adults) out there, who would like to bring your Transformers action figures to a session with me…I am totally ok with that. Just saying.
Ok, ok…back to Kyle and Brandon….Their dad, Ryan, is in the Navy, and will be deploying soon. Their, mom, Shelley, emailed me to see about doing a session for them through, Op:Love. Then we had a month or so of the most sketchy email exchanges. I didn’t get half of hers, and she didn’t get half of mine. Thanks a lot, gmail. Um, so, yeah…if you have emailed me, and didn’t hear back…gmail may have eaten it. Sorry.
So, it was a pretty relaxed session…we hung out at the park…and thankfully, it wasn’t a million trillion degrees outside, like it has been…and I think they even got ice cream after. Which makes me a little jealous…..I really love ice cream….and also? I really love taking pictures of kids and ice cream….So…anyone who would like to include getting ice cream at any future session? I am totally ok with that too. Just saying.
Ok, on to the images….
This is Kyle (top) and Brandon (bottom)…Yes, they are twins.
This is the Sneak Peek that is Responsible for Controlling My Split Ends
I have been pretty excited to do this session. It has been a long time coming. This lovely lady is responsible for keeping my hair from being a complete disaster. That new short hair I have going? Totally her handiwork. She has repaired the self-mutilation I caused when trying to trim my own bangs, without even laughing….and this weekend, she is going to pretty up my hair in a way I am really, really excited about. I can’t wait. Woo.
So, Jen is mama to Sami. Sami has amazing blue eyes and an enormous amount of energy. She kept me on the move for sure. Although, I did manage to hold her attention with my top secret, patent pending, animal game. Not many kids can resist the animal game.
I have been sitting here, staring at my computer monitor, trying to come up with something clever to say to go with this sneak peek, and I’ve got nothing. Big shock, I know. So, because I know that Jen has waited very patiently for this sneak peek….I am just going to skip it. I know you are all crushed…..but try to be strong. So, after only minimal blabbering from me, meet Jen and Sami…….
Holmes Family – Family/Grandparent Session
A family session with bonus grandparents!!! It was actually a gift for the grandparents….which is an awesome idea.
Remember the whole eating a bug thing? Yeah, that was this session. But it was worth it, because these guys are some of my favorite people to work with. I would totally eat another bug for these guys…um…but please don’t ask me to, okay?
Op:Love Deployed Family Session – Murrieta
This weekend, I met Ailah.
She is an avid reader.
In fact, she has many interests….
She also has a mom that adores her…
And a friend that can do this…..
And a grandma that make her laugh out loud.
She also has a daddy who is currently deployed. Indigo, I hope you enjoy these images of your beautiful family. Thank you so much for serving our country.
Op:Love Pre-Deployment – Christie
Family Session – Temecula
This weekend, I had a session with Tandy, and her family. So, not only was there a sweet family, with three cute kids, BUT! Tandy sent me home with a plate of chocolate covered strawberries. I joked that I was going to hide them from my family, so I wouldn’t have to share, and that wasn’t that far from the truth. I refuse to admit how many I ate in the car on my drive home. Ahem.
I am not sure exactly what I said before this shot, but apparently, it was funny. Or maybe they were just laughing at me. Um, yeah, that could be it too.
Someone else was not as much of a fan.
She did eventually warm up to me though, I swear.
I have recently decided that freckles are the best thing, ever. In fact, I may just request that all of my future clients have freckles. What? Bad plan?
I have other family shots, but I picked this one to share because I love the little one’s face. You can almost hear the “What the…?”
Tandy, it was fun. Your kids were awesome, I promise. They were funny and cooperative. Which reminds me…Moms…please do not stress about your kids’ behavior. I have two psycho completely nuts erm… energetic and unique kids at home. Your kids can’t scare me. I have seen it all, people. Seen it all.
Darby is 6 Months Old!
This weekend, I got to visit with Darby, and her parents, for her 6 month session. You may remember this sweet face and little bald head from her 3 month session.
Last time we did this, I was not exactly Darby’s favorite person in the whole world….but this time, she was a bit more tolerant.
At six months old, she has totally got this sitting thing down cold.
The last time I looked at myself this closely in a mirror, it gave me a complex. Now I avoid doing this at all costs……but, if you are this cute…I can see how it may be entertaining.
Oh, Miss Darby, it was a pleasure seeing you again. Thank you for putting up with me this time. I will see you in 3 months.
Family Photo Session – Temecula
This is Vinny. Vinny is three years old, which means, this next shot was probably the only moment he was not moving around for our entire session.
And this is Alex.
Alex spent a lot of our session like this……
Ahhh, brotherly love.
Sometimes love hurts.
But everyone knows that mama can fix it. Mamas can fix anything.
Victoria, thank you for waiting so patiently for your sneak peek. My schedule this week just kind of had me buried….but for some reason, I think you may know what that’s like. 
Victoria’s husband is a Navy Seal. How cool is that??? My husband was very impressed. Being a Navy Seal is kind of his dream job. Yeah…um….never give up on your dreams, honey. Hey! It could still happen.
Thank you for a fun session Victoria, Vinny, and Alex!
Family Photo Session – Temecula
This weekend, I had a session with Jenny, Harley, and Olivia. When Jenny talked about the location she was thinking of, I was definitely intrigued. A field, off a dirt road, with an abandoned little village. How could I not want to check that out? And! They were bringing along their 5 month old bloodhound puppy, Dixie. How awesome is that?
I decided to go a little seventies vintage on some of the post processing. The images just seemed to ask for it. And anyone who knows me, knows my love for this type of look…I have to restrain myself, to not edit every image I take this way.
This is Harley, Olivia. Jenny…and of course Dixie.
Putting a flower in her mom’s hair.
Look at that face! She had a pretty good idea of what kind of “poses” she wanted for her shots. I was not about to argue. And she was one awesome little dancer….but you will have to wait to see that….oh, yeah…did I mention that this was a photo and VIDEO session? Stay tuned to see more of Olivia dancing up a storm.
I wanted to grab a few shots of Jenny and Harley alone. Harley was a little apprehensive about the whole kissing on command, and in front of two cameras thing, but ….I think it all worked out nicely.
I have more I want to share about this session, because….that abandoned village? Yeah…waay creepy. But, I still haven’t even finished blogging about this session. I know, I am such a tease. I’m trying to do better, I swear.
Plus, I wanted to share some of my white trash Easter with you. Something I am sure I will regret, but that’s kind of just how I operate. Over share….then live with the regret. Hey, it works for me. So, um…yeah….I sort of, kind of, maybe promise to get this stuff on my blog this week.
Jenny, Harley, and Olivia…thank you for a fun….but a little creepy…but mostly fun session!
Family Photo Session – Camp Pendleton
This weekend, I had an awesome time with Christie and her family. I have more I want to share about this session in the next day or so, but for now…a little sneak peek.
Thank you all for a super fun session. More to come….
Family Session – Rancho Cucamonga
This weekend, I had the honor of shooting a family session for Lucy. Lucy’s husband is currenty deployed, and I will be mailing an album of these images to her husband for Op:Love.
Lucy’s kids were pretty awesome. I mean…hello? Look at this face……
This is Desiree. Desi is going to take over the world someday. She is a crack up and a force to be reckoned with. She is pretty freaking cool.
Chance and his Mama…
This little sweetheart is Mia. It took a few minutes to find the smiles in Mia, but it was so worth it…..
All the ladies…to be said The Lay-daaze….
Lucy, I had so much fun. Your kids are awesome and so well-behaved, I swear. I hope they got their ice cream.
Grandparent Photo Session – Murrieta
This weekend I got do to a session with one of my favorite families, at one of my favorite places (the Santa Rosa Plateaus). How cool is that? I have done a session for these guys before, but this one was a bit different. This was a session for the grandparents and the grand kids.
Here is Grandma and Grandpa.
This is Lauren, One of my daughter’s best buddies…
This is Ryan. I’m pretty sure Ryan is going to be a super hero when he grows up.
Ryan spent part of the session trying to eat his grandmother’s necklace…while she was wearing it. Next time, I’m bringing him a sandwich or something.
And this is Jack. Jack is pretty awesome.
On the way back to the cars, Lauren stopped to help Ryan tie his shoe. How cute is this? But it is extra sweet to me because my kids spend all of their waking hours plotting each others’ demise.
This session involved about 50 caterpillar rescues (those things were everywhere!) and a bit of a hike, on which no one fell and and injured themselves, so I’m going to chalk it up as a success.
Thank you so much guys! It was fun.
Check It Out….
Okay, I found a new option to share some slideshows. Too soon to tell if I love it or not, but it works for the moment. I have another Op:Love slideshow, from this session, to share. Click here to see it. Make sure you click on the little icon that lets you view it full screen.
