It’s that time of the school year…senior portrait time! We LOVE our seniors! This was a particularly fun shoot in that we photographed the Kutscher Twins. Kourtney and Krystal are awesome soccer players at Temecula Valley High School. These two girls are hard core. They are fierce on the soccer field, focused off the field and filled with a ton of joy. It’s always a delight to get to know our clients. Kourtney has a quiet confidence that will sneak up on you and instantly give you a love for her. Krystal is filled with laughter and jokes making you want to spend more and more time with her. Individually, these two young ladies are stunning. Together, they are a force with which to be reckoned.

Along with the twins, we were able to capture the family as a whole. Julie, a stylist at Main Street Salon, is first a dedicated mom, an incredibly devoted friend and a fabulous stylist! Her kids are all equally dynamic. She’s been a beautiful example to her girls on what it means to be a confident, strong, aware and considerate woman. Ashley’s calm and put together and Lulu is boisterous and fun loving. They have to hold their own with the energy of the twins in between them! We LOVE these ladies.

And now for Kourtney’s Senior Pics…

And then for Krystal’s Senior Pics…

And of course…the two of them together!

We keep saying we have a lot of new work to share and finally…here’s one of those sessions. This has been a busy year with weddings, photo shoots, another baby on the way and just soaking it all in. We are truly blessed. Among these sessions, we had the joy of capturing a family that has become very dear to us.  Dani, Morgan and Molly welcomed Jack into their family earlier this year. We adore these four! They are filled with love, joy and an absolute passion for life. It’s always a pleasure to be around parents who truly enjoy spending time with their kids. Morgan is a heartfelt dad who adores his babies. Dani is a passionate mom who takes joy out of every moment with her kids. We can’t say enough about ‘em! Along with being an incredible mom, Dani is also the owner of Main Street Salon in Old Town Temecula. If you need a new stylist…give her a call! You won’t be disappointed!

We promise weddings from the summer, portrait shoots from throughout the year, projects we’ve been doing, will all be coming on the blog for your viewing pleasure. We just can’t get enough of our little girl. As we finish up editing photo shoots, we have to share these little nuggets from our ham. She’s photographer parents’ dream come true. She just had to sneak in for a pic while we were setting up for Evi (previewed in our last blog). Evi was taking a break while we were setting up for her signature shot, unsure about whether she wanted to pose. During those few moments, Olivia crawled in to show her how its done. Did we mention she’s a dream come true? We hope baby #2 takes a few lessons from our little model.

We met Joshua and Marjorie through our church, Crossroads, in Temecula. Shortly after we found out we were pregnant, we found out they were too! We had the joy of capturing Evi in the first two weeks of her life. During her 6 month session, we thought it would be fun to show how much she’s grown by using the same prop, but adjust to her new found freedom and mobility as a 6 month old. This is just a sneak peak as we have many more adorable shots of this beautiful little girl and her family to share from both her newborn and 6 month shoots. So stay tuned!

As photographers, it’s always a pleasure to take pictures of the people who are also a part of your personal life. Our good friends, Adam and Christy came in to capture their adorable little girl, Audrey, at 9 months. She is the cutest! For the first time, we had the joy of photographing a baby who is just as much of a peanut as Olivia. These two are like peas in a pod. It’s hilarious.

We met Adam and Christy long before any of us had kids in sight…and what a privilege it has been to share life together as parents. The joy this beautiful family has is so refreshing to be around. They have genuine hearts, amazing senses of humor and simply love life. Their passion for God is inspiring and the Love they have for their little girl will melt your heart. We hope you feel some of their energy through their pictures.

Remember that sense of humor we were talking about? Adam had this vision of a picture that showed how overjoyed they were as new parents…you get the idea.

We can’t believe an entire year has already gone by. Amongst the weddings, portrait shoots and fun events we were able to photograph, we’ve been blessed to experience the first year of parenthood with the most incredible little girl. Olivia is AMAZING! She is delightful, full of passion, already opinionated and just a crack up. She loves to laugh. Every day she does something new that just melts our heart. Our favorite little quirk she has is her giggle. It’s truly a giggle. She does it every time she eats. This girl LOVES her food. Surprisingly enough, she still manages to kick it with the 10th percentile. She’s a peanut! But good things come in small packages. As soon as she hears music, she’s bouncing her knee and clapping her hands. She has the most sincere heart and we couldn’t have asked for a more incredible year or baby.

At the very beginning of the shoot, Olivia stood on her own. She walks with support but is testing out her balance…and then she braced her fall to her bum. Don’t worry…no babies were harmed during this photography session.

There’s that laugh…she’s such a happy baby!

Still sucking on those two fingers. We’ll see how long it takes to out grow that habit.

Of course, at the very end of the shoot, we had to set the timer and jump in for a quick family shot. We had to document our new family of 4. That’s right…Olivia’s going to be a big sister!

Our baby girl is growing up fast! We love you Olivia. You have changed our life in ways we could never imagine and we wouldn’t want it any differently. You’re an incredible gift from above and we are so honored to be your parents.

So our little Olivia is 9 months old. Where did the time go? Every day we watch her, we are amazed at how quickly kids pick things up. She crawls, she pulls herself up to stand, her language gets better every day, she waves hi, she gives kisses, she laughs intentionally, she observes intently, she loves adoringly. She is an amazing little girl. We had tried to have a baby for a long time and after getting a handle on the complications of conceiving, we were blessed with Olivia. We wouldn’t have it any other way. Going through years of preparation to receive her is one of the best gifts we could have ever received. She is one of a kind, set apart for a special purpose and made perfectly. Even in her fusses and struggles, she lights up our hearts. We know we have years of trials, struggles, ups and downs to experience. But this precious time in her life continues to build a foundation that is so solid, none of it can shake the Love we have toward her. Our hearts are so much larger because of her. We’re planning a more “formal” photo shoot with her soon, but for now, we thought we’d update you with a few snapshots of her new “tricks.” Enjoy.

Queen of the beasts

Fro O’ Fire

I just learned how to kiss…haven’t figured out I need to pucker my lips yet. Mommy and Daddy still think it’s sweet!

I like to suck on my two fingers instead of a binky, but my newest thing is sticking my other finger in my nose. Mommy and Daddy laugh every time…so I do too!

Crawling around…so happy I’m mobile.

Just hanging out on the couch…pulling myself up whenever I can. I love to stand! Watch out, walking is next.

What did you say? I’m busy playing.

So happy!

I crawled myself into the corner after enjoying some puffs. See it stuck on my chin…I love to eat!

Oh yeah, I can crawl my way out of anything! WOOHOO!

I love my daddy so much…he’s cuddly.

GASP…the toy fell on the floor. . .

Did you see that…the toy fell on the floor!!!! My first surprised look!

WE LOVE OUR JOB! Have we said that before? Couples like Paul and Christina give us so much joy in what we do. These two are amazing people. They quickly transitioned from clients to friends. Paul’s dry sense of humor combined with Christina’s contagious laughter and wit makes a hilarious combination to be around. There’s definitely non stop laughing with these two. Their wedding day was exactly what a wedding day should be about, each other. The fine details were set into place, the venue was beautifully decorated, the church ready to house a ceremony, the guests waiting patiently for Christina to walk down the aisle and Paul to see his bride for the first time that day. While all of those things were carefully detailed throughout the planning process, all in all…it  revolved around these two sharing their love and becoming husband and wife. The joy was contagious. From the anticipation of Christina coming down the aisle, to the humor of Paul dropping the ring, to the fun at the reception, it was an incredible day to photograph and experience. And, all too perfectly, Christina has since become a wedding planner herself. She and Paul created a wedding day that was…well…perfect. Both Christina and Paul are family oriented and share a close bond to their parents and siblings. Throughout the night, you could see this bond. Over the years, Paul formed a great friendship with his now father in law allowing for some very precious moments throughout their wedding day as Christina’s Dad gave her away to a man who will love her and care for her the way a Dad hopes his little girl would be.

Paul and Christina, you two are such good friends. We are so grateful for who you are and the joy you bring to our life. Thank you for trusting us with your wedding day and continuing to shower our life with your laughter and joy. Together, you are unstoppable. You make an awesome team balanced with love and truth. After all, Chrsitina’s never far from laying down the smack! In all seriousness, you two are a phenomenal example of complimenting each other’s strengths and lifting up each other’s weaknesses. We look forward to watching your family grow and can’t wait to see you soon again!

Easter is an amazing time of reflection to truly understand the Love of Jesus Christ. We are grateful each day for the blessings we’ve received and continue to watch God provide. One of the greatest blessings we’ve experienced is our precious Olivia. We are convinced we have one of the happiest babies ever! We can see her personality blossoming more and more every day. She LOVES to people watch. She will do whatever she can to get anyone’s attention. She will fake cough, laugh, scream…anything, she just wants you to look at her. As soon as she sees your gaze, she lights up, throws her hands around and laughs. It’s so incredibly adorable. Unless something changes, we feel she is going to desire the spotlight! We can’t wait to see where it takes her. Along with her playful personality, she warms our heart every day with her loving touch, sweet laugh and incredibly intense gaze. Sometimes we can’t believe she’s ours. She’s such a unique little girl and we are in awe of the gift we have been given. This year, we celebrate Easter as a family. We look at the Love poured out upon us through the sacrifice of Jesus and experience His incredible grace in our life. For some, this holiday season is simply a day to hunt for eggs, gather with family and enjoy a meal. For us, while we share in those fun traditions, it’s a weekend of truly understanding who we are in God based on the sacrifice He made for us. We are truly grateful to walk through this life knowing He is our Savior.

And now…enjoy the absolute cuteness of our Olivia. We had some fun with this one!