BTW – for the above picture of the family’s feet, mom had in mind that this would be a B&W image, but when I saw that mommy’s toe nails just happened to be the same blue as the blanket we happened to use, I thought this image just had to be in color.  Hope you agree!

I did also capture some quieter, timeless moments and here is a little glimpse.  But I’m not going to feature them here, because it takes away from the happy color story above.

I’m getting back into the swing of posting.  Thanks for baring with me while I get my wheels turning again.

Since my [insert older] son loves it when I decorate the house for an occasion, I thought I would make the most of the upcoming festivities. My son sometimes watches a show called Team Umizoomi and they had an episode about a special “I Love You Day”, so between that and school, I think Valentine will actually mean something to him this year.

So here are some great ideas for a modern Valentine Day celebration, with many simple DIY ideas:

all photo credits of their respectives sites

Clockwise from top left:

Heart Garland from here; Glitter Banner from here; Red table setting from here; Valentine bubbles from here; Sweet Treats from here; XOXO cupcakes from here; Cupid’s Arrow Brownies from here.

Sometimes I find it hard to believe that my husband and I have been  in Los Angeles for twelve years (we moved here from London).  To most people that’s probably not a big deal, but I have never lived in one city for that long before.  So, it shouldn’t be surprising to me that now that I’ve been here so long I’m crossing paths again with people we met when we first moved here.   I mention this because the dad of this lovely family worked with my husband when we first moved here.  It was a small start-up part of the first generation during the internet bubble of the late nineties, when the internet was the Wild West and businesses had not yet figured out what business models would work in this new medium, or as my husband  might say, “how to monetize the web“.  As start-ups go, this one didn’t last, but we will forever be grateful to this man as he gave my husband his first opportunity in this new country; the first step in us following our “American  Dream“.  So when his wife contacted THOMPSON and SPRING for a shoot and I saw their name come up on my Caller ID, I couldn’t believe how we had come full circle… and after all these years, he hadn’t aged one bit!

However, in the interim, his family had significantly expanded and he now has three gorgeous kids.  It was fun doing a family portrait session with them near their home in Hancock Park.  The kids all had very distinct personalities and looks.  And, while the weather report had been threatening Los Angeles with rain, luck was on our side and we managed to have fun outdoors.

It was great seeing them again, and seeing how big their baby daughter had grown.  She was a very tall one and a half year old, walking up a storm.  Mom had warned me that she might take a while to warm up, but she was game from the minute we said go and we had fun playing around Century City, which is also where Mommy happens to work.  Mom is also expecting Number Two, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at her, she looked fantastic.

I have to say I’m a sucker for blue eyes and this little girl’s one are exceptional, which she definitely inherited from Daddy. My older son has slate blue eyes that change a little depending on what he wears, but this little darling’s eyes are blue through and through and couldn’t be more gorgeous! Don’t you agree?

You probably recognize this lovely little girl from previous sessions.  She honestly keeps getting cuter and cuter.  Not just physically, but in terms of personality, as she gets more playful and self-confident.

I also love the picture of the siblings together.  Prior to this shot they were literally trying to keep as far away from each other as possible.  They’re at that funny age when being close to your brother or sister is not fun or cool, but from the picture you wouldn’t know it.  I like that it foretells what will likely be their closeness in years to come.

But my absolute favorite shots are of the kids each in their own little worlds, each in context. It’s that special moment in your childhood that’s captured and frozen.

I have a picture taken of me when I was about five years old, quietly drawing (which I did all the time), and to this day it is one of my most prized.

door photo via Patterson Maker

Here is a good example of putting together clothes for the whole family that work together and separately, nice crisp whites, sandy browns and cool blues.  All clothes and accessories featured are from Old Navy.

Towards the end of my pregnancy I was contacted by this lovely family.  They wanted to schedule their first family photo session EVER, but given my physical condition I suggested we wait until after I delivered and recovered from my c-section.  Why did I suggest we wait?  The kids are three and a half and five respectively, and with kids that age I know there’s usually quite a bit of running around.  They were patient and waited for me to resurface from baby Number Two’s arrival.  That’s a good thing as this woodsy session required some jumping around on my part.

The two kids couldn’t have been cuter and the natural light at that time of day was great for a family portrait session.  We played around the Griffith Park, which for us urban folk in Los Angeles, feels more like a forest.  I learned that Dad works in computer animation for Disney, but I forgot to ask if he was involved in my son’s all time favorite movies Cars and Cars 2.  What was more surprising is that Mom used to be an assistant zookeeper, but now stays at home to take care of her own little wild animals   I’ve never met a zookeeper before and was (still am) completely inspired by such an unconventional career.

I had fun running around with this family.  These are just a few of my favorite pics from this session.

Clockwise, photos above via the following links: Fresh lemons from here, Lemonade Cookies and recipe from here, Lemonade Stand from here, Lemon Cupcake and recipe from here, and Lemonade in Mason Jars from here.

The above is a page from my virtual notebook of ideas.  Nothing says summer like lemons and hopefully you are lucky and have a lemon tree growing in your backyard, so your raw materials are free.  When we think of a lemonade stand, I think most of us just think of serving a drink… but if you have a customer who’s already made the effort to stop by your stand, why not tempt them with other goodies, such as lemonade cookies, or lemon poppy seed cupcakes, think like a big chain and have the kids offer bundles.  They’re never too young to learn a few selling tips.  Also, I believe in packaging.  Not only should the product you offer be the best, but your packaging should reflect it, that way you differentiate your lemonade from the lemonade being sold down the street.  Dressing up your lemonade stand couldn’t be easier with the FREE printables below.

Lemonade stand prinables here

Vintage lemonade label printables here

It’s always such a pleasure to photograph families again, not only do I get a chance to document them as their children grow, as in the case of this maternity shoot, but the relationship I share with them deepens as we all get to know more and more about each other.  Last time I saw their little girl she was not quite walking, now she was bouncing around.

We shot these pregnancy photos in their new Brentwood home, which was not only beautiful but flooded with wonderful natural light.  This couple already has a gorgeous little girl, but this time around mommy is expecting a boy.  In many cultures the arrival of a boy is greeted with greater expectations, but turns out that Americans feel that way too.

We’re all looking forward to meeting you in a few weeks little boy!