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For the first time in years, I’ve taken a good part of the summer off and taken several vacations…hence my lack of posts! Here are a few images from the first vacation, which was just local. I spent some quality time with my little brother Kenny who lives in New Jersey & came to visit our family for several days. If you didn’t guess, these are from Big Sur and 17 mile drive, one of my favorite places to take out of town visitors. Love you Ken! 
Happy Mother’s Day to my AWESOME Mom (Joetta) and my SUPER mother in law Bonnie. I feel so fortunate to be loved and supported by you all year round. Thank you for putting up with me, I love you both (even though I am not sure either of you regularly read this)…. Here’s a few reasons why:
My mom. I love that you:
-Can’t pronounce Mitsubishi
-Love my dog as if she were your own
-Keep up with our two kids when you come for visits. I know they tire you out but you enjoy every minute you have with them.
-Travel out to see us 3 or 4 times a year, EVERY year
-Enjoy our special days together. Antiquing, shopping, eating, wine tasting, and the Garlic Festival just to name a few.
-Are my mom.
Bonnie. I love that you:
-Manage, and often ask for, all of the grandchildren, at one time, in your home, sometimes all day
(For those of you who don’t know there are 9, 75% under the age of 11!)
-Are so proud of your boys and their families
-And Dale are still in love after 30 + years and set a great example as couple and team for our families
Also…I wanted to send a special message this week to the extraordinary moms I meet throughout the year. Moms I enjoy getting to know better with each passing session. This AWESOME video describes how I’m sure many of us feel but couldn’t convey as eloquently. The video is of a mom reading an excerpt from a book she’s written. Having two boys I can relate well! The important takeaway is about the significance of ordinary days.
I hope this video helps remind you that the little things are really the big things and that those ordinary days you’re experiencing today will mean everything to you in the years to come. Now sit back, relax and have a few tissues handy! It’s only 7 and a half minutes, do it now!!
Hugs, Michelle
Does this baby have the most luscious complexion you’ve ever seen? She is buttery soft and beautiful. Isn’t it amazing how perfect skin is when not compromised by things like the sun? It makes me wish I’d never sunbathed with baby oil as a college student. I was lucky enough to hold her a few times throughout our visits.
I thoroughly enjoyed photographing beautiful little Daphne, who is the newest cousin of several of the other adorable babies on my web site.
Thanks Claire for bringing *another* one of your grandchildren in for “the experience” and our “tradition” and hope you had a WONDERFUL time in Hawaii with your family!
-Michelle
Happy Birthday my big Man Tanner! We had a WONDERFUL day today celebrating YOU. I love you with all my heart. There is nothing you could ever say or do to change that love. I will continue to support you each step of the way as you grow older. It made me happy this evening you let me know before you turned in what your favorite parts of the day were. I held back a tear when you said your favorite part was when we brought your birthday card in and everyone gathered around the bed to watch you open the card and your gift. (Even the dog who had a bone in her mouth and was wagging her tail furiously!) I guess you felt the value of LOVE AND FAMILY today. OK, enough mush, let’s get to the good stuff. The reasons why I dig you in a big way. Here we go….
I love that:
-You’re a really good big brother. Even though he tests your will and patience every single day, you put up with Max kicking you in the shins for no good reason, eating your Halloween, Easter and other candy treats without asking, breaking apart your Lego creations after you painstaking put them together, and his successful attempts to continue to annoy you further once he’s found a hot button.
-You have a sweet and gentle nature. You are a warm, caring and sensitive boy who is growing into a young man I am so proud of. You are affectionate and I love that you still think it’s ok to give me hugs and kisses. Even if you’re just about as tall as I am.
-Your dream is to be a professional hockey player. DREAM BIG or GO HOME.
-You are funny and have a great sense of humor. You love to laugh! Mr. Gish says you have a pretty advanced sense of humor. I can tell you where THAT came from. (Hint, it’s not from Mommy’s side of the family).
-You already have strong opinions regarding politics. (Hint, that’s not coming from Mommy either).
-You love to eat! (Ha, I DID contribute something!!) Seriously, I am amazed at how much you can put away but glad to see you’re fit and active. You’re strong and healthy!
-You spaz out with small boo boos. Admit it–you really lay it on thick when you get a cut or bruise. You COULD take up acting if the hockey thing doesn’t work out. Drama seems to come naturally for you.
-You have a wonderful smile and beautiful eyes. They will win some chick over some day and I’ll know how you snagged your wife.
-You’re never the first to break our hugs. EVER. I don’t know who taught you to hold on so long, but that’s totally cool and unique. You’re daddy also hugs this way and I always feel very protected and safe when he hugs me. This is one my my favorite things about hugging my boys.
-Your little brother LOVES you. He doesn’t say it with words often and he expresses it in odd ways, so how about if I use a cliche as I explain that “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”. Think of all that Max does that copies you. In his own way, he’s letting you know you’re showing him the ropes and helping HIM grow up. Always remember you’re in the spotlight there and he’s watching what you do and say.
I could write more, but I think that’s enough for this year’s birthday. You have been such a blessing to your dad and I and I know I said this already, but I’m very proud to say you’re my son.
I LOVE YOU.
-Mom
I always love it when I ask parents about trying specific things in a session and they respond with, “whatever you think is best, you’re the artist….” While I certainly enjoy bouncing creative ideas off parents during portrait sessions, I love it even more when they tell me just to go ahead and do what I think would work best. I appreciate when they put their trust in me to create something unique and meaningful to them. It is fun to incorporate a family member’s passion, such as biking, into an image. I liked this image a lot because it shows the baby’s size against her dad’s road bike tire. It sure helps when they are adorable too!
Anyone that knows me well knows I love to eat. I have to confess an addition lately to Girl Scout Cookies. The Peanut Butter Patties. I am so helpless with an open box of those around. I can’t stop at the posted “serving size” of two. I prefer to eat neatly, in “rows”, so that means I gobble about 5 or 6 at a time. Have you tried placing them in the fridge? Even better than just out of your cupboard. Last year, I could even tell that the different boxes I was eating of the same cookie types were made by different cookie factories. Now that’s sad! In other words, I could taste the difference in the same GS cookie–I will be glad when the 2 or 3 remaining boxes of PBPatties are gone for another 11 months.
At Christmas I went through my Fruitcake phase. Yep, I dig fruitcakes! :) Not just any fruitcake though, I only like the Claxton Traditional fruitcake that my great grandmother (bless her heart) used to feed me. This year, between Christmas and February, I devoured about 8 half pound cakes!
I am hungry. Perhaps writing a blog entry on an empty stomach (except for the two PB patties I just ate) isn’t a great idea. I will write something more exciting next time around. I have been super busy photographing 6-9 month old babies (there’s a run on them this month). Boys & girls cuter than buttons. I will post a few images next entry….
I’m so excited! For about a year and a half now, I have been wanting to include a smaller ”grandparent” album to supplement my beautiful Butterfly Books. It took that long for me to find a product that really excited me, but it arrived last week and exceeded my expectations! I would love to include an image here of the book, but it flew out of the studio today for display at a local charity auction so I won’t get it back for a week or two. Anyway, I know these will be a popular item from here on out and I’m so happy I didn’t settle for anything less than sublime…..
On another topic, hopefully you caught the US vs. Canada hockey game on Sunday? WOW, that’s all I can say. Since our son Tanner started playing rollerhockey about a year ago, I have come to really enjoy being a spectator of the sport. Whether it’s his team playing at Silvercreek Sportsplex, the SJ Sharks at the Arena or the Winter Olympic games, the time just flies by during a game!
Tanner told Kent and I that he had made a hockey bet with his school buddy Patrick. Tanner bet on the US and Patrick bet on Canada. $5. Which is kind of a lot for a 4th grader. Anyway, Tanner lost the bet and I was curious as to whether he was actually going to make good on it. After all, I did not see $5 comin’ out of that piggy bank last night. When Kent and I asked him at dinner tonight if Patrick tried to collect on the debt today, Tanner told me he had offered Patrick 5 Tic Tacs instead of $5 and Patrick opted for the Tic Tacs! Have I ever mentioned we think Tanner will grow up and practice law or go into politics? The kid negotiates EVERYTHING…..
Happy Birthday my little Max. I love you more than words can express. You completed our family. Here are some of my thoughts about you today.
I lOVE THAT:
-Your dad and I won’t encourage you to stop sucking your thumb because we think you look precious cuddling with Lion as you touch his soft ears. You LOVE everything soft. Sucking your thumb is one of the last visible signs of your babyhood and we are clinging to it like nobody’s business
-That no matter what we do or how many sweets you eat, you won’t budge past the 40 pound mark (oh how i want to move you to the booster seat!) You need to eat little man! At least we didn’t pass on the “fat” gene here….
-Whenever we ask what you’d like for dinner, you respond enthusiastically with “MEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” You are my red meat buddy.
-You will take anyone on and seriously think you can take them. You are a tough little boy–a little rough, but all boy!
-On the flip side, i fought tooth and nail with Daddy so he’d be o.k. with you getting that kitchen set this Christmas. I bought it before asking of course, but I would have taken it back. Anyway, I knew you’d love it! I especially enjoy the bug soup and the poker chip stew you’ve been cooking up lately and that you go and get the “real” dishes (aka breakable ones) out of the cabinet to serve your creations. The other day I couldn’t find any of our plates and low and behold, I discovered them neatly stacked in the cabinet in your retro red oven.
-You think Riggs is a toy. (Riggs is our black labrador retriever). Although she is 12 years old, she tolerates you tying her by leash to our furniture, dragging her where you want in the house, teasing her with table scraps (you give up more than you think), and on occasion, giving her hugs and kisses. If we are walking down the street, you feel it is your duty to pet everyone’s dogs.
-You constantly steal daddy’s wallet, using his ‘paying card’ everywhere you go, including signing “Max” at the bottom of our dining bill once the waiter brings the check
-I can ALWAYS make you smile. Even when you just got a boo boo. I have my tricks and I’m not afraid to use them. Although oddly enough, these same “smile” tactics don’t usually work with children who aren’t mine inside the studio. Go figure?!!!!!
-Recently, you want to cuddle up in our rocking chair, under the blanket and have me sing to you as you fall asleep. We did that when you were littler and it’s back “in” this month. Who am I to refuse, even though I know it’s just a bedtime stall tactic?
-Daddy doesn’t mind me taking naps on the weekends (with you of course), because you won’t stay in your bed unless I’m there with you. (The sacrifices I have to make, I tell you). By the way, I’m still not ready to give up the nap. Stay with me buddy….
-Your favorite music rocks. I think it’s pretty cool that you request Deep Purple’s “Smoke On The Water” to listen to on your way home from preschool.
-You have all your special ‘boxes’ full of STUFF. You collect the oddest items and hide them in random containers. Keys missing? Check Max’s box. Paying card gone? Check Max’s box.
-For you….DADDY IS IT. You need to go everywhere you can with him. Every errand, every thing he does. When you can’t go with him, you cry. He has a shadow. Sometimes I see Daddy’s eyes roll up in his head when he has to take you with him yet again (I guess you add a little time to each task…) but I know deep down he will always remember and love this about you. He may not think you walk on water forever Kent….
-Even though he doesn’t recognize it, you idolize your big brother. Tanner adores and wants to cuddle you because he’s a cuddle bear. You’re the opposite, the rough and tumble, stingy-with-the-hugs-and-PDA kind of kid. But every once in a while, we catch a sweet moment between the two of you and I quietly put it away in my heart for remembering later when you are about to kill each other.
I could write a lot more, but just know you’re the icing on our cake.
I love you,
Mommy
I’ve photographed Jacob once a year for the past few years, and he has more personality with every passing year. This year we scheduled the portrait session outside at Vasona Park in Los Gatos so Jacob could explore and ‘fish’. Meet Jacob! He loves many boy things….cars, fishing, trucks, and dirt…
This little boy is about four months old and fun to photograph. He has dimples when he smiles and during our session showed me his fondness for his toes!
