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Life iz Website

Hello and welcome to the Life Iz blog. Since I just recently discovered what a blog actually is and how it all works, we are going to learn together! It will be something like this: a fun place to see some of our favorite images from our most recent sessions and get ideas for your own; a place to share our favorite finds for mommies, daddies and children; a place where you can get to know me and the Life Iz staff; and a place to share what I've learned during my first years as a parent because maybe it will be helpful for all of you, or maybe it will just make you laugh and remember... and be easier on yourself. Love, Liz

Monday, December 22, 2008

Happy Holidays!

The staff at Life Iz wishes you a very Merry Holiday! We've had a blast capturing photos for all of our clients and feel blessed and lucky to be able to do something we find personally rewarding... capturing new life and new love for those wonderful tired people called parents! We're sorry that we abandoned our blog to become holiday elves and finish up holiday orders on time, which we did manage to pull off...PHEW!

Be sure to check back in a few week for a posting of some our greatest hits from the season.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!




Friday, November 21, 2008

Baby Cullen!

This family was a delight - and their baby boy, Cullen, was the sweetest thing. Even though this is holiday season and things are wild, I wanted to share their joyfulness on the blog. Here is a sneak peek...



Tuesday, November 4, 2008

The Ng Family

Isn't Brady, aka "daddy's mini-me" a cutie! He loved playing in the hanging leaves at William Mason park this month!




Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Brock and Sophie

Never mind it was 100 degrees that day, the glorious San Juan Capistrano Train Depot and surrounding area was such a fun scene to capture Brock and Sophie.



The O'Grady Family!

This family was amazing- the quintessential cool MB family, so sweet and fun. How gorgeous are their girls Katie, Mollie and Sarah? Such a photogenic bunch. Allison and I adored working with them! Here is a sneak peek at their session....



Monday, October 13, 2008

Hasani Family

Salt Creek State beach was a stunning backdrop for my session with the Hasani family this past month. I had so much fun capturing them, especially when I ran into the surf, ruining another yet another pair of Puma sneakers...oh well, it was totally worth it!



Grandma and Grandpa Frey are leaving for Louisiana for a family reunion, and these are their adorable grandchildren!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Not Babies Anymore!

My nephew Quinn and Niece Simone seem to have grown up over night. I've photographed them at this beach in their hometown of Santa Barbara since they were very little. However, last year I was so busy that I couldn't make a date with them to do their session. Making my sister resort to using a snap shot for her holiday card was cruel and unusual punishment to do to her family and the two inspirations of my business. Now can you see why I entered this field?

Alicia

This gorgeous girl has the most amazing eyes... just look at those lashes! She and her mom and dad were so fun to photograph! Here is a sneak peek at sweet baby Alicia...



Friday, October 3, 2008

Isabella

You all know how we love to blog about all these gorgeous babies... but this is our wildly busy holiday season so we've been busy little bees - but I just HAD to blog about DELIGHTFUL Isabella!


Friday, September 19, 2008

The Last days of Summer with the Summers!

I captured the beautiful Summer family this August under the Manhattan Beach Pier on a perfectly overcast day! We started at their home, but it was at the beach where the children really let loose and played. They totally forgot I was there at one point and that's when my camera was clicking away on hyper-drive. I have never lived more than 5 minutes from the Ocean and after watching these children, I vow to raise my family by the beach too!



Friday, September 12, 2008

The Hart Family

This family was as sunny and bright as their daughter Peyton's outfit - I enjoyed working with them immensely and am excited to meet their newest addition, who is sure to be as beautiful as Peyton!




The Condon Family

These kids were amazing. Have you ever seen a brother and sister get along better and be more photogenic while doing it? It makes us smile...let us all usher in Peace and Joy as we enter the Fall season!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Baby Haydon

Darling baby Haydon was a super-star at her photo session - not only did she steal her parents' hearts (and mine and everyone here at the studio!), but she obviously stole her bulldog Simon's heart as well! Here is a sneak peek of her session...



Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Eli (aka Bruiser)

Elijah weighed in at 17 pounds at his 3 month visit to Dr. Geller which firmly places him in the 98th percentile! I often wonder how it is that I will be in charge when he outweighs me and is several inches taller than me by the time he enrolls in the kindergarten!

He's breaking my arms and back but that outrageous belly laugh of his makes it all worth it. His personality is really coming out now.

Words to describe Eli: smiley, patient, chatty, sweet natured, mellow, a great communicator, funny, and determined to roll over.

: )




Thursday, August 28, 2008

The Wong Family

A sneak peek from the really fun session with the adorable Wong family - I really enjoyed working with them and can't wait to show them all of their photos! In the meantime, here are just a few...




Tuesday, August 26, 2008

The Hedrick Family

Talk about a perfectly beachy bunch! This gorgeous family partook in our super-fun Sprout event.




Friday, August 22, 2008

FLAME RETARDENTS IN CRIB MATTRESSES AND BABY SLEEPWEAR!

This is something I learned that I would like to share with other new mommies. I know this sounds a bit scary and that’s not my goal, to scare anyone into buying something expensive. It’s just that in this case, I feel it’s my responsibility to share this:

I just bought a very pricey ($400) crib mattress (made in England) for my little guy Eli and this was tough since I know you can get the DELUX mattresses at Baby’s R Us for about $90 dollars. I also found a mattress made in the US that the manufacturers claimed to be “organic” and was about half the price of the one I got. My father, a physician who has been studying toxicology for over 30 years gave me a good enough reason to buy the one from Europe. Please read below. I know some of it may be hard to follow as it gets pretty technical, but you’ll get the point of it.

FYI: Here’s what I bought after a mommy group member suggested it and it was approved by my dad:

Naturalmat




You can get them from several stores in the US. I got Eli’s from The Juvenile Shop


In the 1990s there was nothing but praise for the fact that most states made it mandatory that many common electronic appliances in the home be treated with flame retardants to slow any electrical fire that might occur from malfunction or overheating. This requirement was further extended to include other items for which the use of fire retardants made sense, such as bedding (including mattresses for beds and cribs) and children’s sleepwear.

Unfortunately, as we learned more about some of the chemicals used as flame retardants, we recognized that one group, the polybrominated diphenyl esters (PBDEs) were potent neurotoxins (toxic to the brain and nervous tissue), were capable of slowing or even arresting development of young animals, and were toxic to the liver in multiple species. What was more frightening was the fact that nearly every adult tested had these PBDEs in their blood, and in nursing mothers, the concentration in breast milk was higher than in the blood.

PBDEs are concentrated in fat, and are part of a group of chemicals known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). These POPs break down very slowly, if at all, and persist in the environment for decades (like DDT).

Many states have banned the use of the 4, 5, and 8 bromine containing PBDE, but continue to allow the use of the deca-BDE (containing 10 bromine atoms). The argument has been that this larger molecule is more “stable” than the smaller, more toxic PBDEs. Unfortunately, recent research shows that this “deca” BDE breaks down into the 5 and 4 bromine containing PBDE over time, either through the action of common bacteria or in the body itself via the action of the liver (the organ responsible for trying to get rid of this toxin in the blood). These facts were brought out to a “blue ribbon” committee that advises the EPA, and the leading researcher involved in this work was “dismissed” from this committee by the FDA at the request of other members of the committee who were appointees of the chemical industry. So much for fair mindedness.

Given this situation, and the “digging in” by the chemical manufacturers, there is not likely to be a US ban on the deca product any time soon. Best advice: Buy bedding for your child that is PBDE free. These are usually made in Europe, where PBDEs are not used. You should also look for sleepwear not made with chemical flame retardants, or at least, no PBDEs. Yes, there are other, non-toxic flame retardants out there. Check the internet or the Environmental Working Group’s website for more information.

Dr. Stewart Lonky MD, author of Invisible Killers



Thursday, August 21, 2008

Eli Update!

Here's a recent photo of our favorite baby, Eli. Liz insists "he's just thinking real hard" but I think he is busy doing something else...



Tuesday, August 19, 2008

The Lewis Family

Meet Baby Dylan - he is cute as a button and so fun to photograph! This family was a part of our Sprout Event this summer, and just a pleasure to work with. How can you not love that smile!




Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Anna

Anna and her parents were so much fun- and adventurous too! Darling little Anna "posed" on an antique bench, with Grandma, with Mom and Dad, with the beloved family dog, and in a sweet pink basket...