[Life Iz] Blogworthy... Welcome to the Life Iz Photography Blog!

Duck, Duck, Goose!

2009-03-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

At her photo session last week, Ireyln had fun chasing the ducks and geese! She did not seem to mind that the Goose she was chasing was just as big as she is! She's a brave one, huh? maybe it's because she has two older brothers showing her the ropes.

Stacy, Lon, and Hudson!

2009-02-20T11:05:00.000-08:00

I had a blast photographing Stacy and her growing Family down at the beach last week... here are a few of our favorites!

Valentine's Day Promotion!!

2009-01-30T10:44:00.000-08:00

The littlest people in our lives inspire the biggest LOVE!
Celebrate yours this season with a photo session!

Now through March 30th, sessions are just $149!

Plus, we are offering additional savings on the following featured products!

10x10 custom print with a grouping of 9 images $228 ($285 value)

Stationary Cards 25 4x5 custom-designed cards $85 ($106.25 value)

Three image 11x14 grouping in a custom frame $244 ($305 value)

15% off all Planet Jill Jewelry

*Sessions must take place between February 1st and March 30th 2009*
To view the promotion page click here

Sunny and Expecting

2009-01-27T12:54:00.000-08:00

Such a darling family - expecting their second and just so excited - and relishing their first baby boy Jack! We had so much fun, what a beautiful day.

The Best of 2008

2009-01-09T11:59:00.000-08:00

Our favorite Images from 2008! To be honest, it's an impossible feat to select our absolute favorite images of the year, but we did our best to compile a fun little selection of photographs and custom cards. Enjoy!

One of my favorite photos of the year happened of course, by accident! Candler's saddle shoes and outfit were just a bit to big for him. At one point, he literally walked out of his shoes. (Liz)

BIRTH

1. This moment perfectly captures the love and excitement that filled the room when baby Harlan entered the world! (Briana)
2. Moments after his son's delivery, dad Marc bonds with his third child, Sullivan. I captured the births of his two eldest siblings as well! Their mom, Jennifer is an inspiration to me...her devotion to both her family and career is palpable. (Liz)

PREGNANCY

1. and 2. The excitement this family was feeling in expecting the newest member of their family was absolutely contagious and just sang through the lens… we had so much fun together and I was glad to be able to be there to capture this time in their lives! (Monica)

INFANTS

1. Oh Casey and Miles – every time I look at this photo, I feel a little bit of joy and relativity. (Monica)
2. We love this peaceful moment! Ah, sleep, eat, repeat! What a life. (Liz)

CRAWLERS

1. Was this photo captured in the 1950s? This classic beauty striking the classic pose ( on her own of course) made this a timeless favorite. Her classic name: Stella. (Liz)
2. Spencer’s eyes are clearly the window to his soul, and his soul is full of sweetness! (Monica)

TODDLERS

1. I got a lesson in "Don't you dare put the camera down" that day. When Holden turned to leave, I almost missed this shot. I put the camera down at the "end" of the session. It's never over until its over. (Liz)
2. Brock is such a muse – he has a soulful quality to him, that when he gets in front of the camera it just shines out like a star. (Monica)

FAMILIES

1. Sometimes you don't need to see ANYONE'S faces in order to capture a worthwhile image. This is one of my personal favorites! (Liz)
2. Hey George, isn't is sweet when your parents still dig each other, even after all they go through to take care your little toddler self? Just Kidding sweetie! Congratulations on becoming a big brother this year! I can't wait to meet her! (Liz)

MOMS

1. Mom, Luan makes it look easy to look this fabulous and chase after a toddler at the same time...WOW! Inspiring! (Liz)
2. This photo was captured at Grandma's home where I saw many of mom, Melanie's baby photos on the wall. Can you say Mini Me!? (Liz)

DADS

1. Kyle and his Dad Sean were playing the waves in Santa Monica on this bizarrely warm winter day. Congrats Kyle on becoming a big brother to baby Ryan, aka, "Salty"! (Liz)
2. The adoration in little Abe’s eyes for his father… it is enough to melt hearts. (Monica)

SIBLINGS

1. The Fehrenbach boys shared a brotherly moment at William Mason park. They were tackling each other! (Liz)
2. Brother and sister are so darling – the way he looks at her, with such perplexed curiosity – seems to capture something seeming sort of universal in a glance. (Monica)

MELTDOWNS

1. Hope's little meltdown: Cutting room floor? Said with an accent a la Cher Horowitz, " I don't think sooo!"
One of my favorite things about capturing children is their ability to express raw emotion so beautifully and honestly....any emotion.
By the way, just a few moments after this one I captured Hope smiling, dancing and cuddling with her little brother Graham during an amazing sunset in Palos Verdes. (Liz)
2. This little man was amazing the WHOLE time – he was just having a moment – and even the MOMENT was adorable! (Monica)

EVENTS

1. Ella turns one! Her cupcake birthday was sweet, girly, and pink to absolute perfection! (Liz)
2. Nearby, her French Bulldog, Bodhi, waited for crumbs to drop. (Liz)

HOLIDAY CARDS
Allison's favorite

Briana's favorite

Monica's favorite

Liz's favorites... she couldn't choose just one

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS
Allison's favorite

Briana and Liz's favorite

Monica's favorite

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-22T13:01:00.000-08:00

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!

Baby Cullen!

2008-11-21T14:22:00.000-08:00

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...

The Ng Family

2008-11-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

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

Brock and Sophie

2008-10-21T14:15:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-10-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

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....

Hasani Family

2008-10-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

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!

Not Babies Anymore!

2008-10-09T18:02:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-09T17:54:00.000-07:00

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...

Isabella

2008-10-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

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!

The Last days of Summer with the Summers!

2008-09-19T16:02:00.000-07:00

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!

The Hart Family

2008-09-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

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!

Baby Haydon

2008-09-10T15:09:00.001-07:00

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...

Eli (aka Bruiser)

2008-09-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

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.

: )

The Wong Family

2008-08-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

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...

The Hedrick Family

2008-08-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

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

FLAME RETARDENTS IN CRIB MATTRESSES AND BABY SLEEPWEAR!

2008-08-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

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

Eli Update!

2008-08-21T15:37:00.000-07:00

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...

The Lewis Family

2008-08-19T17:30:00.000-07:00

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!

Anna

2008-08-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

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...

Benjamin!

2008-08-05T15:19:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen - meet Benjamin! How squeeze-ably adorable is this little fellow?

Eli's Birth

2008-08-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

I told you there you would be more photos from Eli’s first day of life and here they are finally!

My son, Elijah Wolf Schneggenburger, was born into a room filled with laughter and tears of joy, surrounded by loved ones on May 30th 2008 at 10:20am. It was quite a party! By my side was my loving husband Marty, my strong, supportive mom, and my voice of encouragement (and DJ), my sister, Danielle. Dr. Dad was brave enough to stay in the room and watch his grandson be born. Friends, Fanny, Becky and Shayna huddled together and witnessed everything with excitement, awe, and a touch of fear.

Oh yes, and I can’t forget my wonderful birth photographer and friend Stephanie, who was there to capture these beautiful images…I only wish someone had taken a photo of her too!

Maybe this is why Eli already loves a good party with lots of smiling faces around him and good tunes playing in the background.

Other than being my birth doula, my sister also was a great birthroom DJ, playing tunes from her iPhone to keep things light and happy.
She even played “Push It” by Salt n’ Pepa. You can’t take birthing babies too seriously when you hear that. I was a few weeks past my due date so friends were anxious.

Good family friend and Doctor, Randy Harris, took good care of me and E.

Moments after he was delivered, Eli already has a lot to say.

Eli was very alert, with his eyes wide open to take it all in. He is still this way. I often find myself saying to him, “You don’t have to take the whole world in by today. You’ve got time little man.”

Jake and Kate

2008-07-07T17:12:00.000-07:00

Not all big brothers adore their sisters in such an obvious way as Jake does...

Blanketed with love: This blanket was made for her by grandma!

Baby Emerson

2008-07-01T16:23:00.001-07:00

How beautiful and peaceful is this little girl? She looks like she is taking the best nap ever! She and her darling mom and dad were such a joy to photograph. There are plenty more adorable photos from their shoot so stay tuned!

Expressions of Summer event with Sprout Kids!

2008-06-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

We are doing a wonderful, summer photography event for new Life Iz clients with one of our favorite children's boutiques, Sprout, on July 11th and 12th. If you haven't worked with Life Iz before, we encourage you to sign up for a 1/2 priced mini-session and experience how much fun it is to have Life Iz capture your family! Not only that, but those who sign up get an exclusive 15% Sprout in-store discount and fun surprise gift buckets! Join us!

We love the Mame Spa!

2008-06-24T12:54:00.000-07:00

Liz, Monica and I had such a wonderful experience spending time at the MaMe Spa this past week! The women that work there were very warm and welcoming, not to mention it's just such a cute space. We enjoyed relaxing under the zen music while talking to some Mommies interested in our services. We also ran into a few clients who happened to be at the spa for some pampering themselves. What a great concept - Mom gets to treat herself to spa services while the kids are taken care of by child care professionals! Definitely worth checking out. :)

The Jackson Family

2008-06-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

This family was so sweet to photograph together, you can just tell they are smitten! I loved their darling newborn daughter's gorgeous curly red hair and her precious and brightly colored birdie bedding.

Mame Spa Event

2008-06-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

Join us at the MaMe Spa for a special event!

Meet the Life Iz photographers, check out samples of our custom products, and pick up your exclusive session discount card!

When: Wednesday, June 18
Where: MaMe Spa in Redondo Beach
1729 S. Catalina Avenue Riviera Village
Redondo Beach, CA 90277

We look forward to seeing you there!

Eli Update!

2008-06-06T17:39:00.000-07:00

We got these "teaser" photos of baby Eli from our friend Stephanie who photographed the birth! We hope you enjoy them as much as we do... more to come!

Mikey and Mateo

2008-06-05T15:16:00.000-07:00

I recently did a session with one of our growing series clients: a delightful family whose boys are growing up before our very eyes! The little ones are so adorable- between older bro Mikey's dimples and little bro Mateo's enormous eyes, they are total dolls!

Huey Baby!

2008-06-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

Towards the end of Liz's last trimester (in May), when she was finally having to slow down a little, I accompanied her on the Hueys' family shoot to help her out. We had tons of fun together- everyone in the office loves the angelic glow that darling "Huey Baby" puts off and, as you can see, I found him irresistible! Liz took these snaps of "Huey Baby" and I while I was getting some adorable close-ups of the little fellow. How could I resist a hug?

Today is the day!

2008-05-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: HE'S HERE!

All we have is this iPhone photo - we are sooooooo excited! We are waiting for more news - but what we DO know is that he is totally adorable, looks just like Liz and Marty, and has RED HAIR!

Eli Wolf
5/30/08 10:20am
8 pounds 7 ounces
21.5 inches

Happy Birthday!

The Kaczmarek Family

2008-05-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun with the Kaczmareks this year! I last captured photos of them when they lived in the South Bay and their son Gabriel was only about 6 months old. Now Gabe is three years old and his adorable sister Emma is almost one! This year I made a special trip to Phoenix to capture photos of them at their new beautiful home. I was there for two nights and three days and I didn't want to leave; I wanted them to adopt me. You should have seen how amazing both children were when we went out to dinner at the fancy upscale restaurant at The Boulders Resort! Dinner lasted over an hour and they both sat in their seats, were sweet natured and fun as usual and enjoyed their dinners! Earlier at the resort, during one of the photo sessions, we mistook a helipad for a small park. Little Emma was crawling all around and smiling while a helicopter circled over our heads. Oops. The security staff at Boulders very politely told us that we might want to move. Our bad. I miss seeing them all.

Boymom Designs

2008-05-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

I grew up with one sister, no brothers. My mom is one of four daughters and all of them have two daughters as well! Okay two of them each had one boy, but you see what I'm getting at here. Nearly all of our family pets were female too! When my sister gave birth to her first child 9 years ago, A BOY, we all marveled at him as if he were a unicorn. Not that I believe that boys and girls are sooo different, but lets face it, they are. I am expecting my first child, a boy, any day now and it's safe to say I've got a lot learn... and I'm thrilled to learn! I'm proud to become a BOY MOMMY!

Check out the cute designs at Boymom

Mother's Day Card

2008-05-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

I know it’s a little late to share a Mother’s Day card, but I only recently got my father’s permission to share it. You see, he’s not usually one to write much on a greeting card. You’re lucky if he remembers to sign his name in there. Thankfully, this year he couldn’t find the perfect Hallmark ditty, so he found a blank card he liked and filled it in himself. Let fathers everywhere take a cue from my dad on this one for next year: give the trusty Hallmark cards a rest and write your own tribute to the mother of your children. It brought tears to my mom’s eyes.

Baby Shower

2008-05-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

Originally my sister and I had envisioned a truly unique unisex Baby Shower, complete with sliders, french fries, gift opening, and games including “guess the size of the expectant mommy’s waistline” and Xbox. Well, we thought about it and reconsidered… the classic feminine shower is what we decided upon and no one was disappointed.

My mom, sister and good friend Fanny took on the main tasks of food, games and decor respectively; each did an incredible job. I was surprised by the Life Iz staff with wonderful photographs of the event, some of which I share below. I told them to come and enjoy the party and leave their cameras at home….but that last part clearly didn’t happen.

THANK YOU!

Menu:
Catered by Bite Catering
(soon to be featured on Food Network Challenge) Go Bite Catering!

* Cream cheese stuffed French toast with warm raspberry syrup.
* Homemade granola, fresh fruit, and Greek yogurt parfaits
* Caramelized Onion and gorgonzola cheese tarts
* Mini Spinach quiches
* Mini croissant sandwiches
* Fancy cheese, dried fruit, and nut platter
* Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, fresh from the Farmer’s market with cool whip.
* Mini chocolate chip cookies with milk shots.

Desert:
Mini cupcakes from Vanilla in Santa Monica

The Life Iz girls and I did a taste test of the mini cupcakes at Vanilla and they were all scrumptious…Red Velvet is the clear winner and I personally love the one called, “Mom’s Birthday cake” which features extra heaps of creamy chocolate frosting. YUM!

Games:
We kept this to a minimum and let the guests mingle and eat instead. No sniffing or tasting “baby poop” candy bars in diapers. What is with that game?

* Name that Celebrity baby
* Guess the waistline of the mommy-to-be
* Guests were given safety pins on strings. If the word, “baby” was mentioned by another guest, that guest got to take the pin. The person with the most pins at the end of the party won a prize.

Congratulations Diane Karpman!

Décor:
Colors: Yellow, black and white

(sunflowers, hundreds of balloons, mod style black and white paper plates and rubber duckies of course)

Anyone who’s been to the Life Iz office knows we have quite the rubber duck collection. They were placed in glass containers and were also seen freely roaming around the house in each nook and cranny.

Stephanie, Monica, Briana, and Allison. Apparently, photographers wear white to baby showers.

My niece Simone and nephew Quinn with my mom’s dog, Chewy. Capturing Quinn’s birth on June 24th, 1999 inspired me to start my business. I cannot stop photographing these two.

My uber fabulous sister and formidable fashion stylist, Danielle Stone.

One of my favorite t-shirts for Eli, of course!

My husband, Marty, prefers this one.

When I was little my mom read six children’s books a night to me. It’s a life long goal of mine to publish children’s books of my own.

Our pug Bea thinks these gifts are for her.

Expecting Eli...

2008-05-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

Photos captured by the beautiful Jennifer Carrillo of Bella Rosa Photography.

I met Jen several years ago when she was expecting her first daughter, Juliana, and I immediately adored her warm and genuine personality. I had the privilege and honor of capturing both Juliana’s birth and her little sister Bella’s entrance into the world. When I saw Jen’s wedding photography, I was wildly impressed; her warmth really comes through in her artful work. I knew I had found my girl. I just needed to find the guy… you know, to marry. Three years later, after first meeting Jen, I did. And yes, the photos from the wedding are everything I could have wanted and more. So are these!

Seven and a half months ago my husband Marty and I learned that we were going to become parents. When I called Marty at work to confirm the news, he had to take several walks outside because he couldn’t breathe… the excitement was overwhelming for both of us. When we found out we were expecting a boy 16 weeks into the pregnancy (Patience is not a virtue of mine) we knew his name without having to think twice. You see, Marty and I met six years ago in a creative writing short story class in which I wrote a story entitled "Eli", about becoming a mother. The week after I read it to the class, Marty brought in a story entitled "Before", about a woman expecting her first child. He read it in the The New Yorker many years earlier and searched on microfilm in the basement of a library to find a copy of it because my story reminded him of it so much and possibly because he was looking for a reason to talk to me. Ironically, like myself, in the story "Before" the soon-to-be mother is thrilled but there is also a strong feeling of fear, of being the first amongst her girlfriends to become a mom… how exactly would all of this change her life, her place in the world… what might she learn along the way?

Thankfully I have been blessed with the opportunity to observe brand new parents learning the ropes… tired eyes that droop with immense love and pride. Clients always ask me (with smirks on their faces) “Does capturing all of these births and being a witness to the first weeks of parenthood make you want to do it less yourself?” In other words, “Have you seen too much?” I always reply, “No, it makes me want it more.” Not that I look forward to the exhaustion, the constant needs of a little being, the desperate act of trying to strike the perfect balance of family, work, play, and what’s that other one… oh yeah, alone time. I have learned, and continue to learn from all of you that whatever the sacrifice… the stretch marks and the dark circles are worth it. My parents made parenting look fun… so do all of you! Did any one see Baby Mama? Well, I feel a quote from that movie coming on:

Caroline: “Is that chocolate or poop? Chocolate or poop? (she licks her child’s dirty hand) Chocolate!”

Kate: “What if that had been poop?”

Caroline: Parenting. It’s messy, but fun.”

I can’t wait! (Any day now)

The following are pages from a small album that the girls designed for me using some of our favorite images from my session with Jennifer.