Double Blessings: Charlie & Alex’s Baptism

February 27, 2011March 1, 2011Leave a comment

My head must’ve been really occupied these past few months because I had this post saved as a draft but never published it! Anyway, it’s such a waste not to share it since it was such a wonderful day so I’ll see what I can recall.

I remember it had been raining all week in those last few days of October. That’s autumn in Southern California for ya’. It was cold and wet but for some reason, on that day before Halloween, the sun came up over the horizon and stayed there for the rest of the day. Maybe the rain was really on its way out. Maybe rainy season was coming to a close. Or maybe God saw His new precious children in Charlie and Alex and couldn’t resist.

Charlie and Alex are 10 months as we speak, and these were taken about four months ago. They’re much bigger now, and they know how to do so much more than they used to, but their baptism day is something their parents can tell them about when they’re older. It was such a happy day, for two such happy babies.

I drove to Iya and Chris’ in the morning so I could take some shots of them getting ready for the big day. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from these awesome parent-friends of mine, it’s that teamwork is not just one thing, it’s EVERYTHING, especially when there are kids in multiples. I got to watch the girls while their parents got dressed, and they were both just so well-behaved, playing with their toys while I snapped away.

After they were dressed, we headed to Holy Family in Pasadena for the wonderful celebration of initiation into God’s family. It was a private ceremony for the girls, so the church was filled with family and friends. I got to be one of the honored few to be godmother (to Alex), and it is a position that I will always hold dear.

The girls were so good during the whole ceremony, mostly staring curiously at everything and everyone around them; from waiting in the pews to the moment of truth at the baptismal fount, Charlie and Alex were as well-behaved as Iya and Chris could hope for.

Lunch at a nearby buffet was a great way to end that most wonderful occasion. Now we get to watch as the girls continue to, well, grow.

[(Honorable mention: Nothing Bundt Cakes made these delicious bundtinis, and Iya made those cute tag stands to commemorate Charlie and Alex’s special day. We put those tags together the night before. Good stuff, huh? =)]

Louderback Family

December 29, 2010February 12, 20171 Comment

My co-worker, Nicole and her husband Mike, moved to Southern California about 2 years ago from Pennsylvania. They live in a beautiful house in Dana Point, with a hammock/swing hanging on a tree in their front yard. It’s located towards the end of a semi-cul de sac, so it’s like a little hideway, very cool.

This past fall, they were blessed with a cute baby boy, Henry. Cute…cute cute cute! It’s so funny taking pictures of babies, especially when they’re as young as Henry. They don’t necessarily really do anything that you want or ask them to do, so you’re pretty much at the mercy of their actions and reactions. I have to say, though, I didn’t really mind. I loved it, capturing Henry’s reaction to Mike trying to make him laugh, or Nicole seating him on her lap. And their dogs, Blarney and Libby, are so gentle around Henry. They’re like his extra guardians and I know the baby is going to grow up just loving them as much as Mike and Nicole do.

After some shots of Henry au naturale (that’ll probably show up in his wedding slideshow, haha!), he was dressed for storytime and it was from the book his parents read that Henry was so named.

Thanks so much for inviting me up for a session, Mike and Nicole!

A Space of Their Own: Colin’s 2nd Birthday

December 20, 2010May 4, 2011Leave a comment

He loves basketball and he loves Disneyland. At 2 years old, what more, really, do you need in life? For Colin, a few hours at an indoor playground with his friends and cousins was the perfect celebration. There were toys everywhere, a huge inflatable slide that the kids spent hours climbing up and sliding down from, having the grandest ol’ time you could have as a kid. I miss being a kid.

I’ve known Colin’s mom, Cheska, since we were in high school. She was a senior when I was a freshman and all the proverbials about looking up to her and her class, being intimidated, etc, those all apply. I’m so happy that we’ve managed to see each other through the years, despite the time between her graduation and, well, Facebook =)

Thanks again, Cheska and Richard, for asking me to capture your little boy’s special day!