mila | leaving 2010 with a mini kaya update

looking back now, this year went by so fast.  i feel like i barely looked up. i had my highest highs and dropped to my lowest lows.  this mommyhood thing really kicked my ass but i feel like i've also kicked back.  today i can say that i'm in control and it feels good.  it didn't always feel that way.  i'm going to try my best to hang on to this feeling.  maybe even stay on top of the situation but change is a constant in this mommy role so i dunno.  i do know that i've got people to turn to who love us, support us and are reliable.  thank god for them.

it wasn't the best year in business for me.  i'm sure there's an entire nation and world that would agree with me on that.  it's ok though.  everything happens for a reason.  in a way... i'm glad.  it allowed me to focus on our new family and to find my bearings again.  tomorrow is a new beginning and i've got big plans for the year.  the first quarter is re-vamp time.  i can't wait!

p.s.  a kaya mini update

• three days ago she started crawling.  tentative, subconscious but deliberate.  she's as conservative with her movement as she is with her giggles.
• she's quicker to smile now.  maybe not with strangers but definitely around family
• she actually cares when i leave her with strangers now.  not too much, but enough to make me feel wanted.  ... i know... it's all about me.
• she likes to pull herself up to a standing position.  she tries anyway
• her first tooth is showing up!  bottom left.  woohoo!

just throwing these in here coz it reflects how i feel right now.  sigh ;)

happy new year everyone and be safe!!!!

mila | families

i didn't realize just how fast they grew.  i mean... i said it all the time when i caught up with my favorite families but now that i have my own... seriously.  you blink and the year is gone.

making memories with some of my favorites..

happy holidays everyone!

mila | playing model

i HATE being on the other side of the camera.  i feel awkward, self-conscious and these days... fat.  i would say 8 out of 10 clients can relate to this feeling.  and that's why i do it.  i need to know what it's like.  to learn how to pose people better i need to understand what makes the uncomfortable cross over to comfortable.  for me it's posing with someone else .. curtis or kaya.  if forced to get a solo shot my next comfort zone is sitting down or fidgeting with my feet.  whatever works for me i use to help my clients.  and so the exercise begins.

playing model for my amazingly talented friends.

michael and candace magoski own violethour in fullerton.  it's an amazing studio filled with their amazing art.  together they bring photography to a whole different level.  we took these photos a few months after kaya was born.  talk about self conscious!  candace did such an amazing job styling me and michael was so relaxed about it all i just had such a blast.

the photos above were edited by me, these next few came straight from the artist himself.

i met katya nova at a workshop this year and was just blown away.  everything about her oozed sensuality and talent in the most gentle and genuine way.  i was thrilled when she offered to take pictures of me and c.  couldn't jump on that band wagon fast enough.  down in laguna with the tide rising this girl battled the waves coz she was so caught up in our photo moment.  our friend regis has this insane shot of katya under a wave splash with her camera aimed at us.  the girl would not quit!

i am truly fortunate to be surrounded by such amazingly talented friends.