{Monster Truck Jam, Phoenix 2010}

I never thought I'd blog about Monster Trucks, but here I am :)  My husband works for Universal Technical Institute, a sponsor at the Monster Jam.   This was my first experience up close and personal with Monster Jam and the humungo trucks that compete - I was in awe.  I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did.  Before the show we went to the Pit Party and saw the trucks and drivers up close - it was crazy how big these trucks are and how little we were next to them.  The kids loved it and when we were told we could write on the cars that were going to be demolished, the kids were in heaven. {the kids in action above}.  I even got into it...it was freeing to be able to do something like this LOL.  I've banned sharpies from my house for fear the kids will think it's a Crayola marker and ruin our table, furniture and well, everything.  So the kids looked at me before writing on these cars and hesitantly asked 'Really?  We can draw, we write on these cars?'   I loved seeing their excitement. :)  After the Pit Party the show was ready to begin so we headed up to UTI's Party Suite!  Again, we were in awe - food, souvenirs, drinks and a great view of the trucks below.  It was a blast!!!

(below) I got to see the 'pretty' mechanical parts of these trucks - they were really colorful and complex.

UTI's Party Suite below :)

The first competitor in the Freestyle Competition was a woman driver.  She and her truck 'Outlaw' were tough!   She was a driver with no fear!  At the end of her portion of the competition her wheel broke off.  Her gutsy driving put her in high ranking but in the end she ended up tying for second place.

Monster Mutt below.

El Toro Loco.

GraveDigger - Our Favorite!

{Happy New Year! 2010 has begun!}

It's a new year - already!!  A new decade!  Wow, it's amazing how much life can change in a year and in a decade.  10 years ago I was a Corporate Financial Statement Auditor with Deloitte & Touche  LLC, and was breathing a sigh of relief that all my clients computer systems didn't crash in the Y2K conversion (a major stresser/responsibility for my company at that time).  I wasn't married, but was dating my now husband.  I was living in an apartment in West Seattle, with a beautiful view of Fauntleroy Fairy and walking distance to parks, food, and video stores (yeah, video stores that are now going extinct.  Crazy hu?).  I didn't have a GPS, I didn't even know what one was at the time.  iPhones were not a part of our language or a necessity to our lives and I didn't even know what blogging was.   Isn't that crazy?!  Now life is much different... I text my friends who live in other states just to let them know I'm thinking of them, I text my husband at work to see what he wants for dinner,  I have two kids who hog my iPhone to play games, secretly call grandparents and giggle as they are doing it (haven't called to China yet, thankfully - lol),  we've lived in 3 different states in the past 10 years.  Life just keeps changing, evolving and moving on... so quickly.

So now that Christmas has ended and a new year has begun I'm still not ready to take down my Christmas tree - but today is the day. Time to clean the house and welcome the New Year with a clean house and a clear mind.  Happy New Year everyone!!

I've attached our family Christmas Card from this year along with some fun out-takes from our photo session.  I was using a tripod so we had to make our session super quick (the kids only last about 15 minutes before they are done)

{A New Little Hero Entered Heaven's Gates}

I  want to share with you a story of a little hero named Aldo Rubio.  He was a happy, loving, and honest little seven year old.  On Thursday night, he was playing with three of his friends across the street from his house.  They found a hole in the chain-linked fence leading to the canal and being curious little boys, they decided to explore. One of the boys (11 years old) fell into the canal.  With bravery and selflessness, Aldo jumped in the deep canal to help his friend to safety and in doing so, Aldo was pulled further into the cold waters.  There's nothing to grab onto in the swift deep waters of the canal, so sadly, Aldo was swept away leaving his friends powerless and running for help.  A man driving by saw that one of the boys running was soaking wet & frantic and asked what happened and then immediately called 911 for help.  Rescuers, firefighters, and helicopter teams searched for Aldo in the cold murky waters and sadly discovered his lifeless body  12 hours later, 60 yards from where the boys fell in.  My heart breaks today.  He was in my son's class at school and I had the joy of seeing him each week when I volunteered in his classroom.  My interactions with him were always sweet and warm, he always made me laugh or smile over his gentle and sincere words.  I enjoyed the time I got to spend with him - helping  him with his reading words, exploring books to add to his 'reading book bag', and playfully greeting him in the mornings.  He was always happy and that was infectious to everyone around him.

Tyler doesn't understand the impact of what has happened to his friend yet.  We were out of town when I spoke to the School Nurse and received the devastating news.  Security, police and trauma counselors are at his school to help the children and teachers with their grief.  Tyler doesn't want to talk about it and still thinks that Aldo will be at school on Monday and they'll play.  He's in denial and I feel helpless.  Monday will be difficult  when he sees Aldo's empty place at the table in their classroom.   I know heaven needed Aldo and he's in the loving arms of God, but he is missed so much here.  He's a young hero, so courageous and altruistic.  He's watching over his family, friends and classmates each day and that brings us comfort.  He will live in our hearts and will never be forgotten.

Aldo's family needs our prayers right now.  I can't imagine how they feel  with what they are going through.   An account to pay for Aldo's funeral has been established at Bank of America.   Anyone wishing to donate should ask for the Positive Impact Inc. account. under Aldo Rubio at any Bank of America Branch.  This time of year it especially hard to deal with such loss, so any amount will be appreciated.  Thank you.

{Happy Thanksgiving!}

This morning I overheard Tyler asking Brielle if she knows why we celebrate thanksgiving.  She answered 'because we're thankful'.  Tyler began to tell her the story of the pilgrims, how the woman back then had to keep their caps on or it was considered rude, etc.  He was so excited sharing with her what he knew about the this special day.  He even drew her pictures of Turkeys but added, 'Did you know they didn't eat Turkey at all on the first Thanksgiving?'.  Who knew?  LOL 

 There's  so much to be Thankful for this year and every year.  I'm trying to stay away from my computer today but wanted to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.  I hope your day is filled with warmth, togetherness, and positive reflection.  Have a great holiday celebration!

{one of my new favorite images} :)

{Designer Spotlight: Kait Emerson & NuxieMade}

These two keep coming out with amazing new designs and color combinations.  I was so excited when I saw what Feanna, of Kait Emerson sent me.  Her fall/winter line is fabulous with the peasant patterned tops, ruffled pants, apron dresses, and solid twirl skirt (passes the 'twirl test with Brielle' - it's one of her favorites to wear).  Melissa, talented hat designer for NuxieMade, coordinated the hats perfectly with the Kait Emerson's line.  As we were photographing, people (in particular woman) would stop and say 'I love that hat! Where did you find it?'  Of course I carried her business cards with me to the shoot :)  Also during the shoot another photographer who does 'corporate profile work', stopped me and asked all about Brielle's outfit...then we talked shop ab0ut lenses, lighting, camera bodies, etc.  ;-)  It was fun chatting with passer-by's - so friendly and warm (love people like that).    Anyway, I wanted to share with you these adorable designs that can be found at  Kait Emerson Designs and Nuxiemade, check them out!

{The Little Traveler}

I have the best job ever!  I was so lucky to photograph this darling little 13th month old who flew in from Washington DC last week.  Okay, so they didn't fly here just for the session....they were visiting Sedona and made a little detour mid-trip to meet me for a session!  And they even brought gifts!  Yes, for me, Tyler and Brielle. Such an awesome greeting - thank you again Pamela you are so thoughtful.

What a happy, expressive little girl.  She was on the move and fast so her mom, dad and I got a serious workout LOL.  But it was fun and Juliana was full of curiosity exploring everything around her.    Here's a little peek from our fun session together :)

{ZoGirl's Spring Line Peek - 'Brielle Dress'}

Ekkk!!  I'm so excited!  Julie, designer and master seamstress behind the amazing ZozoBugBaby clothing brought me in on a little secret.  I got to see and photograph part of her super fun ZoGirl Spring line  (for girls sizes 6 and up)!!  I've had these images done for a little while now, but I've had to keep them hush, hush until the designs were released to her whole-salers and other peeps in the design industry.  These Spring styles were 50's inspired - they are flirty, with a vintage flare and a touch of retro.  I love the combination!!  And guess what?!  She even named this one 'The Brielle Dress'.  I'm completely flattered and ecstatic!!  See more of her fantastic work here! 

{Autumn just might be here....}

I woke up foggy eyed  this morning and ran the thermometer to see what the temperature was outside.  And guess what?  It was a crisp and lightly windy 51 degrees out!!  I was so excited.  I love cool weather and it just doesn't feel like fall until the coolness nips at your nose in the morning.  I even wore jeans today - the first time in 6 months!  Tyler forgot he had long pants and was shocked when I he saw what I had laid out for him - his jaw dropped and he giggled 'I love pants, I didn't know I still had any'.  Brielle....well she was not going to put on anything but a dress.  But squealed with excitedly about putting on the warm and cozy fluffy sweater I had out for her.  She said 'I haven't seen this since I was a baby'.  Too funny.    Just wanted to share my excitement!  Happy Autumn blog friends!   

The picture above was taken this morning.  Of course the kids aren't wearing their sweaters since the house was too warm for them.  But it was pretty chilly outside - really.  Oh and today was tie day for Spirit Week at Tyler's school so you can't really see it but he's wearing one of daddy's ties with his green t-shirt.  He really gets into spirit weeks at school -  I love that about him.

{Brothers}

Aren't these boys adorable?!  I'm lucky to be friends with their momma, my dear friend Clarity.  I got the biggest kick out of this session - these two were absolute characters and they got along with each other so well.  I loved seeing their interaction, listening to their silly jokes, and hearing their laughter.  Dominick, the adorable older brother with red hair was giving me all of his impersonations  (I happened to snap a shot during one of him singing the SpongeBob theme song, love his facial expression).   Drake, the younger brother, was a little quieter but just as much fun and silly.   I think he was pretty entertained by his brother and together their laughter echoed off the alley way where we were photographing.   Here's a peak into our session. 

{Designer Spotlight: ZoZoBugBaby Pattern}

Oh my, look what ZoZoBugBaby has been up to now!  For you crafty people out there who can follow a pattern (unlike me), Julie, owner of ZoZoBugBaby, has teamed up with P&B Textiles to create some gorgeous pattern designs.  This is just one of three that she's releasing in late November or early December.  The fabric is by Pat Sloan and I think they work so well with Julie's designs.   Julie is truly talented and amazes me with each of her designs!  I don't know how she does it all, she's a very in-demand lady with her work and stays up late into the night working on customers' orders and new designs. 

Brielle, was a hoot during our session here.  She kept offering ideas and insisted on laying down for that first shot.  I just let her go with it even though some of her poses I didn't process since she looked like a flamingo with one leg tucked behind her - she kept insisting on that pose.  So funny.  She's makes me laugh.