Boys Will Be Boys

Johnny, John and Julian in the good light during the golden hour.

Oh, and Julian finally got his first tooth!!!

Enjoy and happy weekend, peeps :)

Christmas Bokeh Galore

Eucalyptus Street in San Carlos is a magical place this time of year.  There are inflatable Santas ten feet tall, there are Nativity scenes, there are reindeer pulling sleighs, huge blown glass ornaments, snowflakes, Grinches, glowing gift boxes, bows and angels and elves and glitter, and there are hundreds upon thousands string lights adorning every house and tree and car.  It's a very good photo opportunity for one's Holiday family portraits...if, of course, your kids are willing to stand still for even a second instead of running amok, trying to destroy the place.

We left the baby at home so that Johnny could enjoy some Christmas spirit, but I only managed to take one proper photo of him.  I compensated with capturing the amazing bokeh!  Merry Christmas, peeps!

At Santa's House

I love Christmas but when it comes to decoration, I keep it simple.  A stocking or two under the mantelpiece, a small living tree, a dozen ornaments in classic red and gold...and that's pretty much it.  But life is interesting because people are different, and there's a family in our neighborhood who's literally obsessed with holiday lights.  We went to their house last year to take the photos for our Christmas cards and we returned again yesterday for more bokeh and glitter and toddler fun.  Most of the portraits here are fuzzy on the focus - I was tired and the light was fading fast, and I was not able to keep up with the speed Johnny was running around.  Still, seeing the way his face lit up when we got there made up for all my technical failings.

P.S.  This is Johnny's NO face.  I get that face every time I try to photograph him...

A Good Sunday

We attended a great birthday party today - there were animals to pet and friends to talk to, and although we couldn't stay for the cake, we had such a fun time.  Getting out of the house and taking photos was long overdue!

I am loving the beautiful warm light in these.  As the season changes to Fall, the sun shines so softly! 

Oh, Deer!

Nothing ever happens in my neighborhood...and this is why I like it so much.  Belmont is quiet, clean, and very very safe, and it has the feel of a small country town rather than that of suburbia.  I love the hills and the small steep streets, the creeks and the trails, the abundant forest-like parks, and the deer that live in them.  They come out in the early mornings or just around sunset, slowly nibbling on fresh greens, not even a bit afraid of people.  

It's a good place to live and raise children.

Here are a few shots I took of the deer last night.  I wish I had time to mount my telephoto lens on, but oh well.  

A Visit to the Firehouse, Take One (Failed)

Our entire family has been very sick for the...I want to say past few days, but in reality it's been at least a couple of months - ever since Johnny started daycare.  It's tough but I guess there's no way around it.  My immune system hasn't been great either so I catch every bug that happens to float around, and it takes me ages to recover... 

My point is, we were planning this visit to the Belmont Fire Station 14 on Saturday morning, but we were all too tired to get organized.  Same on Sunday morning...till yesterday, Monday morning, when we finally felt a bit normal.  Johnny sported a firefighter top and red shorts, and even brought his firetruck along!  And I brought my camera.  

Unfortunately I also have something called "pregnancy brain", which basically turns even the brightest woman into a complete moron.  Monday was Memorial Day and of course the Fire Station wasn't open to the public.  Tough luck.  

We made the most of it, though.  We took a detour to the local park and took some bokeh-galore portraits.   We are going back to the Fire Station next weekend.

Here the photos, enjoy our silly faces :)

Mother's Day Adventures

Yesterday we all went on, as Winnie the Pooh puts it, an EXPOTITION, and of course I brought my camera along to capture Johnny's face as he rode on a train for the first time in his life.  Another first was Belmont's Farmers' Market - after eight months we finally got organized enough to visit it.  

It was a wonderfully warm but fresh Sunday, and we had a great time despite that Johnny fell and scraped his chin in the first ten minutes, and that a 15 minute-wait for the Caltrain seemed like an hour due to his incessant figeting.  

This might sound immodest yet I can't help but feel proud of the way my photography work is developing lately.  I shot about 70 images and I'm posting 45 here, which means that, without counting the photos I chose not to share, there were very little outtakes or unsuccessful shots.  It feels reassuring to be good, and it feels good to have such confidence.  I am looking forward to photographing my new son in less than 3 months, to new travels and new EXPOTITIONS.  

Hope you guys had a great weekend, too!

P.S. One of my favorite moments was when I noticed that this girl on the train was watching Game of Thrones on her laptop.  And that Burlingame is exactly 16 3/10 of a mile away from San Francisco.  And the way Johnny was stuffing his face with fruit samples at the market :)

The Wonderful Twos!

Tomorrow my great love Johnny is turning two.  We celebrated on Sunday with family and friends, and it was great!  There were snacks and games and toys and presents and balloons and bubbles and laughs and a "Tommy Choo-Choo" cake, and even a little photobooth fun!  

I can't believe it was two years ago when he was born....It seems like a minute, and like forever at the same time!  Johnny, you make everything harder but so much better.  Life is now wholesome and meaningful in ways it never was before, and even though I bitch and moan about motherhood all the time, know that I wouldn't have it any other way.  I am truly happy, baby, and I hope you are too!

Certainly looks like it from the photos.  I wish I could balance being the hostess and the photographer a bit better, but hey-ho, I improvised to my best ability.  I love the light in these - it's bright and rich and warm.

Special thanks to my amazing guests for making this day special!

Enjoy, and hope to see you all again soon :)

P.S.  This was the most pregnant party I've attended so far.  One of the invited expectant ladies didn't make it but even with the three of us it was bursting with hormones.  Good times!