Perfect Storm

If you're here in the San Luis area, you're well aware of the rain we have had lately. Today's sunshine is apparently just a blip on the weather screen, giving us a taste of sun on our faces (if not actual warmth) between storms. On the up side, the hills around us are a dazzling, brilliant green and will likely stay that for awhile. No early brown for us this year.

Unfortunately, the rain has washed away some well-laid plans. My son would like to point out that his last two baseball games have been rained out. Saturday's session was rescheduled for April. And Sunday's session, well... it didn't quite go as planned.

The idea was hatched by a client who'd recently done a mini-session with me. She had two girlfriends coming to town, and they were going to stay at a beach house with their kids the weekend of March 19. The friends were interested in doing a session while they were there. It sounded great to me, and I had a couple of fun ideas for places we could meet up and run around.

But that rain I mentioned? It had other ideas.

Since the girls were only in town for the weekend, we forged ahead. I met up with them at the beach house. But it's safe to say that four preschoolers and a kindergartner cooped up in a house that isn't their own doesn't exactly make for the smoothest photo session. I wish I'd come with a thermos of bloody marys for their moms. ;)

Those sweet kids did their best, though, and while it might not have been the most fun their moms have had on a girls' weekend, we managed to get something out of the experience. Here's a sampling... Hopefully it begins to prove that -- in the end -- it was all worth it.

Remember My Little Buddies?

If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you probably remember K & K -- the little dudes I photographed every month of their first year.

Well, K & K are now about a year-and-a-half, and I still look for opportunities to hang out with them. Yesterday, their mom graciously agreed to show me around her adopted hometown of Cayucos, as I needed to scout some possible locations for a future session. Of course, a big part of the attraction, for me, was getting to catch up with these guys and their mama.











They certainly brightened an otherwise gray and drizzly day. :)

Launching Her Career

My littlest baby has embarked on a new path... that of violinist.

After a hands-on music presentation at her preschool, she became enamored with the instrument, and she spent weeks lobbying for lessons. When I happened to talk to a friend who mentioned that her daughter had started to play, I decided that maybe I should indeed follow up. After a little research and some email correspondence, Foxy's life as a real-life violin player was born. (And yes, I do like that adding a sprinkling of the arts to her character counter-balances -- to a certain extent -- the pole-dancer-in-waiting nickname.)

At any rate, she is wild about her new endeavor and practices up a storm. Let's hope that the passion is rooted deep and holds true for awhile. The thing comes with a one-year rental agreement, after all.

Creeping

I mentioned in that last post that we'd hit the park before the fog and drizzle rolled in. A more accurate description might be "creeped in"... I just love the way fog looks as it creeps over the surrounding hills. If I didn't have to head inside and start dinner, I'd have sat in a trancelike state and watched it until dark.

Placeholders

Last weekend's session was postponed due to client illness, and it looks like potential rain has already derailed at least one of this weekend's sessions. Such is the way it goes with location photography in the winter/early spring, even in this typically lovely part of the world. Ah, well. At least we have the return of late sunsets. If only I could get my body -- and the bodies of my kids -- adjusted to the time change.

I have a few other draft posts percolating, and I'll work hard to get those pulled together and online soon. For now, though, I simply offer up a glimpse at my yahoos at the park yesterday, enjoying some sunshine before the fog and drizzle rolled in.



Who said it was tough being the little sister? I'd say it's often she who wears the pants... and sits atop the dogpile.

One Smiley Dude

Yesterday's session was with a little guy that I first met when he was just a few months old. Here's Mr. A back then:



I always have a great time seeing just how much my little clients have grown, but this smiley dude was an absolute delight. I don't think they get much happier or sweeter than this!









It sounds like I'll get to photograph him with his lovely parents later this spring. As you might imagine, I'm definitely looking forward to that!

Opening Day

File this one under "posts that are mainly for our family's out-of-town relatives"...

Yesterday was the final day of basketball and Opening Day for the baseball season. The Awesome Santas, as our boys' basketball team was known, wrapped up their final game in fine fashion, I hear, putting many balls into the basket and generally having a great time.

I didn't get to attend that event because Noah's first baseball game conflicted with it, and he opted to kick off the season with his baseball team. First up was the Opening Day ceremonies and the parade of teams into the SLO Blues Stadium. I had fun getting a few really cute shots of him interacting with his teammates before they paraded, but since I don't post here without parental permission (and I didn't ask for it), I'm going to hit you with a few snapshots instead.

Here are a couple with his buddies. This first one makes them look a bit like little Martians, given the icky color cast from the bright orange plastic seats.







And then it was on to the game. My little dude didn't get a hit, but then those were kind of hard to come by (for both teams, really) on this first day. He did manage to foul off quite a few, which was pretty impressive to me since it was the first time he'd ever had to hit pitches thrown by a kid (instead of a coach).



Then I saw him walk out of the dugout like this, and I knew it would be fun.



He did a great job as catcher. Again, it was a whole new experience for him.









I liked the pat on the head from the coach at the end of his stint as catcher.



One down, 13 games to go. And then a tournament. Good thing I like this kid!

One Year Older, If Not Wiser

It has been a long couple of weeks now. My husband spent a week in Europe on business, and during that stretch I endured an ant infestation, a broken dishwasher, the process of researching and purchasing a new dishwasher, an hourglass that shattered into a million pieces right at bedtime, an entire mug of coffee spilled onto my laptop, and three kids who apparently packed away the sweet sides of their dispositions in their father's outgoing luggage.

This week has been easier, in part because I've been able to spend a little time with family and friends celebrating the fact that as of yesterday, I'm another year older. But I've been no less exhausted, and I realized last night that I can likely blame that on a bad cold that has decided to settle into my head yesterday and wreak some havoc. So it was kind of tough to rally for the birthday dinner that my kids had planned, and to which they were really looking forward. But I did, and I'm really glad about that.

After a slightly bumpy start, we settled into a fun time together, and the whole thing culminated in the dimmed lights and flashing disco ball and crazy Japanese techno music that mark a birthday at our favorite sushi place. My kids were in heaven and my photo was snapped for the wall.



I was also presented with two darling drawings done by my boys as we waited for our food. One shows our family as Lego figurines; the other shows me (I think) and two of the sushi bar staff.





How about those boobs? I love the drawings, and I love my family for dragging my getting-sick butt out to dinner to celebrate yet another birthday. :)