Elyse aka Birdie turned 1 today. It’s amazing to see how fast she grew up considering it feels like just yesterday she was rocking her tutu and sunglasses. Her family started calling her Birdie because she started coo-ing like a bird which you can see in one of the pictures below. This coo-ing technique helped Birdie out when it was time to blow out the candle, it was really cute.  So the birthday party was bird themed with a bird cage and bird houses for the guests to paint.  This activity was well taken by the adults more than the kids at the party, it was a birdhouse painting  throw down.  There was also a customized birdhouse cake from Cakes by JB.  Let me know if you’re interested in a customized cake, she does an excellent job as you can see. Birdie had a fun time picking at the cake and eating the little flower decorations. Happy Birthday Birdie!!

Joey and Baby Ma joined me on Sunday afternoon for a quick maternity session before Baby Ma enters the world.  You may recognize the name Ma because of Chef Tim Ma from my previous post.  Baby girl Ma is about to enter the world any day now keeping both mom and dad anxiously waiting.  We headed out to Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Virginia which gave us a nice peaceful backdrop.  Congrats to Joey and Tim! I can’t wait to meet her when she finally makes her entrance.

The day after the wedding, I headed down to San Diego to visit some old college roommates. We hung out in the Gaslamp quarter of San Diego on Saturday and then headed out to Torrey Pines for some golf on the North course. It was so awesome out there.  Golf is always fun but playing there was extra fun. The view was amazing and picture perfect.

I wouldn’t mind living out in LA or San Diego because the weather is so perfect but I think I’d go crazy driving in the traffic. I thought DC traffic was bad but LA traffic has it beat. It’s nice to be home

It’s been a long time since I met up with Nora so I was thrilled to hear from her when she contacted me about some engagement photos.  We used to go to high school together and had great some great times on the track team.  After weeks of trying to schedule a session,  the weather decided it did not want to cooperate but we were finally able to have the engagement session this past weekend.  We went to a few spots around the city of Baltimore like Federal Hill, Fell’s Point, and around their condo.  Here are some of the favorites from the day.  Congratulations to Nora and Rob!

Little Dakota just turned 1.  I remember when I did her newborn session last year, time has flown by so quickly.  With a name like Dakota, how appropriate is a cowboy theme party, granted the birthday girl couldn’t keep her attire on for long but it still was a fun party.  Some of the older kids wore their cowboy hats throughout the party and it came in handy when the pinata was smashed open to carry all the candy.  Dakota’s cousin, Elyse, came by during the session and I got to capture the 2 girls interacting.  It always makes you wonder if they can communicate with each other, it was sure fun watching them try.  Here are some pictures from Lake Fairfax Park.

Lucas turned 1 a couple weeks ago and I got to celebrate with him and his closest family and friends. The party consisted of a trampoline for the big kids to play on which they took full advantage of by almost deflating it, cupcakes, candy, ice cream, and plenty of food to go around 3 times.  Lucas is one serious boy, always looking like he’s on a mission but he eventually cracked some smiles at the camera. His big eyes and curly hair will drive the girls crazy in a few years.  Happy 1st Birthday Lucas!!

Jen and Tong had a lovely wedding the other week at the Dulles Westin in Herndon, Virginia.  While the weather was scorching hot and humid, it was a huge relief that no rain drops were falling from the sky.  Everyone seemed to be having a great time from the start of the day. Jen and Tong were surround by all the people who loved them very much and shared many tears and laughter together.  I had a great time sharing this joyous occasion with the couple and their friends. Congrats to you guys!

A big thanks to Jennifer and Steven for assisting me throughout the day.  Also, I’d like to thank Lian and her crew from Gala Girls, LLC, who made sure all the days events ran smoothly without a hitch.  Make sure you hit them up if you need a wedding coordinator for your special day.  Here are some images that were captured:

I got to visit Maddy again this past weekend for her 8 month session.  I hadn’t seen her in a while and she definitely has grown so much since the last session.  She is a girl of many faces and it’s fun to wait and see what will pop up next on her cute little face. Enjoy some of the pictures from the session.