A Very Happy Valentine’s Day from our family to yours!

“Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”  ~Robert Heinlein

“You really shouldn’t say “I love you” unless you mean it.  But if you mean it, you should say it a lot.  People forget.”  ~Author unknown, attributed to an 8-year-old named Jessica

“It is not that love is blind.  It is that love sees with a painter’s eye, finding the essence that renders all else background.”  ~Robert Brault

“Love one another and you will be happy.  It’s as simple and as difficult as that.”  ~Michael Leunig

So, today is my little sister’s birthday.  I thought I would surprise her with just a few images from the family portraits session we did in Laguna Beach when she came out to visit Sunny Southern California this month!  We had a great time for the few days her family was out here – dinner and sleepover at our place, then Disneyland and California Adventure, then dinner here again – and Christmas gifts!  It was a whirlwind of a trip, but so fun! Somewhere in there we fit in a quick portrait session at the Lab or Anti-mall in Costa Mesa and at the beach in Little Corono in Corona del Mar.  I haven’t even looked through the whole session yet, but I wanted to pull out a few for Britt’s birthday, so here are a few of the beach ones that caught my eye …surely more to come later! Happy Birthday Brittany!

Well, I can’t exactly say that my daughter, Kate, was the Teacher’s Pet in Mrs. “W”s class… but if there is an opposite favorite relationship (favorite teacher) – then Mrs. “W” would certainly be a “student’s pet” with my daughter Kate.  Kate just adores her teacher from last year, and so she was extra thrilled when Mrs. “W” invited her to come along with me on her family’s photo session.  Kate helped me with my light disc, and also helped garner smiles from my very willing and adorable subjects!  I like to think of her as my little “photographer in training.”  Look for a picture of her at the end with her favorite teacher!  It was a perfect night at Crystal Cove State Park – not to hot, not too cold, not too sunny or windy or crowded. Just perfect!  And check out the gorgeous baby blue eyes on the little girl, and the adorable freckles on her son.  Too cute, everyone.  Enjoy your sneak peek Mrs. W – I know you’ve been patiently waiting for a while now!