WARNING: ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!

I thought Eli's homemade snow was a big mess - boy was I wrong! If you missed the flour incident, check it out HERE. But that was a piece of cake compared to Eli's mischief today.

We went to get Eli up from his nap, and we found this...

He looks pretty innocent, and it may not seem that bad until you realize that brown stuff is NOT chocolate!

A horrible overwhelming stench filled the room. It made me want to be sick.

We put him to bed fully clothed, but after his nap we found him nakie sans his poopy diaper (it was thrown on the floor). However before it was thrown, there must have been some investigating going on. It was ALL over his crib.

So we tag-teamed the cleanup. I took Eli in for a very thorough bath. And Brian stripped all the bedding, clothing and anything that might have been touched for an immediate wash.

I think it will be a while before the smell is gone from the room - it is lingering. If anyone has tips on how to keep this happening again, I would surely appreciate it. I'm sure I'm not alone in this toddler mischief.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas holiday with friends and family. This year has been very magical for us, with Eli starting to be more excited about gifts and toys.

I just wanted to share a few pictures from our Christmas, which Brian took - isn't he getting so good? This is our Christmas morning before Eli or I woke up. Brian woke super early and got everything ready for us. He is so sweet!

Eli has been fascinated by cars and trucks, pointing them out, signing and saying "caa", pretending to drive, and playing with toy cars. It is so fun to see him imagination and interests develop. So for our big santa gift, we decided to get him this fire truck Little Tikes pedal car.

He was so excited. He ran right to it and jumped in. He wanted to be pushed around the house and chase the cat. He kept signing "car" and "siren" (it makes little siren sounds).

We also got him several little toy cars and planes to push around. I love the Target dollar spot--these were so cheap and cute.

Eli is so spoiled. He got so many fun toys and cute clothes from family and friends. He loved to explore each one, and asked for "help" (he signs this by patting his chest) to open the new toy and play with it.

Once we were done opening presents, Eli kept wanting to climb in his new car and drive it around the house. He was so excited about it that he woke from his nap early. When I went in he was signing "car" and trying to climb out of his crib. I let him out and he ran right to his car. I think he was dreaming about it. Throughout the afternoon he would play in the car for a few minutes and then jump out and come give me and Brian kisses. I think he was trying to say "thank you - I LOVE it!" He did this about 30 times, which is not normal - he is not usually lovey or cuddly.

This is so interesting to us because Eli has never really shown this much excitement about any toy or thing. He is very intense and possessive about his car. When we put him to bed tonight, he didn't want to get out of it. We had him say goodnight to it and then took it out of his room. Boy, he didn't like that. He threw a fit for a good 20 minutes--a complete meltdown before bedtime. I feel sorry for him, as I realize he doesn't know if it is gone for good. He doesn't understand it will still be there for him in the morning.

Updated Blog

I've been so busy with holiday photography sessions, that I haven't taken many personal pictures. But in the meantime, check out my photography blog. It's been updated with this awesome maternity shoot. www.amberkatrina.com/blog

NEW BLOG!

My new photography blog is up and running, check it out: www.amberkatrina.com/blog I'd love to hear what you think, so leave a comment.

From now on, I will post my photography on the new blog, and keep this one for family info and pictures. So if you like to check out my photography, bookmark the page and check back often for updates.

Here is the latest session I did in Downtown Los Angeles, click HERE to see the rest of the images.



Also, the new logo and branding was done by Cori Devard. If you are interested in her graphic design services (cards, announcements, identity packages, etc.), email her at: coridevard@gmail.com

Kidspace Family Photography

I was so excited to photograph Tracy, Will, Lily and Benjamin at Kidspace earlier this month. Tracy picked Kidspace in Pasadena for the session and it was a perfect place for the family to have some fun together. I loved the variety and opportunity for the family to interact.

Lily loved to make faces at the camera.

Benjamin having a blast with daddy.

There was this fun fountain that shot up periodically. The kids had fun running through it.

Some fun climbing areas for Benjamin - the little monkey!

I was glad we went during the fall, so we could take advantage of the bales of hay Kidspace makes into a hay maze. Lily and Benjamin throwing hay in the air.

Running through the maze.

I loved the light in the hay maze.

Kidspace had this beautiful field of flowers that matched Lily’s hat, and as a bonus it matched some of Tracy’s scrapbook paper - yay! This is my favorite series of the day, with my favorite photo first:

I thought it was funny that the hat fit Tracy so well. :)

Thanks for letting me share the day with you, I love your family and am sad you will be moving soon.

Altadena Family Portraits

In an attempt to get caught up, here is another family shoot I did in Altadena a couple of weeks ago. This family was so beautiful together. Their faces shine with emotion and love for one another. It was so much fun to capture their personalities. Thanks for having me over to photograph your family.

A nice family portrait.

Too bad Ari was not interested. She wanted to go play.

I love that mom is the one swinging her around.

Fun times with mom.

Daddy making Jojo laugh. What a cutie!

All the girls and their matching flowers. Their backyard was filled with all kinds of beautiful flowers. I kept being drawn to these vibrant purple ones. I asked if they planned their colors to match these flowers, but they claimed it was a coincidence.

A sweet moment with Jojo and Mama.

They had this awesome hammock and great lighting - what's not to love? This sweet family moment is my favorite portrait of the whole family.

Jojo had eyes only for her big sis.

And Ari was so loving to her.

But she did want her play time.

While Ari played on the slide, Mama nursed little Jojo. I love her little hand holding on to mom's finger. Liliana was nice enough to let me post a nursing picture. I think it is beautiful.

Ari wanted to steal the show again. What a ham!

My favorite of the day.

Furious Photographers

People often ask me where I get my inspiration and ideas. There are some awesome original and innovative photographers online. One of the blogs I check all the time for inspiration is Furious Photographers: www.furiousphotographers.com. I may not be as hip and cool as them, but I try. :P

One of the cool Furious Photographers, Lawrence, has started a blog with tools and tips for other photographers. It is a great resource - check it out: www.tofurious.com

They are also super nice. I have emailed them with questions and for help and they always amaze me by writing back with encouraging words. Totally blows my impression of what great photographers are like. In a recent TTD session I did in Downtown LA, Doug (with Furious Photographers) actually stopped by. I'm not sure it was what he expected, but he was kind enough to give me some great pointers and ideas. I will post the session soon so you can see the amazing shots I got with his help. Keep posted.

I think he is feeling better...

Last night Eli woke up over and over and over again and wouldn't go back to sleep, so I finally brought him in our bed. I thought he must be feeling really really sick. So this morning, feeling exhausted myself, I prepared myself for another day with a sad boy.

Boy was I wrong. He must not have been able to sleep from all that pent up energy he's been harboring this last week. He has been bouncing off the walls (i.e. me) all morning. I keep putting him down and telling him to go play. I guess he finally listened to me. He was quiet and happy for too long, so I went to see what he was up to...

For those of you who don't know what happens when you take your eyes off a toddler for 2 seconds (minutes), THIS is what happens:

I came into the kitchen to find Eli throwing flour all over the kitchen. He was so proud of himself.

He wanted to show me what he learned. Who am I to say 'no' to a cute photo op. He already made the mess, might as well capture it on film for memories (or blackmail).

I love this sequence.

I guess he's making up for the fact that we don't have any snow to play in.

Hand angels:

Whew! That was hard work, but somebody had to do it. Right?

He looks so innocent, like "What? I didn't do it."

And so we had another unscheduled trip to the bath. Good thing he LOVES bath time, with all the splashing to be done. Why does bath time usually end in a mess for me to clean up too? Is it any wonder I just give up some days, and Brian comes home to the hurricane that is our home.

With our upcoming trip to Utah, I was so relieved that Eli was recovering in time. But it seems Brian might just be coming down with this dreaded virus. He is starting to get the painful bumps all over his hands, feet and tongue. Poor guy. It is not going to be a fun vacation if he gets it as bad as Eli. I sure hope I am immune - I really don't want this.