M’s Cat has a pacifier

13 Wednesday Mar 2013

Do you remember when M and I adopted that cat from the SPCA who was pregnant and had a kitten? The kitten is all grown up now…kind of. I say “kind of” because M’s cat, (who we affectionately call Flower-even though Tiger would have been a more appropriate name) absolutely loves to walk around with a pacifier in her mouth. It’s the funniest thing. Of course, we only buy Flower pink pacifiers so there is no confusion between her paci’s and Little T’s (Little T knows the difference between the paci’s and who they belong to). We also let everyone know that if they see a pacifier on the ground, it’s not Little T’s and belongs to the cat. Anyway, I finally snapped a picture of Flower walking around with her paci the other day. M may not be living with us for much longer, so I wanted to make sure to document it before they move to bigger and better places. 🙂

A Full Day

02 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by Momma J in All Others

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Yesterday was really fun for me, because I was able to photograph flowers at the Rose Court Garden and end my night at the Jazz Kitchen. I know it’s cliche, but I adore photographing flowers. Especially bouquets. So there I was, surrounded by 20 or so beautiful arrangements, and taking my time to photograph each one.

When I finished, I asked what was going to happen to all the flowers. M offered me an arrangement, so now I have a beautiful bouquet with roses and lambs ear sitting on my kitchen table. I told M that I decided working in a floral shop would be much better than working at a pizza place, because you would always smell like roses instead of sausage. She agreed, teehee.

After photographing flowers, I had a small break and used it to catch up with a few friends I hadn’t seen in a while who work around the resort, and then met with a potential wedding couple. I love these meetings. I get to put a face to e-mails and go over plans and explain the photography process. They brought their daughter/soon to be step daughter with them, and the dynamic between the three of them was so much fun, they’re going to be a cute little family.

After the meeting, I had to run to the Jazz Kitchen to photograph some details for a wedding they were having there. I wasn’t hired by the bride, so I ran into their photographers in the Brisa Courtyard and introduced myself and told them to just kick me if I ever get in their way! They were really nice, and we talked about cameras and lenses and they showed me some of their photographs they’d taken. The bride was beautiful and her wedding was New Orleans themed. It really was a beautiful set up, I always look at weddings like this and feel a pang of, “oh, I wish I’d done something like this for my wedding”, and then I run through potential friends who I can possibly persuade to have a New Orleans themed wedding some day, heh heh. Something tells me, that’s not going to fly, but one can hope?

After meeting their photographers, I went to the Jazz Kitchen to take a few photos of the decor. I’m always amazed when I go there at how positive and organized their staff is. I used to work in a restaurant, and it wasn’t anything like it is there. B, their manager, was so professional and had everyone excited about setting up the decorations for the wedding. It was really fun to feel like a part of it. They had a New Orleans band that was going over music in one of the rooms upstairs, and it was fun to hear their music playing.

After a while, Little T and Big T showed up to bring me a light stand that I’d left in my car. Little T loved hearing the band and wanted to play on the big drum. At one point, the band walked up to Little T and took his hand, and danced with him while they were playing. Little T, of course, thought this was amazing.

When it came time to photograph the wedding couple (the New Orleans band was leading them from the Brisa Courtyard at the Grand Californian to the Jazz Kitchen), I stood above on the top floor of the Jazz Kitchen to grab my shot. I was looking down at the rehearsal dinner that was going on, and suddenly realized it could possibly be the wedding I’m photographing today. When I’d run into one of the wedding planners earlier, she was telling me that the bride I’m photographing (today!), was so sweet and friendly and beautiful, with hair that looked kind of like Kim Kardashian. I was looking down at the rehearsal dinner from above, and noticed the bride looked a lot like her description. I ran downstairs to quickly see if it was her, and was so excited to discover that it was. She said it was funny because she’d been staring at Big T and Little T (they were downstairs at this point waiting for the band), and she thought they might be my family because she’d recognized them from my Facebook Page. I was really excited to meet her the night before her wedding, and it made me look forward to today even more!

When the band and the bride marched up, it was really exciting and energizing. I could hear the band playing and everyone outside the restaurant cheering, and everyone began to march into the Jazz Kitchen with New Orleans umbrellas, beads, and instruments. I thought it was one of the coolest reception entrances I’d ever seen, and kind of got teary eyed, because I always do that when I see large groups of people who are all just happy and having a great time. What can I say? I’m just /mush like that.

After I’d photographed their grand entrance, it was time to say goodbye. Big T, Little T and I, walked through Downtown Disney and stopped to hear some live Latin Music. Little T ditched us to dance with a group of pre-teen girls, who were definitely feeding into Little T’s ego by going on and on about what a cute little toddler he is. :p I tried to dance with him at one point, but sadly, even at the age of 2, there are moments where mom just doesn’t make the cut. Here he is, running away and breaking my heart. 😉

All in all, a good day.

My Dad at my Wedding

28 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by Momma J in Photography

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The past two weddings I edited had some very touching father daughter moments, and it made me think of my own “dad moment” at my wedding ceremony.

My poor dad, is used to me and my quirky “untraditional” ways, but he is the kind of guy who believes in ceremonies, and so it took a lot of convincing when I explained what we’d envisioned for our day. My Dad had really wanted to walk me down the aisle, but my wedding didn’t have an aisle to walk down and Big T and I didn’t want a formal event. Instead, we asked my dad to read my favorite Beatles song during the ceremony, “In My Life”. My Dad, who has a great voice and used to sing at weddings with my mom, surprised us and sang instead. Hearing my dad sing such a special song for me, was the best gift he could have given me on my wedding day. When I think back to that day, it’s always one of the first things I remember.

Here I am, crying away, photo taken by Beverly Hills Photography:

A past due family update!

22 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by Momma J in Photography, The Adventures of Little T, The Family

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Hello world, this post is long overdue. Life has taken off at jet speed and it’s hard to sit down and find the time to write, but I promise to try harder, mainly for Little T. I want him to be able to read about his younger days. 🙂

Little T: Sometimes I look at sweet Little T, and wonder what day it was that he sprouted up so quickly. I’m amazed at how much he’s learning, how much he’s talking, and how much he’s grown. He’s a fun loving little toddler, even though a week and a half ago, he woke up and officially began his terrible two’s. Big T and I looked at each other and scratched our heads, as his new favorite word became “no”, he suddenly decided that everything was “mine”, and he began to show his more “spunky” side. At the same time, he is still the sweetest little boy who loves and remembers everyone, and can win a smile from anyone he meets. He fiercely loves all his grandparents and cousins, and constantly asks us to take him to see them. He plays basketball like there is no tomorrow, and has made us listen to the Pirates of the Caribbean song approximately 314 times. He loves all things Mickey Mouse, Cars, and Tinkerbell. He has a silly side and loves to laugh. My friend Janet, commented on my Facebook page the other day, saying he was such a kid. I think that’s the perfect way to describe him. Little boy, through and through.

Big T: I love to watch Big T and Little T play together. They’ve become best buds and to my dismay, love to sit on the couch and watch Football and Basketball together. I see a lifetime of sports ahead of me! 0_0 Because of my crazy schedule and workload, Big T drops Little T off for daycare, helps out with the dishes, gets him ready for school, packs his lunch, and gives him his baths. He gets a A+ for daddy duties and I don’t know what I’d do without him.

Life has brought us a lot of unexpected turns over the past year and a half, but Big T has been there the whole time, cheering me on. Of course, we’ve had our little fights, but if I was to throw them in a pile, they’d be nothing compared to the support he gives me every day. Last night, I was upset because I can’t help with Little T as much as I’d like because of my busy schedule. Big T reminded me that I was with Little T 100% of the time for the first year, and that my schedule is temporary and not forever. Big T is kind of awesome and supportive in that way.

Momma J: My foot is still healing, but it’s doing so much better than it was 9 months ago. I’ve gained more weight than I would care to admit from not being able to walk or exercise, and am beginning the slow process of shedding the weight. My business has been amazing. I can’t think of a better job than photographing people on one of the happiest days of their lives. I’ve discovered that I love my job, love having a business, but hate taking money from people. If only my payments could grow from the orange tree in the backyard…then I’d be a happy camper. 😉

Our family looked at my schedule for the next year, and we’ve made some decisions about how many weddings I can book in a month. This is so my family life will be a little more balanced. Having so many weddings is an amazing problem to have, so I’m not complaining! Oh, how I wish I could do them all! But I want to make sure I have time for my two T’s.

Running a business is definitely much harder and time consuming than I thought (think 60-70 hours a week), but there are great perks. I can work in my pajamas, I can be in the living room so that I can still listen and feel like I’m a part of Little T and Big T’s playtime, and I get to make my own decisions. It’s been a lot of learning this year, but it’s been amazing.

And that’s where we are right now! Pictures to follow of all of us at the Rose Parade this year 🙂

My step dad, before the parade!

Little T’s cousin R and her family.

My Mom, giggling with Little T

Little T, giving out high fives to total strangers.

Big T and Little T, getting their energy out before the parade.

The rose parade theme

Happenings Via Instagram

13 Thursday Dec 2012

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A trip to Disneyland is exciting, but add in a few cousins and it was almost too awesome to handle. 🙂 At the end of the day, we talked about what our favorite rides were. R decided she loved Jungle Cruise, Little T said Pirates (was there ever any doubt?), both of us moms liked Small World Holiday, and Big T liked the Jungle Cruise.

Little T was going through a mommy phase UNTIL he saw Big T play football and win their league championship. Now Big T is a god in his eyes.

We had the trendsetter awards for the association of bridal consultants. I didn’t win best photo, but I’d like to think my photo did help Disney win for best Momento. 😉 Fairytale Hair and Makeup made me look presentable. I loved my hair so much, that I couldn’t stop looking at myself. Teehee

And isn’t Little T beginning to look so grown up? What a cute little man he is, I can’t believe how much he has grown. It goes by way too fast. His favorite thing to do right now is give people high fives, go on Pirates of the Caribbean, play basketball, and shout “I DID IT” whenever he is able to do something by himself.

A Hard Week

21 Wednesday Nov 2012

Posted by Momma J in All Others

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This last week, we lost my step-sister, Lindsay. Lindsay was a beautiful woman who left us far too early. I can’t think of her without remembering her kindness, her sharp wit, her energy, and the love she had for those around her. It seems too simple to say that we’re going to miss her, because it feels so much bigger than that, but I’m at a loss for words. The world has lost a special person this week. We’re all going to miss you, Lindsay.

Please give your family members an extra hug for me this Thanksgiving.

Love, Jenna

The end of a great vacation…

16 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by Momma J in The Adventures of Little T, The Family, The Travels

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Wow, what a whirlwind of a week it’s been. I’m having a hard time winding down and getting back into work mode, so I thought I’d update here about our adventures.

It started last Thursday, when I woke up at 3:00am to photograph a Nightmare Before Christmas Wedding. I didn’t need to wake up until 4:00, but I woke up early and began to mentally plan things out, and couldn’t get back to sleep. When I made it to the wedding, the bride was incredibly thoughtful and friendly. It was one of those weddings where I was sad when it was over. I think we had a lot in common with the Nightmare theme:

DIY Nightmare Before Christmas Garter

I was tired from waking up so early, but fortunately I had called in my assistant Marc to help, because I knew we were in for a long day. I wish I could have gotten a picture of us asleep in the lobby of the Grand Californian at 1:00 in the morning~but more on that later…:p

When the wedding was over, we checked into the room for my family at the Grand Californian. We only had a few hours before our next event was scheduled to begin, so we snacked and had dinner and looked through our photos. At the next wedding, we were actually photographing for the venue, so we weren’t technically there for the couple and needed to get photos of the decor. It was a fun change of pace. While we were getting our equipment ready and waiting, I was calling my family who was on there way to the hotel for our own family vacation. We weren’t going to see each other until the next morning, so I wanted to make sure everything was set up for them to arrive.

Marc, waiting between weddings in the hotel balcony

Big T and Little T met up with us at the hotel, and we handed Little T off to our friend Jackie who was going to babysit for us until our family got there. Jackie and Little T walked around Downtown Disney and went to dinner while they waited for everyone to arrive. Big T, Marc, and I went over to the wedding and began taking photos of everything. I can’t even begin to tell you how beautiful this wedding was! Hopefully their photog posts some photos soon. 🙂

There was one point where we had a three hour break, before we had to go back at 1:00am for more photos. The three of us snuck back into the hotel room where my family was sleeping, grabbed my computer, and started downloading the photos in the lobby. Big T was done for the night, so he went to sleep a little more, while Marc and I sat in the lobby. We were exhausted and terrible at staying awake. Fortunately, we were both dozing off at different times, so one of us was always awake and ready to shake the other person into coherency.

We went back to the wedding around 1:00am, and finished up around 2:30. I waved goodbye to a tired Marc and went back to the hotel where I slept for about 3 and a half hours. I woke up to what my husband called, the opening scene from Home Alone. The babies were running and jumping and excited to be together, and everyone else was scrambling to get ready for Magic Morning. It was probably the best trip to Disneyland I’ve ever had, even if I was a walking zombie for it. Here’s a few photos:

A Momentary Burst of Energy

Meeting Mickey at Mickey’s Carnival

So tired!

They weren’t the only ones….

Later that night, we all drove to Oak Glen to stay at Serendipity Ranch Bed and Breakfast. We were greeted at 10:00PM by Nina, who was kind enough to show us where the coffee, tea, and hot chocolate was located. It was a nice end to a long day. And yes, I finally got some sleep!

The next day, we woke up to a delicious breakfast that Nina had made, and then helped the babies feed the animals on the farm and the fish in the pond. After this, we drove over to Los Rios Farm to pick apples.

Picking Apples at Los Rios Farm in Oak Glen

These two couldn’t stop eating apples:

Apple Picking…or, eating. 😉

Once we finished picking apples, we went to have lunch at Riley’s Farm. It was really crowded, but luckily we found a table to relax at while a few unlucky adults (ahem, as in-me) stood in line to get food. Then we went back to the ranch to give the babies a nap, while the rest of us sat on the porch and relaxed with wine and crackers.

Once the kiddos woke up, we got ready to go see The Legend of Sleepy Hollow at Riley’s Farm.

We took hay rides, where we rode by the Sleepy Hollow Grave Yard:

And saw Ichabob being chased around the woods:

Then we listened to music and had dinner, and watched the play.

When it was time for the party scene, the room was cleared and we all danced and played games and participated in contests. Little T got a special kick out of the seed spitting contest. My favorite game though, was this one:

Apple Bobbing

Heh heh.

The night ended by watching the headless horseman chase Ichabob down the road with a pumpkin that was on fire. It was an amazing way to end the night. The next morning, we had pumpkin waffles and cinnamon rolls that were made by Nina, then said our goodbyes and stopped to by some apple cider on the way out. Little T was crying for the rest of the day because he was sad it was over. I couldn’t really blame him, it was a great vacation.

Image

Is it Halloween Yet?

14 Friday Sep 2012

Because were ready over here!

Posted by Momma J | Filed under All Others

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In Which I Win the Mother of the Year Award

30 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by Momma J in The Adventures of Little T, The Family

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Do you ever have those mommy moments, where you just have to sit back and laugh at the absurdity of it all? I think I had the mommy moment to top all mommy moments this summer.

This year, we decided to get ambitious and throw Little T a birthday party, despite my injured foot and busy schedule. I made a mistake and didn’t see the R.S.V.P. list, and thought only a few people were coming. I was planning for a low key event with a few family members until the night before, when I found the link to the r.s.v.p. list and realized that everybody and their mother was coming. Suddenly, the birthday party became more exciting and involved.

On the day of the party, Big T and I split up to tackle the chores. I ambitiously announced to Big T that I was going to take Little T to Target with me to get supplies, to which he responded by raising an eyebrow and glancing at my foot, and saying, “you sure?” I was feeling like super mom that morning, so I shrugged off his concern and confidently said, “Of course, I’m sure!” I scooped up Little T and waddled with my injured foot to the car, and we were quickly on our way.

At Target, my foot began to throb and I had to admit defeat and use one of those crazy electric scooters. I was really embarrassed about this, but determined to do a great job with this birthday party. I plopped Little T onto my lap, and began to slowly roll my way through the store. Oh, how I wish I had a camera.

Little T thought this was exciting for about two minutes, and then he decided it would be more fun to run around the store on his feet like a normal person. It took all my strength to hold onto him and keep him on the electric scooter.

By the time we got to the food aisle, Little T had it. He didn’t want to look at my iphone, he didn’t want to help put things in the cart. He wanted to go over to the basketball aisle, and couldn’t for the life of him figure out why on earth I didn’t want to go there, too.

With a determined wiggle, he leaped out of my arms and ran down the Target aisles, dropping my phone on his way. I couldn’t walk fast, so I limped slowly after him, shouting his name and calling for him to come back. I got a mixture of “what’s wrong with you” and pity stares. Yep, I looked like the mother of the year. By the time I got to Little T, he was in the basketball aisle (of course) and had managed to pull out every single basketball he could find. It. Was. Awesome.

We were met by a Target employee who had found my phone on the floor somewhere. I’m sure he was thrilled to see the mess Little T had made and began to help pick things up. He was polite, even though I could tell he was questioning my parenting abilities, and asked if I needed any help. I looked at a restless Little T, looked at my foot, and said “no, thank you”. Unless he sold a magical toy that was capable of entertaining my sports obsessed son, or perhaps could make my foot instantly healed, there was nothing he could do.

By the time we got to the party supplies section, Little T was crying non stop. He wanted to go back to the basketball aisle. I grabbed whatever party stuff I could find, and decided that the theme of Theo’s birthday party was going to be “mass chaos”, or “working parents”, and wound up with a hodgepodge of colors and characters to display for his party. I like to think we were just being inclusive and didn’t want to leave any theme out.

All in all, it was a crazy and exhausting day, but the birthday party turned out to be a big hit. Little T still talks about it and likes to pretend to blow out his birthday candles. It made it all worth it. I have birthday pictures to share, but I’ll save that for another post!

June Lake

28 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by Momma J in Photography, The Family, The Travels

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It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life~Bilbo Baggins

Every year we go to June Lake to celebrate the day we learned about Little T. It’s a special trip for our little family.

The start of our trip this year was rocky, because Little T had a bad fever. The night before we left we made a trip to urgent care to make sure it was okay to bring him up to high altitude. We were debating cancelling the trip or going up later, but the doctor said it was fine to take him, and the fever actually made the six hour car ride pretty mellow with Little T getting a chance to rest. I spent the first two days of our trip in the cabin working and taking care of Little T while he slept. Thankfully, his fever finally broke yesterday and he was able to walk around, so we walked over to the river to take some photos while the sun was setting.

You can tell he’s still feeling out of it, poor little guy.