The Roberts Family

A couple Sunday's ago I shot the Roberts family. I have known Julie since high school, but we lost touch a short while after. We met up again last November when a mutual friend set up a little reunion. Julie looks exactly the same since high school, it's insane. She honestly doesn't look like she has aged at all.

She now is happily married and has two beautiful boys, Miles and Jack. She wanted some pictures of the boys, along with some family shots. I know first hand that kids aren't going to look up and say cheese when commanded, so getting the perfect family shot is always challenging. The kids were great, Miles had fun chasing the quack quack's. I can't get over what amazing eyes both of the kids have too. Congrats Julie on your beautiful family!

Here's there slideshow.

Let's Go Ducks!

My husband has been a Ducks fan from day one. It's true! He's all about rooting on the So Cal teams, not matter how good or bad they are. So I can honestly say that I married into his love for hockey. It wasn't a sport I followed or even liked before I met him. He started me out slow with a few games a season. A few years later we found ourselves season ticket holders. It was a little overwhelming at first, forty some games in seven months. Doesn't sound like a lot at first, but when you are at the arena three times out of the week for a game, things get hectic.

We got our season tickets in 2003 when the Ducks were headed to the Stanley Cup. It was an exciting time, the Ducks were in the playoffs, and our son Owen was born. Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, Owen in tow in his Baby Bjorn, we went to the Pond to watch the game on the jumbo tron. They unfortunately lost, but the ride to the finals was fun. The following year we had great seats, and a very calm, very small Owen.

Two years later we now have a very hyper, very large Owen, and very high-maintenance, short tempered Emma. We have had to upgrade to four seats, but even those seats are tight. There is quite of bit of hitting, fighting, screaming, and I'm not talking about the game itself, but between my two kids. Needless to say I pay more attention to keeping them apart than watching the game, but the kids do have fun. Everyone comments on how well behaved they are, in my head I'm wondering if they are talking about the same kids.

Jake, myself and Owen (no Emma, I would like to watch one playoff game) headed out to the Honda Center on Tuesday to watch the Ducks win the Western Conference Finals. It was a very exciting game, Owen had fun booing and chanting, and the fireworks after the win was the icing on the cake for him.

Stanley Cup, here we come!
Go Ducks Go!

Owens' reaction right after they won the Western Conference Finals.

Like a sponge I tell you!

It's always amazing to me how much knowledge kids absorb. My son who is now four, is a walking animal dictionary. He can name the animal, tell you what it eats, it's habits, so on and so on. Beware, you can easily get caught up in a half hour conversation about a Triceratops diet, how tall a Parasaurolophus was (I had to look at the computer to spell it, it has taken me a good year to know how to pronounce it), the list goes on and on. If you would ask him how he wanted to spend his day, he would pick the Zoo, Sea World, a Dinosaur Museum.

Last week we took the kids the the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Like always, I had to document the journey with my tiny point and shoot (hence the quality). Owen was busting at the seams, he couldn't wait. He's in a completely different world when we visit, rambling on about sharks, giant lobsters, octopuses........you name it, he will tell you.

Of course I think he is the smartest four year old in the universe, but I'm sure other mothers can debate that. I just love looking at the world through his eyes, and because of him I now know things like why flounders have both eyes on one side of their body.

-Here is your Owen fact for the day: A flounder isn't born with both eyes on one side of it's body. It goes through a metamorphosis where one eye migrates to the other side of it's body, so both eyes are on one side facing up. They do this so they can lay flat and blend in with the ocean floor while eating crustaceans and small fish. (Yes he did say metamorphosis and migrate, I didn't even know those words were in his vocabulary!)

Here is Owen looking oh so cool on his way the the Aquarium


Here is Emma's idea of cool


This was the hit of the day. The kids got to feed the Rainbow Lorikeets.


I know this is blurry, but it makes me laugh for some reason.








Here, Owen was giving Emma a quick 5 minute session on the life of a ray.