A few weeks ago, my favorite photographer and BFF Drew took some pictures of the kids. As much as they love Drew they were not into taking any pictures, but you couldn't tell from these amazing shots Drew got. She definitely has a special little bond with Owen & Emma. Drew also brought my favorite little guy Brayden, AKA French Fry. Owen came up with the nickname French Fry when Brayden was still in Drew's belly, and it stuck, so that's what the kids always call him. Both Owen and Emma are so drawn to him, they love playing with him and doing crazy things to get him to laugh.

Thanks so much Drew for taking time out of your day. Any night we can hang out with the Bittels and eat In N Out is a great night.

Here are some of my favorites, there are more on her blog.




















Here they are...the 3 Musketeers!

Lifting Weights

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Disco!

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$20.00 please Tooth Fairy, thank you

Tonight my son lost his second baby tooth. It seems like he just lost his first one! What's crazy is his new big boy tooth is pretty much all the way in already. Well for his first tooth, he asked the tooth fairy for $6.00. That seemed pretty reasonable, I guess a tooth is going for much more these days than when I was a child. He must think the second tooth is worth some big bucks because he asked for $20.00 this time! Holy Moly, I guess I'm going to need to make a trip to the bank tonight.

He is very proud of his new window.


His sister...not so happy. She doesn't like the whole tooth falling out thing.

Jelly Beans, San Francisco & School...Oh My!

Wow, I have had such a busy week! We went to San Francisco with the kids for Labor Day weekend. We love San Francisco! We spent a week there in December and have been dying to go back ever since. The drive there was a little long, I think I over stimulated the kids with stuff to do, but once we got there it was so nice. We stayed in Union Square this time, in a tiny hotel, but it was close to the public transportation which we love to take advantage of.

We stopped at all of our normal kid friendly spots. Chinatown, Fisherman's Warf, Ghiradelli Square, we even took a side trip to the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield.

The tour was a little long, especially for the kids. The flavor that was cooking up that day was bubble gum, and boy was the smell strong!



Chinatown is always a favorite with the kids. They both love looking in the tiny shops for their souvenirs. Emma's main purchases from our Chinatown visit was a pair of pink slippers, a Chinese umbrella, and a kite from Chinatown Kite Company. There were hundreds of kites to choose from, so cool and different, but she opted for a Barbie kite. Owen got some wooden animals to add to his collection, a crocodile, sea monster, and cobra.

Emma loves her little slippers



Right outside the hotel they had this silly bench from an antique store. The kids loved the monkeys on it, but every time we passed it to take a picture there was always a car parked in front of it! It was so annoying.



To Owen, no trip to San Francisco is complete without a visit to the Aquarium of the Bay



Sorry about your eye there buddy




I was browsing around a store on Fisherman's Warf when I stumbled on these guys down an aisle





We didn't have time to catch our breath after returning from our trip. Two days later Owen had one of his many milestones, the first day of kindergarten. I was a little nervous for the day, but he surprisingly took it like a pro. No tears were shed I am happy to report, but that didn't make it any easier on me. I can't believe my little Bubba is in school.



The following day he decided he wanted to take the bus to school, so like a big boy he waited at the bus stop. Since he goes to PM kindergarten we didn't think the bus would be too full, little did we know he would be the only person on the pick up!



After all that excitement he has now decided he would rather be dropped off than take the bus. So that was his first and last bus ride to school.

Ronni & Matt

I was able to spend an awesome Saturday evening with Ronni and Matt, exploring the alley ways of downtown Huntington Beach. These two were one of the best couples I have shot, up for anything and so comfortable in front of the camera.

I've known Ronni for a little over 6 years now. She is the silliest, goofiest (in a good way),soft hearted person I have ever met. She is so much fun to be around, and her giggle is the best.

Ronni and Matt met and started dating 6 years ago. I was one of the lucky people who accompanied her on her first official date with Matt. A few of us met at a nearby taco place for Ronni's birthday. Matt also came with a group of his friends...safety in numbers is what I always say! From there the group moved on to a dive bar where there was plenty of dancing and drinking. I still have the pictures to prove it, but I'll spare the happy couple ;)

They will be getting married in Mexico in November of 2009. Such a perfect location for a perfectly laid back couple.

Best wishes to both of them and their cute little family, including Roy the beagle and Ramses the cat.


Click here to view the slideshow.