Amie & Mark Haselton~bun in the oven

I had such a great time photographing Amie & Mark today at the Huntington Beach pier, even though it was a chilly 61 degrees~they were both troopers for grinning and bearing the cold! =)

The funny thing about Amie & Mark is that when she contacted me to shoot their maternity session, we began to find out the many similarities we had~and for the record let me just say there were A LOT!  First off, we knew each other from high school, Loara to be exact.  She was the class ahead of me, and although we didn't necessarily run in the same circle, we knew the same people.  As Amie and I were exchanging emails back and forth she had mentioned that she thought she had a prom picture of her, Mark, me, and my husband Roland with a bunch of our mutual friends.   I had totally forgotten that we all went together to prom that year, and when I saw the picture it brought back a ton of fond memories. =)

If you haven't caught on by now, Amie married her high school sweetheart~just like I did!  Not only that but Amie & Mark have been together as long as my husband and I (13 years) and married the same amount of years (4)!  And...well as we've both settled into married life, now comes the babies, as her and I are both expecting this year too!  Yes, now you see, so many similarities...its just mind boggling!

Amie is due July 21st with a baby boy, and while his name is under wraps for now~I must say it is quite adorable and I just love it!  Little baby Haselton will be the first grandchild on both sides of their families and I'm sure he'll be well loved and spoiled, as it should be for a first grandchild!  ;)

Thank you Amie & Mark for trusting me to document this exciting time in your lives as you both embark on parenthood!  I know you both will make excellent parents...only 9 more weeks to go! =)

I had so many favorites from today...enjoy!

You both are spectacular in this one!

Amie~you are beyond gorgeous in this photograph...

Seriously...again with the gorgeousness in the beautiful light!

I'm in love with this one, because of how Mark and Amie are looking at each other!

Oh...and can Amie's bump be any cuter?!

Our baby girl~Atalia Jewell Perez

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 forever changed my life and my heart in a way I'll never be able to fully explain and I know it had the same dramatic effect on my husband too.  We got to see our very active baby girl, Atalia Jewell.  This day was different than others because our baby actually looked like a baby!  We could see her rub her eye, scratch her chin, suck her thumb, roll around, and even move her foot near her head.  It's like she knew her mom and dad were going to be seeing her in all her glory and she wanted to show off her skills. =)  She did not disappoint...not that she could...and it just made us fall even more in love with her than the day we found out we were expecting her!

I'm finally at the stage in my 2nd trimester (20 weeks) where I can feel her move inside of me and it is so amazing and weird at the same time!  When I think of what's going on in my body, I am simply in awe.  It is so incredible how the Lord gave me the ability to bear and eventually birth this child, a child that was simply created from my egg and my husband's sperm into a human being.  I think about everything we saw in the ultrasound, from her brain, skull, ribs, spine, fingers, hands, toes, feet, and heart and it just takes both of our breaths away that we created this life!

Baby girl, you have no idea how much your mom and dad love you~not to mention all your extended family!  I know you will be spoiled beyond belief, and to an extent that's okay, as long as you don't expect it your whole life.

You will be raised to respect your mom and dad and any future siblings you may have.  It is also important that we teach you to have a strong faith in God, a mutual respect for everyone in this world, and a good head on your shoulders!  Your dad and I promise to love you unconditionally and support you in all your decisions and goals.  We just ask that you be athletic like your mom and dad! =)  We have already decided you're going to be a star swimmer and water polo player...and well that's non-negotiable! j/k =)  Well maybe just a little, but no seriously we will never push you, we just ask that you try things in life at least once before saying you don't like something...never settling and never putting limits on your abilities.

Atalia, September 19, 2010 cannot come soon enough!  =)  We already love you so much and are beyond excited to meet you, hold you, cuddle you, and kiss you!

The Wentworth's + 1

I've known Sherri Lynn (aka SLW) for 5 years and through those 5 years she's been not only a former co-worker and family interpreter, but a dear friend.  We met when my husband graduated USC, as she was assigned to be Ro's parents sign language interpreter.  Then 2 months later, I got a job at a Deaf non-profit organization in Sacramento.  While training, I saw SLW walk into the office, and quickly found out she was one of their full time interpreters on staff...and well the rest is history.

As long as I've known SLW, she's loved children.  She's amazing with them and especially with her own nieces and nephews.  The road has been more than bumpy for her and her husband, Lewis to conceive a child of their own.  I remember several conversations with her discussing adopting whether it was here in the states or from another country.  There were many drawbacks, which I won't get into, because that would be a post in and of itself, but lets just say it made it difficult, which lead SLW and her husband to think about potentially fostering a child.

Then one fateful day in the fall of 2009, it happened...all on its own!  SLW was pregnant!!!! I remember when I found out I actually started crying (which I don't think I ever mentioned to her).  You see, more than anything I always knew SLW wanted a child of her own and well as the years progressed it seemed that it maybe wasn't a possibility for her and Lewis.  It's so true what they say, when you stop trying, it just happens...case in point baby Wentworth will be born June 25, 2010!

I cannot wait for baby Wentworth!  I'm more than jazzed about this baby boy entering this world, and even more jazzed that SLW and Lewis are going to be parents!  Thank you for letting me document this special time in your lives!  I love you both =)

Jamie Laguette-Stevens.my cousin

My dear cousin, Jaime you were such an amazing woman, wife, daughter, sister, cousin, and friend.

This past Friday, my cousin passed away of cancer after 1 1/2 years of fighting this horrible disease.  She was a fighter until the very end and never lost hope-EVER.  She would constantly post on her Facebook for all to see that she was a cancer warrior and that she would beat this with the support of her family and friends. KATNER (Kickin' Ass, Takin' Names, Repeat)

One day last October it hit me how angry, sad, upset and just downright mad I was that the Lord would allow such a horrible disease to enter my cousin's body at such a young age.  I wrote to her, because I knew the words that I had intended to tell her, would not be able to make it out of my mouth without bursting into tears.  I told Jaime everything that I had been feeling for the days leading up to that moment, what my fondest memories were of her, and us, and our families.  I told her how amazing, inspirational, beautiful, and funny she was...how I had always remembered her to be since we were young.  I guess you could say I laid everything out on the table...and I'm glad I did...not just because I got to tell her everything I wanted her to know, but because I didn't get a chance to say goodbye.

Because I feel compelled...below are the words she wrote back to me and I will hold near and dear in my heart forever.  You can see the absolute determination and drive she had to beat her cancer, and that's just sheer fearlessness on her part to have such an awe-inspiring spirit everyday of her courageous fight.

Jaime Laguette-Stevens October 3, 2009 at 10:47am

Dear Natalie,

Words cannot begin to express how much your email means to me - it brought tears to my eyes. It is one of the nicest, most thoughtful, caring emails I have ever received, thank you. The feelings are definitely mutual and I think about you all the time. I love seeing your updates on facebook and it makes me SO happy to see you SO happy.

I completely understand your reactions and I would never fault you for that. I know that I am in your thoughts and prayers and that's all I could ever ask for. I am very open about my cancer journey so please never hesitate to ask me anything or feel vulnerable.

I too get upset about why I have this ugly disease, but one thing I realize is I cannot question why. I just have to keep my head held high and know that this too shall pass, as difficult as it is. I honestly believe that God put this challege in front of me for me to accomplish so that I could be the strength and inspiration for all others out there living with cancer or yet to be diagnosed. You rarely hear about the survivor stories and there are SO many. I know I will be a survivor so in the meantime, I am fighting with all that I have!!

As I write this, I am astonished with how well I feel physically, mentally and emotionally all things considering and that's all I can ask for. I am a human being LIVING with cancer who will BEAT it!!

Thank you again for your email and very kind words. I hope we can all get together again soon!

I love you,
Jaime

I love you my dear cousin.  You fought hard, really hard...and even though you have parted ways with your loved ones and friends we will all meet you again in the most precious place, Heaven.

Avery Tran.Cutest Girl Ever

Week in Review with the Tran kids

Today I will say goodbye to my favorite Asian munchkins in the whole wide world...the Tran kids.  I was fortunate enough to spend an entire week with them while their mom left for boot camp.  Surprisingly, the two hardest parts of the whole trip were being sick and having to still maintain their schedule, regardless of how I felt (I guess that's where my motherly instincts kicked in), and the second thing was of course saying goodbye to them.

During my stay we shared a few tears, tons of laughs, lots of cuddling, but more than that it was about creating memories.  I kept thinking to myself, if only someone could've taken pictures of our time together so I could cherish those memories forever on paper, but I'll just have to cherish them well within my heart.

I feel like after this past week I could write a book on kids saying the darndest things!  Ethan seriously said the cutest things all week, as well as his sisters, who for the most part just speak mumbo jumbo with occasional real words & sentences.  Some of the highlights of the week and what the kids said to me are as below:

Ethan...
- "Auntie Natalie thank you for watching me and my babies while my mom is away."
- "Auntie, I love you" (he said this probably on the hour, sometimes more)
- "Auntie, you are so good to me and my babies."
- "Auntie, I really hope you get better.  I wanted to get you a watermelon, because that always makes my throat feel better."
- "Auntie, if you make red soup (aka top ramen), that always makes me feel better.  You should try it!"

*My favorite thing he said to me came last night as he was playing his Wii sports game.  He was playing as 2 players with one remote in each hand.  Somehow my Mii won his Mii and so he said, "Auntie, you beat me again! I know how much you love beating me when we play the Wii!" It was the gosh honest truth coming out of his mouth and so adorable because for the first time he wasn't getting mad at me.  You see I'm beyond competitive...yeah you heard and read correctly, I don't even let my nephew or anyone else for that matter just win, because it's the right thing to do.  I know it sounds harsh, but losing builds character and why not start them out young?  I've finally proved my point with Ethan, that as long as you're having fun, it doesn't matter if you win or lose (for now that is...) =)

The few words/sentences the girls, Ellie & Avery could muster up all week that were so cute to hear were...
- "Auntie, I fall down!" (Avery)
- "Auntie, love..." (both girls)
- "Mommy, airplane" (Avery)
- "Kisses" (both girls)

We had such an incredible time at various parks, the mall, and of course at home.  I'll definitely miss my Asian munchkins, I'm just simply amazed at how fast they are growing.  I'm glad that I continue to have so many opportunities to be with them and help guide them along their way.  My life would not be complete without them.

Below are a few...ok maybe more than a few images from our time together.