{Train Station Girls} Child Portraits

This was a fun, inspiring and impromptu photoshoot I did with the girls one recent Saturday morning.  Vintage, train tracks, train station, and two happy girls.

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

{Emily's One-Year Photo Shoot} Child & Family Portraits

It has been almost a year now, since I have had the honor of watching Miss Emily grow from being a baby, to now a spunky 1 year old girl. Well, most of the honor is rooted in the story of how Emily's mom and I met. For a long time (maybe a year or more) Emily's mom and I had a working relationship like no other. I referred my patients with speech problems to her, and she took care of them as their speech therapist. She did an awesome job, and my patients LOVED her. I knew her handwriting by heart whenever she communicated back to me about my patients. I too LOVED her compassion and skill with my patients. I had never met her in person, and I shamefully never made the effort to do so. But when she got pregnant, I was honored when she came to my office to meet me and pick me to be her daughter's pediatrician!

A year has gone by. Emily is much more grown up. Emily's parents are "seasoned" and so much more in love with her, if that is possible. Emily's mom has known about me wanting to pursue photography and has always admired the pics I have taken of a dear friend of mine. So at Emily's last check-up, she came right out and asked me if I would do Emily's 1 year pictures. "Of course!" was my answer.

Last week we met at the University of Redlands, where Emily's parents had their wedding pictures done. I had the honor of capturing Miss Emily, and laughing every time she lost her balance, falling on her bottom, and letting out a sigh. She is too cute, and her and her lambee are just a perfect duo of cuteness. Here she is....

Good Old Redlands

When Steve and I moved out here over 5 years ago, we very quickly learned what charm an old town like Redlands has to offer. Market night in Redlands was soon a habit for us, and we would so often run into patients who had seen me in the office or Steve in the ER. And we have countless stories of how these "patients" of ours demonstrated their generosity and gratitude to us.... somethings that made the charm of Redlands more and more real to us.

But one of the most dear-to-my-heart stories of friendship began with my friend Lois and my first pregnancy (Syd). Lois is a nurse at Redlands Community Hospital in the postpartum floor. So when I had to pick an OB from my group to guide me thru my pregnancy, it was with my trust in her judgement that I ended up in the hands of "her Steve." He saved me from having an emergency C-section (one more failed vacuum attempt and I was going to the OR). And he was the first human to hold my daughter, before "my Steve" or myself.

So today was a day that warmed my heart. As a family, we visited "her Steve's" beautiful ranch land in good old Redlands. Once a convent, now an orchard, a ranch with horses, dogs, chickens, agaves, guavas, avocado trees, citrus trees, and a couple dead mice.... the perfect scenery to take some pics.



Mel loved the oranges and dripped the juice all over her dad's head....

And now my counter tops are overflowing with grapefruit, oranges, lemons, and avocados. Thank you Lois and Steve for a wonderful afternoon. And thank you for caring for my Syd and Mel, before I ever held them in my arms.