Getting Fancy in a Red Tutu

Shilio was as cute as a ballerina in a red tutu could be and became the dancing queen when the music began! Her Mom and Dad got some great family portraits for their Christmas gifts but also thought ahead to bring the cutest little tute and set of pearls ever! Shilio was a complete doll and so wonderful to work with!

Family Fun

I always try to have fun when I am photographing. However, it helps a bunch if you have a family that is also full of fun and are willing to try out some crazy poses!

Of course, with any fun, you have to start with the basics. A family that is happy and smiling!

Kids with their personality shinning through.


Parents often put their kids first, but they deserve to be center stage too.

Now sometimes to get the family all looking and smiling all at the same time I bribe them with candy. This is what happens when someone finds the candy jar and gets their own candy. ;-)

And then after that the kids were all ready to pose to get more candy...even if it was just a "normal" pose.


All in all this was a great time and I'm happy that the family had as much fun as I did. Plus there will always be candy here if they want it!

On the way back...

We had a lovely time in Seattle and started our trip on the way back to California. We decided to travel 3 days back and enjoy the sights of the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. Here are some of the pics from that trip!

On the Washington Coast we saw some great reflections on the side of the road and pulled over.


And the Cascades were out and beautiful as ever!


On the Oregon Coast we stopped at Cannon Beach and my hubby and four legged child had fun on the beach.


As the first day on the road came to a close we saw breathtaking views of the ocean.



Day 2 we spent most of the time in Oregon. We woke up to fog and sea lions. If you look closely in the picture below you'll see little dots that are the heads of sea lions.

There were lighthouses at every turn.

And bridges that looked like a movie set.


In Newport, Oregon we stopped at Rouge Brewery.


There was an overlook along the road where tons of sea lions gathered to sun themselves.

And the sunset did not disappoint and Day 2 either!

Day 3 did not let us down with the sights either. The Redwoods were tall (so tall I couldn't get an entire one in the frame of my camera) and peaceful to walk through!



And of course we had to drive through the famous tree!


All in all it was a great trip and we are happy to be back home and spent such a lovely time in the Pacific Northwest!

An interesting second half of the trip

We woke up in Eugene, Oregon to a beautiful day and very optimistic about the second half of our trip up to Seattle. First we had to get gas. To find the nearest gas station, we used Jill, my portable navigation system. Now anyone who knows me, knows that Jill and I have a love hate relationship. She gets me places...which I like, but she also sometimes sends me on a wild goose chase. Anyway, we set out to find a gas station.

Jill was so nice to give us a tour of the University of Oregon campus. It was very pretty and not the direct route we could have taken to the gas station, but I digress. As we are headed down one of the streets, I notice the EAE house and the DG house and then....the holy grail....the Kappa Delta house!!!! I was so excited to see my sorority house on the U of O campus. And I have to say it is the prettiest house there! It's so amazing that I had to get out and take a picture of it!


After taking this wonderful detour...thanks Jill...we found the gas station and got on our way to Seattle. It was so clear and sunny that we could see Mount Hood.


I was hoping this was a good sign and that when we got to Washington I would actually be able to see Mount Rainier. Mt. Rainier doesn't like me. I have seen it only twice in the 8 years I have been coming up here. But I am determined to get a good picture of it someday!

Before we headed to Seattle we made a stop in Portland. Why stop in Portland? Because of Voodoo Doughnut. We first heard about Voodoo Doughnut on the Food Network several months back. And we decided to make sure we saw it on the way up to Seattle this year. And man was it worth the stop!!!


The inside is small but amazing!


And Robert was so excited to be there because he had looked forward to this stop for about 6 months!

So now we are here....what donuts are we going to select. And wow! What a selection!


With so many choices what did we end up getting? Only six. The classic glazed doughnut which was the best one I had ever had in my life! I got two of them!


The Grape Ape. Sounds weird but soooooo good! It tastes like candy for childhood.


The Mango Tango which has icing that is mango and then mango filling. Very, very sweet.

The Cinnamon, a chocolate cake doughnut with cinnamon spice. Wow what a kick!


And then the grand-daddy of them all! The Bacon Maple Bar. Topped with two strips of crispy bacon and a maple glazed frosting. It was so heavy and filling that I don't think we will eat for a week...or at least until Thanksgiving.

After our delicious stop in Portland, we headed to Seattle. Along the way we saw this beautiful church.


And a huge military plane.


Logan wasn't impressed and even though we told him we would be there soon, didn't seem to believe us.


We finally arrived in Seattle and of course no Mt. Rainier for me to take a picture of...or even look at. Why you ask....becuase it wasn't there. As usual it was hiding in the clouds. And I am starting to believe that the mountain doesn't really exist. ;-) But I will keep my eye out while I'm up here and with a little luck....and no rain....maybe I'll get to see it!