She is finally here. The little bundle of joy that I have had the pleasure of documenting for the past several months as she grew in her mama's belly. Hayley is finally here!
Little Hayley, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
I took her last maternity images on September third, four short days later Hayley was in her mama's arms. September 7th Hayley was born and her mom and dad couldn't be happier. She is a perfect little baby.
Four days to go, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
Megan was on bed rest for the last few months of her pregnancy, so she was getting pretty bored with sitting around. If only she knew at this point that in just four days she would have her little one to keep her company.
Cuddle, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
Napping with Hayley, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
Perfect, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
Perfect little fingers and lips.
Proud Dad, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
Just like Megan said, when Hayley is ready to come, the grapes will be ready to pick. And they are! As a result, Ryan has been working crazy hours. But not so many that he can't take some time with his precious baby girl.
Grapes, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
Hayley, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
Hayley and Grandma, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
There is nothing sweeter than a new baby and her grandparents. It is so fun to watch them swoon over her. Hayley is definitely going to want for nothing.
Hayley, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
Hayley, thank you for being such a sweet baby. You are going to have an amazing life. You are so loved.
Today is the two year anniversary of the day that Charlie and I said our vows. It is amazing how quickly it has gone, and at the same time so much has changed since then. In celebration of our two years together Charlie and I went on an early trip to Catalina Island. We booked two nights at the Two Harbors campsite and had no idea what to expect.
Before jumping on the Catalina Express to get to the island we went for a walk around Long Beach. Charlie took advantage of the benches around the lighthouse while I looked around and snapped a few photos.
We walked over to Shoreline Village to look at the shops and get a cool drink. You will never guess, there was a South African pub! I had to snap a picture of Charlie. If only there were one of these closer to home!
p.s. see Charlie's 'I am standing here smiling because you are making me' face. He is such a trooper.
So, we had to look around Springbok Bar and Grill. And we HAD to have a Savanna Dry. The menu boasted quite a few favorites from home, unfortunately Charlie and I had just stuffed ourselves with a huge breakfast. But the cider was delicious.
Finally we arrived at the the Two Harbors port. And the water really is that blue. It is a beautiful little spot. And we found a perfect campsite. As we were putting up the tent there was an amazing amount of wind, I was pretty certain our tent was going to turn into a kite and fly away. But, once we got the pegs into the ground it was fine. The wind died down for the most part after that and the weather was pretty much perfect for the rest of our stay.
I tried my hand at a bit of night photography. Notice the airplane flying in the right hand side of the image. It looks like a white line, which is because it is such a long shutter-speed.
The second day we went kayaking and snorkeling, no pictures of those wet events. I seriously need to invest in an underwater cover for my camera. After the kayak adventures I went for a little hike and found this little gem. What are the chances I would find a heart shaped cactus on our anniversary weekend trip? That is fate.
My rating for Catalina Island, probably 3.5 out of 5 stars. I would have bumped it up a bit had I been able to bring my dog with me. It is amazing how many dogs are on the island and yet they don't allow dogs at the campsite! Crazy. Overall though, it was a great weekend. Happy anniversary Charlie!
I am so excited!!! My new referral cards are in and I LOVE them. The company that I am getting them printed through is amazing and hopefully my clients will love them as much as I do.
Malea's cards, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
These are the cards that I ordered for Malea. They turned out so cute!
Referral Rewards, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
The back shows the perks that come along with having one of these cute little cards. After completing a shoot I will make these cards with one of my favorite images. My clients will then be able to hand them out to anyone they think might like to book a session with me. The referee will receive a free 8x10 print from their photo session and the referrer will receive an 8x10 when one of their cards comes back to me. They also have the option of saving five 'credits' and getting a canvas wrap. Pretty cool right?
Packaged, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
Variety, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
The best part is that the company that I am using to print these cards is green. The paper for these cards is sourced from sustainable forests. The packaging that it comes in is 100% recyclable and made from recycled pulp. It makes my little green heart happy. So, leave a comment and tell me what you think. Do you like them? Do you think my clients will like them? How many do you think I should give to my clients?
My brother Dustin Turned 30 this year. I guess that makes him old. Well, at least that is what I thought when I was ten. Thirty is definitely old. For his birthday, his girlfriend Stacy organized an amazing dinner. Since I have been deemed the baker in the family, she had a special request for Dustin's birthday cake.
Ice Cream Cone Cake, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
Yes it looks like a first grader made it. And yes, it looks like it is for a first grade girl. But that was the point. The ice cream cones are filled with cake, the toppings are made of candy. The Cake is almond-ish and the frosting is spiked with brandy.
Bzzz, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
Busy Kitchen, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
It is amazing, a busy kitchen in our house and no Dustin in sight, blasphemy!
Blue, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
Our little helper, Blue.
Ravi's Ribs, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
These are Ravi's Ribs. They put the A in amazing. When she makes them the meat falls off the bone and the sauce is to die for. If am the baker then she is definitely the rib maker. Incidentally, our family has been in the process of making a family cook book. It is all online through a company called Tastebook. You can put all of your recipes in online, add your favorite images and they will print and bind it for you. It has grown to be so huge that I think it will have to be two books. I have been trying to get pictures of a lot of the food that will be in the book so I was excited to get another one.
Chicken Delicious, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
And finally, Stacy's chicken sandwiches. Apparently the recipe is from a place in the East Bay, but I doubt that the original is as good as Stacy makes them. They were perfectly scrumptious. The chicken was crispy on the outside and super moist on the inside. The coleslaw gave it that extra bit of goodness. It was fantastic.
Needless to say, I didn't have to eat for a week after this meal.
Ha ha! My brother turned 30 last year, too! It was definitely a shock to me when it finally hit me...only to realize that it means I'm looking at 28 soon!... Where did the time go, Sara? *sigh*
(01.10.10)Crazy right? Time goes so quickly. I can't even remember the last time I say your bright smile. I believe it was at Davis...
(01.14.10)
Anyone that knows me knows that I have always had a soft spot for critters of every sort. I was the kid that would bring home stray animals hoping to fix them and find them a home. My clutch has had everything from horses and seagulls to crows and dogs, cats and iguanas. You name it, I would probably take it in if I could. So, I figured that it makes sense for me to use my business in a way that can also help furry critters. Several weeks ago I contacted the Oakland Animal Services offering my services. Emily later contacted me and we set up our first photo session with a very special pup.
Remy, photography by Debbie Goldberg.
This is Remy. He has had a pretty rough start to life. Remy was found by an off-duty firefighter with multiple gunshot wounds. They think that it was a drive-by but they never found the horrible person that shot Remy. The Firefighter that found Remy took him to the nearest 24 hour emergency vet, the Berkeley Dog and Cat Hospital. They patched up his wounds and he sat in the hospital until he was taken to the Oakland Animal Services.
Remy Now, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
Remy is 8 months old now.
Remy, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
Big Boy, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
Remy is now living with a loving foster family. Unfortunately, he still has 2 bullets in him, one is lodged in a growth plate causing a rather major malformation in his front left leg. While it doesn't seem to bother him too much or cause him much pain, as he continues to grow it will become a bigger problem. So, Remy will be needing surgery and his foster parents are trying to raise funds for him. Donations for Remy will go to a non-profit called Friends of the Oakland Animal Shelter. If you have anything you can give, this pup certainly could use it.
Wanna Play?, photography by Sara Atkins Photography.
The
only thing that really matters to Remy is that he gets to continue to
play with his ball. He is such a sweet puppy and really deserves better
than what he has been dished up so far. Hopefully he will get the
money to pay for his surgery and when he recovers a nice family will
want to adopt him. I will let you know what happens.