My most favorite place in the whole entire world.  With my most favorite people in the entire world.

Enjoying amazing sunsets.  Beautiful rainbows.  Endless stars.

Swimming until our fingers get wrinkly.  Eating too much ice cream.  And going on adventures every single night.

I will be back next week with beautiful people celebrating beautiful moments in their lives.  If you’re really bored and can’t wait until then you can check our Romy and Ryan’s feature on Style Me Pretty and/or the guest bloggers over on Mom*tog.  See you soon!

For now here are two sessions that will be blogged next week…

The Chandler Family:

The Cisneroz Family from Krista’s Day With Drew:

I’ve been busy working on my new Mom*tog guide! Here’s a shot of cute, little (well, not so little because he’s a chunky monkey!) Baby Liam that I got during one of the shoots for the guide. I just love that little guy!

I met Megan about a year ago.  She signed up to do a mentoring session with me and we had so much fun!  Megan’s business has really grown over the past year and she’s just about finished with a new blog and branding.  How exciting!

We had a ton of fun on this shoot!  What’s really funny though is that Megan lost her keys at the very beginning of the shoot.  We can laugh about it now, but it wasn’t funny at the time!  We looked for them for a few minutes, but we were losing light so I told her she just had to forget about it and focus!  The gates to the area we were shooting in closed at 5.  Once we were done shooting we had about 30 minutes to take down the props and find the keys.  We couldn’t find them anywhere!  As Megan was calling a dealership to see if she could get a new set of keys I found them!  And right at that time the guard was coming to close the gate!  It was a close call!

If you’re in the San Diego area definitely check out Megan’s site for your next family session or wedding.  Not only is she an awesome photographer she’s also a very sweet and caring person who puts a lot of thought into everything she does.  Thank you for choosing me, Megan, for your headshots.  It’s an absolute honor!  Oh, and thanks for the Sprinkles Cupcake!  Yummy!

*** And special thanks to Carina from Flawless Faces for doing such an amazing job on Megan’s makeup!

More from this awesome session coming soon!

Dear Brayden,

2 years ago today, after a very long and painful labor, we met at exactly 3:30pm for the first time.  4 days past due and you had no intentions of coming out so the doctor had to force you out.  When the doctor held you up over the curtain for the first time and your Daddy and I saw you we both cried, but later admitted to each other that we thought you were an albino baby.  Your hair was as white as your skin and you had bright blue eyes.  Regardless, we loved you because you were ours.

2 years ago today you were a stranger.  I could only dream of what your voice would sound like when you said, “Mama”.  I could only imagine what you would look like when you took your first steps.  I could never comprehend how proud I would be every time you learn a new word, when you blew out the candles of your 2nd birthday cake, when you said, “Love Mama” for the first time, and all your other little accomplishments.  I would have never guessed how much joy and happiness you could bring to me.

2 years ago today I wasn’t sure I could do it.  I still have days that I’m not sure I can do it.  But, I hope you know how much I try to be the best mom possible.  I love making you laugh so hard that your face turns red.  I love tickling you so hard that you giggle and say, “No, Mama!  No!”.  I love that I’m the only one who can understand your “Branglish”.  I love that I get just as excited as you (okay, maybe more excited) when we get stuck at a train crossing.  I love getting to discover new things with you.

2 years ago today I knew I loved you, but I could have never imagined how much more I could love you today.  Brayden, I love you so much and am so proud of the boy you are.  I can’t wait to see how much you change and grow over the next year.  But, please don’t grow up too fast.  These past two years have flown by.  I’d just like you to stay my baby for a little bit longer.

Love,

Mama

And a very happy 1 year anniversary to Mom*tog!!!

Rainbows.  Caught the very tail end of this rainbow.  I saw it disapear right in front of my eyes.  Goodbye rain!  Here comes the sun!

Please go away and stop making my shoots get cancelled. We live in Southern California for a reason.  I enjoy a little rain every once in a while, but you’ve been here for 3 days now!  While it’s been exciting (tornados!) and a little fun (but mostly boring being cramped up inside), I am ready for you to leave now. Please tell the sun it’s time to come back so I can go out and shoot.

Love,
Drew

January

I was published in my first bridal magazine – The Knot

Cute baby Cami came by for a Valentine’s Day session

3 new friends from Arkansas came out to spend a day with me to learn and have some fun!

And that same day I met a family that I would become great friends with over the past year.  The Carson family!

February

Mr. Bryaden Bittel turned 1 and Mom*tog was launched!

Brayden did a little modeling

Hosted another fabulous Day with Drew

Heidi and Chris were married in Beverly Hills!

March

The couple from  my very first solo wedding had a baby.  On Brayden’s birthday!

Hosted yet another fun Day with Drew

Had a fun shoot with my friend, Denise

Brayden learned to drink out of a sippy cup!  Such a proud Mommy moment

I got to shoot this adorable baby!

We celebrated St. Patrick’s Day

I shot Marisa and Jaime’s super fun engagement session

April

Brayden and Emma did a bit more modeling

I attended a workshop with Jose Villa

Shot one of my most favorite engagement sessions of all time

Brayden continued to learn new things and make me laugh

And I shot a gorgeous wedding at Pelican Hill (and this couple is expecting a baby soon!)

May

The couple from the second wedding I ever shot welcomed baby number 2

I shot my first Korean ceremony

And their beautiful wedding at the Huntington Beach Hyatt the following day

I helped a friend announce a very special surprise

Jamie and Erik were married in a very emotional wedding ceremony

We took our very first family trip to Kauai!

I did a fun mini session with this adorable baby

And I took baby Cami’s 1 year pictures!

June

We said goodbye to our first home as a family and moved into a wonderful new house that quickly became home

Lisa, Richard, and Lola came down from Oregon for their engagement session

The Bittel family got in front of the lens for our family pictures with Tara Whitney

I shot Nga and Jay’s super fun engagement session at UCLA

I shot Liz and David’s official engagement session

And Heather and Justin were married

July

I got to help Jamie announce the sex of her baby!

I had a fun shoot with three crazy brothers

I had my annual shoot with the Abadie family!  So happy they moved back to California!

I hosted two more Days With Drew

Brayden took swimming lessons

I shot Sandy and Matt’s engagement session in Laguna Beach

And Leslie and Husam had a gorgeous wedding in Los Angeles

August

Cute, little Baby Jake was born

I had a ton of fun shooting April and Patrick’s engagement session, but it was so HOT!

Brayden Bittel turned 18  months and got his first haircut!  It was a bit dramatic, but he sure looked cute after!

Romy and Ryan had an absolutely gorgeous wedding in Malibu

This awesome family came to see me while visiting from Colorado

Marisa and Jaime were married at the Mission Inn in Riverside which is a dream to shoot at!

And I shot Cristina and Mike’s engagement session

September

Had fun shooting in an orange grove with this family

A Bruin and a Trojan decided to get engaged.  You’re a good man, Ryan, for putting Alison’s faults aide

I shot Baby Luke’s maternity session

And just two short weeks later he arrived!  A little early, but totally healthy!

Worked on an upcoming project for Mom*tog with the Carson girls

Shot Nicole and Jeremy’s engagement session in Venice Beach

Brayden got ready for college football season

Liz and David were married

And so were Tara and Daniel!

October

Lots of family sessions in October!

First, the Cox family

Then the Davis family

The Bengard family

And the Simmons family!

April and Patrick were married at the St. Regis Monarch Beach

And Lisa and Richard were married at the Wynn in Las Vegas.  My very first Vegas wedding!

And I shot my last wedding of the year – Sandy and Matt at the Balboa Baby Club

November

The UNposing Guide was released on Mom*tog!

I shot an awesome new client, the Maddux Family

And their friends the Comi’s!

Brayden went to his very first UCLA football game and loved every second of it!  They even won!

I shot the most well behaved kids I have ever worked with and had a ton of fun!

I shot the Imus family for the 4th year in a row

I worked with the Nygaard family for the first time and they were awesome!

The Paskin’s flew their plane down from Santa Barbara and we had an awesome shoot!  I even got to help them announce that baby number 2 is on the way!

And I shot Nancy and Eric’s engagement session in Los Angeles

Brayden got his second haircut and it wasn’t nearly as traumatizing as the first!

December

I shot my friend and favorite florist, Jenny B’s, family pictures with a yellow VW bus!

Baby Liam finally arrived!

I shot my last engagement session of the year.  Leslie and Yashaar in Santa Monica

Brayden posed with Santa and didn’t cry!  He even asked for a choo choo

And Baby Kyrsten arrived too!