I love a newborn session where I can capture those amazing moments that you don’t get back once a baby is a little more grown up.
This shot was taken before we started trying to get more posed cutesy shots and it’s one of my favorite newborn shots. Ever. I just love the mommy-baby bond that is shown here.
This photo was entered into the I Heart Faces photo challenge – www.iheartfaces.com
“I want to be THREE. I want to go to school!”
Little Miss N announced as I was driving her big brother to his first day of Pre-K 4. Mister L had just explained to her that he started school when he was 3 and she had to wait her turn, too.
It was then that I almost lost it because my baby girl wanted to go to school instead of go home for some quality time with her beloved Mami. I was already super nervous that a repeat could happen of last year’s first day complete with tears and heart-wrenching, ear-piercing screams for Mama from Mister L.
“MAAMAAAAAAA!!! I WANT MAMA!” was what I heard then as I was gently yet swiftly pushed out of his classroom and comforted by his teacher,
“He will be fine. I promise.” Then Ms. G closed the door on me and I was left listening to screams and found myself crying, feeling like I had abandoned my first born. I cried all the way home and sat by the phone just in case he hadn’t calmed down. He was fine. They were right.
This year’s first day of school was quite the opposite. My son walked to his classroom confidently. He said hello to his teachers, gave Mami, Daddy and Little Miss N kisses and hugs and joined the other children on the rug for story time.
That was that. We left and I again found myself on the verge of tears. Relief. Joy. I was so proud of my little boy that I wanted to shout it to the world. (I didn’t do that but I did post it on my Facebook status which, really, is the shouting from rooftops of this day and age.)
Little Miss N told me all the way home that she wanted to be three so she too could go to school. When we got home, though, she was quite happy to read books and play kitchen with plain ol’ Mama. I may not be school, but for now, I’m all hers during those few hours when my other baby is in school.
She’s loving that.
Mr. Determination followed by Miss "I want to go to school"
It was a hot, hot, hot Miami day at the Doral park where I met up with Maria, Shane and six month old A! They were so friendly right off the bat and came well prepared and perfectly dressed. It’s awesome to see a couple so in love with and completely doting on their first baby!
They were troopers throughout the session despite the heat. We got the pictures done in between plenty of water breaks and a couple of feedings for the baby. And what an adorable baby he is! He is totally cute and has those yummy little chubby arms and legs… you know which ones I’m talking about. If not, you can see them for yourself below. 
Thanks again Maria and Shane! I hope to work with you again soon and have the pleasure of watching little A grow!
Father’s Day is this Sunday. Are you all done shopping and card-making for that special guy in your family? I thought I was all done when I bought my husband a pair of binoculars at Marshall’s last week. Well, my little boy was so excited and as soon as Daddy came home, he ran to him and announced, “Daddy, here’s your present!” Awesome, kid. Awesome. Back to square one.
It’s tough to find the perfect gift for this man who does so much for me and our kids. My dad is and always has been a great dad so I hold my husband to this standard that might be impossible for some to meet. Guess what? He met my standards and then went on to exceed them! He cooks, cleans and changes diapers. Sweet!
He even lets his little girl ambush him when he works from home. Or, she loves him so much that he doesn’t have a choice.
To my husband, my dad and all the other great dads out there: Happy Father’s Day!
Yesterday my kids were going on adventures in our backyard. They went to far away lands like Orlando and even the barber shop! Then, they took the cover off their water table and went surfing on the grass.
I decided to conduct a little experiment about cheese.
Here is Mister L with his “surfboard.”
1) I asked him to say cheese. Check out the smile. Fake, much? 
Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese
2) After laying off the cheese and talking to him about his surfing adventures, I took this picture. This is his more natural smile and the one that I, as his mom, know, love and cherish.
Not so cheesy
Just wanted to share that cheese isn’t always the answer!
P.S. I’m totally aware that my kid has remnants of the yogurt he had for a snack running down the front of his shirt.
She enjoys running, bowling and scary movies. He enjoys a good cigar and the beach. Together they enjoy listening to old records, going on long walks and tailgating for and watching Hurricanes football.
They met over three years ago at a barbecue at Crandon Park – a pre-orientation event for the University of Miami Law School. Now they are engaged!
Remember that she likes running and scary movies? Well, she likes to run so much that she ran the Miami Beach Halloween Half-Marathon (in costume!!) last year. He was waiting for her at the finish line with a carved pumpkin in hand. The carving read, “Will you marry me?”
Is this not one of the most original proposal stories you’ve heard?!
When I talked to Kelly the morning of the engagement shoot, she and Rob were having breakfast at Green Street Cafe – the location of their first date. Love it!
It was a breezy afternoon and we had to move fast with the threat of storms and the attack of the ever-vicious mosquitoes. They wanted a vintage feel to their session and Deering Estate was the perfect backdrop for that!
Kelly & Josh | Deering Estate
Kelly and Josh, you were awesome to work with! I love your quick wit and the very honest relationship you seem to have. I wish you all the best during the wedding planning process and wish you a very happy life together. I hope we can work together again in the future!
I was trying really hard not to enter any photo challenges until I wrote a real blog post but I couldn’t resist entering this week’s I Heart Faces challenge!
I immediately thought of this image when I read about this week’s challenge. Baby M is my cousin’s baby and the first newborn I photographed. I captured him checking out his hand at a few weeks old. Does anything really say “innocent wonder” like the expression in a newborn’s eyes when they first find their hands? I love that look of amazement.
Baby M finds his hand.
Check out other entries at this week’s I Heart Faces challenge by clicking below!
First on the agenda – HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Secondly – Do you know how hard it was to choose the absolute best face photo I took in 2010?! VERY. Very hard.
I chose this photo because it makes me laugh every time I look at it. Miss S has such a funny, outgoing personality and made this face for my camera during her family session. She was about 11 months old at the time and her playful nature was already shining through!
There are are a lot of other fabulous entries in this challenge! Find a little time and check them out by clicking on the logo below!
(UPDATE: If you love this picture, please go to I Heart Faces by clicking on the logo above and vote for #628! Thanks!)
If you don’t know yet, I’m Cuban-American – very. I was even made in Cuba. My mom migrated here with my dad and most of her family when she was 7 months pregnant with me. On a boat. I’ve always been very proud of that. Really, if you grow up this way in Miami, it’s the norm and very easy to be Cuban-American.
Sure, it could get a little confusing at times. I would watch shows like Growing Pains and Full House and notice that my family and the families on these shows didn’t share the same traditions. They would have big Christmas Day feasts while my family would celebrate on the night of Christmas Eve with rice, beans and a big pig (lechón) roasted in the backyard, people playing dominoes and dancing. We’d celebrate the birth of Jesus in a different way than the Seavers and Tanners did.
So, yeah, Christmas was a little different than what your average American kid had. Then, to make things a little more interesting, I married an Englishman.
This year, on Noche Buena (Christmas Eve,) we went to my aunt’s house and had lechón, congrí (rice and beans made in one pot,) yuca and the best empanadas in the world – my mom’s. My aunt’s husband is American so we also had a sweet potato casserole thrown in to the mix! We came home where my kids had left cookies for Santa and my son had scattered reindeer food on the front lawn.
On Christmas Day after we opened the presents, we went on to have a very traditional English Christmas dinner. We had turkey and stuffing, cranberry sauce, sprouts, Yorkshire pudding, carrots, parsnips and roast potatoes. We even had Christmas Crackers and wore our Christmas hats.
It’ll definitely be fun to see what kind of Holiday traditions our little CuBrit-Americans come up with when they grow up and have their own families. Who knows what other cultures we’ll welcome into the mix?
