little ones

first beach weekend • redondo beach, ca • family time

beach, little ones, personal, we are family

Mid-April, & a gift from the gods–beach weather all weekend long! Last summer, I had planned to “live at the beach.” I was pregnant, tired, & honestly in need of some lazing around, so I thought how fun it would be to schlep the girls down to the beach everyday, dig a wedge in the sand to accommodate my growing behind, & lie there like the beached whale I was proud to be while they played happily for hours upon hours in the sun. Well, last summer was a bust–overcast, cloudy, & cool (“June Gloom”) all the way through the fall! And then of course, some surprising amounts of rain (& hail?). So…when the weather predictions on my iPhone showed temperatures in the 80’s for this weekend, I started packing the beach cart (yes, the most amazing contraption/parent gadget I’ve ever bought). I joked with my husband that if we had the kids greased up with sunblock on Friday, we could easily be out of the house by 3 PM Sunday.

And a glorious weekend it was. I put aside ANY plans of “accomplishing” anything–no home improvement projects, no cleaning out the garage, no getting things together to sell on Craigslist. We were out of the house in two hours flat both days, & we met up with friends who augmented our great joy at being outdoors & seeing our kids so organically entertained by nature.

And it was our little Zen’s first beach outing. I think he liked it. 🙂

bye-bye, beach • tomomi & kai • mommy & me portraits

beach, little ones, outdoors, we are family

More & more, I get requests from families to do portraits because they are moving away from Southern California & want to remember their time here with some special photographs. Tomomi & Kai are relocating soon, & to commemorate their life in the South Bay, the perfect setting was of course–the beach! We lucked out with beautiful golden light at the end of a balmy spring day. Mommy & son played happily on the beach while I clicked away. Here I thought I’d weave a little story into their images–a story for Kai to take to his new home…

Once upon a time, in a land called California, Kai & his mommy went to the beach.

They raced each other in the soft sand…

Kai got a piggy back on Mommy to hurry down to the water…

And Kai was a happy boy with a stick he found, carving his mark into the earth…

And letting mommy write his name for the gentle ocean to slowly lap away…

And of course, they collected sea shells…

And Kai listened intently to hear the sea…

As Kai & Mommy strolled near the water’s edge, they happened upon a message in a bottle!

And Mommy read the message, which was from a little boy named Tyler June…

Instructions said to mark who & where you are, & send the bottle on its way again. 

And as the sun slid slowly toward the sea, Kai & Mommy shared some snuggles.

“Shall we send the bottle on its journey now?” Asked Mommy.

“Yes, let’s!” Replied Kai.

And just like the bottle, Kai & Mommy too left the beach & went on their new journey to a faraway place & exciting adventures…

au revoir, america • the francon family • beach portraits

beach, little ones, outdoors, we are family

Ah, ze French. Zay are tres, tres romantique. I like to encourage husbands & wives to get cozy in their portraits, & often when they have kids, it’s been a long time since they’ve been able to look longingly into each other’s eyes for any stretch of time. There is thus some awkward giggling sometimes, especially with a camera trained on you, & your kids running in circles. But this pair, Maite & Sebastien, didn’t need any coaching. Zay are, of course, French. So with their adorable Melissa close by, they got cozy & romantic right on the beach. And the whole family was so playful & fun–it was a great time! This was their Bon Voyage portrait, since they moved back to France this weekend. We will miss them! I hope that these photos will remind them of the SoCal sunshine–and bring them back for a visit soon!

pattern-mixing • family trail walk

little ones, outdoors, personal, we are family

There’s a fire trail that runs behind our house, & it’s like having a backyard that is really long & narrow & leads to the “special drink store,” where my husband takes the girls on Sundays to indulge in this Japanese soda that comes in a glass bottle with a marble in it. We’ve walked the trail in every season–breezy summer, crisp autumn, chilly winter, & now green spring. I’m glad I took my camera on this walk to capture my oldest daughter’s complete freedom with fashion (stripes, plaids, & knitted patterns all mixing beautifully), & just the mundane miracle of everyday life with my family. This was our baby’s first trail walk; held tightly in the arms of daddy, he slept through the whole thing.

The girls raced each other over & over again on the damp dirt trail…

Here’s Zoë letting Zara win, & I wish I had a picture of the look on Zoë’s face after, because she looked more joyful & proud of herself letting her sister win than she did when she won herself. Such kindness & compassion in a child!