gap-toothed grin • the mcdonald-van rossum family • los angeles, ca

little ones, we are family

What a treat it is for me to photograph & blog about this family! I first met Celeste when we were hired the same year at Beverly Hills High School to teach English & attended the new teacher orientation meeting. We were fresh out of grad school & trying to dress older than our age to garner more respect while often being mistaken for students ourselves. For more than a decade, Celeste & I saw each other almost daily, attended the same meetings & after school events, shared lunches, dinners, & nights out on the town as single ladies with our posse of pals. And sometime in those years, Celeste & Pete, who taught next door to each other for years, became Mr. & Mrs. Now, sixteen years later, Celeste & I go to each other’s kids’ birthday parties, discuss the Tooth Fairy, laugh at the foibles of motherhood & marriage, & count ourselves lucky if we can find one afternoon every few months for a “girls’ brunch.” It seems not so long ago that I had the special honor of photographing Celeste & Pete’s wedding…But this month I got to capture these two wonderful friends with their beautiful tow-headed kids, & to make a great session even more extraordinary, got to create some portraits of four generations of the female line in Celeste’s family: Nana, Gramma Sue, Celeste, & Dylan all together. {And on a special note, I owe it to Nana & Celeste that I met my wonderful husband in Las Vegas, but that’s a story for another time!}

vivacious violet • the stackleather family • rancho palos verdes, ca

little ones, we are family

It was so fun to catch up with the Stackleathers! I have missed seeing them at my daughter’s school since they relocated a while ago. And what fun it was to see how big Noah & Lea have grown since our holiday photos two years ago. Noah is sporting a totally cool surfer ‘do to go with his fun, mellow personality. And Lea is a sparkly-eyed princess, complete with hot pink nails. Mama Bronwyn & Daddy Sonny are such a cute couple—they’ve got smiles for miles. A special treat was having three generations together, because we were joined by Suzanne & Tom, Bronwyn’s family. And Bronwyn styled everyone so beautifully in purple—such a rich, lively, fun color!

fabulous four • the canley family • los angeles, ca

little ones, we are family

The last time I got to do pictures with the Canleys, little baby girl Mayson was just weeks old, & she pretty much dozed her way through the session. I had also had the pleasure of doing pregnancy portraits for Vanessa & Bryan when they were awaiting Mayson, & just looking at those two good-lookin’ parents, I knew that their kids would be knockouts! Now, they are a family of four, & I was so right—it simply should be legal that one family be so gorgeous!! Mayson is a sassy, silly, graceful gal with a mop top of curls that makes my hair weep with jealousy. Lucas is just sweet & charming, & ready for anything fun. I had a wonderful time catching up with them & getting to play with these amazing kids. I so wish we lived closer for more playdates!!