the franti boys birthday

I've been to my fair share of kids birthday parties. between my 10 nieces and nephews, and all our friends who have kids, i'd say the numbers are in the triple, digits.

here are my top 5 birthday party "parting" gifts:

5. nothing! i love taking the kids to parties and not coming back with a basket of junk. seems bahhumbuggy, but really, i'll probably just end up throwing most of the stuff away after i get the bambinos to bed anyways. just like the toy that comes in the happy meal.

4. from our niece's and nephew's joint party: pictures from the photo booth. They had one at the house and it was the most fun, and memorable part of the day! E was only a few months old, so i love that we have our first "family" pictures from their birthday. i don't know who had more fun with the booth either, the kids or all us adults!

3. from Christopher's 1st birthday: a monkey faced hooded towel. probably the most useful and cutest towel i have ever owned. and it gets softer after every wash.

2. from Trinity's 2nd birthday, a bug themed sleeping bag, back pack, and canteen set. gets used just about every single day in this house. awesome. absolutely awesome.

1. from the franti boys 3rd and 5th joint birthday party. meet Dart. the newest addition to the Vitar family. the kids all got to "fish" for their new pet at today's party. mind you they were out there fishing around a plastic kiddie pool IN THE PORING RAIN! but they didn't care! all they knew was that they got to bring home their very own pet fish. complete with bowl, rocks and food! mama thought of everything!

i'm getting better about this whole blogging thing. i think it's catching on. in fact, i think it's catching on a little too much! i feel like i have an internal dialog going at all times, wondering, hmmm, would that make a good blog? would people think that was funny, or just boring and pointless. would I want to read that, or even worse, since nothing on the internet ever can actually be erased, would I want my kids to read that some day? my problem is finding the time to sit and blog it out. juggling a toddler, a cruising baby, a four legged "fur"st born, and of course, the hubby, the housework, and both my mini businesses (one friend says i'm like a jamacian, with a business for every day. i tell her i only have 2 i get paid for, the rest go along with the title of Mrs and Mama) it's hard to find the time to sit and type. but when i do, i'm enjoying it. i've always been a journaler, and in fact, at one point i considered becoming a journalist (beauty editor, so i could try all the awesome new products, utilize my cosmetology licience, and write all at once.). only it hit me, people would have to read what i wrote. and then i got page fright. so i nixed that idea, but i still think it would be a pretty awesome job.

i made a beautiful diaper cake today (part of my other mini business), and am so proud of it! i only hope the recipient loves it as much as i do!








and of course, my lil 10 month old! time flies so quickly it's scary!

i am EXCITED! like, super excited. like, excited is an understatement. i am, just, wow. i have been given the opportunity (ok, i'm paying for it, but still) to be part of a workshop with one of my favorite photographers, the one, the only Jasmine Star ! I am STOKED! It's not until April, but i can guarantee i will have perma smile whenever i think about how much i will learn and grow as a photographer for being part of her workshop!

The other reason why i am over the moon today, my lillest man decided he is ready to stand and try cruising around the family room today! how can it be that my not even 10 month old is trying to run after his big brother already! amazing, my baby is growing up!

the walker girls

Sandy became a fan of mine on facebook. we had never met but when i had posted that i was looking for models, she jumped at the chance and offered me her two beautiful daughters to shoot. we met at Descanso Gardens in La Canada, and had a great time walking around the gorgeous grounds. She had the girls dressed in adorable little tutus, and the they looked just like little fairies sitting among the flowers and over grown grass fields. conversation flowed as we got to know each other. and it turns out that we have more in common than we realize, like almost too much in common! how had we never met with the number of paths our lives have crossed over the years is a mystery!

Sandy, I just want to say thank you, for taking time out of your day and allowing me to capture your adorable girls! it was awesome getting to know you and i cant wait to set our lil ones up on their first chuck e cheese date!

these are just a few of the beautiful pictures from the day, i'll post more when i get them up. i got a new computer for <3 day from my amazing hubby, and am still figuring out how to work it! gotta love switching from a pc to a mac!

peyton

i know it was only 9 months ago that i was holding my own newborn, but it is truly amazing how quickly you forget just how little we all start off. i had the complete honor to photograph my girlfriend Sheri when she was 7 months pregnant, and since then, had been dreaming of the day her new son would be entering the world for me to capture. we had a few scares that he would be coming too early, Sheri had to spend quite a bit of time at the end in and out of the doctors, on and off bed rest, and on and off anti labor medicine. one day after stopping the meds, Sheri went into labor. Peyton made his debut three weeks early, and weighed in at almost six and a half pounds. he was healthy, and gorgeous, and was welcomed by a crowd of loving family.

I was able to capture him in all his newborn glory, the day before his actual due date. he was so cooperative with us, although it was rather frigid on that february day. we kept him bundled, and he slept peacefully through our whole outdoor session. its amazing what a full belly will do to a newborn (and grown up at that!) Sheri's husband Dave already makes for an amazing daddy. there are some people who it just comes naturally to, and I would say he is one of those people. it was obvious how in love with both his son and his wife that he is.

Thank you, Sheri, Dave and Peyton (and Jesse too!) for letting me come into your home and photograph! I can't wait to watch your lil man grow and be big enough to play with E and W! You are truly loved!
love,
"auntie" kym

i'm not sure when my fascination with sunsets and clouds began, but if there is one activity that i could do for hours, it's lay in the grass and watch the clouds go by. my imagination goes wild as to what shapes are forming, and what God is trying to tell me through them. corny, i know. but i think one thing i love about them is that you will never see the same sky again.
Yesterday, I looked out the window and saw that the sun was starting to set. there was a beautiful glow coming through the clouds, and the hills by our house were lit up like i'd never seen. i asked the hubs if he wanted to go for a ride to me up to my church, since it has the best view around, so that i could shoot the sunset. so we tried to quickly load up the bambinos and get up there, and it seemed like that 4 min drive took an eternity. of course, when you are dealing with sunsets, 4 minutes is the difference of if you catch it or not. unfortunately, i missed it. i was a little bummed, but off we went to pick up our thai food for dinner. which made missing the sunset all better.

Our computer is old. a dinosaur to say the least. i spend more time coaxing it to turn on and not crash than i do getting to work on it. because of this, i don't turn it off. instaed, he sits in the corner, with his blue light always glowing, not so silently waiting for me to sit down and work or play.

last night i couldn't sleep. i'm not sure what the cause of my insomnia was, but my mind was racing. i had topics for blogs coming out the wahzoo, but the idea of sitting in front of the computer and having the glow of the screen in my eyes was so not appealing. instaed, i layed in bed, hoping i'd remember the witty stories i'd recalled long enough to be able to type out. it didn't work. as i sit here staring at the screen, i'm blanking. it's almost as if i have stage fright. scared of the reactions i'll get, like i was during chior and cheerleading and children's play house productions. hence the reason i was always the frog or the donkey (yes, i was a donkey. in pinocchio. it was a important role) or flapper girl number 3. And the reason why i never went out for a solo.

i promise i really am funny and witty and clever and all the other adjectives that can also be described as bitchy too. it's just that i am also very self aware. and sometimes too judgemental of myself. but i'm working on this. and i'm working on just opening up and letting it all go. because what do i have to lose? not much. but what do i have to gain? readers! so go me! i'm gonna try and just be myself when i write! or maybe myself, but more composed!

The baby had his 9 month check up today. He took his shot like a champ, and was rewarded with a Spiderman bandaid.