Kalynn & Ezra

I had a great afternoon last Saturday with my friend, Miriam and her two gorgeous kids. We walked around a park in Redlands and I took some pictures of Kalynn and Ezra. I realized I haven't really done a lot of children photography in the past but I have to say, I really enjoy it! I did another shoot yesterday with an adorable two year old that I am excited to post soon. Hope you enjoy some of my favorites!

Raindrops

I love everything about rain. I love the crisp smell, the sound of raindrops pitter pattering and the fresh beauty that it leaves behind. Unfortunately, even though November is just around the corner, our temperatures are still in the mid 80's and the winter rain seems far away. I can't wait for it to cool down and hopefully that happens soon! For now, here are some pictures of raindrops from our week in Santa Barbara.

A weekend with my sister

This weekend my sister came to visit me. This was her first time to coming down to California to see me so I was really excited to have her here! Even though she was only here for 4 days we sure did a lot... On Thursday we went to the Redlands market night which was really neat, I had never been there myself and we enjoyed it a lot. On Friday, me and Jill spent the day at Santa Monica walking the pier, enjoying the beach and eating Pinkberry. In the evening we met up with Aaron's family at Victoria Gardens for some dinner and ended our night with a dip in the jacuzzi. On Saturday, Aaron came along with us to The OC swap meet in Costa Mesa which is always fun to walk around. In the afternoon we headed over to the park for our baby shower and it was really fun! The guys set up volleyball nets, we played some games and we had a yummy taco stand. Jill was feeling brave and even tried tacos de lengua, cabeza and tripa!... Trust me, it sounds better in Spanish than in English :) On Sunday we went to church, stopped at In-n-Out for lunch on our way to LAX and then said our goodbyes. Once we got home I headed straight to the couch for a nap! Ha ha, that is a pretty full weekend for someone who is 8 months pregnant but it was definitely worth it. I loved having my sister here and it was so nice to spend time with her. Thanks for coming Jill!

Solvang

We had such a great week with my parents, I am so glad they came down to visit. On our last full day in the central coast we spent the afternoon walking around Solvang which is a quaint European style village. The next day, we drove down to Palm Springs and escaped the 100+ temperatures with an afternoon in the pool. Once the sun set and the heat subsided we strolled around main street and after dinner we said our goodbyes and parted ways. It is so bizarre to think that the next time we see my parents it will be the three of us! Can't wait :)

Santa Barbara Mission

Yesterday was another great day on the central coast! We started off by walking around the Santa Barbara Mission and after grabbing a bite for lunch we spent the afternoon at the Botanical Gardens. I am absolutely enjoying how beautiful everything is here, it's great! Here are some pictures from the Mission and below I put up a separate post for the Botanical Gardens. Enjoy...

Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens

Yesterday we spent the afternoon at the Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens. The grounds were stunning and we had a fantastic time walking around and enjoying the beauty. The rainy weather from the past few days provided a beautiful mist that made the views even more incredible. Here are some of my favorites.

A little rain...

Yesterday we had a great day! We just walked around Santa Barbara, exploring some different places. I really enjoyed the courtyard in the museum, it was very pretty. It has been a bit rainy this week but back at my parent's place in Canada it is 19F/-7C and has snowed 7 inches so they don't mind the "chilly" weather here. :) I don't mind a little rain either because it can make for some very nice pictures...

This is a fun one Aaron snapped of me

33 weeks!

Santa Barbara

My parents arrived in California this weekend and yesterday we took the beautiful drive up the 101 to Santa Barbara where we'll be spending the week. We had a great day of walking along the pier and window shopping on State Street. So far it's been a fantastic visit with them and it's always nice to have a bit of a vacation too. Here are some pictures I snapped yesterday. Enjoy!

31 weeks

My lovely lady bump is certainly growing! I'm down to just 9 weeks and it's amazing to believe that there is actually a baby at the end of this countdown! It's so easy to get caught up with all the preparations, from the countless doctor appointments and setting up the nursery to picking out names and researching crib mattresses... even though sometimes it's surreal to imagine my little girl in my arms, I know that I already love her so much and I can't wait to meet her :) I am thankfully continuing to enjoy a smooth and comfortable pregnancy, other than some expected fatigue and back pain and a little heartburn I don't really have a lot to complain about. So far so good!

Jamie - Quinceañera

Last Sunday we celebrated Jamie's quince años at the Crestmore Manor in Riverside. Jamie looked absolutely stunning and the whole evening was a beautiful and elegant celebration of her coming-of-age. It was a great day and here are some of my favorite photos.