Cambria

As Aaron and I were exploring the central coast one afternoon, we found a great walking path in Cambria. The wooden walkway winded through a grassy field and hugged the spectacular rocky cliffs on the coast. It was gorgeous! 

Montaña de Oro

We had some free time on Thursday so I asked my friend, Cindy (who lived in the Central Coast for 2 years) if she had any recommendations. She said that Montaña de Oro was hands down her favorite spot in the area and that it was a must see. We figured with a review like that we had to go see it for ourselves! As soon as we drove into the area I fell in love with the twisty trees and lush greenery. There were so many trails to choose from but as soon as I saw a sign entitled "Bloody Nose Tail" I thought with a name like that how can you go wrong? :) We had a great little hike through the forest and the scenery was stunning. Next time we are in the area I definitely want to make a stop here again and check out some other trails. 

San Luis Obispo

Aaron and I have really enjoyed our time here on the central coast. We will be heading back home tomorrow after a great week with YWAM  Pismo Beach. It's always great to see our friends up here and meet new ones too! Aaron really liked teaching the classes and on Tuesday after he was done with his lectures for the day we spent a little time walking around San Luis Obispo. Here are some shots I snapped from our walk.

Pismo Beach

On Sunday afternoon we packed up the car and drove up the coast to Pismo Beach. We are spending the week here with the lovely people from YWAM Central Coast while Aaron is teaching the DTS (Discipleship Training School) classes for the next few days. We are really enjoying it a lot, the students are great and we are having a good time getting to know them. It's also been nice to have a little getaway as a family. Here are some shots from a walk we took after dinner last night.

Aaron's Birthday

On Wednesday we had a great time celebrating Aaron's birthday. We drove up to the mountains and spent the afternoon walking around Lake Arrowhead. It was Talia's first trip to the snow too! 

The three of us all bundled up

The gorgeous view on the drive home

Another gorgeous view :)

8 weeks

Talia is already 8 weeks old... I can't believe it. She is smiling and cooing now and even rolled over the other day! We are simply crazy about her and it is so fun to watch her grow. Here are some pictures I took of her the other day... Have I mentioned before how much I love baby leg warmers? :)

twenty five

Well, I turned the big 2-5 on Tuesday and to celebrate my quarter of a century birthday me, Aaron and Talia headed out to Orange County. I wanted to go somewhere new so we spent the afternoon walking around the San Juan Capistrano Mission. I couldn't believe we had never gone there before, it is such a gorgeous place! We strolled around the mission for a few hours and enjoyed the beautiful weather. We ended the day with dinner at my favorite Vietnamese restaurant and then we grabbed some frozen yogurt for dessert. What a great way to turn 25 with my two most favorite people :)

We are the Ortegas

This week we had the pleasure of hanging out with our very good friend, Cindy Robert. She left behind the freezing cold Canadian winter for a week to come spend some time with us and to meet Talia. We had such a great time with her and it was an awesome visit. During her stay she was so nice to take some family pictures of the three of us. She also took some sweet photos of me and Talia in the backyard which you can check out here. I love how they came out, thank you Cindy!

Happy 1 Month!

It has been a great first month for Aaron, Talia and myself. It's amazing how fast our lives have changed and we are enjoying and savoring every moment! I broke out the camera for the one month milestone and here are some of my favorite shots of our sweet little girl.

*As a side note, I have started a new blog, www.taliaholland.com to share pictures with our family and friends (especially those that live far away.) Feel free to check it out!

I love this one! Already hamming it up for the camera :)

Sweet little belly

Best Christmas Present Ever

Aaron and I love Christmas and this year it is extra special for us getting to celebrate it with our daughter for the first time. In fact, Talia was so overcome with excitement this morning that she slept through the whole morning's festivities!... Ok so maybe next year she'll have slightly more of a grasp as to what's going on :) I can't believe that it has already been just about a month since this little girl came into our lives and we can't help but grow more in love with her everyday. I have never been so happy in my life and I think I won hands down for the best Christmas present this year :) I hope you are all enjoying and celebrating this day with those closest to you and I wish you happiness, love and joy this holiday season. Merry Christmas!

And then there were 11...

Every year we take our family pictures the day after Thanksgiving but this year we postponed the annual group shot to accommodate it's newest addition :) Here are some pictures of our growing family.

Here are some pictures I took of Talia at 3 weeks. She is growing so fast!

The Mendez Family

At 39 weeks pregnant I spent part of an afternoon doing a family photo session of my brother and sister in-law and their four gorgeous kids. I'm glad we were able to fit it in when we did because 3 days later I went into labor! Talk about cutting it close... haha. Here are some of my favorites from the shoot, enjoy :)

1 week!

Talia turned one week old yesterday and I have to say, I am happier than I've ever been in my entire life. We are head over heals in love with our little girl and I can't even begin to describe the joy she has brought into our home. Parenthood is such a treasured gift and we are enjoying every minute! I also think Talia just might be a contender for the most photographed child ever... What can I say? I just can't resist those plump lips and squishy cheeks... oh! :)

Introducing... Talia Holland Ortega!

Our baby girl is finally here! Talia Holland was born on November 28 at 4:58 pm, weighed 8 pounds 7 ounces and 21.5 inches long. She is so beautiful!

I woke up at 3:00 am on Saturday morning and was feeling some contractions. After an hour I woke Aaron up and told him I thought maybe this was it. We waited a little longer, I took a bath and soon the contractions were getting stronger and closer together. We left for the hospital at 7:30 am, they admitted me and at that point it hit me, "Oh my goodness, this is really happening! We get to meet our baby girl today!" The labor and deliver went really well, I had an awesome nurse working with me and I felt very calm and in control through the whole experience. By 3:30 I was pushing and about 90 minutes later I was holding Talia in my arms. Definitely one of the most amazing moments of my life, there's nothing like it! I can't express how happy Aaron and I feel. We are so in love with our daughter and we can't believe she is finally here!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a fantastic day filled with turkey, pumpkin pie and loved ones! Today I am especially reminded of the many things I am thankful for. From my loving husband and baby girl on the way to our amazing family and dear friends... I am truly blessed.

Well, two weeks ago we celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. We drove down to Coronado Island and had a nice afternoon strolling along the beach and indulging in some delicious gelato icecream. We then drove up the coast to La Jolla and with the help of some travel points we got a free night at the beautiful La Valencia Hotel. This place was amazing! It was so nice to get away and relax and just enjoy each other. What a perfect way to celebrate an anniversary. Here are a couple pictures from our San Diego gettaway :)

The view from our room. Hello gorgeous!

We went down to the beach to enjoy the sunset and what a sunset it was!

Alexa

I had so much fun with this adorable two year old! This little cutie is the daughter of some very good friends of ours so I had a great afternoon hanging out with them and taking some pictures. Here are some of my favorites from the shoot. Enjoy!

four years

This day four years ago I said "I do" to my best friend. Since that day we have shared so many fun adventures, amazing moments and unforgettable memories together. Now we are about to begin a new adventure as we as we will soon be welcoming a new life into our family. I couldn't have asked for a more supportive, loving, and thoughtful husband and I know you will make just as great a father to our little girl. I am so proud of you and I can't believe how lucky I am to be married to such an incredible man. I love you!

Happy Anniversary.

37 weeks

37 weeks already! We are quickly nearing the finish line and at this point our baby is now considered full term. The fact that I theoretically only have 3 weeks left in this pregnancy has me feeling a little wistful. I can't believe it's almost over! Even though this stage can be quite...uncomfortable, I am trying to savor and enjoy the last leg of my pregnancy as much as I can. I know I am really going to miss having her so close to me and feeling all her kicks and rolls in my belly. The reality that we get to meet our daughter so soon is still a very surreal concept to me. We feel excited, terrified, overwhelmed and thrilled all at once and we simply can't wait for her to make her grand debut. :)

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.