Michelle Duckworth Photography

Sneak Peek! Baptism/1st Birthday

2009-05-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I was asked to photograph a baptism and a 1st birthday party all in the same day! If that's not enough... it was for twins! But of course I was happy to do it because these twins are my niece and nephew! By the end of the night I was extremely exhausted but it was worth it... I took over 600 pictures!

Yes I tend to go overboard.

But here's a little teaser to hold you over.

Sneak Peek!

2009-05-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday I had not one but two photo gigs... and both for my cousin Vanessa.

First her oldest son is graduating from high school so she asked me to get some shots of him in his ROTC uniform before they had to turn in back in. Christopher is her stepson so he doesn't always make it to all of our family events... and even though we've been family for years, I only know a little about him. As I took his pictures he talked to me a lot! It's great to see a nice and sweet young man with a good head on his shoulders. And he's a great poet too!

Later on that day her youngest was celebrating her 1st birthday! And I was there to capture it all. Fernanda is such a little ham! For being such a warm day she sure was dealing with the heat well! Of course her little cheeks were red for quite a while...

More pictures too come! Just wanted to tease Vanessa a little! I hope you like them when they are done!

POTD: New Food

2009-04-22T23:43:00.000-07:00

My Mom and I had never eaten at Pei Wei before but heard some much stuff about it... so today we took the kids and decided to have dinner there. It was so yummy! Mmm...

POTD: Going Home

2009-04-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

It was a loooooooong trip back home from Calfornia... and I mean looooong. Here are some self portraits at one of our many stops... Chiracho Summit.

Read all about my crazy ride HERE!

POTD: Knott's Berry Farm

2009-04-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

Every April Knott's Berry Farm hosts the Fabulous Fords Forever Car Show... and we've been going going periodically for the past 8 or 9 years. We missed the last 2 years but decided to go again this year. It's a huge family event for us, where both sides of my family come together and make a huge crowd to go to the park the day before the car show. This year is was some 26 people or so.

It was very eventful, tiring, but in the end we had tons of fun!
Read about it HERE! And see more pictures!

POTD: Going On A Roadtrip

2009-04-17T12:29:00.000-07:00

Going to California... getting strapped in and ready to go!

It was a trip to remember...
Read about it HERE!

POTD: Snapshot of Arielle

2009-04-16T16:40:00.001-07:00

Today I got to meet a wonderful blogger friend for the first time. Read about it HERE. We met at the park where her grandaughters could play with my girls... and for the first time Arielle stood in grass! Fake grass... but it was grass! LOL

POTD: Happy 6th Birthday Izais

2009-04-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

My nephew Izais turned 6 today. He's was so precious and so excited about it. Yup... he was a Tax Day baby.

Arielle's 1st Birthday Shoot

2009-04-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

It's been 11 days since her birthday and I have yet to post these pictures... but here they are.

With the help of my talented cousin Alexis (who is still in HS btw) we took my daughter out for her photoshoot. I did all the editing and I am pleased with how they came out. I was very tired after that little outing. Arielle was very uncooperative which is not her usual self.

It was a workout to dress her, put her in position, and then run over to my camera and grab some shots so I am glad to have had Alexis there to help out with the shooting.

I did various edits on these because I wasn't sure what direction I was headed in... plus I need a lot of practice on correcting skin tones... I am really bad at it. Any HHCC?? I could use it.

POTD: Rear Ended

2009-04-14T20:06:00.001-07:00

I got rear ended today... nothing major. But the story is pretty funny. Wanna read about it... CLICK HERE.

POTD: Shots are NO fun...

2009-04-13T23:34:00.000-07:00

Arielle had her 1yr check up. She got 4 shots. And she was NOT happy!

POTD: Happy Easter

2009-04-12T23:12:00.000-07:00

Wanna read all about our Easter? Click Here!

POTD: Spring what?

2009-04-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

Man sure didn't feel like spring today! It rained last night and today and actually it was nice. Had we not been sneezing and coughing today I would have took the kids outside for a photo shoot.

Insead I just shot the clouds.

Kinda dramatic aren't they?

POTD: Drastic Change

2009-04-08T21:26:00.000-07:00

When Arielle wakes up in the morning she looks like this:

It also doesn't help that I went to sleep early last night and Daddy fed her before putting her to bed and didn't clean her up.

But once Mommy gets a hold of her in the mornings she turns into this:

Isn't she cute? I love this little outfit she got for her birthday.

POTD: New Clothes

2009-04-07T09:21:00.000-07:00

Diego's become quite the model lately. He's got so much new clothes from his birthday and stuff he still hasn't worn that he got for Christmas. He literally has half of the closet while Alayna and Arielle share the other half.

So I made him pose for me in his new clothes before taking him to school.

He's so cool.

POTD: Bad Mommy

2009-04-06T16:20:00.000-07:00

We took my Mom to a Dr. appointment today and this is a weekly thing. But since I know the office is small we decided to wait on a bench in the hallways so as not to disturb people when the girls are being loud.

Alayna was walking the hallway with her crying baby when I caught her doing this...

If she thinks that's what it takes to make her "baby" quiet down... she has a lot to learn!

POTD: My 1st Birthday Princess

2009-04-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

Her party was successful as well. I am very very tired.

Want to read all about it and see more pictures? CLICK HERE!

POTD: Arielle's First Birthday

2009-04-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

Today my baby girl turned one! Although her party isn't until tomorrow, we got all dressed up to go to my baby cousin's party who will be one on Monday!

I am rarely in pictures but here I am.

Photos By: My Son Diego (Age 6) <------ He made me type that to make sure he got credit!

POTD: Giant Beach Ball

2009-04-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

Today was a really nice day so after ballet class we came straight home and put Arielle to bed. Then I changed Alayna into her bathing suit and inflated her giant beach ball that she got or her birthday last year. (I save gifts when they get too many and store them for later... we have a few more waiting to be used including a Cupcake Maker!) She had so much fun running around getting wet.

POTD: Birthday Cheesecake

2009-03-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, still more Diego.

We woke up this morning and went to breakfast with my parents and 2 cousins. It was just a normal breakfast but my husband asked the manager if they would come and sing to Diego. He had no idea and didn't expect it. But was very excited once he saw the cheesecake come out.

Funny thing... not even 5 minutes afterward they also sang to another little boy there with his family who was also turning 6!

POTD: A Pirate's Life For Me

2009-03-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

We had a huge Pirate party for Diego today. I am so exhausted but it was totally worth it! All his friends from school showed up. And he had an awesome cake baked by my sister-in-law's mom Linda. She's the best cake maker I've ever known and totally knocks my socks off with every design. Today was totally a good day.

POTD: Diego is Six

2009-03-27T11:23:00.000-07:00

Today my oldest is 6 years old. How that happened so fast is beyond me. He had an awesome day and I am so glad!

To read all about it... and his Pirate Birthday Party... CLICK HERE!

POTD: Babies, Babies, Babies...

2009-03-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

Today we went to see Jr's Mom. The first time since Christmas. Diego was at school so we only had Alayna and Arielle with us. His mom was watching his sister's twins Luis and Mia. We hadn't seen them since they were small and not crawling or sitting up at all. But now they are as big as Arielle. She is only older than them by a month so it's funny to see 3 babies all the same age together.

POTD: Bella Dancerella

2009-03-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

For Alayna's 3rd birthday (July 2008) she got a Bella Dancerella DVD that came with a dance mat and wand. I hadn't opened it until today. It sat on top of the closet in their room (where I keep all unopened toys) until I decided to let her try it out today. She was so excited and did the 30 min DVD twice in a row before getting tired.

My Papa and his wife were over for breakfast and they kept laughing as they watched her mimic the moves on the screen.

She is cute.

POTD: First Birthday Session

2009-03-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peak behind the scenes look at Arielle's 1st Birthday Shoot. I was assisted by my wonderful cousin Alexis and together we both got some great shots. At least we think so...

I'll post the whole session soon.

POTD: Still the Loner

2009-03-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

Yes class number 2 and Alayna still will not participate. The hardest thing for me is knowing that she's very interested in dancing and likes it very much... but she's too shy and scared to participate.

Hopefully her stage fright passes soon and she can let loose and have fun.

POTD: Chocolate Factory

2009-03-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

Today I took my kids to Cerreta's Candy Co. so they could see how chocolate is made. I think I enjoyed learning about it more than they did... but we ALL enjoyed taste testing! It was so smooth and creamy. Mmm... Chocolate.

READ MORE ABOUT IT HERE.

POTD: Little Green Leperchaun

2009-03-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

POTD: Sweetness

2009-03-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

My nephew Juanito is so sweet. I love his little face. I could just pinch his cheeks. And doesn't he look so innocent?!

Funny story.

We were at my brother's house today helping them clean out their garage. When my sister in law found a plastic star toy and took it inside to him. He was tossing it around the house. Then he went into the living room and saw Diego sitting on the couch next to my brother. Then he chucked the toy and Diego hitting him on his head just above his temple. Really hard. Diego cried which is rare for him. He had a huge purple knot on the side of his head!

Juanito continued to walk around like "What happened? Why is this kid crying? And why is my Dad hugging him?" It was funny because he had this curious, innocent face on.

POTD: Rocker

2009-03-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

He just thinks he's so cool. Daddy bought him a guitar necklace while we were in Vegas and he wears it all the time now.

Today he was going out with Grandpa to run some errands and he got all dressed up and even put on his shades. He's so cute.

POTD: Stage Fright

2009-03-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

My little ballerina had some stage fright on her very first day of class. Poor baby!
Read more here.

POTD: Parent-Teacher Conferences

2009-03-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

Ahh... what a joy to always hear the same thing since Pre-school. "Diego is so wonderful to have in class. He helps out so much and the kids look up to him. He's a great role model and an outstanding student."His teacher never has any complaints for me about him. He's doing good in kindergarten.

I am such a proud parent. But how can I not be? He's awesome.

His teacher said, "Thank you for being such a wonderful parent and raising such a loving, well behaved, and smart son."

To which I replied, "I really can't take credit in that. I am not perfect and have made many parenting mistakes and maybe sometimes I don't do enough. If Diego is great, it's because of him. He truly is a great kid and I should be thanking him."

Either way my kid is awesome. Truly.

(Here he is showing me his birthday on the March calender)

POTD: Hoover Dam

2009-03-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

On the way back from Vegas we stopped at the Hoover Dam. It was pretty cool. I hadn't seen it before.

My husband captured these two images while there. I think they are awesome!

Want to read all about our adventourous trip back home?! It was crazy. CLICK HERE!

POTD: Birthday Trip to Vegas

2009-03-07T09:13:00.000-08:00

My husband turned 23 today! So I took him to Vegas to celebrate and get away.

My sister-in-law Jen came with us. I had booked a room at the Sahara so she just stayed with us.

All we did was shop at the outlets.

Then we took Junior to dinner... and had a few drinks.

But we were so tired that we were back at our hotel at 1:30am... so much for the long night we were planning.

Want to read more about it CLICK HERE.

POTD: Tappity Tap Shoes

2009-03-03T18:05:00.000-08:00

That's what Alayna calls them... She's so funny.

She told the sales lady at Payless... "Those are my tappity tap shoes so I can tappity tap in my ballet class!" The lady couldn't help but laugh and me too. So the whole car ride home she made up songs about her tappity tapping in tappity tap shoes. I really wish I could have shot video of her... she was a riot.

This will be her first time in dance and she's very excited and seems eager to get started. I danced throughout high school and LOVED it. I always knew I wanted to have a daughter so she could take ballet. Of course I would never force it upon her. But lately she's shown a real interest in ballet... all on her own. So right away I signed her up! We've been having fun shopping for her shoes and outfits while Diego is at school. She loves picking everything out and making outfits. I also going to make her some tutus since the ones we've seen are ridiculously expensive. I hope she really does like it.

She starts next friday so more pictures of my Little Ballerina soon.

POTD: Guide Me Daddy

2009-03-03T17:59:00.000-08:00

When we went to pick up Diego from school today I stayed in the car with the girls and Jr got off to get Diego. It's rare that Jr is home when Diego gets off so since I pick him up... he was excited to see Daddy standing there waiting for him. From the car I saw how cute they looked as they made their walk across the parking lot. I hurried up and got my camera out and zoomed in to catch these! Diego thought it was hilarious that he couldn't see a thing so Daddy had to guide him to the car.

Silly boy.

POTD: Housewarming Party

2009-03-01T17:43:00.000-08:00

Today we had a housewarming party for my brother and sister-in-law. Nothing huge... just plenty of good food. Here's a few shots from our day. Nothing really for me to say. They got some great gifts and much needed cash and gift cards for new couches possibly.

I'll let the picture do the talking... look at my family!

POTD: Shout House @ Westgate

2009-02-28T23:47:00.000-08:00

Tonight we were invited to my cousin Oscar's birthday party at The Shout House at Westgate. I had never been there before and it was an awesome place. It's a bar/restaurant that has two dueling piano players providing entertainment. They are absolutely hilarious and really get the crowd interacted. They take song requests and sand everything from children's show tunes, to country, to rock, to rap... yes they rapped as well. It was very funny.

I put in a request for them to call my cousin Oscar up and sing Happy Birthday to him. They finally called him up and had him sit on the Piano while they serenaded him with the funniest version of a birthday song I've ever heard. We had a really good time... and we want to go back again soon.

Thanks Oscar for the invitation!!

POTD: He's Just SO Cute!

2009-02-27T08:34:00.000-08:00

I can't help but see my husband and still feel like when I was in High School and I thought a guy was cute. Look at this face and smile... it makes me so happy! I think my husband is so cute. And funny thing is... he doesn't think that he's attractive at all.

Today he was telling me that the girls he works with all find him attractive and it annoys him. First of all because he constantly has to broadcast that he's happily married and second because when he goes to work he's in "work mode" and totally thinks he needs to go there, perform his duties, and has no time for chit chat or messing around. (He takes every job he has seriously even if it is Janitor work... and he has been a Janitor before)

I had to explain to him that he IS cute and that his genuine personality is what attracts people the most. He's very helpful and friendly. He has to be since he works at a Car Wash and needs to be able to sell washes and details. He looked at me still confused that with mostly males at his job (who are all single and young and looking) the very few girls that work there still try to talk to him instead.

I find it so funny that he doesn't get it. He never dated much. I was only his 2nd girlfriend and the only serious one. So I don't think he understands a girls mind. Haha.

I finally just told him... "Baby, you are cute and that's why... I think you are absolutely adorable!" And the smirk above is what I got...

POTD: Dancing in Water

2009-02-26T11:43:00.000-08:00

I took the kids on a walk today to a little island in our neighborhood. It's the time of year that they start turning on the water fountain things so I decided a walk a photo shoot were in order. I've done this since Diego was a baby. The kids had fun. Alayna especially had a blast splashing in the puddles of water. Crazy warm weather we're having lately. Summer is coming so early!

POTD: Felicia & Jimmy

2009-02-25T11:24:00.000-08:00

Today the girls and I met up with my friend Felicia and her son Jimmy at my favorite park, Rio Vista. (While Diego and her daughter Ally were at school) I hadn't seen her since like the end of the summer. Funny thing is we usually go long spurts without seeing each other... although we do talk through myspace once in a while... and when we get together again we just pick up right where we left off.

Her and her husband James I've known since HS... they've been together since then. And I love them both to death! We all get along so well. We have so many things in common and they are just like us. It's hard to find young couples that aren't focused on partying and drinking... and although we do enjoy a good time alone... for us it's rare... we're always doing stuff with our kids. And they are the same. We've gone on road trips with them. They helps us a lot... and are there for us always. The crib that Arielle is sleeping in is actually Jimmy & Ally's crib. I love friends like these.

I invited them to California with us in April... hopefully they take us up on our offer. I love seeing them.

POTD: Future BFFs... We Hope

2009-02-24T11:09:00.000-08:00

I had lunch with my BFF today and the girls while Diego was at school. My goddaughter Arianna is exactly 4 months older than Arielle. And I am 4 months older than Jaz. We're hoping they'll grow up to be BFFs like her and I. I mean they are pretty much already growing up together. Right now they still just stare at each other and occasionally one slaps the other. But I like to think their relationship is growing. :) They do got at least one thing in common... they are both absolutely adorable... even when neither one wants to smile at me!

POTD: Bad Hair Day

2009-02-23T11:01:00.000-08:00

Arielle ALWAYS wakes up with the worst bed head. It's hilarious to walk into her room every morning and be greeted with one of her wild hairstyles. We all laugh at her and she just looks at us like, "What are you laughing at?" So funny!

POTD: Sidewalk Chalk

2009-02-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

Finally got use the sidewalk chalk I bought for the kiddos. Thanks Heather for the inspiration!

Please excuse my unedited photos these past few days... and for the next posts to come. I will be installing my programs again over the weekend. So bare with me. I hate seeing them unedited too.

POTD: Phoenix Children's Museum

2009-02-21T10:30:00.000-08:00

I got a text message a few days ago from my cousin Gianna that the Children's Museum was having free admission today. So yesterday I checked out the website since I had never heard of the place before and was curious to see what it was like. So I called my sister-i-law Jen and asked if she wanted to go with me and the kids.

So today we went. We only got to be there for an hour because we had to wait to be let in they closed at 4pm.

I really loved it and so did the kids... we tried to see as much as possible in an hour and rushed them along from station to station. (I am planning on going back again soon so we can see it all with patience.) They seemed to really love it too. It was fun and educational.

What I loved most about it is that everything there is made out of something else. They recycle things as artwork, decor, and use it everywhere.

When you walk in there is a giant wall covered in a curtain of cds. It really looks awesome in person.

Then there is also mobiles made of paper cranes of all different sizes. I remember making those when I was little. I was totally facinated by the mobiles... I don't even think the kids looked up once to notice them.

Old shoes covered the wall to the entrance of the Toddler area. They also had stroller parking just to the other side of it.

Inside the toddler area the dividing curtains were made of pink pong balls... beads... and shiny disks. Totally cool.

And these were the mirrors in the bathroom. Crazy Haha.

If you want to read more about our time there... Go Here!

POTD: A Happy Meal

2009-02-20T10:20:00.000-08:00

Diego loves to cook for himself... and by "cook" he means either...
1.) Making a PB&J
2.) Making a Sandwich

Any chance he gets he wants to make them. So today he was making him and Alayna each a sandwich and when I walked in to check on his progress I found this...

That's what I call a Happy Meal.

POTD: A Portrait of Me

2009-02-20T10:04:00.000-08:00

Alayna came to me today and said, "Look Mommy... I drawed YOU!"

She was so excited and I couldn't help but laugh at how adorable her little person was.

Isn't it just the cutest thing?!

POTD: Heart of Mine

2009-02-19T18:16:00.000-08:00

This weeks theme is "Heart of the...(fill in the blank)" But I changed it up a bit to fit my picture. My husband is my heart and has my whole heart. He works hard for me and our children... to give us all we need and want. He's the only person I've ever given my whole heart to without wanting anything in return but his love. Mushy... I know... but that's how I feel.

POTD: New Camera... New Love

2009-02-18T20:45:00.000-08:00

So my husband bought me the 40d I've been wanting forever! And the lenses came in today so I FINALLY got to play with it. The UPS man didn't show up until 3:00pm... I even told him I loved him... and he gave me the biggest smile and a thumbs up. I was just so excited. Then I had to go get a CF card from my brother's job... then we had to pick up my car from my Papa's... and THEN I finally got to mess around with it. By that time I was loosing light so I did a quite play at my Papa's house before heading home.

I am sooooo in love!

All photos here taken with my Sigma 70-300... the other lens hasn't been tested yet but it's a Sigma 28-70. Nothing has been edited... everything is SOOC. (I have to reinstall photoshop and don't have time right now)

The first image is of my brother at work. This is the very first picture taken with my camera! Yipee!

My husband while driving to my Papa's house.

A pinwheel in Papa's front yard.

A flamingo in his yard.

My Grandpa... Papa.

And last but not least a Happy Camera Owner! (Taken by my husband as I was dancing in the street)

POTD: My Valentine Loot

2009-02-17T17:18:00.000-08:00

My husband is the absolute best. Seriously. And I think even more after we watched the movie Fireproof together.

Junior has always tried to do his best to give me what I want... physically, emotionally, and all things in between. He knows when we argue to let me win. When I am sad he lets me cry on his shoulder and lets me wipe my face on his shirt. (That's love) When I am happy he is happy. And when I am excited or motivated he's usually there to be my fan and tell me how much he believes in me. I can ALWAYS count on him to boost my confidence.

He also likes to spoil me a lot. But the past few years have been hard on us and we haven't always had the luxuries that most people enjoy... like our own place, or cars even! He feels bad about it... but like I've told him a million times... I don't love him for what he can give me materially... but the fact that he loves me and our kids unconditionally and does what he does for us. And he does a lot sometimes! He even takes care and worries about my Mom more than anyone I know. How awesome is it that I have a husband who will sacrifice so much of himself for my parents ors family for that matter. He definately has his flaws but his intentions are always the purest.

And this Valentines Day he went above and beyond! He seriously surprised me! I still don't really have the words to describe how grateful I am to have him as my husband. My heart swells just talking about him and the kindness that he has in his heart. He's amazing, amazing, AMAZING!

I wasn't expecting anything because our Valentine's are usually quiet nights spent at home with a home cooked dinner... and some movies and popcorn afterward. But I got this:

I also have a few more Nintendo DS games on reserve as soon as they come in... he already paid for them.

And I got TWO lenses for my new camera that should be arriving tomorrow! (I will be anxiously awaiting the man in the brown truck... he's actually coming to MY house!)

Thank You Junior! You are so good to me and I can't figure out what I do to deserve all that you do for me. I've always told you that you are my angel and I believe that. I love you to infinite and beyond.

Love, Your Very Very Happy Wife

POTD: Swinging Girls

2009-02-16T21:21:00.000-08:00

We took the kids to the park today since there was no school! We met up with my BFF (Who BTW just got engaged on Valentine's day! Congrats!) and our Goddaughter. We hadn't seen them in a while... so it was great to hang out again.

The girls could have lived in the swings the whole time... and we were there a very long time. Alayna was so mad when we had to go.

POTD: Boys & Their Toys

2009-02-15T11:07:00.000-08:00

My Husband standing by my Daddy's car as we waited for my sister. Junior works at a car wash and he took my Daddy's pride and joy to get a complete detail. My Dad was so happy to see his car so clean and Junior was just happy to be able to drive it the 5 minutes to work and back... so he had to get out of the car and admire my Dad's Stang. Seriously the car looked beautiful though.

POTD: My Funny Valentine

2009-02-14T11:04:00.000-08:00

This was the only picture I got of us on Valentines Day. Blurry and all I still love it... so US... My being cheesy and him trying to get away from the camera. Yup describes us to a T.

POTD: And The Rows Continue...

2009-02-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

Yes... her obsession with rows continues... Oh my girl...

POTD: Love for a Son

2009-02-11T22:10:00.000-08:00

Diego invited me to his Valentine's Dance at school. You can read all about it HERE.

My Dad took the first picture before we left. After doing a few poses Diego says, "I got a pose... How about you kiss me!!" I couldn't refuse.

The second picture was taken by Diego at the dance after he spent the dollar I gave him on some flowers for me!

I have the BEST son!

POTD: Tired

2009-02-10T22:07:00.000-08:00

I guess watching TV can make you tired. Diego was knocked out in front of the TV in my parents room while they were watching a novela. This is what I walked in to. So silly!

POTD: Love for a Daughter

2009-02-09T22:04:00.000-08:00

This week's theme is Love. And as we were out an about today I caught this photo of Junior hugging Alayna. It's rare that she hugs Daddy out of the blue. Usually he has to make sad faces and pretend to be hurt for her to go and hug him. She's only affectionate with few people... and Daddy only gets love when she's in the mood. For anyone who knows Layna... she's never in the mood and you'll usually be received with a mad face or a scowl.

It's hard for other people to understand when I say she's very affectionate and cuddly. But at home with me... she is!

POTD: Rainy Sunday

2009-02-08T21:59:00.000-08:00

Sunday was family day. As is every Sunday for us. We took the kids out for lunch, ran some errands, and ended up at my brother's house to hang out. It was very rainy all day but it was great.

Even thought the streets looked like this:

The sky looked like this:

It was a good day.

POTD: Sweet Dream Pretty Girl

2009-02-07T20:30:00.001-08:00

I walked into the room to turn of the lights above Alayna's bed and this is what I found.

A sweet little princess... sucking her thumb... holding her dolly... and dreaming away. You would have never known that only 15 minutes before she was kicking and screaming and throwing a fit because she didn't want to go to sleep.

Sometimes she drive me absolutely insane... but I can't live without her.

POTD: Home Sweet Bedroom

2009-02-06T15:13:00.000-08:00

We live in my parents house, and since it's not our house, I always feel like my bedroom is my "home". It's where I go to relax, it's where Junior and I spend most of our time together, it's where the kids come and play and leave their toys behind even though they have their own room and the whole rest of the house to play. Most of all it's the place where Junior and I sleep and share our dreams together.

There's no place like home.

POTD: Toys

2009-02-05T16:11:00.000-08:00

This weeks theme for POTD is Home Sweet Home...

Nothing reminds me of home more than Alayna's rows and rows of toys everywhere. Seriously they appear all over the house. As soon as I am done cleaning up... new rows emerge in my room... the living room... her room... the bathtub... you name it. She's obsessed with having things in rows too.

Funny because my husband always makes fun of me for straightening things up all the time too.

POTD: Crazy People

2009-02-03T20:05:00.000-08:00

So we're weird. This is what we do when we're bored out of our minds. Who am I kidding... this is what we do even when we're not bored. I love my kids. They are just as insane as me.

POTD: I HATE MONSTERS

2009-02-02T15:36:00.000-08:00

And no I don't mean the imaginary creature living under our beds... I mean that stinky drink in a can.

Over a year ago when I was pregnant with Arielle, my husband started drinking Monsters. And being that I was pregnant I couldn't STAND the smell of them. But he continued to drink them. So much that he's been addicted ever since. He has to drink one every morning even if he knows I hate them. Not only do them smell bad... but I am trying to convince him that they are bed for him. And he already is a smoker and doesn't eat well to begin with... so you can see where I may concerned. He gets so grouchy if he doesn't have one every day.

So today I was running some errands in the morning after dropping of Diego at school. Junior is off on Mondays so he stayed at home with the girls and got them ready. Arielle had a Dr.'s appointment today so I was coming back to pick them up. Almost getting to the house Junior calls me and asks me to stop at Walgreens and buy him a Monster. Knowing that we have a long day ahead of us with appointments and errands I decide to get him one. I expressed my NON excitement in buying it too.

So as I am paying the cashier named Gloria (she's an older lady who's worked there since I was in high school and pregnant with Diego) says, "I haven't seen your husband in here anymore..." So I tell her that he usually buys his cigarettes and Monsters at the Pilot Truck Stop next to his job now because it's more convenient. She goes on to tell me that those drinks are bad for him and asking me how can he drink so many. So I tell her... I hate them. I wish he wouldn't drink them. And they smell. She laughs and then I add... I hate buying these STUPID drinks! After saying goodbye I walk out and go to my car.

As I am getting in I think to myself... "You stupid drink... I am not putting you on my (passenger) seat because if you roll around and pop on my seat I will be so angry..." So I lean over and lay it ever so gently on the floor of the passenger side...

And what do you know... the second I let it go... the stupid can explodes!!! As I scramble to pick it up before it pours everywhere (or more than it already has)... I drop my soda which hasn't been opened yet and it gets all shook up. So I drive home holding a sticky can and a shaken up soda.

I go inside to tell Junior my story and yelling about how I HATE Monsters. All this seems quite comical now. But I am totally convinced they hate me just as much as I hate them. And now Junior will have to go buy his own... this was the last time I touch those things.

POTD: Superbowl Makeup

2009-02-01T15:28:00.000-08:00

Go Cards!

I post processed the 2nd picture just for fun... the first one is the true colors. And all I can say is I am so happy to not pimples at the moment. I did NO smoothing of skin whatsoever... and that makes me happy.

Awesome makeup was done by my sister Nichole. Ever need a makeup artist and live in the Phoenix area you can view her work HERE and contact her! You won't be disappointed.

POTD: Brother Loves Sister

2009-01-31T15:23:00.000-08:00

My kids love each other. I was taking a couple of pictures of Alayna in the outfit she picked out for herself and she was posing all cute... making up different poses and stuff. Then Diego comes over and says, "Hey Mommy I got a cute pose for her." She was already in her own position and he went over to her and kissed her. I took the picture. She didn't move. She just sat there smiling. Then she said, "I love my brother... How was that Mommy?"

They are so sweet with each other.

POTD: More Splashing

2009-01-30T09:33:00.000-08:00

Arielle loves baths too. All my kids do actually. But Arielle most recently discovered splashing and bubbles. The second the water turns on she shrieks with excitement. As you can tell from this picture... she was very happy to be in the tub.

POTD: Splish Splash

2009-01-29T16:30:00.000-08:00

Alayna loves baths. Love them... loves them... loves them. She would be in there for hours if we'd let her. Her Nina and Nino gave her Barbie Bubble Bath for Xmas and she loves to make bubbles in the tub.

She's been sick since last night with a fever on and off... cough, runny nose, and watery eyes. It funny how something so simple can make this little girl so incredibly happy. It's those life's simple pleasure that I wish I sometimes had more time to take in. Oh, to be a child with no worries or cares... happily soaking in the tub and playing with my duckie. =)

POTD: Rockstar

2009-01-28T17:20:00.000-08:00

When Diego started school he asked for some shoes with skulls on them. We bought them. For christmas he asked for skull T-shirts. Santa brought them. And now that his birthday is coming and he's turning six he asked if he could choose his own haircut... so he's been growing this out for about a month now. And today he got this.

It would have been longer but when he went in 2 weeks ago they cut too much off the top.

He decided on a pirate themed party for his birthday in March (I plan things way ahead of time) because he loves the skulls.

My baby boy is growing up and is trying to find his individuality and be "cool". I can't believe how old he's getting.

POTD: My Favorite Form of Technology

2009-01-25T14:13:00.000-08:00

I love my Macbook that Jr bought me for my birthday. It and my Cameras are my favorite things I own. I seriously never knew what I was missing but I am glad I made the switch from a PC to a MAC... my life is now better! =)

POTD: Technology

2009-01-22T18:35:00.000-08:00

This week's theme is Technology.

When we took the kids up to Flagstaff to play in the snow on Sunday... we couldn't miss the Cardinals NFC Championship game. So my brother-in-law took a tv with "bunny ears" so we could keep track of the game. Well we didn't get good reception at all and he had to improvise using the foil my aunt wrapped the home-made burritos in.

People walked by and laughed at our setup and everyone in our family gathered around the tv watching... but those same people were back half an hour later to watch it right along with us.

After February 17th we will no longer be able to do this. TV will all be digital. Ahh... Technology.

POTD: President Obama's Inauguration

2009-01-20T20:16:00.001-08:00

Rosa sat... so Martin could walk

Martin walked... so Obama could run

Obama ran... so my kids could FLY!

I've been watching this historic event unfold all day. I've never been into politics, I've never cared to learn, nor did I understand it. But I followed this election very closely. I asked a lot of questions. And I have learned a lot about the candidates, our country, and I learned how to make the best choice for me.

I voted for Obama. And I am overjoyed to be part of such a great day in history. I hear many people say, "I wish people would get passed the fact that he is an African American leader and just accept him as a leader." And even though I agree wholeheartedly that the color of someones skin doesn't determine if they will be a good leader or a bad leader... and that's exactly why I voted for him. But I do believe that it is necessary to put a lot of emphasis on that fact that he is our first African American President. That is something very monumental for this country. And for black people as well. Even though I feel extreme emotion and pride in electing a black man as president... imagine how other African American people are feeling today? Back in the day black people would be bought and sold as slaves. Slaves built the very same White House that the Obama family will live in for the next four years. Back then black men only counted as 3/5ths of a person. Back then black people couldn't eat in the same restaurants, drink from the same fountains, or sit in the same part of a bus as a white person. They have fought long and hard to become equals and I think Barack has shown so much courage. So I think he should be recognized as the first black man to become president... not because of his race... but because of his race he was able to knock down walls and barriers and change the future for all of America.

So as I lay in my room at 10am Phoenix time, and watched our new president be sworn into office, I couldn't help but take pictures of my tv and record his inaugural speech all while crying with happiness. The emotion I felt at that very moment was indescribable... all I can say is I was simply speechless, in awe, and very proud to e alive to see this.

POTD: Textures

2009-01-17T23:45:00.000-08:00

Texture samples for my photos. And they look ridiculously awesome!

POTD: Enter The Light

2009-01-16T18:54:00.000-08:00

I don't even have words for this picture. I actually took it a long time ago (June 2007). But it was away in a folder... somewhat forgotten. And looking through my archives and I found it. Along with a lot of other awesome pictures! It's fun to go back and see my baby girl right before she turned 2. This was a few weeks before her 2nd birthday when we went to Rocky Point.

This is truly one of my favorite pictures ever.

POTD: The Next Generation

2009-01-15T18:21:00.000-08:00

It is extremely hard to get 7 kids to sit still long enough for a decent shot. These are my parents 7 grandkids. I have 3, my brother has 3, and my sister has 1. I was babysitting so I happened to have all of them together and wanted to snap a picture of them as they were watching Alvin and the Chipmunks. As you can see they are all making faces and what not... but I really like the picture anyway. They were just enjoying eachothers company. I only took 2 shots... the first came out blurry... and somehow in the 30 seconds it took me to get them all the sit straight... Ducky and Diego switched spots on me. I had put them in order of birth. Oh well.

From left to right: Tallynna (8), Brianna (7), Ducky (4), Diego (5), Alayna (3), Juanito (1), and Arielle (9 months)

POTD: Tombstone City Hall

2009-01-14T23:38:00.000-08:00

Since the theme is texture, I figured I can use the opportunity to learn photoshop better and use textures on my pictures. I chose this one of the City Hall building in Tombstone, Arizona. Although the picture was taken almost a year ago... when I went to visit Tombstone I couldn't help but think that in some of my photos... texture would add to the charm and charachter of the buildings in the town. It's so rustic there that I thought it would be fitting to use this picture. And to date... it's one of my favorites.

POTD: Texture on a Starfish

2009-01-13T23:29:00.000-08:00

This weeks challange is texture. And I think this dead starfish has plenty of that. This picture was taken in Rocky Point on a family trip. My son found dead starfish, fish, crabs, and even a jellyfish on the beach!

Once upon a time there was a wise man
who used to go to the ocean to do his
writing. He had a habit of walking on the
beach before he began his work.

One day he was walking along the shore.
As he looked down the beach, he saw a
human figure moving like a dancer. He
smiled to himself to think of someone
who would dance to the day.

So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a
young man and the young man wasn't
dancing, but instead he was reaching
down to the shore, picking up something
and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out, "Good
morning! What are you doing?"

The young man paused, looked up and replied,
"Throwing starfish in the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"

"The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die."

"But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't

possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it
into the ocean, past the breaking waves and said - "It made a difference for that one."

POTD: My Kids Room

2009-01-12T16:59:00.001-08:00

So we went to Ikea to buy all the stuff to decorate the kids bedroom. And we bought new sheets for our bed. It was a family thing... My parents, My husband and I, and all 3 kids. My mom wasn't too fond and was quite confused at how the store works. But after having some lunch and getting a second wind... she warmed up to it once we got to the marketplace to pick up the stuff we wanted. Who doesn't like Ikea?! It makes me absolutely giddy.

So the kids room is absolute adorableness. Is that a word you ask? Yes in my world it is. And it describes my kids room. With my Mom as the "Supervisor" and my Dad and I putting our heads together as designers... and my husband doing the bulk of the labor with help from my Dad... I think it pulled together really well! I LOVE it... and my kids love spending the days in there now as opposed to playing in other parts of the house. It sill needs some pictures and frames on the wall which are still in the works and the window treatment needs to be put up... but other than that it's so CUTE!

Up next... our bedroom. Which will eventually be our parents guest bedroom when we move out. Yay!

POTD: Ikea

2009-01-11T16:57:00.000-08:00

I love Ikea. I love Ikea a lot. I stalk the website one day hoping I can have my own house to decorate. I really love Ikea. It makes me happy just being there... kinda like Disneyland... instant happiness as soon as you walk through the doors. Yup. HAve I mentioned that I LOVE Ikea?

POTD: A Reflection of Me

2009-01-10T16:58:00.000-08:00

I took this of myself when we went to Venice over the summer... and due to me leaving my camera at a friends house... I can't take new pictures. So I will have to just post something old so as not to miss my day.

POTD: The Love of my Life

2009-01-09T16:53:00.000-08:00

"I am the only one in his eyes"

Meet James... better known as Junior (no one calls him James). This is my husband of over a year and a half now. I've been mad at him all day today... actually since yesterday. And he puts up with me. He knows to just leave me alone and let me have my time to cool off... so all he said to me was "you're the only one in my eyes". How sweet. I am still mad though.

This picture reminds me how much I love him. It's just truly and completely him.

AND he endures being my model for pictures... gotta love that.

POTD: Start {A New Year}... Ready, Set, Go!

2009-01-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

Update: My poor precious baby! She's even sicker today and really has no energy to even cry now. Although she has been fussy all day. Most of the morning she laid around on blankets either watching movies with Alayna or drinking a bottle. Her little eyes look so helpless. I hate when any of my kids are sick... but especially the baby... she can't tell me what's wrong, what hurts, what she's feeling. I hope she gets better fast!

So now on to my POTD:

This weeks theme is Ready, Set, Go... and when I came home from dropping off my son at school I noticed our Christmas wreath is still up. We took all the stuff down days ago and we completely forgot about the wreath. And I just noticed! Maybe it's cuz I am surprised that 2008 came and went so fast... that I am not ready for 2009 to do the same. So I am taking it down and I say bring on 2009. Why not? It's already here and I can't do anything about that. So I guess I am ready to start a new year, with new possibilities, and new experiences. Now that I think about it... I can't wait.

POTD: Third Time's a Charm

2009-01-07T20:11:00.000-08:00

Arielle is my youngest child and the most easy-going, happy, and well-behaved baby I've ever known. Diego was pretty much the same way... but I still think she has him beat.

That was until... last week. She's been keeping me up all night, crying, and not wanting to sleep. She doesn't want to nap during the day at all anymore... and she's only 9 months! I keep thinking its her teeth... but she still doesn't have not one tooth in sight. And to top it all off she's getting a cold. She woke up with a raspy throat and runny nose this morning. Great! So I only got 3 hours of sleep last night, haven't taken a nap, and had one heck of an afternoon trying to get our car started and picked up my son late from school (when he had early release).

I don't think I'll get much sleep again tonight... she's sitting here crying as I type... but doesn't want to be held or fed.

But isn't she pretty?

I just hope she gets well soon so she can go back to being my carefree, happy little girl.

POTD: Pretend Winter

2009-01-06T15:48:00.000-08:00

Maybe if we had a winter in Phoenix this would be what it looked like. I took this picture this morning after dropping my son off at school and the sun was out and blaring in my face.

But instead we have sunny winters! Which for me is great... I can only stand the snow for maybe a day. Hence why we travel up to Flagstaff for a one day snow trip. Haha. We can enjoy if for one day... but my husband and I know we'd never be able to live somewhere where it snows. The kids love it... and are still asking if we'll be seeing snow this winter. Who knows... maybe we'll make a day trip before the snow melts.

POTD: My Brother

2009-01-05T09:56:00.000-08:00

My brother is one of my biggest role models. We're 7 1/2 years apart and growing up we fought a lot. I was always the annoying little sister. By the time I was 10 he was already out of the house and going down the wrong path. So we clashed all the time. We didn't understand each other and he would torture me like most older brothers would. And now that we're older and have our own families... we get along so much better!

He's always there for me. He tells me the truth. Everytime I go see him he's genuinely happy to see me and I love it! He's no where near perfect and he's made some bad choices in life. But what inspires me the most about him is that he never gives up, he knows what he wants, he loves life, and he's hilarious. Like I said... he's not perfect... but in my eyes he's right up at the top.

POTD: Package From Nina

2009-01-04T08:50:00.000-08:00

My cousin sent some Christmas gifts for my kids and we recieved them today. Arielle is Goddaughter so she got lots of gifts. We sat her on the couch and one by one Jr opened the gifts for her. She was so interested and excited to see what was in each one. The first one was a Little Mermaid pillow and she immediately became excited when she saw it... I think it was all the colors.

Thanks Becca for all the gifts! The kids loved them!

POTD: Santa Shops at Walmart

2009-01-03T08:37:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law and I both bought the same pairs of pants for our girls on the Black Friday sales at Walmart, and they all ended up wearing them on the same day by pure coincidence. The girls thought is was crazy that they all had the same pants so I snapped a picture of them. Aren't they cute?

POTD: New Year... New Renovations

2009-01-02T15:50:00.000-08:00

This was the color of the kids room as of yesterday:

This is the color of the kids room as of today:

Being that all 3 kids share a room we had to choose a color that was good for 2 girls and a boy. I don't know what's next for the room but I am going for a contemporary, clean, and fun room. Right Dad?

Happy New Year! POTD

2009-01-01T10:38:00.000-08:00

My husband rang in 2009 with our 3 kids at home. We even videotaped it. I've never not gone out for New Years Eve so it was a little wierd. But we had fun. Ate Dinner, had ice cream, watched movies, watched the ball drop... then ran up and down our neighborhood with luggage. Weird? Well it's supposed to be good luck for many travels in the New Year. It's a tradition for my husbands family so for 4 years we've been doing it. It's fun.

Favorites of 2008

2008-12-31T11:48:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my favorites from 2008. Some are nothing fancy, not technically perfect, but for some reason or another I find them to be among my favorite images. I hope you enjoys them!

Beware this post is very image heavy! Sorry... I am indecisive and can't narrow anything down to just a few... so this is what I ended up with.

Flagstaff, Arizona.

Bisbee, Arizona

San Xavier Mission, Tucson, Arizona

Our Baby Girl Arielle Marie-Grace born 04.04.08

My son, daughter, and nephew washing my car

Diego learned to swim without floaties this summer

Diego's 1st day of Kindergarten

So totally US... Me and my Husband

Tombstone, Arizona

My parents hands

Downtown Los Angeles, California

Arielle's First Time to the Beach: Venice Beach

Juanito's 1st Birthday

Completely and totally out Drama Queen

Silhouette of the Man I Love

Alayna fell in LOVE with Hannah Montana

Ducky's 4th Birthday

My brother's Family

Arielle's 1st Christmas

Benke Wedding - The Details

2008-12-29T17:29:00.001-08:00

Yesterday my husband and I went to my friend Dawn's Wedding. It was beautiful and I know how much goes into planning a wedding and all the hard work that goes into all the details that make it special... so I took these images of all the the details of her wedding. I didn't have my big camera so the shots are less than perfect/clear.

If you want to see pictures of the actual wedding CLICK HERE

The wedding was held at Aldea. It is gorgeous with Spanish-y/Tuscany architecture.

The walkways were so pretty. It was like a little village.

The ceremony was held in the courtyard... it was decorated with lights and pink paper laterns in the trees.

The fountain was so pretty. I loved it!

The setup was great and very cozy feeling.

Once inside the ballroom... it was so classy. She had a Black and White with Hot Pink color scheme and it looked so awesome.

The cake table. It was truly amazing.

Our place cards echoed the the theme.

This was the sweetheart table for the newlyweds. Dawn painted those letters herself.

A close-up of the Bride's bouquet

The frame they used for the sand ceremony... and the flowergirl (Dawn's little sister)... carried that little umbrella with petals in it down the aisle.

Be Back Soon

2008-12-20T23:27:00.000-08:00

I know I barely started this photo blog... but I promise I will be back with new pictures in 2009, as I hope to start really learning and improving on my photography. Also my goal is to take a picture every day by joining a POTD challange... so I am looking forward to that. So please come back and visit in the New Year!

Until then I have my main blog linked above.

Happy Holidays!!

My Goddaughter

2008-11-20T17:25:00.001-08:00

I haven't put anything new here lately so here's something I captured a few days ago. This is my Goddaughter Arianna. I haven't seen her much lately even though we live like 10 minutes apart. I have been extremely busy now that I have a Kindergardener and all. My schedule usually revolves around his. But on Monday she came over with my BFF. She was shy at first after not seeing me in like a month. Hence the pose I got from her. Either way I think she's beautiful. And she'll be a year old on Dec 4th. Wow how time flies! She was born premature 7 weeks and you wouldn't be able to tell now. She's EXACTLY 4 months older than my Arielle... and it's fun to see them growing together.

Quading Near Lake Pleasant

2008-11-02T20:26:00.000-08:00

My brother-in-law has a few quads and he invited us to go ride them up near Lake Pleasant. He bought food, drinks, and snack and we had a little bbq while out there. The day was so gorgeous I literally thought we were in a painting when we arrived to our location. The sky was so blue, the trees were so green, and the clouds were a perfect combination of fluffy white and deep dark grey. It was gorgeous the whole day.

Halloween Portraits

2008-10-31T21:33:00.000-07:00

Usually for every holiday my kids have a certain outfit to wear and I always try and get a picture of them wearing it. For Halloween, I bought all three of my kids shirts to wear during the day. They looked so cute and I couldn't resist taking them outside for a photoshoot. In my head I had it all planned out. Well... both girls fell asleep and being that they are very cranky when woken up... I decided I better let them sleep. But before I knew it the afternoon was gone and there was almost no light outside. I made the decision to wake them up and take them outside for a photoshoot anyway. Surprisingly they cooperated! So here's my pictures. Oh and sorry for the lint on baby Arielle's black shirt... I had just washed her blanket before putting her down for a nap!

Venice Beach

2008-08-31T23:36:00.000-07:00

While on vacation in California visiting relatives... my Dad decided that he wanted to take a trip to Venice Beach. I hadn't been there since I was a kid so I definitely wanted to go. So we gathered out group and went. It was so much fun! It was Arielle's, my younger daughter, first time to the beach! I took nearly 250 pictures that day. These are just some of my favorites.

Shopping in the Alleys of Downtown LA

2008-08-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

We decided to go on vacation for Labor Day weekend to California... which meant for my Mom and I... shopping trip! I love to go to the Alleys and shop. Everything there is affordable and they have so much stuff! I even bought my wedding dress there a year and a half ago. There are so many interesting things and people there to photograph. And the best thing about going is getting to eat the hot dogs. Yum!

Playing in the Rain

2008-07-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

On the day of my daughter Alayna's 3rd birthday party we had family come from California to celebrate. My cousin Jessica is always up for photo sessions so after all the guests left we planned to have one. Well it rained really really hard for a few hours and even hailed a little... so it looked like our plans were done. But I am adventurous and so is she... so we went out anyway and did a shoot. It was so hard to get any good lighting because it was starting to get dark. But we did with what we could and had fun. So much fun that we all came back home soaking wet!