Mine on Monday

My (not so) little girl started 1st Grade on August 12th. I am so amazingly proud of her and how well she is doing already! These photos were taken on day 3... Belle loved this outfit and said she "felt like a cheerleader", and asked me to take some photos of her before we left for school. Whenever she asks me to take pics I jump on the chance, because it's not happening as often as it used to and I now have to bribe her 1/2 the time to get any pictures at all :(

Enjoy,
Tessa

Hoppy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone from our family to yours!!!

Enjoy,
Tessa

Mine on Monday

Today was day one of spring break, so we hit the beach since the weather is supposed to be cold and wet the rest of the week here in San Diego. We put up Trista's canopy and had a great little shaddy spot for us and Ms. Genevieve. It was G's first trip to the beach and she loved it!!

Enjoy,
Tessa

Mine on Monday

Isabelle recently attended her girlfriend Lauren's "Pink Poodle in Paris" birthday party. I asked her to pose for a quick photo before we headed off to the party and this is what she gave me...




and then this...




The teenage years should be interesting!

Enjoy,
Tessa

Mine on Monday

Just a little snapshot I took of two of my Valentine's yesterday (Valentine number three was mowing the lawn, so we were hanging outside on the porch since Mommy loves the smell of freshly cut grass).

Enjoy,
Tessa

Sofa Session Preview...

I will be announcing all of the information on my "Sofa Sessions" this weekend. For fun, I took my girls out to a local park here in La Mesa and used them as my models. We had such a great time and I got so many beautiful shots. I absolutely can't wait to offer this opportunity to my clients since this is a unique way to take photos of their kiddos!! And just in time for Valentine's Day!

Enjoy,
Tessa

Sisters...

I have envisioned this shot since the day I found out I was pregnant in February.

I have to say that Isabelle is an even better big sister than I could have hoped for. She wants to come home after school to be with her family, she hugs and kisses her sister often and puts the binky back in Genevieve's mouth when it falls out. She helps me change diapers. She wants to hold her sister and kisses the top of her head while she does.

I have to admit that not too long after Belle was born I thought, "there's no way I can love another child as much as I love my first born". "Maybe we shouldn't have another because can you love two children equally"? The answer is yes, you can! And it is the best feeling in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy,
Tessa

My Baby Girl is a Kindergartener

I have been dreading this day for the last 6 months. Quite a few of my friends look at me like, "huh, why"? The reason is because I have spent almost every day with my little firecracker for the last 5 and 1/2 years. We go out to lunch together, shop together, have flown together from state to state just the two of us and also with Daddy, have playdates together (yes, they're playdates for me too since I get to visit with my awesome Mommy friends) and I just generally enjoy her company. I have watched her grow, and am so proud of the little girl she has become. Joel & I have prepared her as much as we can, and now she will be spending as much time away from the house during the day as she does in it.

Isabelle on the other hand couldn't wait for Kindergarten to start. She adored preschool and asked to go everyday (yes, even on the weekends). She loved picking out her new Hello Kitty knee socks, Mary Jane shoes and backpack. She was ready to make new friends and meet her teacher. She was ready to be "a big girl". She was amazing yesterday morning, and was full of "what happened at school today" stories when we picked her up. Some of the things made us laugh out loud, and both Joel & I felt very relieved when she told stories of her teacher and the things she was taught throughout the day. We got very lucky since we just found out that her elementary school is in the top 5% of all schools in California. We knew we had moved to a good school district, but didn't realize just how involved THIS school was with their students and parents.

Below are a few pics I grabbed before and after the bells rang yesterday. I wanted to start a new 1st day of school tradition, so my Mom and I took her out to our favorite frozen yogurt place right after we picked her up. Three generations of girls, chatting about our days. Love it!!!!!!!!

Enjoy,
Tessa

A Rainy Day in San Diego

My daughter loves everything about rainy days... rain boots, umbrellas, puddles, thunder, did I mention puddles? Lucky for Belle it was quite stormy here in San Diego last weekend, and all she wanted to do was to go outside and play in it. Then finally, Sunday evening, it stopped raining just long enough for us to take a walk around our neighborhood. The sunset was absolutely amazing, and I just love how clean and clear everything is after a storm comes through.

Of course I just happened to have my camera with me on our little walk, and Isabelle, as always was her normal camera shy self ;)

Enjoy,
Tessa

Tiny Dancer

A few months ago Isabelle started taking tap & ballet with a couple of her buddies, Eva & Koa. This has been a special treat for me since I also started taking tap, ballet and jazz at 5, and danced well into my teenage years. It brings so much joy to my heart to watch her shuffle, flap & arabesque across the studio, with this look of concentration on her face to get it just right. I've taken photos a few times during class, and am finally posting a couple of my favorites. Enjoy!!

Merry Christmas!

Here's hoping you are all having a wonderful Christmas day, surrounded by friends and family and those you love!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
Tessa (Joel & Isabelle too ;)

My Baby Girl Turns Five

Where does the time go? I often ask myself that question, and this year is no exception. Come to think of it, it seems as though this year went faster than the ones that came before it, and Isabelle is a constant reminder of just how quickly time goes, and that we are all getting older. My Mom and I asked her just yesterday if she could stay 5 forever, but she just wouldn't go for it. After we were done celebrating her birthday on Sunday and I was putting her to bed she looked and me and asked, "Momma, am I five and 1/2 yet?". Oh boy, don't be in such a rush kid!


I never knew 5 was such a huge deal but she's been counting down for a month now. She was SO excited when she woke up on Sunday and announced that she was "a big girl". We started off the day going to my Mom's (Ghacki's) to make her cake. She really wanted to do it herself this year, so I let her pick out the flavor of the cake (marble), frosting (vanilla) and the color of the decorations on it (pink of course, duh!). After finishing her cake and opening her gifts from Ghacki & Papa Scott it was back home to pick up Daddy.



Joel & I told her we'd take her to Toys R Us to pick out her birthday gift from us this year, so we hopped in the car and braved Toys R Us the Sunday before Christmas (poor child, being born on the 21st of December does have it's draw backs). We had talked to her about getting a new bike for her birthday now that we own a house and live on a safe, quiet street, and so it was no surprise that that is EXACTLY what she went for. And not just any bike mind you, a "Barbie bike", complete with a mini-bike attached to the handle bars so Ms. Barbie herself can ride too ;)





Happy Birthday Isabelle, you'll always be my baby girl! Now listen to Mommy and stop growing would ya?!!!

Makin' Brownies

It was a cold & rainy Fall morning last Sunday and Isabelle wanted to "do something fun". "I know" she said, "let's make brownies"! Now for those of you who don't know, I'm on Weight Watchers. As a matter of fact, it seems I've been on & off of WW for 5 years now, and we are currently in an "on" period. No worries though, we always keep a box or two of No Pudge Brownies in the cupboard for just these sorts of occasions! They're easy to make, and very low in calories, so even Mommy can indulge ;)

Isabelle and I slapped on the aprons we received as a housewarming gift from our very good friends Patty & Barry, and were ready to go. Belle is great in the kitchen, and much more enthusiastic about the whole cooking process than I am. Just like most kids, I think she wants to make the brownies not for the finished product, but just so she can lick the bowl...and lick the bowl she did, and as you'll see from these photos, she enjoyed every minute of it!!! Enjoy!!!