A little girl to love and now a little boy.

I was so happy and honored to be asked to photograph the Edwards family. A little family of three about to be four. Baby Austin is almost done cookin' in his mama's belly and about to burst into this world and experience the intensity of love these three (and many more) already have for him. He's a lucky little man. I've had the pleasure of getting to know his mama, Erin, personally. She is beautiful inside and out. A friend I truly value have immense gratitude for. It was an absolute pleasure to do what I love, and help them remember these last few days before Austin graces us. 

 There is a lot of love between these three. As we walked along the fire road up toward the Novitiate in Los Gatos, I noticed the connection that Ayla has with her Daddy. It touched me to see how much she loves him and how much he loves her. It's a beautiful thing to watch a man let go and be a complete goof, using his high, silly voice, and at the whim of his little girl's every word. Sweetness is what that is. A special thing to have. This was my favorite moment between them. Look at those lips reaching out for a kiss from Daddy! 

Thank you Erin, Ryan and Ayla. It was a gift to take a walk with you as the sun set and capture the happiness and love in your family. I can't wait to meet Austin! xo

The Canary Foundation Fundraiser

What an honor it was to photograph an event for such a great cause! For those of you who don't know, the Canary Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to the goal of identifying cancer early through a simple blood test and then isolating it with imaging. Partnered with Stanford and other institutions, progress is being made and lives are being saved. It's amazing! On Saturday, my photographer friend, Mike, and I drove up to Woodside, California to document the Canary Foundation's annual fundraiser. It was held on the estate of founder, Don Listwin. As you will see in the photographs, it was exquisite! Ashley Hurd, of Eventful Events went above and beyond to make this event stunning and enjoyable by all! When Mike and I arrived we both looked at each other and said "wow!" We got busy right away capturing the detail of all that went into making this happen. 

Guests arrived at 5:30 and were greeted with raspberry champagne cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and  a walk through the estate grounds...

Along the path were posters informing attendees of recent developments by the Canary Foundation and how it all works. There was a station of prayer flags where attendees could write a thought/prayer to someone they've lost to cancer. I wrote one for Gloria. Later the prayer flags were held up in a moment of silence to all that have lost the battle or are fighting it. 

Dinner was served at 7. Fine wine and fine food. Even a crepe station for dessert!

Before the auction began, all held candles in a moment of silence in memory of loved ones lost ...

People were easy going and enjoying each other's company throughout the evening. It was fun to capture the laughter and connecting. 

The Auction was amazing. Much generosity toward this foundation and much FUN had by all!

The evening ended with dancing! A great way to end a great event!

Phineas (and mommy & daddy too!)

What a pleasure it was to get to know little Phineas last Friday. He's 11 months old and such a love. He let me hold him and nuzzle him up as we walked through the park to find new spots to shoot. He was smiling and interested all along. He is such a warm and loving little guy and when you meet his mom and dad you can see why. They are such kind-hearted people who are living their lives with a lot of meaning and a lot of love. They sure created a beautiful boy, and it was a gift to me to capture their love and relaxed spirit as the sun went down.

...And his little hands, too precious not to put on here.

The Twinkies :)

What a miracle! Two baby boys in the one belly!! I think I'm still in awe of it. They are so gorgeous, so small and so perfect. Gray Lawrence & Bentley Murphy were born on August 14th. Their mama is the champ of all champions! I could not be more proud of her. They were here is less than 2 hours from start to finish. Of course, I was there holding them within a week of their birth. And on the 1st I got to go back and freeze them in time at 18 days old. What a gift. I love everything about them. And their nursery was decorated by no one other than their mama, Nikki. It's decked out with "love your mother earth" posters and peace signs. It's perfect. It's SO Nikki and something I love and admire about her. These boys are nothing but all natural and will always be, as long as she is their mama.

So, this is Bentley, smiling in his sleep. Melt my heart. (he just finished nursing)

And this is Gray. a picture of perfection. I fell in love immediately.

After nursing, we unwrapped these 6lb. babies and put them together on the big fuzzy bed. They were not having it! They tried so hard to get comfortable, but just couldn't. I don't blame them. As far as they know they should still be in the womb, so after about as long as they could take we wrapped them back up like little burritos and they were at peace again. Thank you boys for this shot of your little belly buttons and legs. Oh. My. Goodness. It was worth it. They are cutest wrinkles I've ever seen. 

Peace... is being swaddled tightly and laid on the freshest fuzzy blanket ever!

I went back yesterday with Ava, who seems like a giant compared to them, and couldn't believe how much they had changed already! I still couldn't tell them apart, (though I can in the photographs), but I'll get there :) I'm just happy to know them and be able to watch them grow. They are amazing. 

I love twinkies :)