HAPPY & TOUGH PARENTING MOMENTS

I love these two memories from one of my favorite photo clients about the crazy rollercoaster that is being a new mom. I'm still on a kick about asking any and all parents advice before my wife and I have a baby. I'm all about gathering info from the experts, and so many of the moms in my life are full of advice and wisdom. 

"My toughest mom moment was when I had to be strong and guide her through a scary time when she was in the NICU on her 5th day of life. I had so many emotions running through me worrying about this tiny being. I was also thinking, I worked this hard to push you out, there's no way I'm giving up! A memorable happy moment was when Ripley was about 6 months old.  I remember I made her giggle and squeal at the very loudest I had ever heard her laugh before. At that moment I saw the pure love and joy on her face I realized how much I wanted to make her this happy all the time."   -Kristi Studdert

Ok, I'm happy crying into my coffee now, thanks Kristi! I hope you all have a beautiful day.
 

TRAVELING WITH ANXIETY

My body is in Los Angeles, but my mind is still in Italy.  We planned our honeymoon after a ridiculous amount of overtime and months of hard work for my wife on her latest project, Call of Duty-Black Ops 3. We had such a lovely trip, but my anxiety knocked me on my ass a few times.
Sometimes, I get nervous around big crowds of people. So, traveling after the Paris attacks through places like Brussels was a challenge. There were armed military guards on every block, and my sweet wife checked in and communicated with me in times where all I could think was, "There are three guns within 6 feet of my body- GO HIDE UNDER BLANKETS!"
We didn't hide, we kept all of our plans and did almost everything on our list of "must do's" before we have a baby. I'm so thankful fear didn't stop us from celebrating and exploring Europe together.  

STARTING A FAMILY | TWO FUTURE MOMS & A BOTTLE OF WINE

My wife and I are in the long process of trying to have a baby, and it's been such an interesting experience so far. To start the weirdest online shopping we've ever done, we opened a bottle of wine and picked out a donor that is super close to my ancestry, (my wife is the one carrying) and they hit most of our "must haves." Some of those things were: creative, mindful, healthy and smart, and we found a great match. In a fun twist, they even look incredibly similar to my brothers as kids.

We don't have baby news yet, but I'm already having a hard time not picturing a mixture of this sweet face on the left with my weird, frizzy-haired antics on the right. I can't WAIT.

By the way, you can subscribe below to follow along with our crazy baby journey if you'd like! 

Crossing all the things,

Samaria

HAPPY FAMILY PHOTOS IN SOLANA BEACH

This sweet family had me come over to their family home in Solana Beach to take photos of them all in one place. The day was filled with so much love and so many laughs. In a wonderful coincidence, it turns out I played softball in 5th grade with Lauren, who reached out to book the shoot! I just love how small this world is!

I adore seeing people that have been together for many years flirting with each other. These two are still pinching each other's butts and stealing kisses while their kids and grandkids are occupied. Major marriage goals right here.