Mountain View High School Prom

When Maria and Haley asked me to take pictures of their students for prom, I pretty much jumped out of my chair I was so excited. Um, heck yeah I will! I have had so much fun getting to know these students this year and they are truly inspiring. They light up a room when they walk in and put a smile on everyone's face. Mountain View is lucky to have such awesome kids!

It was such a privilege to take their prom pictures and I'm happy I was able to document a night they will always remember. Their teachers planned a very special night for them with corsages and boutonnieres , pictures, dinner, and even a limo so they could arrive in style! The look on their faces when the limo pulled up is one I will never forget, it was priceless. I know it will be a night they will never forget!

SO beautiful <3

These two have been best friends since elementary school. They have the sweetest friendship.

MVHS has some AMAZING teachers! Beautiful inside and out :)

Priceless.

Ms. McDonald and Ms. Turner with their juniors and seniors!

The limo has arrived...let's get the party started!

And from what I heard....they had a blast at dinner and the dance. It couldn't have gone more perfect!

Mommy and Me Minis 2015- Ashlin and Karlee

As moms, it is rare that we are in front of the camera. Sure, we get the occasional selfie pictures on our iphones but nothing that we would frame and hang on a wall in our house to display. If you are anything like me, you follow your baby around (and husband, when he lets you) and snap away. The minute you hand your camera to your husband, he goes "oooonnee..twooooo...three!" and you get an awkward smile picture, most likely uneven, half of your limbs chopped off, and sun glares causing closed eyes. Gee...thanks babe. Then you ask to take another picture and they get very impatient. Sound about right?? Sometimes we just want the non-posed, real-life moments captured in some sort of way. I was lucky enough to have a beautiful session with Anna K Photography when Karson was around 9 months old. I will truly cherish those pictures forever. They are timeless. Obviously, Anna is AMAZING....we all know that!

Well, what better gift to receive than a session with your babies that you will cherish forever? Just you and your babes dancing and playing around. Of course in a pretty outdoor field somewhere, right when the sun is setting...sounds pretty amazing, doesn't it?

Ashlin had booked a spring mini session for her daughter and contacted me about possibly adding on a little mommy and me session. And I'm definitely not about to turn that down. How BEAUTIFUL are these two? 

This session is very special to me. I feel like I learned a lot about myself as a "photographer" (I still don't like to call myself that...I'm simply a mom with a camera). I have been working on finding my style for some time now and I think I made a lot of progress in this session. So airy, fresh, and natural. No crazy props, no awkward poses....I just love the simplicity of it.

One good lookin' momma!

I am SO excited for these sessions. Mommas deserve an opportunity like this with their babies :)

Presidents Award Trip to Cabo

I really don't know where to start with this post, but I will just start by saying how proud I am of my sweet husband. Typical Eddie, trying to downplay everything, act like it's no big deal....did not make me aware of how important and amazing this award is to win with his company. Out of over 7,000 Spectrum employees across the world, only 45 people win The Presidents Award. Not that he wasn't excited (because he totally was), but it's totally in Eddie fashion to be so humble about winning such a prestigious award. He's pretty awesome!

We had an amazing time! The resort, Secrets Puertos Los Cabos, was just beautiful. Along with how gorgeous everything was, they had amazing food, service, and amenities. Not too shabby of a week ;)

Our first full day, the company had reserved a Catamaran for all of us to go sight seeing and snorkeling. It was a gorgeous and sunny day. Oh wait, it was a freakin awesome day. We saw Humpback Whales just yards in front of us. It was jaw dropping to encounter such beautiful and wild animals.

Unfortunately, I only had my prime lens with me and I had to shoot so quickly. These two shots are the whale jumping out of the water in the beginning. He only did that a few times before he went to flippin' his tale around.

You guys see that little teensy tiny boat out there to the right of the whale? That just puts it into perspective of HOW BIG that sucker was.

uh-maze-ing

The famous Lovers Cove 

Had a great time with them!

Right outside our balcony stood a beautiful tall cross. A daily reminder of what God has blessed us with :)

Yep, crooked sunglasses. Realized this when I uploaded my pictures....Awesome.

The next evening, the company planned a private dinner event on the golf course overlooking the ocean for the awards dinner. The President of Spectrum Brands called out each Presidents Award winner and spoke a little bit about each person while presenting them with their award. I really wanted to post the video of Eddie receiving his award and his moment of being recognized, but of course...he won't let me. "Jessica, that's so tacky, it looks like you're bragging" Well okay then, no posting the video. Is it that bad to brag a little on how awesome he is?

  

Fish Pedicures....Fun to try it once. Probably won't do it again.

 

No, we didn't take my dad and Karson with us....but we got a lot of sweet pictures that eased the pain of missing her. I'd say she had a lot of snuggles and love that week.

Ended our last night with a send-off dinner....gorgeous!

This man works his butt off for our little family. I am so happy that he was recognized for his dedication and hard work . He deserves every single bit it. And he's pretty cute, am I right?