San Diego Photographer: fun, child, family, maternity, newborn, portrait, event & wedding photography

V Boyz…

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

The V boys were watching TV the other day and I just had a flash! Forward about 10 years… when Griffyn is Wesley’s age, and the two guys are watching a movie, or playing a video game together! Oh my, I’m sure that some day I’ll think back on these very images and remember how little they once were. That to me, is the magic of pictures. This moment, and so many other precious fleeting sparks, captured… CLICK! Even with all of the pictures that I take, and I do take a ton, there are a few that just speak to me. This one is all guy, the way that Griffy is all propped up, and Wes with the Wii remote in his hand ;o) Lovin’ my little V boyz!

(focal point set on his wittle feet)

Posted in family, life

Walk the Dogs- Watch Griffyn Go!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Posted in Photography, Watch Griffyn Go, just for fun

The Very Hungry Caterpillar- Watch Griffyn Go!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Posted in Photography, Watch Griffyn Go, just for fun

by Katrina

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Family Photo- July 2010

Thursday, August 12, 2010

I technically took this photo in the first couple of days in August, but I’m hoping it can count for my July picture, as long as I take another picture for August?

July flew by! We had family in town for the 4th, and we were all troopers… hanging out at the beach even though the weather was crummy!

Mike and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary. We were hoping to have an evening just for “us”, but we ended up getting a sitter for the older kids and brought the littlest man along. We enjoyed an ocean view dinner at Vigalucci’s in Carlsbad, and then we headed over to Barns and Noble to cruise the isles of books without interruption! (Isn’t that what every couple does when they get a break from their kids?) It wasn’t overly romantic, but we both enjoyed ourselves! I guess that was the main idea.

Wesley finished up Jr. Lifeguards here in Oceanside. I have been meaning to sign him up for the past few years, but didn’t really push the issue with him until this year. We felt that it would be a great thing for him, who loves to be in the water, to feel really comfortable in the ocean. Wesley has been a crazy water lover since I can remember, to the point where he used to give me heart attacks when he was only 4 years old… doing front flips into the pool. But a pool is not the same as the ocean. He has always been a bit timid in the big ‘ol blue… and now, after a month of Jr. Lifeguards, putting him in the ocean every day, has totally paid off. He seems to love getting into the salty water and just playing around.

Campbelle needs to be put into swimming lessons, it’s really all she asked to do this summer, but I just haven’t made it a priority. She, like her big brother, loves the water. But unlike her brother, she loves the ocean too! She makes me so nervous because she is not afraid. I think little kids should have a healthy fear of the ocean. Even playing in the little shore break, can sweep your feet out from under you and drag you into the water that is well over head. I’ve had a few heart attacks with her this summer, because she wants to get out into the deeper water, and I’m up on the sand, keeping an eye on Rylie and holding Griffyn. Luckily, she responds to my loud whistle and comes a runnin’. As soon as she gets in too deep, I whistle and she comes out! The month of July, for Campbelle, involved time at home, building forts, playing Barbies, riding bikes, and playing dress up.

Rylie’s big thing this month has been potty training. I have really been pushing it with her, and feeling the pinch of school starting. She needs to be totally potty trained for preschool, which starts at the beginning of September. She has good days and bad days. I am trying to not become frustrated, because she is taking way longer to get on the ball with this whole thing, than her sister did. I wonder if potty training will be nearly impossible due to the fact that she is on a medication, for her heart, that helps her body shed all excess liquid. She pees an abnormal amount during the day! I really don’t want to start her school experience off on the wrong foot, and I certainly don’t want to make her feel any different from the rest of the kids. So hopefully, everything will fall into place in the next couple of weeks. Her language is developing in leaps and bounds, and she seems to love to sing. Out of nowhere, she often launches into “Jingle Bells” which seems to be her favorite, closely followed by “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star!” When we sing “kinkle, kinkle wittle sta” together it brings tears to my eyes.

Little Griffyn, what can I say… he melts my heart on a daily basis with his smiles of cuteness. He has such an easy going temperament, and he can sleep through just about anything. We went to the doctor in, July, for his 2 month check up. He was up to 12 lbs, and into the 60th percentile for weight. He continues to get stronger every day, and he is actually beginning to like tummy time. He looks like a little surfer paddling on a board, the way he arches his little back and picks up his head to see what’s going on! He has been sleeping almost 8 hours at night, for the past few weeks. I feed him and put him down in his bassinet around 9:00pm and he sleeps until 4 or 5am. Bless his little heart, I hope that will continue or even get better as I get back to work.

All and all, we are having a nice summer, despite the cooler weather. I have a few fun things planned for the month of August before I get back into the classroom full time. I’m hoping to enjoy the freedom of our schedule and sleeping in until almost 8:00 next to my little Griffy! Oh, and Mike and I are both starting to think about loosing some of our “baby weight”. (me about 15 lbs, and Mike about 20 lbs)

Have a blessed day.

Katrina

Posted in family, just for fun, life

by Katrina

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About Me- Frustrated!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

This blog has been a part of my life for several years now, and I have to admit, I’m wondering if I should be trying to maintain it. I believe that the purpose of a blog is to “dialog”… not just to “monolog”. I have put ideas and images out there for years, and I have only received a small few comments from anyone who might be reading out there. For the past few months I have really been wondering if anyone is even out there. Is anyone interested in what I’m posting? So out of pure curiosity, I decided to embed a hit counter into my blog. Over the past week, I have received thousands of hits. That means that there are people coming to see what I have posted. But still, very few comments.

So what do I do?

How do I make this blog more of a “dialog”? How do I get people to leave comments?

I will mull over those questions for a while, and see what I can come up with. If you are reading this, and you have an idea, I’d love to hear it. Leave me a comment!

In the meanwhile, I figured I’d put it all out there. If you are someone who knows me personally, than you may already know this, but if not, I’d like to let you all know a little bit more “About Me”!

I am a wife, mother, teacher, friend, Christian and often frustrated photographer. My husband and I live in San Diego, CA with our 3.5 children… the .5 is because we have joint custody of my 12 year old step-son, and he is only with us part time. So I suppose I should add “step-mom” to the above list too!

I have a couple of pieces of paper to prove that I went to college, one in Psychology and the other in Education. I guess that, and a couple bucks, can buy me a cup of coffee:-)

After college I worked in youth ministry with high school students for a couple years. Then I got ants in my pants and wanted to explore the world a bit… so of course I became a flight attendant for American Airlines. That adventure landed me in New York City for a little while. I even had a few ladies nights out at the “Windows to the World” bar at the top of the World Trade Center, prior to 911, and saw my fill of Broadway shows.

After flying around the country for few years, I decided that serving food and drinks to people and dealing with people’s drama, wasn’t what I wanted to do with this one life that I’ve been blessed with. So I went back to school to get my teaching credential and MA. I figured that impacting the life of a child for the good, was a great way to really make a difference. I also figured that the schedule would be great for the family life that I hoped to have some day.

A few short years later I got married and started a family. I continued to believe that positively influencing children’s lives is the most important thing… especially my own children. I was blessed to stay home through my second pregnancy and the first year of my middle daughter’s life, which proved to be very necessary… because she was born with a life threatening heart defect. During those years at home, nurturing my beautiful girls, I discovered the passion within my heart… to take pictures-to celebrate life, to capture the special and not so special moments. My passion started attracting attention and so I decided to start my own business. But photography didn’t pay the bills, so when our financial position changed, I had to go back to work outside the home. Thank God for those pieces of paper I mentioned earlier!

Nine months a year I am a full time elementary teacher and all year long, I am a frustrated photographer. Frustrated because I just can’t find enough time beyond my responsibilities to give to my passion.

I walk the tight rope, I balance all the responsibilities. Just like everyone else.

I love family!

I love looking at my own family in photographs, remembering… the good, especially when things feel all gloomy and crummy. Which admittedly, happens sometimes. I also love capturing the love and real life of other families so that they can look back and remember too!

Everyday, I try to look for the beauty, the thing I want to remember, the relationship, the look, the smile… that makes each day good. I believe that each and every day there is some beauty, some good, something to be remembered. Something REAL!

Something worth photographing. (although my own real life gets in the way and I don’t always find time to take those pictures)

My life, most recently, has become increasingly consumed with the precious new addition to our family. My 4th, and youngest, was born at the end of May. I spend long moments just staring at him, wondering what he is going to be like. I love being a mom, I love- the love that I feel! The deep down, rip my heart out, I don’t ever want anything bad to happen, I’d do anything for- kind of love that I feel as a mom.

Speaking of my littlest, I think I hear him stirring from his slumber. Gotta go! I’ll leave you with a few snapshots of him from the other day, (using a timer) because a post is not much fun without pictures.

Blessings,