Janie and Jack 2

Here is the recent pic of Makena from the Janie and Jack website. It will only be up for a couple weeks, but this picture is on their homepage--www.janieandjack.com until early December.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

disneyland

Yesterday we went to Disneyland with our friends Jess and Chase. It was all decorated for Christmas and the kids had a blast (so did we of course!) This was the first trip that Makena was interested in meeting the Princesses--so we waiting in an HOUR long line to meet them and take photos. Was it worth it? I didn't think so while in line, but seeing how excited Makena was made it worthwhile!

SEE ALL PICS HERE

There really isn't anything too exciting to post about at the moment--we are going to Disneyland in a couple days with a couple friends (no husbands!) So I am sure I will have pictures from that trips that I can post.
I have a hard time finding bows that I like at stores, I used to buy them from my friend Holly. But she moved to Arizona and is primarily focusing on her photography business. But before she moved she gave me a bunch of scrap ribbon that she wouldn't be using. I decided to bust it out and try making my own bow. I am not into anything big and frilly--just simple, so here is the final product--I think it turned out cute!

Target Round 2

Another Target shoot this week--for fitness apparel. I believe this one is for their weekly ad circulars that come out in the newspaper every Sunday--but not sure when it will come out. She did a great job--she and "model mom" did yoga together. They wanted her in the "downward dog" position and for her to peek her head out from under her arm. When she finally did it--she had this huge smile on her face and they caught it on camera--it was PERFECT! Everyone started cheering for her, which of course made her happy. Took these pics with my phone--not the best quality, but you get the idea!

debut

I opened my e-mail this morning to find this in my inbox! Pretty exciting!

http://links.mkt2170.com/servlet/MailView?ms=MjQ4MjI5OAS2&r=ODcyODY0OTg2MAS2&j=MTYxODY0MjUyS0&mt=1&rt=0

halloween & merced

We went to Merced to visit my family for a week the latter part of October. We visited a pumpkin patch in the middle of a corn field where they grew their own pumpkins. It was very nostalgic--and Makena was obsessed with all of the pumpkins. She picked out her own and was quite proud of her selection!

While we were there, Makena had a little modeling assignment where the designer (Cute-ture) sent me clothes for their Spring collection and I took pictures of her in them. In turn, we got to keep the clothes--and they were adorable.


While we were in Merced, my mom gave me my first dance recital costume when I was 3 years old. So I decided for Halloween I would make Makena a ballerina. The costume is adorable! We went to a festival last night and plan to trick-or-treat tonight.


To see more pics-- CLICK HERE!!

october

This month has been crazy, I am not sure that we were in town for longer than 5 days in a row! From traveling to meetings with Chris, LA to shoots, Vegas with a group of college friends, and finally an upcoming trip to Merced to see my parents--its been nuts! This month we did a shoot for Target which will be for in-store displays come January for their spring line. Photo shoot was in Malibu at this INSANE house on the bluff overlooking the ocean. Had to be several acres complete with a lighthouse and a private gondola that takes you down to the beach. I don't think winning the lottery could afford you this house--it was amazing. Makena and one other girl were chosen for the shoot--but in the end they only ended up using Makena and they absolutely loved her. It helped that the baby wrangler was a male, and she adored him. So when it came time for photos with her, I stayed on the beach and he took her to where she needed to be. About an hour later they were done with her, and she never once asked for me. She let them do her hair, make-up, and clothing changes with no complaints! I was shocked and amazed because she is usually pretty clingy. If nothing else were to come of this modeling thing, I really think it is helping her break out of her shell.


Makena's friend Presley came to visit for a few days also and they had an absolute blast together. It is amazing how they can carry a conversation with one another and how well they play. It was great fun.
Vegas--well thats another story altogether. I haven't uploaded pics from that trip yet, but when I do I will surely post--was a GREAT time! Thanks to all of my friends for forcing me to get away for the weekend (first time!!)

beach baby

janie and jack

We just returned home from the Janie and Jack shoot for their holiday/winter line. We had a blast! It was a little rough at first because it takes Makena a little bit to warm up around new people and situations. Her first shoot was an adorable set of Christmas pajamas, but because we had just arrived on set, she hadn't had a chance to get acclimated quite yet. So she was a little timid and kept asking for me to hold her. As the day went on, she got more and more comfortable. By the end she was happy and having fun running around with everyone on set. I couldn't get her to change out of her outfit--she didn't want to leave! Haha! So I told them next time (if there is a next time) to call us in an hour early and she should be ready to go by then! Overall she did pretty well for her first shoot!

long time no post

Well my goal was to try and update once a week, and I have failed miserably this last month. I will try and play catch up. Since the Parent's Magazine contest, we have been quite busy with Makena and her "modeling" career. She was signed by an agent beginning of August and since then we have been on 2 auditions in LA. First was Baby Gap, and being her first audition, she was a bit timid and shy. She kept her fingers in her mouth the whole time which cost her the job. But it was fun and always good to get the experience. Last week we happened to be in LA visiting Chris's parents for a few days when our agent notified us of a casting call for Gymboree company brands (Gymboree, Janie and Jack, and Crazy 8.) So we thought, what the hell, it can't hurt to check it out and at least get the experience of another audition under her belt. She was a little timid, but not nearly as bad as the first one. There had to be at least 500 kids her age there throughout the day...it was a madhouse! Needless to say I didn't expect much to come of it. But yesterday we got a call from the agent saying that Janie and Jack loved Makena and has put her on a hold. That means she has been picked amongst their top choices, but it is still not a guarantee. It just so happens to be my absolute favorite baby store (as everyone knows!) so it couldn't be more perfect if she gets chosen. If not, it is still exciting that she made it in the top 3. So that has been my life this past month...crazy fun!!

SEE PICS HERE!!

Well, unfortunately we received word that Makena was not selected amongst the top 5 finalists to go to New York for Parents Magazine Cover Contest. Oh well--we are very happy that she made it this far--it was exciting while it lasted! But it is not entirely over yet! You can vote for her in the Reader's Choice part of the contest by going to PARENTS MAGAZINE and clicking on her picture! You can vote once daily until the beginning of September. THANKS!!

congrats makena!

A few months ago I submitted Makena's photo to a Parents Magazine Cover Model contest for fun. I received a phone call the other day saying that she has been selected as a semi-finalist in the contest, one of 20 selected of ~85,000 entries! We are pretty excited, even if this is the furthest she goes in the competition! But now, we wait to see what happens. They now narrow it down to 5, whom they will all send to New York for a final photo shoot at Parents Magazine studios. We shall see how things go, but if she doesn't make it--we are still extremely proud that she has gotten this far! These are a few of the supplemental photos I had to send in this week!

the 4th and the fair

July is only half over, but it has been pretty eventful thus far! We had the Cliffhouse annual 4th of July party which was really fun this year. We took Makena to the Del Mar fair one day, which she loved! And then of course, there are just some random pictures that I have taken along the way. Anyhow--click link below to see photos!
Some July pics

Just for fun

Just for fun we started doing a little photography/model job in which designers send me the clothes for Makena to model and I take her picture in them. Either I get paid for the pictures, or I get to keep the clothes in exchange. So its a win-win! My friend Holly has been doing it for awhile, and now that I have a camera I can start taking my own pictures. Not that I am near the photographer she is, I just enjoy doing it! So we will see how it pans out, but this is the comp card they created with a few of the pics I sent. Here are a couple more...

crazy june

June has been quite full of activity, from Makena's 2nd birthday to our trip to Newport and Disneyland, we have constantly been on the go!

More pictures HERE!!










We went to Tommy Bahama's for lunch on her birthday where they brought her a giant cake to celebrate. Needless to say she hardly put a dent in it...


Makena's party was fun with all of her friends that came to help her celebrate!


We headed over to Newport for a few days to celebrate my 30th birthday and see cousins and relatives we hadn't seen in a long time (many Makena had never met!)


And finally, Disneyland with our friends the Walkeys--she LOVES the rides there and had so much fun with her little friend Chase.

may

Makena in Old Town La Quinta playing on staircase

I know I have been pretty terrible with keeping up the blog lately! My goal was to update every week, but what can you do? Makena's second birthday is approaching, so I have been preparing for that, and we have been in and out of town visiting family and friends. Oh well, enough excuses--check out some of our pics from May HERE!

last few weeks

April and May have been so crazy I feel like I haven't had a chance to update pictures. I have taken them--like crazy because I just got a new SLR camera that I am OBSESSED with! I am still learning how to use it--trying to teach myself and experimenting a lot. So, I am attaching a link to view some of the photos from the last couple weeks.

We went to Merced last week to visit my family, went to the Fresno Zoo and had a really nice time. CLICK HERE to see all pics!

san diego

We went to San Diego for a few days because Chris had meetings there for work. But we had a little play time as well. We met up with some friends that live there--and got to meet our friends Lisa and Jerel's new baby boy, Gunner. He is just adorable--Makena couldn't stop talking about "Baby Gunner!" While Chris was in meetings, we spent our days hanging out with my friend Julie and her little girl Presley (5 weeks older than Makena.) We had a really nice time--can't wait to go back soon! Click here to see all S.D. pics!