We went to a park that overlooks Signal Hill and Long Beach.  We were a little nervous, though.  Why, you ask?  The day before the shoot, the weather was pretty crummy.  Lots of dark clouds and it was super cold.  We were in luck, though!  It was SUNNY and beautiful during sunset, which was when we were shooting!  As soon as we were about to wrap up, the dark clouds rolled in once again.  The next day, it was pouring rain all day long!! The weather was on our side! Yay!

We walked around the park for the first part of the shoot.
The second part… is a little secret!  Well, they didn’t say it was a secret, but I don’t want to give anything away, so the latter half of this post will really be a teaser.  If you know Kimie and Brice, you’ll soon find out what they were up to!

Okay, picture time!!!!

He adores her…

… and she adores him!

A little fun~

I love this!

Secret mission… start!!  They want to use what they’re making and these photos for a future project (Ok ok, it’s not a secret, but like I said, I don’t want to give it away for them).

Well, when there’s paint and 2 goofy people, things are bound to get messy!

Working diligently  on their… project.

You guys got something on your faces… :p

All done!

Ahhh! The lighting was gorgeous!!

Love these!!

Kimie and Brice, thanks for letting me capture this amazing time in your lives.  I can’t wait for your wedding in less than a year!  Happy planning!!  :D

We went to a park right next to their home.  Although we were worried it would be a little too hot, it was actually perfect weather!  Christine and Ryan, you are amazing parents and I’m looking forward to watching Audrey grow!

Here are just a few shots from that day!  Enjoy!!

If this gorgeous couple looks familiar,  it might be because you saw these photos of them.  We had a lot of fun on that engagement shoot… and I knew this maternity photo shoot would be a blast, too!

We took a very short drive from their home to this quiet, beautiful park.  It was a perfect place to capture these parents-to-be!

Aren’t they a beautiful couple!?!?!?

Love this area with all the tall grass…

Yes, I love all the greenery (well, my favorite color IS green!!), but I was happy to find this seating area with stone walls.  Akemi, you look AMAZING!

Hahaha!

Love!

Glowing! Pregnancy is treating Akemi very well… even in her 9th month!

We found another little park on our way home.  It was smaller, but just as quiet.  What’s with all these serene parks by their place? Lucky!

Beautiful mama sitting right here!

This was a really neat picnic/eating area.  I think I could spend all day at these parks…

A lil’ black & white for you all.  :p

Aaah! LOVE!!  Akemi and Eric, you two will be such awesome, cool parents!  I can’t wait to meet your little one!!

The day before the photo shoot, Susan let me know that things are a little bit hectic in the house.  Um, my house is chaotic with just one baby… I couldn’t imagine what it would be like with 2 newborn boys!  I arrived at their beautiful house and, aside from the signs outside that announce that the boys have arrived, I couldn’t tell that there were 8 day old babies in there.  Seriously.  It was totally peaceful.  Susan greeted me and not only did she look amazing, she was completely calm.  Her husband, Duong, was the same way… calm.  Amazing!!  After Duong helped me with all my luggage (it seriously looked like I was moving into their home) and we picked a good spot to set up everything, we were ready to roll!

Susan and Duong, your boys are beautiful!  I can tell that you guys will be wonderful parents just from the few hours I was there.  Thanks for letting me move around all your furniture, too!

Ok, here we go!

INTRODUCING TYLER AND CONNOR!!!

Tyler is on the left in the next few photos. He was born a minute earlier than Connor!

Some solo photos~

Tiny hands!

Connor and Tyler took turns being in the basket.  They liked this setup the best… nice and comfy!

I took this photo as we were finishing up.  I love the swirls on their heads.

She just turned 2 weeks old when I took these photos.  Enjoy~!

When Audrey cried, Christine would pick her up… and the crying magically stops!  Being in mommy’s arms must be the best!!

They’re smirking at each other and have the same look on their face. Hehehe!!!

Last photo… I took this right before we ate dinner.  Thanks for inviting us to eat with you guys!  Audrey is so adorable and I’m looking forward to seeing her grow up and become friends with Yuna (my baby)!

Kristin and Isaac got married in 2008 in beautiful Hawaii and they’re totally the family type!  I attended her baby shower and one of her friends brought her newborn son.  Kristin and Isaac were so good with him and everything seemed to come naturally to them!

Kristin, Isaac, I had a lot of fun on this shoot!  You guys are going to be great parents and your little one is going to be so cute!  I can’t wait to meet him!  And now… just a few shots from the photo shoot!  Enjoy!

Since they wanted these photos with her belly showing, we went for it!  They weren’t shy at all, even with all the people that were around us!

Isaac loves the belly.

Thanks Mike Sweeney for bringing me out to shoot with you and for letting me post these!  I had a lot of fun!!

See!?! Beautiful chapel, right??

Waiting for her hubby so they can make their grand entrance at the reception!

Weddings in Japan are totally different from the ones here in the US.  I wish I could have taken photos, but we were performing!

Here are 4 photos from that trip.  Next post will be a wedding post!

This is a seasonal Pepsi that was available.  It’s Azuki (red bean) flavored!! And, it really tasted like red bean!!

We ate a lot while we were there.  Actually, most of the photos I have are food photos.  Here’s the first thing we ate when we got there:  Karashi (spicy) Miso Ramen!!!  And yes, it really was THAT red! lol!  Personally, though, I think it could have been spicier! :p

A random shot of my friend walking in the streets of Tokyo.

And finally, a quick snap while we rehearsed for the performance!

Here are some photos of the outdoor festival.

Inside, there were performances and activities going on to kick off the basketball season!

Then, Shwayze took the stage!

And of course, the headliners… Gym Class Heroes!!

After the concert, everyone filed outside to party at Aftershock.  The music was bumpin’ and everyone was having a good time.

I attended UCI and graduated…um, not so long ago… but there was nothing like this! Full on concerts? Party on the streets?  Being an anteater is not the same!!  :)

They decided they wanted to go to Laguna Beach to take their engagement photos and we went on a perfect day!  Akemi and Eric are so much fun and they were willing to get wet and do whatever else I asked them to do.  Their wedding will be in Hawaii next summer and I just can’t wait!  Congratulations guys!!

Aren’t they too cute?

They were pretty far away from me and the waves were pretty loud, but their laughter carried all the way to where I was.  :)

Akemi and Eric brought jerseys and a football… so why not play a little catch? and wrestle!!