As expected, both boys came home from school armed with loads of Valentines. The sugary sort.

I have nothing against candy, sweets, and goodies. (Just check my pantry, you’ll see your fair share of Sour Patch Twists and Haribo Gummi bears living there). But since I knew the kids would be getting loads of goodies today, I opted to send the kids to school with non-edible Valentines this year.

This little crayon craft has been floating around Internetsville for a while now. It’s been bookmarked for ages and recently, I graduated to pinning things and so, I pinned this little activity on my Pinterest page*. It was the perfect craft for my boys’ interest level in crafting. (In other words, it was easy and quick.)

Here’s the pin below:

Switching gears here for a second: Here’s a pick of my oldest with a really good friend of his. Perhaps 90+ years from now, these two kiddos will be celebrating Valentines Day together, looking like this. (Nate’s class had to dress up as if they were 100 years old on the 100th day of school. These two are great friends and at times, they act like an old married couple. It cracks us moms up!)

Hope you had a fun day!

For the past three years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with this wonderful family. Not only do I love these sweet children, but I have a blast working with Mom and Dad. Mom, because she always has a very specific vision for her shoot (and the resulting output, whether it be in the form of a custom holiday card or canvas collage) and Dad, because he laughs and chills when Mom and I collaborate over every little detail – the placement of a bow, the size of a snowflake, the color of a border. It’s wonderful working with clients who put as much thought into a shoot as I do. It truly makes me feel honored when someone with a specific vision – and high expectations – will trust me to pull it off!!

This year, we went for a more formal, traditional, fancy, elegant feel. I think I was able to execute her vision while staying true to my personal style. Here are a few highlights:

It’s fun getting a chance to introduce some new faces to the mix. New to viviZ, that is. Certainly not new to this town. The mom of these kids knows everyone, I swear! They’re an active family with a very busy schedule (club soccer plays a wee part in that equation) but somehow we managed to align our schedules for a quick session this winter. I am so happy I got a chance to photograph these fun and gorgeous kiddos. (The adorable pup, too!) Just look at ‘em! Gorgeous.

My big guy started K I N D E R G A R T E N today.

Although it was tough getting him — and me — out of bed so early (none of us are early risers and lately, I’ve been having to *wake* Nate up around 9am!!), I’m happy to report we made it to school on time. Early, even. (For those of you who know me, I’m guessing you are having a hard time believing that …)

We even had time to do the obligatory “stand in front of the door in your new back-to-school clothes on the first day of school” photo session. I remember my mom dragging me and my brother out on the doorstep every year to document our first days. Although dreaded back in the day, those photos are now so much fun to look back on as they documented our growth and wardrobe choices over the years. I definitely plan to do the same for my kids, starting with this silly, happy and excited one:

I wonder if he’ll look back on this photo XX years later, thinking, “How coule my mom could let me wear those shoes with those tacky red laces?!”

We arrived at school and when the classroom door opened, I nudged Nate up to the door so I could get a shot of him at the entrance with teacher’s name, classroom, etc. As you can see, he wasn’t too happy about that. I think more than anything, he was embarrassed since a lot of his peers and parents were watching him/us.

He looks a bit nervous here.

Standing in line, waiting for the teacher to direct them inside. There’s something about this photo that really gets me. Not sure what it is, but I see it and it makes me happy.

Love the variety in shoes.

Not in preschool anymore. Parents don’t go inside and help the kids transition. Instead, all of us parents hovered around the door and window trying to catch glimpses of our children and snap a few shots like this:

Seems like we’re off to a good start. I’ll look forward to finding out how all of these fun supplies are put to use.

Summer flew by and was crazy busy at expense of the blog. This tiny little blip on the world wide web was neglected, unfortunately. Boo.

We had a great summer and there were so many things I had intended to blog. But alas … the life of a busy, working mom caught up to me. So here I am, realizing that summer is practically gone and the soccer season is already upon us.

Here’s my little guy in action. (It was a bit confusing for the guys today as both teams had the same jersey and just looked like one big team. I have to admit they did better than expected!)

Silly boys, silly faces.

Our kids have been buddies since they were itty bitty wee l’il people. My kids call her Auntie Erin. Her kids call me Auntie Viv. So it would make complete sense that they would call each other cousins, right?

When Erin (whom I met in college) first told me that her kids referred to my kids as their cousins, I giggled. If I was their Aunt, of course my kids were their cousins, right? Well now that these darn kids are getting all smart and technical on us now, they don’t just accept things at face value anymore. Nate was a bit confused and kept asking whether they were cousins or friends, friends or cousins? Erin’s oldest, Evan, asked me several times if I was his mom’s sister. And if no, then why did they call me Auntie Viv?? Their desire to draw the lines on our family tree and connect the dots between Zimmermanns and Clausens was simply adorable. And just one more sign of how quickly these kids are growing up. The days where we can just make stuff up and tell ‘em whatever we want are coming to an end …

Although our visit was quick, there was no shortage of photos as both of us moms shoot professionally. (Head on over to Erin’s website and check out her images; they are fantastic. Especially her newborn work!) But first, check out the mamarazzi snapshots below.

Here, the cousins are about to hop in the pool. Can’t you see the family resemblance?

Aren’t these boys cute?

Working on their diving technique …

… as well as their back floats

And since all five of them have birthdays sprinkled from May through August, we had a little summer birthday celebration. Complete with the most delicious cupcakes from Whodidily Cupcakes in Montecito. Thanks, E, for making the pitstop on your way down! They were scrumptious.

The kids stake their claim:

This little one thoroughly enjoys her birthday treat:

These two enjoy some post-swim DS time:

You don’t get much cuter than this. (That’s my Godson, by the way. He is just too sweet for words.)

I spent the weekend surrounded by love and laughter. The kind that makes your heart sing with happiness and burst with joy because in those moments, life is just simply beautiful. The sort that brings you peace and comfort when you see a dear friend find her rock, her soulmate, her partner-in-crime. The type that makes you giggle uncontrollably as you reminisce about life in the “dot com days” and the crazy experiences shared with one of your closest friends.

Laurie and I first met back in 1997 at Bidcom where we were set to “revolutionize” the construction industry and “change the world”. Ha! Erich likes to remind me (make fun?) of how seriously I used to take that job and what a workaholic I was in those days. I have to admit, he was right. At that stage in my life, the scales were tipped – ridiculously! – more toward the “work” than the “balance” side of the equation. But fortunately for me, I worked with/for Laurie and that made going to work rewarding and fun.

And while we are no longer find ourselves huddled together on the 27th floor of a San Francisco high rise, I did get the chance to work for her again. This time as her photographer. What fun! And the best part? Not only did I get to photograph her and her adorable son and daughter, but I also got to celebrate her recent engagement!! This weekend’s shoot in Portland included meeting and photographing her fantastic fiance and his sweet children as well. It was so awesome to see how their two families already functioned as one. One full of love and laughter. LOTS of it.

Laurie & Rob, thank you for an amazing weekend in Portland and Black Butte Ranch. It was the perfect backdrop for our session and a wonderful place for me to get to know Rob and the kids. I will forever associate the beauty of that place with the beauty of your families!!

I had a tough time choosing which images to blog but I hope the following gives you an idea of what’s to come. I’ll be in touch soon! xoxo

You know it’s gonna be a good session when this is the first image you capture:

I love this guy!

Big sis, Mia, showed me her secret hideaway attic. Her artwork graces the unfinished walls and makes the space so personal and cozy.

Laurie and the kids – love it!

Remember the love and laughter I mentioned? Introducing Exhibit A:

Brothers-to-be, already best buddies.

A few swimming shots I just had to post. Look at these EYES! Gorgeous.

Rob and his kiddos are kind of photogenic, don’t ya think?

And the reason these families are merging: Laurie and Rob. In love.

Interested in a custom photography session with viviZ? Looking for ways to support La Mariposa Elementary? Knock two things off your list with a single action by bidding on a viviZ photography session at this Saturday’s dinner dance and silent auction. All proceeds go directly towards funding music and technology at the school.

Below are links to previous sessions with some La Mariposa families:

Autumn Perfection, Fall Fun
100 degrees hot, 1000 percent adorable
Beautiful People
End of Summer Fun
The Windblown Look
Great Hike
Beautiful Day + Beautiful Children

In addition to photography services, there are A LOT of fantastic things to bid on. Click for some more silent auction highlights.

While at The Children’s Place last weekend to pick up a few birthday presents, I was shocked that my boys were actually into the shopping experience. Normally they just run around the store like wild banshees, crawling in and under clothes racks, hiding behind clothes and jumping out at random people yelling, “Surprise!!!” and cracking themselves up. Last week, however, they actually took an interest in walking around picking out presents for their little twin girlfriends. (They chose some adorable purses and hair accessories). When we were done, we cruised over to the boys’ section and Nate took a liking to all the preppy accessories. I was suprised! He really wanted to don a tie and this pinstriped newsboy cap. He looked adorable in it so I picked one up. Check out the cuteness!

Linc wanted to get in on the photo action, too.

I take that back.