Cherry Moon - The Art of Photography

It's RECITAL time... and my left eye keeps twitching! I'm serious, Christmas is a breeze compared to prepping two little girls AND my husband for dance recitals. But it's worth it in the end.

I can't wait to see my girls perform on stage. Their dance studio never fails to put on such a FANTASTIC show at the end of the year. We always cringe whenever we see the monthly bill from the studio *owwwwww!* so that's why "Mommy works a lot on pictures."

Speaking of my little girls...

Remember this image? I took this picture of my "little girl" two years ago:

Ok, this is her now:

Right!? I can't believe how much she's grown. She's blossomed into this beautiful young woman, and I'm so proud of my girl.

Her daddy's eye has been twitching, too. *LOL!*

I get some of the cutest kids to work with... seriously! There hasn't been a child yet that my camera hasn't loved.

Meet Jake. He picked flowers for me before I arrived at our location. He knew exactly who I was, and before I could even step foot out of my van, he came running up to me yelling "I picked flowers for you!"

He sure did!! He was so sweet, and so intelligent for being three! I asked him to show me how many "three" was... and he looked at me like "Are you serious, lady?" But he was a perfect little gentleman and showed me...

Hands up in the air for Jake! Enjoy your sneak peek... :)

I'd also like to introduce a new member of my family.

Meet Oobi!

I was fortunate enough to meet a lovely couple at the local dog park. Lee and his BEAUTIFUL wife are both deaf. Even though I could only sign in alphabet, they were so patient with me and didn't laugh when I pronounced everrrry sinnnngle worrrrrd as though I were exercising my gums. *lol*

Anyway, they have a bunch of cuties like Oobi, and they allowed me to adopt him! We are in the process of scheduling a session, and I'm so excited about that. In the meantime, I was able to snap this image of their little girl in her mother's arms. I can't WAIT for our "official" session.

Oobi and Gizmo get along, but he's more of a cat lover than anything. I'm guessing it's because the cats don't take him seriously AT ALL. They kind of ignored him when he first arrived. But now they're best friends and snuggle up with each other after the cats whack him with their paws when he tries to play.

BUSY MONTH for us! It's been wonderful, though. I can't complain... :)

My dog Gizmo has friends at the local dog park. Unlike the kids, you don't have to tell him more than once to get in the car so we can leave. Once he hears the magical words "let's go buh-bye!" he's out that door faster than a monkey up a tree.

There's a huge pond at this dog park, and I can sit back and watch these dogs take off and jump into the water all day long. 

This dog totally impressed me. He would fly into the water even before his owner would chuck the ball!!! It was hilarious!

Ok, now here's MY dog in the pond. He BEGS to be thrown in because he's too much of a chicken to launch off like the other cool kids dogs. Then he has the NERVE to act like he's swimming across the Pacific Ocean during a hurricane! I love how Scooter, who isn't much taller than Gizmo, looks at him as if to say "Dude... you could totally walk from here."

Hey, there's Harley!! Harley is the "party dog" of the bunch... like, our day at the park isn't complete until Harley shows up. I don't know why... we just like him.  *lol*

Ok, now here's Sampson the mean, three-legged chihuahua. Even though he only has three legs (uhhh.. you can't really tell from this angle *blush* ), he can handle his own. He could probably take a pit bull down with his attitude alone, and don't you dare feel sorry for this guy. :D

Yep. My dog. He has friends. LOL!

Happy belated Mother's Day to all of the Mommies out there! I hope that you were absolutely spoiled and treated like queens from morning til' bedtime.

I had a WONDERFUL day today. Manny took me on a shopping spree where he made the HUGE mistake of kind of dropping me off while he went to another store to pick up my mother's gift as I tried on my "all kinds of Happy Mother's Day to Me" outfits.

I scored.

After that, we went to visit my parents. My Mom looked absolutely stunning as usual with her turquoise jewelry bouncing off of her gorgeous complexion.

All I have to say is, if this is how I'm going to look in another 20 years, I'LL TAKE IT.

I have so many images from my Mom's mini session, but I know how she feels about having her picture posted on any of my websites, so that's the only one I'm brave enough to share for now. I don't know why I feel like I'm going to be grounded for this.

Moving right along... *ahem*

One of the joys of motherhood has to be when the doctors in a hospital all agree that it's "Ok to take your child home now."

Scratch that.

I HATE it whenever the school nurse calls me and tells me "Your child has been in an accident... but don't panic! He/she is ok. We just need for you to pick him/her up and take him/her to the ER/Dr/Dentist/psychiatrist/physical therapist/zoo keeper."

Something like that happened to me last week, and it was my son (again) who needed to seek attention from the noggin specialists at the emergency room.

Can I tell you how NOT good I am with NOT panicking? Wait... it totally gets better...

"Your son was knocked out cold and began to vomit and shake, but he's going to be ok. I just think it might be a good idea to have him checked out...."

Ok, that's what she said. This is what I heard... "Your son needs immediate attention... he might be (((insert HORRIBLE brain trauma/medical term here)))."

*scream*

I think one of my clients called me while I was removing my 5'11 son from the nurse's office, and I don't even remember how the conversation went. But after a couple of catscans and an MRI ((yeah, because something "funny" showed up on the catscan... can I throw up now?)), I'm relieved to report that my son is ok. He's just not allowed to ever ever ever play football again.

Yeah right!

Anyway, I'll be back with a sneak peek from Jenna's older brother Jake Vaughn. Then, I have another fun story to share about my dog Gizmo and friends.

Yes. My dog has friends. I have the pics to prove it.

Meet Jenna.

Although you may not recognize this little beauty, if you're planning on seeing the new Star Trek movie, then you'll see Jenna. Maybe if I added some pointy ears... *lol*

She played "baby Spock" in the upcoming Star Trek movie. I just watched her interview online *click here to watch, too!*

What a little star, and she doesn't even know it. With a face like this, though... she's bound to figure it out soon!

I can't even call this a sneak peek because I've pretty much plastered her previews on my facebook.

... and then there's Jake. He's Jenna's ohhhh so adorable-could-gobble-him-up older brother. His sneak peek is coming up next. I was so impressed with how professional they both were during our session. I could go on and on and on about these two, so for now, I'll have to leave you with this one last image and say "The End" ... or as Jenna might say when she's old enough to speak ... "Live long and prosper."

It was my baby girl's birthday on Saturday. I don't think that I can really call her "baby" anymore. I know, I know... "they'll always be our babies..." yaaaada yadda... but she has crossed the double digit line. That milestone that I personally dread.

She's now TEN.

Oh, yes... jump for joy my precious tater tot. I don't mind..

But that only means one thing. I will officially have no more "babies" left! Soon she will refuse for me to fix her hair or even JOKE about what I want for her to wear. Soon, she'll be joining the ranks of teenagers who apparently know more than I do... or any of you reading who happens to be over the really old age of 30.

I just wanted her to stay little for as long as possible. But that will never be possible as she can lift me over her head and do a bodyslam. So, yeah. Welcome to the double digits, baby girl! And yes... she's still my baby.

Here are some pics from her birthday party:

Ok, highlight of the party was when Meeko, Mikayla's older brother, was going to do the whole traditional "cake in the face" routine.

Unfortunately for Mikayla, Meeko didn't realize that the cake was a little bit too far from her face. So... I warn you... the following image might cause you to yell out "doh!!!"

I've titled it: EPIC FAIL!

Ok, did you grab your nose after seeing that? Did you hear the "thunk!" in your mind? Most people would assume that this was a party ruining event... but if you know Mikayla personally, then you'd probably worry more about what happened to Meeko than the possible damage he caused her.

It truly was a mistake, and he really did feel horrible about it. But after the cake was served and the sugar rush kicked in.. it was all good. :)

Speaking of Meeko. My "baby boy" turns 15 TODAY. Yes. Two birthdays in one week. I promised him that I didn't do that on purpose!!

But Mikayla can't wait for "cake time." She's got some plans for him. Ohhh yes she does.

I have a lot of catching up to do!  I'm sure I'll be talking with many of you this week, so hang tight.  I'm here.  :)

Hi, everyone. :)

It's been an amazing week for me. So full of sadness and celebration all mixed up... each emotion fighting for 100% attention in my brain.

I have to... HAVE to share with you about a sweet little baby and his precious family that I've just fallen head-over-heels in love with these past few weeks. I've held off from posting my experience with my friends Carla and Joe on my blog just because I didn't really know how much I could share without OVER sharing... you know what I mean? But I couldn't let another day pass without screaming at the top of my lungs "I've just witnessed a miracle..."

Any doubt that I've ever had about "perfect plans" or why people come in and out of my life the way they do... well, this baby, in just one hour, has forever erased those doubts in my mind. I'm not really a religious person... or at least I didn't think I was... until the moment baby Jody was born last week on Friday, April 10th. All of the odds were stacked against him. Yet for one whole hour, Jody brought life back into mine. What I mean by that is... Jody touched my soul in such a gentle way... but it was also like an earthquake, if that even makes any sense. That missing piece was actually never really missing to begin with. I didn't know that.

I'm always so busy with work and with family. I'm literally ALWAYS preparing for next MONTH, but for one whole hour on that rainy night...everything just kind of stopped. Even the rain (which I absolutely LOVE!) disappeared because I heard the most beautiful sound.. I heard Jody cry. He wasn't supposed to cry. But he did... and oh my god, it was like hearing the first cry of my little girl Avelina (who was also "not supposed to cry") all over again. It took everything in me to not throw my camera to the side and sit on the floor to just take it all in. I was truly witnessing a miracle because Jody wasn't supposed to survive birth... but he did.

He did more than that. He lived for one... whole... hour.

It was a week ago, today, that this miracle wrapped in a white blanket with his name stitched on a corner has incredibly impacted my life with one precious cry.

I will be with Carla, Joe and their family tomorrow to say my final goodbye to that beautiful boy. I can still feel him in my arms. I can still smell his sweet scent. I am bonded with this family in a way that I've never felt before. I will celebrate not only what Jody has done in my life, but what he will continue to do in so many lives that he's touched.

... and I couldn't let another day go by without sharing his story with you.

*edited to add pic of this little angel*  Thank you, Carla and Joe!

So... do you remember the hot guy in high school who wouldn't even look in your direction? I found him... feel free to stare.

Ok, so John probably hasn't been a high school student for a few years now...  but he's sooo breaking hearts of friends and family members on facebook.  LOL!  You should see some of the emails I've received after posting just TWO of his images online!

I had the pleasure of being John's first photographer this past weekend.  I can't believe he's never modeled before because he was a total natural at this.  Not only that, but he makes a SLAMMIN' caramel macchiato...  *teehee* 

I can't wait to hand him his portfolio and send him out the door with a kiss on his forehead (bend down so I can reach!!)  and a hug.  GO GET EM, JOHN!!!  You're going to be an awesome pro. 

Up next... Miss Brittney.  Watch out world. 

I had such a difficult time choosing images to process from this weekend's photo sessions.  It doesn't make my job any easier when you have a little fairy like this one handing out wishes:

My "little" Helper.

My son was my assistant for all of my sessions this past weekend, and I couldn't be any more proud of him! He was quick with lens changes, he knew when I'd be running out of room on my card before I did (and I was holding the camera!), he made kids smile and laugh...

I think I have a potential young photographer on my hands. He was a total natural. Now if I can only get him to clean his room.

Only a few more days to enter!!!

Is your child America’s Cutest Kid?

Cherry Moon Photography is participating in the National Charity Model Search to select “America’s Cutest Kid” and to raise funds for a charity that Angelina is highly involved with... Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.

We’re looking for cute children ages 18 months to 14 years old to model for a portrait to be entered into the contest.

Models Search Special:

$50 entrance fee, which includes a 15 minute model session, one FREE 8x10 (Mom's choice!) and one image submitted to the national gallery.

First five people to sign up will ALSO receive all 4x6 proofs from your session!!! (up to 10 images)

Finalists will be determined by online votes. Anyone may vote. Each vote is $1, and all proceeds from votes benefit the non-profit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep.

Grand prize national winner will be determined from the 50 city finalists. Winners selected by photography and modeling industry experts.

If your child is selected the national winner, you’ll receive many prizes, including a $5,000 US Savings Bond and a Canon PowerShot G10 digital camera.

If you’re interested in entering your child(ren), please call the studio at 480-686-2023. For more information about the contest, go online to www.sandypucmodels.com.