i am alive – email is still questionable though!

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Just one photo from Texas – then over the next few days I’ll be a blog-posting, catch up kiind of girl and show off some of these beautiful families I’ve been shooting!

Meanwhile, if you have tried to cantact me and I have not responded – PLEASE CALL!

back soon….

NO EMAIL!!!!

Hello – if you have emailed me since October 22 I have NOT received it. I am on vacation in Texas until the 30th, and my email has apparently been down almost the whole time. *some* emails have made it through, but randomly, like 2 or 3 per day. I have NO IDEA why some are making it through while others haven’t :( We’ve been testing it and apparently they are not bouncing back as *undeliverable* to the sender either. So, if you have emailed me – I am not ignoring you! Please either call me at areo code 661 number 803-6465 or email me at my personal email of jenwilson2525 AT sbcglobal.net . I will try to resolve this problem on the 30th, sorry if I have inconvienced anyone :(

If you are a client who has attempted to order, I have not received it (except Lauren, I got yours!) I’ll contact everyone on Tuesday….

jen

please help me find pink puppy!!

img_9076.jpgYou know how you feel when you LOVE something SO much? That’s how my little Ali-bug feels about pink puppy – and I feel like the worst mommy in the world – because somehow, somewhere, pink puppy has been lost. it’s been nearly three weeks now, and not a day goes by that Ali doesn’t ask about her…”mommy? you find pink puppy?” as her eyes well up with tears…I KNOW this is trivial – I KNOW that there are much more important things out there to be dealt with – but I love my baby girl and want her to be happy – so I’m going to TRY to leverage the *power of the internet* to bring pink puppy home.

MISSING: one slightly tattered, well-loved stuffed puppy dog. fur white, nose pink, ears pink. Pink puppy was a Target Valentine’s puppy (why, oh why couldn’t Ali have fallen in love wiith some GUND who could be replaced year round at ToysRUs??) I KNOW someone out there has this puppy sitting on a bookshelf. (not OUR pink puppy, but an identical one) I’ve scoured through listings on eBay, I’ve retraced our steps a hundred times – now I’m asking for your help. There will be some sort of fabulous prize to the person who helps me find pink puppy!! PLease forward this blogpost on to any moms you know! Someone out there can help!

A random sampling of pink puppy photos so you can identify her..

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Thank you SO SO SO much if you can help!

jen :)

Important holiday dates and info…

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Wow – hard to believe it is September already!! Time to start thinking about Christmas – and you know what Grandma would love most, dontcha? Why, yes, of course, an updated photo of little Janie ( or Charlie, or Sam – you get the idea!) I learned a few lessons last year about the CRAZINESS of the holiday season and have made some plans this year to keep everything running smoothly! Also – the introduction of a *limited* amount of mini-sessions? So – on to the info….

Dates to remember:

11/10 last session with promised Christmas delivery
11/20 all regular Christmas orders must be placed by this date
12/02 holiday open house (more on this later!!) all orders ordered in November will be available for pick up
12/03 all orders NOT picked up at holiday open house will be shipped

Q? Will I still be able to order after November 20th?
A – Yes, but there will be *rush* fees involved :(

Q? Should I book my session now?
A – YES! I am amazed at how quickly the calendar is getting full! ANd, I promised my family I wouldn’t over-extend myself (well, not TOO much anyway) this year

Q? What is a mini-session?
A- I’m SO glad you asked! A mini-session is a great way to capture fabulous individual photos of each of your children! Then, time permitting, we will move on to *sibling together* and *family* shots. It is NOT a substitute for a *real* family session – we just will not have the time to capture the unique personality of your family here – but we will be able to make some great portraits. All mini-sessions will have some sort of charitable donation required – we like to do good deeds!

Q? How do I book a full session?
A – Call me! Immeditaly, if not sooner! Or email jenATjenniferwilsonphotoDOTcom

Q? How do I book a mini-session?
A- I will be sending out an email to my existing clients next week – existing clients will have first *dibs* on the mini slots. If you would like to be placed on a list, please email me and I will contact you ASAP if I have spaces left!

Q? I have a gazillion friends that think you are just the bestest photographer in the whole world! Is it possible for me to *host* a mini-session so that I can show you off as a *fabulous find*?
A – Awwww, you are so sweet (okay, its late and I’m flattering myself!) Yes, it is possible to become a fabulous hostess-with-the-mostest of a minisession event. Call me for more info (and to find out *what’s in in for you!*)

Q? Do you sell Christmas cards?
A- Do I!!! I have so many cute designs to choose from this year! I will *mock up* a couple from each session, you are able to order from those or request a custom design (small design fee for custom cards)

Hermosa Beach fair – fun with the point and shoot

Ahhh – yesterday was so nice – Jake & I had a *mommy & jake ALONE* date – we braved the Labor Day weekend crowds and headed for Hermosa Beach. The Fiesta de la Artes is a huge fair held there Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. Jake suffers from *photographers child* syndrome – so I was told in no uncertain terms to leave my big camera at home. Fortunatly, he doesn’t have a problem with the point and shoot – I have the Canon SD800 and it rocks! Okay – a few from our *date-day* – other photographers probably see this as much as I do – this is *the hand*

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So, I did what all good moms do – I bribed him -it worked for 5 seconds…

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we bought a ton of tickets – but used them all on this – who needs variety when you have a fun slide???

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a little wall-walking – i played with this one trying to get that 70s feel…

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of course, we ended up going into the water – WITH our clothes on (unprepared mom!) now, normally i would have 17 different changes of clothes shoved in the back of my car – but not this time….we were quite *soggy* on our way home…

what a beautiful day…i love my jake :)

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email problems

okay – so it has been called to my attention that i have not been receiving *some* emails – i’m not sure what is wrong, because i AM receiving some emails (especially anyone selling rolexes, or wanting to pep up my sex drive, or *enlarge* some portion of my body that doesn’t exist!)
i will look into it after the holiday weekend, in the meantime, if you have emailed me and i have not responded, plea try again, or, better yet, give me a call 803- 6465, area code 661.

happy labor day!!!!

jen :)

I’ve been tagged…

by one of my favorite children’s photographer’s, Canada’s Ute Muller She is currently the *featured member* on DWF and now everyone can see how awesome she is (I already knew!!)

Okay – so now I have to list 8 facts about myself that may or may not be interesting to you :) – then tag 8 others, hmmm….

one – i frequently sneak out of my bed, go down to the guest room, call all my dogs and snuggle up for the remainder of the evening (particularly if Victor is snoring!)

two – i always despised guacamole (really, anything that has that *texture* where you go *mwhah* – you know, that mealy texture up against the roof of your mouth like peas, or refried beans, or avocado) BUT when I was pregnant with Ali I somehow turned the corner and now I love and crave a good guac (still creep out about the textues thing on the other disgusting foods i mentioned!)

three – I would give ANYTHING to go on *The Amazing Race*. Love that show. Seriously, love a lot of reality TV (i know i know – i shouldn’t be admitting it!) but I would never want to lock myself in a house for 3 months (Big Brother) or starve as a castaway (Survivor) or God forbid, SING (American Idol) but would I travel around the world doing crazy stunts and sleeping who-knows-where?? HELL YEAH. You wouldn’t even have to give me the million dollars (although I just KNOW I’d win!) I’d do it for free. In a heartbeat.

four – i like excessive and **unusual** punctuation!!!!! In fact, when people write grammatically (sp?) correct sentences, I find them incredibly boring :)

five – speaking of singing (harking way back to list item #3) I was somehow absent the day GOD (or whomever you believe is in charge of such things) handed out musical talent. Seriously. I can’t carry a tune, I’m tone deaf, have NO sense of rhythm, it’s sad, I tell you. And yet, I like to sing REALLY LOUDLY in the car. Wanna go on a road trip with me??

six – again, speaking of singing….my darling precious little 2 1/2 year old likes to say “please mommy, you no sing” whenever I start. Brutal toddler honesty. My protective little 4 year old son always rises to my defense “don’t worry mommy, i like your singing” awwwww……

seven – my daughter is named after a football team. yep, my dear husband is a huge Crimson Tide fan – when we were thinking of girls names and not agreeing on anything – I jokingly suggested “we could name her Alabama and call her Ali” He LOVED it. I was like, I’m KIDDING. I thought I had dodged that bullet when Jake popped out and was, lo and behold, a boy. My triumph was short-lived, as from the moment of conception (okay, I exaggerate a little) my DH proclaimed that she was a girl and that her name was Alabama Grace. And so it is. Just give it awhile – it actually sounds cute and not nearly as horrifying as you are thinking it is right now :)

eight – i should really stop playing this silly game and get back to work proofing…..

That’s it. 8 things you never knew you wanted to know about me!

I am tagging the following people:

Lisa Maksoudian
Je Neuhaus
Therese Marie
Heather Gibb
Vicki Derks
Cat & Adi at Next Exit
Jen Rau
Mitzi Mandel
Chris Trott

that’s it, i’m done and off to bed!!!

stunning maternity in Las Vegas!

OMG – I LOVED hanging out with Tina and Jeff. They totally treated me like a rock star – they flew me to Vegas, put me up at a fabulous hotel – even booked me a massage! I felt very pampered:) I knew we were going to have a great session before I even met Tina, we’ve been emailing since March ever since I did Julie & Randy’s session We hit it off the moment I got off the plane – and when I saw what a gorgeous mommy-to-be she was I knew the photos would be awesome! Okay – I’m gabbing too much – here we go:

meet Tina & Buddha (the dog, not her belly!!)

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i was feeling *artsy* with this one…

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sexy bed shot…

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I love her smile here…

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sexy eyes…

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homage to *American Beauty*…

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smokin’ hot… (is Jeff a lucky guy, or what??)

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they had this great *spring shower* painting in their bathroom i made Jeff get it down off the wall and drag it into the living room – I think the results were worth it – so fun!!

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gorgeous…

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so sweet…Castor is due to arrive on my birthday :) but I’m thinking he’ll make his arrival a little earlier – i can’t wait to meet him!!

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we headed outside…

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…where they played with their *first baby*…

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it gets **HOT** in Vegas…

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better get in the pool…

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that’s it for now – wow , what a long post, but how could i NOT show all of those??? I ‘ll be back with more of baby Castor real soon!!

Las Vegas maternity photographer, Las Vegas baby photographer, Las Vegas children’s photographer

Ava’s first birthday photos

Wow! It is hard to believe a whole year has gone by – it seems like just a few minutes ago we were shooting Ava’s newborn shots. How big is she now? SO BIG – heehee. She is just the smilingest (new word!) most adorable little munchkin inthe whole world – and, on a personal note, my Ali finally seems taken with her as well. For a while there, it was quite embarrassing, every time Ali would see baby Ava she would say VERY LOUDLY “I don’t LIKE that baby” – well, times have changed and all is well now!

The way she was…

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…and just look at her now…

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more…

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Awww heck -there are just too many! You can watch her slideshow here at www.jenniferwilsonphoto.com/ava_oneyear

Mary Poppins party!

So cute! I photographed the CUTEST party here in the Santa Clarita Valley today – put on by the fabulous Donna Collins of Party Wishes- OH MY GOSH!!! If you are planning a party for one of your munchkins you just MUST call her! It was SO cute! The theme was Mary Poppins, and Donna (aka party planner extraordinaire) thinks of everything- no detail is left unattended! The girls had a great time – they were such proper little ladies :) You can visit Donna’s website at www.partywishesscv.com – she does an amazing job – you won’t be sorry! I’ve seen a bunch of her themes and they are ALL fab! (think pirates, poodles, puppies, princesses, spa-girls…)

Okay – and now for some photos – the scene setter:

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the decorations were great, the activites were so much fun, and the little hostess dressed up as Mary Poppins was just adorable!!

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oh, and did i mention the food??? Catered by Lady Di’s Cookies and The Tea Garden – yum!!

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…and just how easy was my job photographing THESE adorable little party-goers??? Could they be more beautiful??

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group shot!!

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a look back – my very first *paying* client

Wow! My, how time flies when you are happily enjoying your dream job – I can’t believe it has been three years already! I just *heart* my job – and having folks come back year after year makes me happy!

This is Holland when she turned one – in her mommy’s wedding dress – she was my first *stranger* (haha – now now Corena, I’m not calling you *strange*!) client.

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She was SUCH a beautiful baby girl – and now just look at her three years later – 4 years old and full of sassiness – gotta love her!!

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a few more from my latest Manhattan Beach session

I *heart* these girls :)
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