“Running a bit behind, we were looking for Yoshi’s bow tie!”

Yoshi? Bowtie? Yes, Please! I love that this beautiful fur brother is excited to help his mum and dad welcome baby Zephyr into this world and that he joined us at Kenneth Hahn State Park for the family maternity photos. Yoshi certainly loves his little brother already, but he still gets a little jealous and wouldn’t miss the chance to be in these family photos for anything.

Before we know it, these love birds who met in Venice at Zephyr Skate Park are going to be holding their first born child, a little boy, Zephyr. Zephyr isn’t all, his full name is THE BEST! But you are going to have to wait until he makes his debut at the end of January to find out, but I promise to keep you posted, and that it will be worth it! New parents of 2018 may be inspired by Zephyr’s rad full name! I will share with you his story, and you will get to see for yourself if this little dude has his mamma’s eyes or his daddy’s nose, or a mix of their infectious smiles.

It has been such a joy watching Andrea’s sweet belly grow throughout her first pregnancy. The first time I met Andrea, we were photographing her gift session at Playa Del Rey Beach, with her friend Celia. When I first moved to California, I didn’t have a car, I had no idea how to get around town, and I didn’t know all the beautiful spots to do sessions. So… I asked for some help! I wanted to meet new and amazing people and scout out beautiful locations. Andrea was one of the very first people to help me out, and I just fell in love with her spirit and her positive energy. When she picked me up (yup, we carpooled to the beach!) she told me she was pregnant, and we giggled and cheered over the excitement of her growing belly. That girls day out on the beach opened a door to this amazing session, and to a beautiful path of friendship.

This is the first time I had the pleasure of meeting Ryan, and I noticed a few things about these two as soon as we started shooting. One. They are adorable together and their friendship clearly shines through. They are partners in this life, and the support is evident. Second. They smile constantly and contagiously, because they’re so genuinely happy about life and in love with each other. It’s hopefully lovely to be around, in a refreshing kind of way.

I am so very blessed and excited that Andrea and Ryan have asked me to photograph the birth of their first baby, and to photograph his newborn photos just a week later. My countdown game is strong, friends! I can’t wait to meet him!