Bonnie was one of my FAVORITE dogs in the world and I was so sad to find out that she had passed away. It’s not that she didn’t live a long, wonderful life – she did! She moved from Texas to Oregon and was integrated into a family with 4 other dogs. She belonged to my very first dog walking client (now the owner of a fantastic pet boutique – PetUtopia!) It was love at first site for me! Margie always joked that I could take Bonnie home if I loved her so much . .but there was one small problem- Bonnie was used to protecting her farm in Texas and was somewhat of a ‘kitty killer’. As much as I loved Bonnie- I had three cats at home to think about! Still, I took every opportunity to snuggle with her and I loved her with all of my heart. I’m so grateful to have these pictures to remind me of her. The first picture is one of my all-time favorites and the second one is one of her mom’s favorites (Bonnie was quite the watch dog!) As you can see, she was a beautiful girl with big brown eyes that could melt your heart!

Rest in peace sweet Bonnie, I will miss you!

Spend time with the people you love and enjoy this beautiful time of year!

Yogi (yō′gē): noun, one who practices yoga and has achieved a high level of spiritual insight.

Yogi was a cat that lived his life fully from the heart. He welcomed everyone into our home and was always the cat to walk up to any dog visiting and touch noses. We adopted him in 2001 from Cat Adoption Team in Sherwood, Oregon when he was only 7 months old. He had lived his whole life in the shelter and was the favorite of all of the volunteers. We had gone in search of a kitten and came home with a kitty that had been overlooked for months.

Yogi could always be found laying upside down in any bit of sunlight that he could find. He was a perfect reminder to enjoy the moment and to find the good in everything. He was a handsome kitty with a beautiful tail that he always carried curled over his back. When he saw us, he would roll onto his back and stretch, inviting us to come and rub his tummy. Yogi was quiet and sweet and we will miss his beautiful spirit. We are grateful that we were blessed with such a wonderful kitty, and sad that our time with him was so short. RIP dear Yogi and know that we love you.

Every once in awhile, I get the opportunity to photography the cutest families! This one was no exception. Ella is quite the mover and the shaker – she is not interested in sitting down – EVER! She just wants to MOVE!!! We had a fun afternoon taking family photos and keeping Ella interested. I love taking pictures of kids before they have any inhibitions – it’s just cuteness on overdrive!! Hope you enjoy the sneak peak from their session!!

Okay, say it . . .I'm too cute for words!!

Seriously . . you cannot make me sit still!!!

This is fun!!!

Please . . .no photos!!!

I love Halloween! I love it when little kids get all dressed up (okay, I like it when adults do it to) – but the kids are really cute! We spent Halloween with our close friends and I couldn’t resist getting some pictures of the kids getting ready to head out!

Awww, isn't it cute when they play nice?

Snow White and Storm Shadow

Super happy and ready for CANDY!!

I have photographed these kiddos several times and they just couldn’t be any cuter! We spent a chilly morning at the park having some fun – well, there was some crying and a dead catepillar – but in the end, everything turned out great! Thanks for letting me document year number two and five!

Too sweet!

Dad was having some fun - who says getting your picture taken can't be fun??

Cutie pies

Cutest family in Tigard!

On Friday, the Oregon Zoo did their annual “Squishing of the Squash”! I had never heard of it, but I know a good photo opportunity when I hear one! We have a baby elephant named Samudra at the Oregon Zoo that turned one in August and he got to participate in this years squish. I was SO EXCITED to finally see him! I can’t even begin to describe how cute and playful he is!
The HUGE pumpkin donated by the Wilson Family Farm for the Squishing of the Squash event weighed in at 1350 pounds! The elephants had so much fun and so did I! Al’s Garden Center also donated pumpkins for the elephants and other animals. It was pumpkins and animals all weekend long! I wish I could have seen more of the fun – but for now, you can enjoy some pictures of the elephants enjoying their giant squished squash!

I didn't get to see them squish it, but I got to see the feast!

I thought it was so cute how they were feeding each other!

A close up of Mom - isn't she cute???

Okay seriously, isn't it cute how they interact with each other?

Enjoying the pumpkins!

I am often amazed at the rate that time seems to zoom by – how is it possible that I have not posted on my blog in over a month? I apologize for getting so wrapped up in the “busy”ness of life! Fall is absolutely my favorite time of year. There is just something about all of the beautiful colors and the cool, crisp air that makes me feel giddy! It’s also the time of year when Cali’s allergies finally start to settle down and we begin to see our nearly eleven year old dog start to act like a young pup again! She loves the cold weather and you can tell by the gleam in her eye and the bounce in her step. We both feel invigorated by the cooler weather! I hope you are enjoying your Fall!!

Happy Fall!!

I FINALLY forced myself to sit down and order new business cards. It’s hard to run a business without business cards. The coolest thing is that I didn’t have to pick just one photo, I got to select up to ten! If you haven’t checked out Moo.com, you should – it’s so cool!! Here is a sneak peak of the images that I used- I can’t wait to see them!!

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to take my kitty, Monkey outside to take some pictures. ALL of my kitties are indoor kitties so I’m not sure what I was thinking!! I could not get him to pay attention to me, not even a little bit! He was too busy observing all of the sights and sounds of the outside world. It was fun to watch, but it didn’t make for the best photo shoot.

We rescued Monkey from the Oregon Humane Society when he was a tiny little kitten. He was the only kitten that was playing in his cage and he was so sweet, we knew he was the kitty for us! He has grown up to be quite the interesting boy- a typical tuxedo kitty, he likes attention on his terms, but he is a complete smushy love bug. He is absolutely terrible with visitors . . .he will rub up against them and throw himself on the ground and then growl at them if they try to pet him . . .what a tease!

We originally were going to name him “Nash” (my hubby liked the show Nash Bridges) but, soon after we brought him home, we started calling him “monkey boy” . . .and then eventually “Monkey”. He has lots of nicknames (some that I can’t share on this family friendly blog) : Pony boy, bunny feet, monkey monk, Monk, Monkeroni, Monkey bone, baby cakes, little bastard (oops!), jerk weed . . you get the idea. He is our baby boy, he is totally misunderstood, and we love him.