The Quads: 18 Months and moving fast!

Many of you who frequent this blog, have watched the Shahbaz Quadruplets grow over the past year and a half. Well, can you believe it? They are now 18 months and they are all walking, starting to say words like dog, mom and dad, and their personalities are developing, which is a delight. I think it is so wonderful that God has given each one of them a clean bill of health, and Phil and Amy can rest knowing they are healthy.

If you need any history of these four miracles, you can go check out their blog here and you can click on Shahbaz Quads on the right hand side of this blog to see all of their previous sessions.

This session was a little more unique because it was the first time I had all four of them on their two feet running around. I brought my husband David with me for the first part of the session so he could get a different perspective. He hadn't photographed the quads since their 1st birthday, and it is a little easier when they aren't mobile and people are holding them. :) There was one adult for each quad, and we still could not keep up. It is so wonderful in the fact that every session we do with the quads, we learn more about them. Cedar is the only girl and she let's everyone know she is in charge. She has these amazing little ringlet curls and the brightest eyes. Jonah, well, he is not camera shy at all, and I think that he is in love with me and my camera. Jeremiah is so calm and reserved, yet has the greatest smile. We think he had a little ear infection this time around, so we didn't get that classic Jeremiah smile. Jordan is hilarious. He is so smart and knows when you tell him no, because he will point his little index finger with you and say no. Whether that is smart, or little Mr. Attitude, that's another story. This time, they needed to have a snack before their session so they could be happy babies. *Note to photographers, make sure you coordinate with the parents as to when the eating and feeding times are so you have the happiest baby ever.

To view more photos from our session, CLICK HERE for a slideshow!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

It's the 20th of October and the month is just about over. Before you know it, Christmas will be here, and we will be making our new years resolutions to loose those extra 10 pounds we put on at break. I have been meaning to write this post for the past month and finally have a moment to sit still and reflect on it. So much has happened in the last month that I finally feel like I am caught up on life.

Yes, this month is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and I wanted to share with you how important it is for women (and men) to get screened for breast cancer. Depending on what your family history is, some women start getting mammograms at the age of 25. Others are told to wait until they are 40. About a month ago, I noticed some lumps and went straight to the doctor. My doctor immediately sent me to get a mammogram and an ultra sound. Because I have an excellent doctor, and amazing health care, they don't mess around when it comes to breast cancer.

Not knowing what any of my true medical history is because I am adopted, I have to play every day by ear when it comes to dealing with medical issues. I was scared to death when right after I had the mammogram the technician said, "we are going to need to send you to the medical center for more tests". WHAT? This must be really bad. Thinking the absolute worst, I was a wreck. At first, I could not tell my Mom about what was going on at first, because I did not want to scare her even more, as she is a 11 year survivor of breast cancer and thanks our dear Lord for every new day. My husband, who works for this amazing health care company, ensured that I would get the best treatment no matter what. In sickness and in health, that is what it is all about.

At this point, after I had all of the tests, I was thinking the worst. How do I continue if I really do have breast cancer? Then I thought of my dear friend Carrie whom I work with. She is a breast cancer survivor, who shows the rest of us that there is life after chemo, loosing your hair, loosing others who you love to this horrible disease. She has been on the ride of her life the past 6 years and I admire her daily for her faith and strength.

The good news is that the lumps they found are benign and I just have to go back every few years to get them checked out. Ladies, check yourself daily! Ask your doctor for one of those cards to hang in the shower.

My friend Stephanie lost her Mom to breast cancer 11 years ago last week. She has asked her friends to join her on the Breast Cancer 3 day Race for The Cure next year. Hopefully I will get to join her to race for the cure.

We remember those who have lost their battle to breast cancer and we remember all of the women and men who continue the fight of their lives.

4 things...

So, there are a lot of photographers playing this crazy game and tagging each other. Since none of my friends have been tagged yet or have tagged me, I thought I would do this, tag them, and see what happens. I saw that the amazing and wonderfully talented Jamie Delaine from Vancouver, B.C. did this a little while ago. So Fun! Enjoy!

Four (4) things I did today…
1. Got up extremely early to do a 6 month/family session for my friends the Burkes.
2. Drank two large cups of coffee.
3. Got caught up with my dear friend Marsha after our session, and now have even more extreme opinions of what is happening to our country.
4. Told my husband that I love him! (That is every day) But since you asked!

Four (4) things on my to do list…
1 Edit the Shahbaz and Burke sessions.
2 Clean and organize the scrapbook room.
3 Do three loads of laundry
4 Convince my husband that we should go to Disneyland this weekend to see the Halloween decorations.

Four (4) of my guiltiest pleasures…
1. Camping out in my recliner and catching up on my “chick” shows.
2. An entire bag of sour worms from Disneyland. (Can you tell what is on my mind?)
3. Shopping at the Brighton Collectibles store when I really shouldn’t. A girl can never have enough bling!
4. Spending too much time on the Open Source Photo Forum, learning more about photography and my business.

Four (4) random facts about me…
1. I was born at the Oakland Naval Hospital. If you want to know any more than that, you just have to ask.
2. I am left handed, and we are the ones with the right frame of mind!
3. I have never lived anywhere else other than the San Gabriel Valley.
4. I have a M.Ed. in Higher Education / Student Affairs

Four (4) people that I want to tag to pass this onto to hear more about...

1. Katie Beverley
2. Shannon Lott
3. Hanssie Trainor
4. Melissa Jill


And I leave you with this....4 little ones soon to appear on this blog! This is Mr. Jeremiah posing for me.

Baby Jadyn: 7 Months

She has her ears pierced, her hair is getting longer, and her personality is changing by the minute. Baby Jadyn is 7 months now and I had the pleasure of photographing her over at her Nana's house for her fall portraits this past Friday. I think because it had been a few months since she was in front of my camera, that she didn't give me all of her smiles and giggles she normally does. Regardless, she is still adorable and we had a blast at trying to get her to smile and laugh. It really does take 4 adults, a photographer and a glow worm to get this little one to laugh. Jadyn's Mom, Melissa kept bouncing the glow worm over my head to get her to laugh, in hopes my camera would capture just the right smile. Her dad was an excellent sport when it came to having his picture taken. And even Grandpa Mike would come out between innings to see what Jadyn was up to.

Thank you Sharon and Mike for allowing us to photograph your little munchkin at your house. And special thanks to Jadyn's parents for allowing me to capture even more memories of their beautiful gift from our Lord above. Love, Tira J

*To view more images from our session, CLICK HERE for a slideshow!

Baby Hudson: One Year Portrait Session

He was determined and in charge. He wanted to make sure I took his picture from every angle and he followed the camera to a tee. Meet "Lil' Man" Hudson! He is so handsome, and I couldn't resist calling him Handsome Hudson, which he did answer to by the way. I work with Hudson's Mom Julie at Azusa Pacific University and she really wanted me to capture images of her little guy who had just turned a year old one week before our session. We had a blast taking pictures, and I think he had fun too. Hudson got to play with grass, sticks, dirt, balls, and cups. What little boy wouldn't want to run loose on a huge lawn and play with whatever he wants? Mr. Hudson and I did have an audience while we were doing our portraits. Mom, Dad, Uncle and Friend. When it comes to trying to making a one year old laugh, it really does take that many adults to finish off the task.

*Julie and David, thank you so much for the opportunity to capture images of your beautiful and handsome Mr. Hudson! I can't wait to see him in a few months, even more grown up.

To view more pictures from our session, CLICK HERE for the slideshow!