portraits

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

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Ever wonder what life is like at someone else's house? Well here is what it is like at ours after bath time is over and Sammy has turned on the radio so he can dance. I am showing all of our warts--dirty house, overflowing laundry basket, unmade bed, iphone as entertainment for kids, Ben's mosquito bite covered legs. Us in all of our glory. Bookmark and Share

Who DOESN'T Like a Krispy Kreme?

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Some mornings I take the boys through the Krispy Kreme drive thru just to see the sheer joy on their faces. Yes it is not the healthiest of breakfasts, but I only do it every once in a blue moon and always when I am taking them to daycare, so someone else can deal with them hopped up on sugar. Bad, bad mommy. Yesterday I just had Sam in the car, so he was the lucky devil. And what's more fun than giving them donuts? Yep--you guessed it--giving them donuts and then pointing the iphone camera at them. Bookmark and Share

The Newest Member

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Mei is the newest animal addition to the Simon family and she is super cute. Not to worry--no animals were harmed in the making of these photographs (I realize that photo 2 appears to be evidence to the contrary). I have many more photos of the little doll, but am too sick to sit in front of this computer any longer. More to come. Bookmark and Share

The Three Musketeers

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I know I have been a bit MIA. I have a TERRIBLE cold. This one has really buried me for some reason. So until I get back up and running here is a shot of my three boys with their newest toy, Josh's new iphone. They are obsessed. Boys and their technological devices--oy! Bookmark and Share

Last Weekend

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I have noticed that the more client work I do, the less I photograph my own family. This is disconcerting to me. I need to make a living of course, but more than anything I have always been drawn to photography as a means of documenting my own life. As an adoptee, what I wanted more than anything in the world was a photograph of my birth parents, as well as some of myself before I was adopted at four months. Maybe my boys have no interest in seeing themselves 20 years from now. Only time will tell. But I do know that when I look back on my life I want to be surrounded by family photo albums.I love the second shot of Sam (wish it was in focus, but oh well). Ben is watching 'Scooby Doo' in the third. He is striking the Liebster television watching pose--glassy eyes and mouth open. Bookmark and Share

Another Letter for Sam

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Dearest Sammy:You recently turned two. You are such a joy in our lives. You light up every room you walk into with your warmth and your crazy expressions and that spectacular curly hair. You let us know what your needs are and you demand that they be met--the sooner, the better. You are most definitely a second child. You are talking up a storm and you walk up to us with your arms outstretched and say "hug". You get incredibly jealous when I hold Ben, because like most two year olds, the world revolves around you. You love to have an audience, and when we laugh at something you did at dinner, you look so proud of yourself. You are less cautious than your brother, but still by no means a daredevil. You love to dance and listen to music. You love to eat spaghetti, tomatoes, ice cream and cake. On your birthday, when I made chocolate cake, you walked around the house all day saying 'num', 'cake' and 'happy'. You grab our hands and say "come on". You grab the Playstation remote and you say 'game' as you walk around the house with it (even though you are not actually playing). You can finally say 'Ben'. When we still lived in California, before you were born, we saw a financial advisor for awhile. She told us we were not in a financial position to have a second child. We decided "Screw her. Poor people have children all the time." And I am so glad we did not take her advice to heart. Money is fleeting, but you my dear are priceless. I cannot imagine my life without you in it. Happy birhday Sam. Love, Mom In the hospital: with Natalie: At one year old: Birthday fete: Bookmark and Share

More at Home

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I realize that lately Sam has been the primary person in front of my lens and that Ben has been almost entirely absent. This is not intentional except in the fact that Ben does not want me to photograph him. I have to trick him into it and Sam is more eager, or at the very least ignores it more. But I think Ben might be coming around. Only time will tell. And speaking of time, Sammy is losing that little buddha belly that I love so very much and I am obsessed with capturing it. I don't have the perfect shot yet, but these are kind of cute. Bookmark and Share

New Toys Are Awesome

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Ben got a new hot wheels track for accomplishing what we began to think was the impossible--potty training. We are so about bribery in this family. Ben and Sam were obsessed with this toy for about a week. Sam is naked because he ran directly from the tub to the toy as if he could not stand to even be parted from it for 5 minutes. They haven't played with it since of course. It is all about the new. I love the last one of Tucker looking mildly disgusted at what we find entertaining. Bookmark and Share