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March 2nd, 2012...

2012-03-03T14:15:00.000-08:00

quite sure that my final niece was born today. *tear. Brynn came early this morning. 4:33am to be exact and she came weighing in at 7lbs 10oz. and 19" long...
She came about a week ahead of my schedule, because I'm still working on her "in tummy" shots...

Then it was time to get messy...

Stauber 5...

Dziuba Family

2012-03-02T19:27:00.000-08:00

is so fun, smart, beautiful, and British!

Love this family and can't wait for them to come back over here from England for another shoot!

And the winner is...

2012-02-12T21:44:00.000-08:00

...

...

...

Sean & Kathy!!!!!!!!

Congrats guys!

Wedding Canvas Giveaway

2012-02-05T20:41:00.000-08:00

One lucky couple will win a 11X14 stunning gallery wrap Canvas Print.

Here's how it works... Below you will find 7 different couples who's Weddings I was blessed enough to capture! The one with the most "votes" wins. You vote by leaving a comment stating your favorite couple and why. (please list the couples # in your comment)
Voting closes Thursday February 9th @ Midnight.

Rules: Please limit one vote per person.

No "anonymous" voting, each vote must have a couple's name/number listed.

Anyone can vote so feel free to forward on this link to family and friends.

Winner will be blogged Saturday February 11th.

Good luck and vote vote vote.

LL

View more wedding photography at:

http://www.facebook.com/laycee.lemonsphotography

#1: Chronister Wedding

#2: Formby Wedding

#3: Hammond Wedding

#4: Parmenter Wedding

#5: McNulty Price Wedding

#6: White Wedding

#7: Lopez Wedding

REMEMBER THE RULES:

Please limit one vote per person.

No "anonymous" voting, each vote must have a couple's name/number listed.

Anyone can vote so feel free to forward on this link to family and friends.

Happy Voting!

Sneaky Dziuba Family

2012-02-05T20:13:00.000-08:00

Love this family and I'm always super excited when I get to capture them...

Can't wait until you back in the states again so we can capture more!

Vday Sneaky...

2012-02-02T18:51:00.000-08:00

Hammond Wedding Sneaky

2012-01-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

My very beautiful, sweet, and funny little cousin married the handsome, smart, future Mr President on a spectacular January day in Berkley, ca.

Timmons Twins Sneaky

2011-10-30T16:15:00.000-07:00

These two dolls are getting quite a bit bigger these days and I was once again blessed to get to snap them up. :)

I mean really though, how cute is this family!
This family is amazing. They are generous, caring, so loving and wonderful examples of what it truly means to love like Jesus loves!

This last time I was with The Timmons I took notice of the way they let their kids just be kids. Funny concept right. For me I tend to get so wrapped up in rules and consquences and "acceptable" behaviors that I often forget what it means to just let Seth be what he is. A 3 year old little boy.
Let him talk silly and be loud and bounce around. Let him dump out the entire box of toys because he's looking for that one little matchbox car at the bottom. Who cares! He'll clean it up later, he always does! Let him be a three year old boy because that's what he is!!!

Thanks you Hilary & Tim once again for teaching me something valuable.

And because I can't post this blog without giving Tim's "Let's be beautiful" project a shout out...
ONLY 3 Days Left to donate!
Be sure to visit the link below and watch the video. This man is doing great things and truly using his talents like he should!
Let's be beautiful together and make a difference by helping Tim.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/774443625/tim-timmons-the-lets-be-beautiful-project?ref=live

2011-10-13T17:08:00.000-07:00

Sunday November 6th.

Irvine, Ca

12 - 12:45
1 - 1:45
2 - 2:45
3 - 3:45
4 - 4:45

Email me to reserve your time slot. layceelemons@gmail.com
Full session fee will be due upon booking to reserve your spot.

Look forward to working with you! LL

Baby Claire Elizabeth Warren

2011-09-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

my dear friends Jaime & Josh Warren welcomed their second addition this past week and I could not be happier and more thankful for the safe arrival of Sweet Baby Claire.

Jaime & Josh experienced a tramatic 5 week early delivery with their first child (Cole), and so they were very much looking forward to the idea of having a "normal delivery" with baby # 2.
And while it didn't go exactly as planned Claire's birth was routine and she is healthy and beautiful!
I so enjoy the moments when I'm photographing, watching parents take in their precious gift. So perfect, and tiny, I love watching emotion capture them! Even more then that I love seeing a sibling stare in awe and wonder at this new little person in their family. The Warren's were no exception...

Sweet Baby Claire, I love you already and can't wait to watch you grow! :)

Recent work...

2011-07-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

I leave on vacation in two days and to be quite frank, I can't get the smell of the pine tress off my "lake bound" brain.
I would normally be doing individual posts for each of these lovely clients; but each time I begin to type one up I get consumed with thoughts of packing lists, sand toys, life vests, sunscreen and the thought of how long overdue I am for this time of nothing-ness.
A time of stringing together floaty rafts with my sisters and talking about marriage and parenting and what the latest gossip mag we brought with us says.

Nothing like the attempt of undoing tangled fishing line, that, lets be honest, I'm going to give up on and beg Matt for help!

A time of community with great people and true geninue good ol' fashion fun... canoe races, fishing competitions and swims across the lake.

Nothing like the bickering that always comes with setting up a tent with your husband. :)

A time to enjoy the only vacation, that I actually lose weight on because I'm doing so much hiking, wakeboarding, swiming, tubing and just generally active things.

Nothing like the look on Seth's face when he sits in Matt's lap and put his little hands on the stearing wheel, and realizes HE's driving the boat!

A time to create memories, traditions... life. A time of me soaking up every breathtaking second of the most beautiful place on earth with my amazing family.

And so, you see, I can't possibly put together a thoughtful post about anything else but what I spend all year waiting for, my vacation to Shaver Lake!!!

I will however post photos of the current things in my editing pile and inform these amazing clients that their blogs will come soon and I won't forget to give them each their time to shine. :)

Happy Wednesday to Everyone!
LL

the beautiful Otto Wedding...

The best IT Guy EVER and his beautiful family...

Truly, if you need an amazing IT company check out http://www.facebook.com/hitsquadcomputerservices

The Goggin Family standing in the exact spot they said "I do" 7 years earlier, to the day!

Sweet Baby Christian and his firefighter Daddy

Mr & Mrs White... two best friends who brought tears to my eyes!

Sam & Kara, who's mommies would have them duplicating this picture 20 years from now! ; )

Beautiful Avery and her amazing parents.

bad parent day...

2011-07-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

Ever just have one of those days where you feel like a bad parent? moments where your patience is running so thin you think you're going to lose it at any moment? I'm having one of those days!

A day where I had to say sorry to my 3 year old for being "mean", and a day where already (at only 10:00am) I've put him on too many time-outs.

A day where this little girl face looks like this because she just wants my attention, and I'll I
want is some sleep, and a pedicure. (I know, bad parent!)

I'm just having a "I need a me moment" and while I was caught up in all my selfishness I look over from my desk and I see this happening...

BAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ahhh man!!! Really?!?!?! And now I just feel like a big jerk for not giving her the love she's now giving her baby!

It was such a sweet moment, and it just completely washed away all my "me"-ness I was consumed in.
I mean I still really want a pedicure and I would love to get some sleep right now but, really... I would trade a thousand pedicures and a million hours of sleep for one second spent doing this with her!

Thank you sweet girl for reminding me (once again) that I need to soak up this time!
Thank you for making me want to be a better parent!

Focused and driven...

2011-06-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

Can I get an amen for climbing out of my mountain of work!?!?!
I'm focused, determined, and driven to hack through the index cards of notes on my desk... Edit Otto Wedding, Blog Timmons Twins, Mail Adeline's Disc. Burn Colleen's Disc and another amen for needing to answer 15 new inbox emails!!! :)
I'm getting a LOT done lately, sure Seth is watching The Wiggles right now so I can blog, and my house is so messy it looks like it should be on an episode of Hoarders... I'm feeling like my head is above water again and that feels, (deep sigh) relaxing!!!

Just thought I would pass along some hope for anyone else feeling like they are two breaths away from drowning in the sea of life! Not only can you get your head above water but heck, I'll throw you a life raft. Climb up on that bad boy and take a second. Catch your breath. Get your barrings back and lets do this!!!
I'm ready to tackle these monster waves of work and then some! BRING IT ON!
:)

LL

I posted this picture in this blog for a few reasons:
One this couple makes me want to continue to take that deep sigh.
They have a "friendship" love that truly runs deep.
They exude beauty both inside
and out and they're wedding reception was just what I needed last weekend!

No Title. No Excuse. No-thing I can say except sorry...

2011-06-06T22:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't blogged. To say life is crazy right now would be an understatement! Even right now I'm having so much ADD I can barely right this entry.

The last three weeks have been a big blur...

from the "bads" of a computer crashing, to 3:30am work wake times too often, to Elle being allergic to almond milk (which took two of those three weeks to figure out), to dropping an unexpected $1400+ on a new mac (which I'm extremely thankful for, but so overwhelmed by), to a family emergency, to school finals; all the way to the "goods" of my photography business being busier then ever, Seth learning to swim, getting an "A" in my class, to Elle taking her first steps, and to taking big leaps of faith on the home front!

What to say next?! I don't know. I keep starting sentences and then backspacing trying to figure out just the right set of words...
What I can tell you is I have LOTS of photos to share, lots of love to give, and lots of life to enjoy.
Currently I have three 'draft' blog's in the works so there is more to come... I'll just ask that you simply be patient during this extremely busy time. Thank you to all my readers, comment leavers, and followers of layceelemons.com.

And because what is a blog post without pictures... here you go!
LL

my sweet little Elle Bell in Daddys Truck

a little boy who is NOT so little anymore!

the love of a mother and son

the best second shooter EVER (Megan Craft) and her darling little family!

a beautiful family with another addition on the way

darling little lady!

and twins make six for the Timmons family!

Timmons Twins Sneaky...

2011-05-17T21:13:00.000-07:00

Sweet sweet sweet! This is all I can say about this current edit I'm working on! More to come a bit later but get a load of these darling twins...

Sneaky of Baby Adeline. (Orange County Newborn Photographer)

2011-05-06T21:44:00.000-07:00

Sweet. Adorable. 7 day old Adeline.

Finding Joy in this heat!

2011-05-04T22:29:00.000-07:00

It's HOT! Like, my arms are sticking to my desk, HOT! I'm tired right now. So let me just say in advance, I might get ornery!

With that being said, life is good. Life is full. And on days like today when I'm SUPER irritated at the fact that I'm quite positive I could fry an egg on my backyard pavers, I can still find joy in the little things. the simple things.

Like this face. And the fact that she's standing at 10 months. And the realization, when I dressed her in this outfit, that she looks SO good in yellow.
My little "Lemon" looks so good in yellow.
She looks so good in love!

Finding joy in the fact that he does this without me having to ask now...

THIS FACE! Little, simple, face. His eyes. His Lips, His hair... Ugh!!! Can't get enough of this child. And remembering, that even when I'm so over asking him to do something for the 5th time, he's not even 3 yet. He's just a little boy, and when he's acting out it's probably just because he wants more of me!
These eyes give me joy and constantly bring me back to what's important in life. What's important to him... and that's being the best mother to him and the best wife to his father I can be!

Tonight we decided to eat our dinner outside.
On a blanket.
It was fun.

little more joy right there...

how much is Matt going to hate that I used this photo?!!!

Elle learned how to use a fork!
Based on that smile I'd say she's proud!

Seth learned how to make me laugh with milk mustaches.

finding joy in our sweet "Truck" who is best dog ever. Thankful that he's not off dog fighting like the owners who had him before us were planning to do!


Because I know someone will ask...Yes he's a pitbull. And NO I'm not worried about him around my kids!

So tonight, although I was tired, irritable, and just down right cranky I took the time, to take joy in the simple, little things in my life. I'll go to bed tonight feeling thankful. I'll sleep better (partly because of the wine) but nonetheless I'll remember these little faces that made me smile. Gave me joy.

Goodnight all. Happy Wednesday!

Davis Family (Orange County Family Photographer)

2011-05-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

Check out the good looking faces in this family!
This is Jessa, Jordyn and Jake...

Meet the Davis Family... They were so fun, despite the fact that it was easily over 90 during their shoot! Holy cow it was hot.

Jake is a total ham. He smiles super big for the camera and then as soon as I take the picture he'd give me some silly face.

Jessa & Jordyn are total sweeties and little mommies to Jake...

Then Jeff arrived and Jake just went nuts. He loves his daddy that's for sure. He was giving him kisses like this left and right...

little game of thumb war...

Thank you Davis family for enduring the heat and making my afternoon allergy attack totally worth it! :)

Sneak Moment from the Craft Family yesterday... (Orange County Family Photographer)

2011-05-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

Baby Kaleb (Orange County Newborn Photographer)

2011-04-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

Meet sweet baby Kaleb. He has tons of beautiful black hair. Perfect little lips. And probably the longest eye lashes I've EVER seen on a newborn...

i love the wrinkles and i love this face.

Kaleb's daddy loves Dirtbikes. Everything from his bedding to his car seat are covered with tires, graphics, handlebars, and everything that makes up a dirtbike. That's actually how I know Darren, Matt met him dirtbike riding. Anyways to say I was excited about this shoot would be an understatement! I was all 'geared' up for some fun mx style pics and that is exactly what I got.

Thanks Christy & Darren for letting me take your 6 day old little man outside to capture him! It was fun and I'm looking forward to watching him grow!
LL

Little Ireland loves her some cake (Eastvale Children Photographer)

2011-04-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

Ireland turned one. Ireland LOVED her cake. Ireland is adorable!
I had so much capturing this little brown hair, brown eyed beauty. Her eyelashes are to die for, her little smile was so great, and then their was her giggle. OMG. Her giggle, I wish I could have recorded for everyone to hear. It's soooo stinkin' cute.
Ireland is also a little model and needed to get some headshots which I was happy to do.

let the fun begin...

I mean really... if this expression doesn't shout "I LOVE CAKE" I don't know what would!

Thanks Ireland for reminding me how great cake is! :)

Eleanor Roosevelt High School Senior Photographer

2011-04-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

Meet three very beautiful ladies that currently attend ERHS High.
Angelica, Gabriella, and Priscilla.

Gabby & Priscilla are sister and then Angelica is Gabby's best friend. I was lucky to find them and start capturing seniors in my local city of Eastvale.
The girls were fun and had lots of outfits changes and we enjoyed our few hours together...
Thanks for the great time girls. Hope you had as much fun as I did!
:)

Baby Kaleb Sneak Post...

2011-04-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

Baby Kaleb on his Daddy's dirtbike...

Pirates life for Ben...

2011-04-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

Arrghh Matey! Shiver me timbers. Yo-Ho Yo-Ho a pirates life for me... Ok ok. I've got them all out now. :)
So, sweet Ben was welcomed into this world with a pirate theme bedroom that I fell in love with! You may remember his parents from this maternity shoot. You'll remember in that post I spoke about Baby Ben turning Scott into a pile of "man mush" well to date this might be my favorite dad/son picture ever. And nothing says "man mush" like taking off your shirt to capture an amazing photo for your photographer! :) Thanks Scott for being awesome.

btw, Marissa HAND PAINTED this mural in Ben's room!!!! I mean really!!! How rad is that?!

If you are looking for crib bedding, I highly recommend the Baby Guy!!! He's the best and he'll make anything custom for you!

Love me some flaky newborn feet. :)

Scott, Marissa, (first son) Marley & Sweet Ben... thanks so much for letting me capture your family. I look forward to working with you in the future!
LL

Sweet Baby Ava

2011-04-19T17:49:00.000-07:00

Sweet Baby Ava will grow up to be an amazing little women... This due to the fact that her fantastic parents Matt & Wende were like seasoned veterans in the parenting deptartment. They were confident, relaxed, and welcoming to advice and even though they were doubting themseleves in certain areas they were not afraid to ask questions and you can tell they were just soaking up any bit of knowledge they could get. For 1st time parents they truly impressed me!

love those tiny fingers...

I told Ava to smile... and she did! :)

Ava's auntie makes adorable crochet headbands that I was dying over...

Wende & Matt it was GREAT to meet you and I so look forward to working with your family in the future!
LL

Eleanor Roosevelt High School Senior Photograper

2011-04-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

This beautiful face is just one of three ERHS high school girls I captured last week...

Little Lily...

2011-04-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

Sweet little Lily was only 3 months old and already getting her first photo shoot. Lily has the most adorable big eyes and her lips are to die for. We did some "tummy time" and she flashed me some sweet smiles and of course we changed her outfit a lot! Her Mommy brought all kinds of goodies and props for fun...

What's up Doc...

2011-04-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

Sneaky of Elle's 9 Month, Easter inspired photo shoot...

stay tuned for more from my little Elle Bunny.

Baby Presley...

2011-04-18T15:29:00.000-07:00

Was tiny and beautiful! We fit in all the fun themes that her parents are into... from softball to martial arts to marines to elephants. Presley didn't care what we did she just slept and slept while I moved her form one thing to the next.

Thanks Sweet Presley for being a WONDERFUL little baby for me! :)

Senior Beauties...

2011-04-12T22:39:00.000-07:00

I love doing senior sessions! I love it even more when I get to capture two best friends...
Lindsay & Ashley have known each other since Jr High... Speaking from experience, I tried to tell them how awesome it was that they have stayed close all this time, because their friendship will last for many years to come. I know some of my oldest friendships are the ones I cherish the most!

Meet Lindsay, well, actually you already have from this shoot. She is beautiful, smart, sweet, and she loves country music (which makes her my new bff).

don't you just love her hat?!!!!

she's country strong :)

b-e-a-utiful!

Meet Ashley... She is sweet, beautiful, very relaxed and casual, and she's also a runner.

Run Ashley Run! Girl's running got her a scholarship to college! Way to GO!

and then finally Ashley & Lindsay's other two bff's joined in on one big group shot!

Holbert Siblings...

2011-04-09T16:26:00.000-07:00

I love capturing siblings! Doesn't matter if they are newborns, toddlers, teenagers, or adults. I especially love brother and sister sessions... There is a special bond that I know very well.
...even though my brother and I are 6 years apart in age we were great friends growing up. He taught me so much about life. He set an example for me. He used to sit behind me and play Mario Brothers and win the entire game, all so I could think it was me playing!
Sure we had our fights and differences, and he used to tease me and give me a hard time, and then there was that one time he dated one of my friends (who he later married so it's all good now). But my point is brothers and sisters love each other not because they have to be but because they want to. Because they fell that bond, because there is that unspoken connection that can never be severed.
Austin & Aubrey have this bond. They pick at each other and I'm sure they fight, a lot. But they are comfortable giving each other hugs. They know how to play and laugh with each other. Neither is too cool for the other... and every time I told Aubrey to "play punch" her brother, she would really punch him and then they would laugh like this...

Austin is wise beyond his years. When I first met him I thought for sure he had to have been a senior in college, not high school. He's mature, confident, and super sweet.
Aubrey is walking right behind her brother... She was a tad shy in the start but quickly came out of her shell and had us all laughing.
So another reason Austin is cool is because he has an old 66 El Camino!
I'm a sucker for old cars... Love me some leather seats, exhaust rumble and just that smell that all old cars have. So you can bet your butt when I saw it parked out in front of their house I asked who's it was and if we could use it for our shoot!

the real fun began when we ~~snuck~~, eh em, I mean when we were welcomed onto a beautiful piece of property to finish up the photo shoot... The light was amazing, the blossoms on the trees made me want to move, and the grass was so tall you could get lost in it!

Sarah & Joe you've done an amazing job with your kids... Looking forward to working with you again when I'm up your way!
LL

And the winner is...

2011-04-07T03:41:00.000-07:00

BABY...

#...

1: Baby Jackson

Congrats Simmons Family. You are the lucky winners of the 11X14 canvas gallery wrap.
Thank you to all who voted and stay tuned next month when we do another fun giveaway!
LL

"Newborn" Canvas giveaway!!!

2011-04-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

One lucky baby will win a 11X14 stunning gallery wrap Canvas Print.

Here's how it works... Below you will find 8 different newborn babies that I've captured over the last few months. The one with the most "votes" wins. You vote by leaving a comment stating your favorite baby and why. (please list the babies # in your comment)
Voting closes Wednesday April 6th @ Midnight.

Rules: Please limit one vote per person. No "anonymous" voting, each vote must have a person's name listed. Anyone can vote so feel free to forward on this link to family and friends. Winner will be blogged Thursday April 7th.

Good luck and vote vote vote.
LL

#1: Baby Jackson

# 2: Baby Blake

# 3: Baby Presley

# 4 Baby Timothy

# 5 Baby Maddux

# 6 Baby Ava

# 7 Baby Ethan

# 8 Baby Ben

Get your vote on! :)

no training wheels

2011-04-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night something INSANE happened. My Son, who has spent little or no time on a bike with pedals, rode a pedal bike tonight! Oh, and did I mention, he did it with OUT training wheels!!! My heart leaped with joy when I got home from dinner to a surprise from him. He said "watch Mommy" and off he went... Right out of the grip Matt had on the bike seat and down the street. Pedaling his little heart out. It was a proud moment for me.
And the anxious I have to 'capture' freak in me made a short video! Right there inn the night time, with only the overhead street light because, well, I just had to have my little man being not so little anymore! As a photographer I naturally love pictures, but something about video just rocks me. I love the emotion in a voice.
So this first video is the night one...

this one is the next day...

My kids are growing, learning, and becoming the people they are going to be and I'll I can do is sit back, watch, and enjoy. Feeling very grateful for two beautiful blessings God gave me.

LL

PS; Elle did this the same day Seth rode his bike...

Sylas

2011-03-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

Finding the words to begin this post is almost impossible. ME not having words is hard to believe but truly, this of which I'm writing is not only the hardest thing I've ever done but truly a moment that changed my life forever. In writing it down I feel like I'm processing the day a little more and hopefully able to continue to practice the feelings and emotions that I left with that day.
Through a series of events I arrived at Choc Hospital around noon on Sunday March 20 to photograph the life and death of Baby Sylas.
Yes I said "death."
4 Month old Baby Sylas would be going home to meet Jesus, but before that happened, Jacquelyn & Greg wanted to take some photos of their family one last time.

I waited in the Ronald Mcdonald House while Born family friends filled me in on each heart wrenching detail.

...Baby Sylas was found unconscious on Friday afternoon and they've been at Choc ever since. Just two days ago this happened!!!

...James (Sylas' Big Brother) would be arriving at the hospital shortly to say "goodbye" to his brother.
Sweet little, not even 3 year old James would be read a book entitled "We were gonna have a baby, but we had an Angel instead"!!!

The next few hours were the hardest few hours of my life. I've never watched someone grieve the loss of a child. It's devastating. It's crushing. It's painfully awful to watch. I just kept thinking, this is hard for me! I can only imagine how hard this was for Greg & Jacquie

I started off by just photographing Jacquie and Greg with Sylas...

watching two parents listen to their son's heartbeat for the last time broke my heart...

but then, time stood still. and Greg Smiled.

after time with just Sylas they would bring James in. I was dreading this part. I was dreading it because I guessed that they would lose their composure. That's what I would have done. But they didn't. In fact what happened was another moment when time just stopped.

They smiled. They laughed. They loved on this beautiful little boy who was soon to be their only. they kept their composure. And I was blown away by how amazingly strong they were.

James represented hope. A reason to go on. His little soul will I'm sure help his parents more then he'll ever know. His smile will breathe life into Greg & Jacquelyn when nothing else can.

I can still hear James' voice saying... "Goodbye Sylas. I love you Sylas."

After James left there were more tears. hugging. feet and hand prints. a beautiful prayer and a time of loss.

I hugged Jacquelyn and Greg and told them I was sorry for their loss. But these words seemed meaningless.
I left the hospital with so much emotion. I was thankful for my babies. Felt guilty that they were healthy. Felt sad that I had taken Elle for granted so many times. Prayed to God that I never had to experience what I just witnessed. Prayed that God would take away the pain this family was feeling. Prayed for healing.
Then once again, something unexpected happened. I realized at some point during my drive home that I am not nearly appreciative enough of my life. My daughter. My son. My husband. My life. I vowed to change my heart that day. To try harder to live each day as if it was the last.
I hugged my kids a lot tighter that night and about the time I was doing that, Baby Sylas went home to heaven.
Greg & Jacquelyn, thank you choosing me. Thank you for showing me strength and thank you for reminding me that I should NEVER take anything for granted. My prayers for you are for healing and happiness. My prayers is James will be your hope and what keeps you going on days when it feels to hard. My prayer is that God shows you wonderful amazing things out of the loss of Sylas.
God Bless you Born Family.
Love,
LL

if you would like to donate money to the Born Family click on the link below...
http://babysylas.chipin.com/the-born-family

Simmons Family & Blossom Tree's.

2011-03-24T16:22:00.000-07:00

A couple times of year I head up to Central California to visit family, play in the snow and lakes, and as of recently do photography sessions for friends of my brother & sister in law.
This time I had the pleasure of shooting in a blossom tree orchard up at Fresno State University. Breathtaking is the only word I can use to describe these orchards... Thanks Robin for finding this field. I LOVE it!

better late then NEVER...

2011-03-24T15:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Saint Patty's Day! I know, I know... it passed like a week ago! But I have these (somewhat) cute pics of my kiddos that I took specifically for a Saint Patrick's Day post. I say somewhat because neither Seth nor Elle was having pictures that day. They were both tired, hungry, and little did I know, on the verge of getting sick. Hence why I'm just now posting these photos.
Hope you day was fun and filled with lots of green!
LL

he looks WAY to much like a teenager here. I mean like just this little "mom leave me alone" stare he's glaring!

here they spotted some birds and so they were looking a little bit happier...

then they were right back to Elle's "MOOMMMMM" and Seth's "I'm going to throw this grass at you!" faces!

then this magic happened. I stinkin love this photo!

and finally, a laugh. my job was done. :) Seeing those smiles warmed my heart!

Everyone always asks me how I get my kids to look so happy in photos... this post is proof that sometimes they just aren't feelin' it!

Dziuba Family

2011-03-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

Meagan & Henry live all the way over in England... they came here just to do a photo session with ME! Well, not really! Meagan grew up here and came back to visit. But I like to think they came here just for me! :)
Anyways... They have a beautiful little girl named Eva who is only a week older then Elle... She's simply perfect and has the most amazingly wonderful little smile. Every time I put my camera in her face she just lit up!

then meagan busted out this outfit and I about had a cow!!!

I mean really though. How cute is this!!!

she just kept getting cuter as the day went on!!! Love these pics. Pretty sure I'll be dressing Elle in something similar VERY soon! :)

Thanks Meagan & Henry for being such a great family and truly if I'm ever over in England I'm going to take you up on your offer and visit!
LL

It's a .....................

2011-03-20T21:14:00.000-07:00

you may remember this post from a few weeks back. Well today I got the FANTASTIC news that Cole is going to have a little...

SISTER!!!

It's a GIRL!

To say I am excited would be an understatement!! I wanted Jaime to have a girl so bad. She's a total girly girl, she's really good at hair, and well she just deserves to have a little girl to love and pamper! Jaime and I had both our boys within 6 weeks of each other and now our girls will be only a year apart in age. How fun is that?!?!

Josh & Jaime have decided to keep her name a secret until she's born which is already driving me crazy. I mean, I may or may not have spent half the night trying to guess the name! ;)

Josh & Jaime: I am so excited to raise our girls together. I feel very blessed for our friendship. I already cannot wait to photograph your beautiful little girl. Josh, you're going to be an amazing father to a little girl and Jaime, well get ready for lots of clothes from my Elle Bell! I love you both and I'm just so happy!!!

Lindsey & Ashley Sneaky...

2011-03-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

I mean really... how beautiful are these girls! Ashley & Lindsey are both Seniors at Canyon high school and they've been best friends since jr high. I love doing Senior shoots but I love even more when I get to shoot two best friends. They sang, they laughed, they had a blast!
Check back later for a full post...

Sneaky

2011-03-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

Loving this edit I'm working on right now...
Here is a quick sneak of how darling little Cameron is.

Yes I know her headband is ADORABLE. I've already got three on order for Elle.
Stay tuned for more of the Simmons Family!

Guess What...?

2011-03-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

Seth's BFF is going to be a big brother! Meet Cole. He is the son of one of my dearest friends Jaime and she is expecting baby#2. I am of course praying for a girl and I'm super excited because I'll get to find out pretty soon.
Cole LOVES my little Elle to pieces and I'm so excited to get to see him be a big brother!
Jaime I was honored to take these pictures for you and I'm even MORE excited to take pics of Baby # 2 when he or she arrives!

Check back NEXT week to find out which baloons Cole lets go of... :)

Gift

2011-02-26T23:01:00.000-08:00

Give the gift that keeps on giving...

water two ways...

2011-02-16T20:23:00.000-08:00

as many of you know I live in Southern California... which means I have beautiful, warm, sunny days in February. But just as quickly as the wonderful sun graces our presence it will leave and rain will follow. A few days ago it was 80 and Seth was doing this...

now its 50 and he's doing this...

yes I know my son isn't wearing any pants...
A; I'm aware of the fact that he doesn't wear pants a lot.
B; He insisted on not wearing his snow pants and so I let him. Plus I thought he would get colder faster and want to come inside.

either way he's happy because he gets to play in water!

Enjoy the rain! :)

Cupid has a mohawk

2011-02-16T12:13:00.000-08:00

SO I know I'm two days behind but whatever...! Happy Valentines Day, better late then never!

thanks to my friend Courtney I have this cherished photo.

blog days...

2011-02-16T12:07:00.000-08:00

So I'm sad to admit that I get into "blog days". These are days where all I want to do that day is write blogs... this would be great if this pattern fell every two days or so, but usually it happens like ONCE a week if I'm lucky!
Lucky for you TODAY is one of those days... I've been "capturing" more lately and I love it. So proud to be documenting. Today was especially one of those days...

Marisa Materntiy Shoot {Orange County Maternity Photographer}

2011-02-10T21:05:00.000-08:00

a few days ago I had the pleasure of meeting Marisa and Scott. Two people that are going to make great parents. They have high hopes for their little man, they are prepared to be greater then the average parent, and I like that.
Marisa is bubbly, beautiful, sweet and quite frankly, I want to be friends with her! And Scott, well I love Scott. He has that hard exterior but I'm quite certain Baby Ben is going to melt him into a pile of man mush. I'm super excited to meet little Benji (that's my nickname I gave him) he's set to arrive in March and all I can say is I've got big ideas for this little guy.
Here are a few of my favorites... Be sure to check back to meet Baby Ben.

I love this shot...

Scott was already in this stance when I told Marisa to stand behind him. I like to see Scott carrying that little flower and pondering all the things he's going to teach his little man.

this is what Scott does to Marisa... Just fills her face with joy.

and soon there will be three...

Beckham Baby Love

2011-02-10T15:21:00.000-08:00

So if you know me, you know how much I love chubby baby rolls. And Beckham has em. And I LOVE them. His mother Jennifer and her beautiful daughter Lindsey came out to do a shoot...

This is the book Jennifer loves to read to Beckham

Lindsey is a great older sister.

and because he has to have his soccer shoes on...

Photo Challenge: I heart faces "Best Face"

2011-01-30T23:37:00.000-08:00

Just discovered I Heart Faces and that every week they have a photo challenge... This week's challenge is "Best Face From January"and I'm thinking my little girl might have a pretty good shot. Wouldn't you agree?!

This photo was taken during her 6 month photoshoot. Her dress and bonnet were my mothers and she too wore them at this age back in the 1950's.
Got get those votes "Elle Bell"

Lemons Moments...

2011-01-29T20:34:00.000-08:00

last night I wrote this on Facebook...

tomorrow... I'm going to capture my kids more, I'm going to rock Elle to sleep for her morning nap. I'm going to let Seth do things that are new and adventurous. I'm going to take baths in my big tub with them. I'm going to have another day filled with me making them laugh. And I'm going to vow that from this day forward I'm going to CAPTURE my kids more! Get ready kiddos... Your Mom is a new women!

And today I tried real hard to have this same "capture" ideal in my mind. I brought my 5D out bright and early and started shooting all the little details of life.

I didn't rock Elle to sleep but I did catch her when she woke up.

I did let Seth do things out of the norm and I did give him a bath/shower in my tub but that was because of a poop explosion accident and quite frankly there was just too much poop to even think about picking up my camera. (Yuck)

I did make them both laugh and smile and for that my heart feels full.

I feel like a new Mom and hopefully they could feel it too.

the kid ate 12 mini pancakes this morning!!! 12!!!

and this little sweetness enjoyed oatmeal.

ladies how awesome are my son's eyelashes. I mean really!!!

LEFT: I can see 4 binky's in her crib. Count 'em. RIGHT: I have NEVER seen her make that face before. It's sooo funny.

Seth OUTside

Elle INside looking out...

Love those piercing blue eyes. Beautiful!

And finally... Elle's shirt says it all "Perfect in every way" I couldn't agree more!

PS: Pretty sure Elle 'felt it' because she started crawling today! :)))) (HUGE smile face)

PPS: Both my kids have scratches on their faces and I was going to 'shop' them out but decided it give more to the story. Seth's on his nose is from his monster truck and Elle's is from Seth's toe nail. (Long story) :)

Wedding Moments...

2011-01-25T14:46:00.000-08:00

There are moments at weddings when I'm looking through my lens and I either tear up to the point where I can't see OR start to laugh to the point where I can't keep my camera still... Either one makes for moments that are my favorite. I know the moment I click down my shutter button "this picture will be a special."
Today I was reviewing some of the weddings I shot this year and decided to make a "moments" file. Now I have a place to go to relive those feeling of joy and how lucky I am to get to capture this amazing times in peoples lives...

like when the bride and groom wrote vows to their children...

Or when just the thought of holding hands makes the bride giggle and the groom cry...

a ringless finger that is so dying to be adorned...

this comment from a groom that causes this reaction...

a best friend who doesn't want to hurt her broken grooms hand...

nothing like the hand of your wife to wipe away a tear...

"finally were one" kiss

little brothers reaction to his sisters loving touch...

the first dance as a husband and wife

Daddy's little girl...

a toast to the man who raised you...

and finally,
a daughter who gets to dance with her Mother who battled and survived breast cancer...

Thank you to all my clients for letting me inside your lives and allowing me to experience your laughter and tears.

My little Elle Bell...

2011-01-21T21:55:00.000-08:00

is 6 months old! I decided for her six month shoot I would do something special, so I dressed her in the the dress and bonnet my Mom used to wear when she was a baby... It's so beautiful and what better color then yellow. :)
Seth even got in on a few pictures which made me realize when I've got more time one afternoon I would like to do a longer shoot with both of them.

I love you my sweet Elle. You are such a dream. Your smiles light up the world. You laugh, you sit up, you bounce on your knees, you love love love your brother and you love to be kissed. I'm enjoying watching you turn into your own little person. I love when I can hear you talking in your crib, you just sound like your having the most fun ever.

I hope someday if you have a little girl we can take photos of her in this same dress and bonnet... But please don't grow up too fast.
Love you Elle Bell!

Give your man what he REALLY wants...

2011-01-18T15:08:00.000-08:00

beautiful sexy photos of his wife!
Time to "Pucker Up" ladies... Come spend a few hours with me and give your husband a gift he will cherish forever.
A photobook is the perfect Valentines day gift!
Boudoir sessions now starting at $150.00. Please email or call Laycee for more information.
layceelemons@gmail.com
949-291-6565

High School Senior

2011-01-16T18:51:00.000-08:00

Beautiful Ashley is graduating this year from Trabuco Hills High School
which just happens to be the school I graduated from 10 years ago. (Wow I feel old!) Anyways... Ashley is a cheerleader. She is super sweet. Funny and has a great laugh and well it was a blast shooting her senior portrait session.
Ashley I hope you love your pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Meet Baby Timothy...

2011-01-06T21:17:00.000-08:00

Meet baby Timothy James Smith II. He is adorable and tiny. He has a full head of hair that I only wish Elle had. He was a little restless at the start but we discovered a secret that produced some amazing photos. Dare I say (at no offense to past clients) some of my favorite photos. Tim & Byanca were probably the most relaxed first time parents I've ever worked with. They were calm, collected and total pros. It was as if this was baby #4, not #1! They even let me take their precious cargo outside into the elements!!! :)
T & B, I so hope you enjoy these photos and Tim I can't wait to see which one's you blow up and put up in your home.

recent work...

2010-12-30T15:21:00.000-08:00

I haven't been blogging. I'm sorry. Here is some of the recent work I've been up to and why I've been too busy... Looking forward to a new year and many more shoots.

Merry Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T18:52:00.000-08:00

Seth asked Santa for a dirtbike this year. Funny. Pretty sure that's what his Dads wants too. Well we ordered the 1:6 scale dirtbike and it will be in his stocking come tomorrow morning. Excited to see this same photo next year with two big grins like that!
Merry Christmas eve to everyone, and to all a goodnight.

Client input...

2010-12-14T10:37:00.000-08:00

So I'm busy editing but I've been wanting to write a blog about client input. Over the weekend I had two different times when a client made a suggestion that not only was good but ended up being one of my favorite photos. So as a message to all my clients and future clients; I love your input and I would always be happy to hear it, you don't have to say sorry for your great idea!
So here are two photos that I wouldn't have if it were not for my great clients input...

Santa's little helper

2010-12-02T15:38:00.000-08:00

has never looked so cute!

don't 'wear' yourself out

2010-11-30T21:22:00.000-08:00

trying to figure out what to wear for your family photo shoot!
I often get asked what a family should dress like... should they match, not match, wear jeans, don't wear jeans, should we dress up or dress down? My response is simple... Select two or three colors and let those be the theme of your clothing Don't feel the need to match, in fact the less matching the better. Personally, I'm a sucker for a Mom in a dress and boots, Dad in a bold color with a little one accenting him, and my personal fav a little man in a tie or hat...
Get creative, have fun. Think outside the box.
I've provided some examples below...

Hope this helps you and your family next time your planning what to wear!

twice as nice

2010-11-24T11:55:00.000-08:00

11 weeks ago today Nicole gave birth to two beautiful boys... Aydan & Ashton. They've got big brown eyes, sweet lips and way more hair then my 5 month old! Mazy and Nicole are such sweet parents and they looked great despite their sleepless nights. As always I enjoyed doing a session with twins. I always find it a challenge when shooting twins, to try and figure out who is who... I'll admit this was the easiest time I've had telling them apart. Ashton is the chunky monkey and Aydan is a lean mean little man. So now for your challenge... Can YOU tell them apart?

This one should be totally easy to see who's who...

Mazy is a big soccer fan and so we did a few shots of him and his boys in their jersey's.

this last one is my favorite...

Thanks Nicole & Mazy for having such a fun time... Your family is beautiful.

Busy Busy Busy

2010-11-22T23:30:00.000-08:00

I thought maybe if I type "busy" three times in the title of this post you would feel bad for me... Did it work? No?! But seriously, I am so busy right now. Which as a friend of mine pointed out, is so great. Better then being slow. However me being busy means I'm shooting not blogging. Thus the reason you've seen lots of "sneaks" on here and not the full post. I'm sorry. I'll try harder next time.

With Thanksgiving three days away I'm still trying to decide if I'm taking my work with me on vacation. I feel like it's the responsible thing to do but I also feel like I really want to ride dirtbikes with my husband and enjoy our time as a family and not think about a single photoshop action... Will see what I end up doing but in the mean time I'll leave you with a few recent photos...

Holiday Special

2010-11-22T21:34:00.000-08:00

Trash the Dress MX Style. {Trash the Dress Photographer}

2010-11-17T22:27:00.000-08:00

So this is maybe the most fun I've had on a shoot to date. Both the bride and groom are huge motocross people so it only made sense to do the dress trashing at the very dirty and muddy Mileston Mx Track.
Jesse brought his dirtbikes and Lisa her dress, and I was ready to shoot... Everyone at the track was giving them thumbs-up and a guy even asked Lisa "where can I find a girl like that?". We started with some fun, sweet, and mostly clean pics...

then it was time to start getting dirty...

Jesse & Lisa, thank you so much for such an amazing shoot. I love the friendship you share and I love that you were so down for getting super dirty!

Trash the dress (Sneak)

2010-11-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Did my first Trash the Dress session... to learn more about them click here.

Sparkplug Ring Shot

2010-11-15T10:26:00.000-08:00

To Lisa & Jesse, may the spark in your marriage NEVER go out!

This is by far my MOST favorite ring shot EVER!

Mobley Sneak Peek

2010-11-15T08:18:00.000-08:00

These two best friends got married on Saturday night...

Stay tuned for more...

Newborn + Dirtbike Helmet =

2010-11-12T18:59:00.000-08:00

my MOST favorite picture I have ever taken!
Stay tuned of more from Baby Ethan.

Baby Bentley

2010-11-11T23:32:00.000-08:00

You may remember Ashley & Dustin. two firefighters who had their baby boy cooking in the oven. Little Bentley finally joined them and he is cute as can be... He was 3 weeks old today and you sure could tell by the fact that his eyes were wide open almost the entire time! :) All in all Bentley did great and to be honest it was kinda fun to see such a tiny baby so wide-eyed.

Congrats Ashley & Dustin... enjoy your little man and as his moments!

Windy days...

2010-11-11T22:29:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while we have those super windy days... You know the kind where you walk outside and your hair turns into a birds nest and your clothes are pratically ripped off?! Today was one of those windy days... But that didn't stop Seth from enjoying his "outdoor" activities inside!

Baby Maddux Sneak Peek

2010-11-08T19:52:00.000-08:00

hands down the best baby I have EVER shot. He was sleepy, he was quiet, and he let me put him in a bucket of baseballs!!!

I mean look at this face!!!

Boy or Girl...?

2010-11-05T14:26:00.000-07:00

Is Maegan having a BOY or GIRL?

I want her to have a GIRL because she already has a boy but I just have a gut feeling it's a boy.
Either way I can't wait to meet the little one and I LOVE that they are not finding out. We did that with our first child and it was the coolest thing EVER!
After we did some studio style shoots it was time to bust out the goodies, well the goodies to a pregnant lady!...

once I was sick of smelling pickles we headed to my special field to do a few more family shots...

Simmons family I am SO excited to meet the newest edition to your family!! And may I say, if it's a girl a great name is Laycee... :) I'm just sayin'!

Jocelyn turned ONE

2010-11-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

I love this sweet little girl and she came over a few weeks back to do her 1 year photo shoot...
My good friend Stephanie is her beautiful Mother and she brought SO much fun stuff... tutus, bows, cute shoes, and a handmade dress that her and her sisters all wore when they were little...

this is the dress that the sisters all wore when they were 1 year old and now Stephanie gets to have her daughter wear it too! I just LOVE stuff like that!

Langston Family

2010-11-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

Meet the Langston Family... Can you say beautiful! I mean seriously good looks just runs in this family. I know Grant from my days of working for Impact Video, you may know Grant form the great sport of Motocross! Chelsey is the sweetest ever and she and I had fun planning what the kiddos and her husband would wear... I picked Toms Farm to do our shoot and I must say it has become a new favorite of mine.
Thank you Langston Family for having such a good time and for being such troopers in the heat!

Moto time...

2010-09-21T23:08:00.000-07:00

tonight I finally got to do a Motocross shoot... and it was everything I hoped for and MORE!
So excited for this wedding and the trash the dress session to follow!

Baby Xander Sneak Peak

2010-09-21T23:04:00.000-07:00

Jennifer & Robert welcomed baby boy number two Xander Lennon on Sept 9, 2010... He was a healthy beautiful baby boy, and pretty much came out rockin' a mohawk. 10 days new and Xander did awesome... Stay tuned for more pics.

Sneak peak of little Noah...

2010-09-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

Meet little 4 month old Noah... Cute huh?!!!!!!

Smile

2010-09-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

this morning I was trying to really focus on all the things going right and that make me smile rather then the opposite. So I grabbed my cam and started shooting things around my house specifically that make me smile.

my wine rack, even though it's empty right now it just kinda makes me think of fun times...

the fact that I have WAY to many pictures on my mantle!

this little welcome area in my front room. I think everything

you see here cost me LESS than $50.00

"Truck" our pitbull

and last but NOT least... my beautiful child.

p.s. I was going to take a picture of Elle but she's asleep upstairs and I don't want to risk waking her! :)

Alysa + Daniel = L.O.V.E.

2010-09-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

One beautiful ranch in Murrieta, two people very much in love, and three sweet children made up the most incredible wedding ceremony ever! On August 28 Alysa and Daniel not only exchanged vows to each other but they said vows to their kids. And can I just tell you it was maybe the most heartwarming thing I think I have ever seen.
Hearing the song Hallelujah play while tears rushed form Alysa & Daniel's eyes, watching the innocence of their children sit and listen and smile at the people they love. I'm pretty sure there was not a dry eye in the crowd including my teary vision looking through my lens.

This wasn't just about the love that A&D had for each other it was about what it meant to love each other as the family they had become.

It was truly my honor to shoot their joyful day and I guess I would just like to say THANK YOU Alysa & Daniel for allowing me to capture it.
Enjoy your slideshow!

5 Years ago...

2010-09-10T09:18:00.000-07:00

I married my best friend. I married a man's man. I married a man who is so very talented. I married a man who I know will love me forever. I married a man who is always open to change and to work on himself for me. I married a man who's the most amazing Dad, better than I could have ever imagined. I married a man who I can trust with my whole heart to protect.
5 years later, I am still married to this man only he's a better version of himself.
Matthew, thank you for loving me, trying for me, being so very honest with me, and for being an amazing father to our kids.
Thank you for that last 5 years, I'm looking forward to many more.
"Love like Crazy"

Love,
Your Wife

PS. I couldn't find any good recent pics of us so I guess that means I have to start taking more! : )

Heather & Doug (Orange County Engagement Photographer)

2010-09-09T21:29:00.000-07:00

Meet Heather & Doug... these two are so in love! You can see the way they care for each other. It was refreshing to be in the presence of these two, not to mention Doug's parents who tagged along to watch. No wonder Doug loves Heather so much he has a great example in his parents!
We went to Laguna Beach for the shoot and the weather was perfect...
they rode bikes...

they ate ice cream...

they layed in the sand... Seriously though, how beautiful is Heather!

and finally they played in the sand...

Heather & Doug thank you so much for being such naturals! So looking forward to your wedding next year. Until then enjoy your slideshow

Elle 2 Months Old...

2010-09-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

Dear my sweet darling child...
You are two months already and it's flown by... Your smiling a ton now and it's the highlight of my day. You started sleeping though the night at 7 weeks, which is two weeks sooner than your brother! ; )
Looking forward to the days you can play and respond to your brother... right now you just watch him bounce on the couch in front of you.
We got your ears pierced as your 2 month bday present... You barely even cried and you look so darling.
We're doing the tire pictures just like we did for your brother and it's so fun to see you grow just like him...

Love you lots little girl... Looking forward to watching you grow and develop into a little lady...

btw, in case you haven't noticed I LOVE putting huge bows in your hair! :)

BEAUTIFUL

2010-09-07T23:49:00.000-07:00

Beautiful weather, beautiful couple, just simply b-e-a-utiful!