Russell Peter

Lil Russell was such a good sport when it came time to posing him.  Almost too old to let us maneuver him how we wanted.  He was two and half weeks old at the time of the shoot.  His little owl beanie, made by Monkey Toe Designs, was the perfect accessory!

DIY wedding: Kayla and Estevan

 The secret to creating a beautiful, budget friendly wedding is family and friends that LOVE you.  Thank God for this! This wedding came together for less than $8000 and included all of this : ceremony and reception site, all food and beverages, favors, table decorations, cake, invitations, photography, the wedding dress, hotel rooms(for bridal party and helpers) and rentals.
Many of the ideas were found at oncewed.com.

The party favors were an assortment of green candy to keep with the green and coral them.  They were wrapped with little plastic bags.  A personalized stamp was used through out the wedding details.  A belt from JCREW was attached to the dress to add some colorful detail.  For an inexpensive way to do invitations find a friend that is computer savvy and print them on your home computer or on an online printing company.  To save on paper and postage, create an email account for guest to let you know whether they can attend or not.

The bridesmaids dresses were bought at the jcrew outlet and the wedding bouquet was put together using an artificial hydrangea and a few live roses and mums.

 Her dad etched their monogram into an old window that was given to them.  The bride collected many different kinds of glass bottles and cut manzanita branches off her dad's property to create her center pieces.  Friends came together to make these tissue paper flowers.  A 300 yard roll of Burlap was purchased to cover all of the tables.

Again her dad was able to create another creative solution for a cake stand out of wood stumps.  The cupcakes were made by a lady in Modesto (back to you on her name).  They were delicious!

The reception was held at the Sonora Opera Hall.   The bridal party stayed next door at the cute Gunn House Hotel.  

A guest sign in photo booth and a popcorn station was set up to entertain guest while the bridal party was shooting off location.  Friends were more than willing to operate each station.  

Friends came together to create a delicious menu and dinner for the 250 guests.  A handful of people made a variety of cookies to be enjoyed before dinner!  I LOVE dessert before dinner!

The happy couple!  

Mr. Estevan & Kayla Atkinson

Upchruch Family

I've known the Upchurch Family for more than 15 years.  When Derek contacted me from Virginia to shoot his family photos when visiting California for the Christmas Season I was excited to meet his new baby and of course, see an old friend and his wife.  The photo shoot was done on the grounds of Diablo Grande Gold and Country Club in Patterson, CA.  Thank you for choosing Photography by Jacqueline Plaza

days

I had the privilege of shooting the Days family for the second time!  Stephanie's contagious smile, Rj's good attitude, the boys' charm and Levi's cooperation made for a wonderful winter shoot!  OK, I lied about the dog!  Ha ha!  Days,  you are a beautiful family!  Have a Merry Christmas and thank you for choosing Photography by: Jacqueline Plaza!

Merry Christmas

photo taken by: self timer

jacob ryan: 2months

It was so precious to see mommy and daddy so in LOVE with Jacob.  Thank you for choosing Photography by: Jacqueline Plaza

Date Night

Our date night usually start like this....a little hole in the wall Chinese food place in Turlock (the best teriyaki sauce ever!) and then Borders!  I know, super boring but we love it!!!

Last night we skipped Borders and bought our Christmas tree, made the best hot chocolate ever,  put Christmas music on and decorated our little house!  It was so much fun!

Before and After

One of my favorite pass times is to decorate so when Christmas comes around I totally take advantage and decorate the whole house...even the bathroom!  ha ha!  

happiness... in a little red cup

Its the little things in life that get me excited and this little red cup is one of them.  I couldn't wait until Starbucks released their Christmas cup for the season and when I saw a friend holding one I sped up to the coffee shop and ordered my drink through the drive thru window.  When the lady handed me my drink in white cup it was like someone telling me that Jesus wasn't real, (which he totally is!  I'm living proof and so are you)  I was soooooo sad!!!  I really didn't even want the drink.  I just wanted to hold a cute red cup! So the next time I went I asked if I could get my drink in a RED cup and they paused for a moment and said ahhh I guess!  What is this????  Why can't I get that little red cup I see everyone else holding but me!  I asked why it was a problem when I went up to the window and they said they were trying to get rid of all their white cups.  Ok, so I thought this is a drive thru thing.  So Black Friday rolls around and what is a more perfect way to start the crazy morning off than with a little Starbucks?  I told my sister Monica that we needed to go inside to ensure that we would get the RED cup.  After we ordered our drinks and got into the car I notice that they gave me a white cup!!!  Why can't I get a stinking red cup? 

So a few days ago I came home from being in SF all day and Matt, the sweetest person ever, had a wonderful surprise waiting for me!!! Yup, 12 little red cups of happiness:)  He is the best!  Before this on the night of Black Friday, when my brother Aaron heard of this maddness he asked for an extra RED cup for me:) Aaron---Thanks buddy!  You and your bro are so thoughtful!  I love you guys!

Sunset

This weekend Matt and I had the pleasure to spend time with good friends, Tim and Laura Knapp!  They showed us around their favorite spots when visiting Santa Cruz.  Among these were the antique and farmer's market  and  The Natural Bridges State Beach.  We were able to see the Monarch Butterflies that visit from October through February.  I was not able to get a great photo of them with my small camera but it is a beautiful site to see.  After exiting the park we watched the sunset.  It was a wonderful day of fun, nice weather and beautiful sites!  Thanks Knapps!

ZAHRA BABY

Meet Marie and Zahra, who is still cooking in mama's belly.   Marie is a family friend, who we love so much!   I was so excited when she asked if I could take belly shots of her while on her trip home from Chicago.  Marie, safe travels home.  We are praying for you and your new family.  Can't wait to meet Zahra next year!  Love you.

Making the most of it

Here are some photos of Matt and I on our anniversary trip.   For the first time, we drove on CA-1 from Monterey to Cambria and it was beautiful!  We have an amazing coastline!  While in Cambria, we visited The Hearst Castle.  It was pretty awesome and I can't wait to go back for another tour.  Despite me being ill, we made the most of it and had a great time!  Check out the whole album on Facebook!

Happy four year anniversary babe!

Matthew,  you are my favorite person in this world!  I'm blessed to be your wife!  xoxo

We had so much fun!

Oh happy night!

I was so excited when I got the mail today to see a few of my favorite magazines come.  All I need is a warm cup of Abuelita, my magazines and its a happy night!

Linda & Declan, SF