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December 2024

The Stork and the Beanstalk

A Mother's Journal

A photo journal comprised of my thoughts on motherhood and other life happenings, as well
as some of professional work as a photographer. Southern California is home.

Month: May 2013

Family Photos, via self-timer

by Ashley filed under Family, Photography

Everyone loves family photos. Even with as many pictures as I take, we hardly ever have any with all four of us together. It takes much more effort, for starters, to get myself in front of the camera. Willy doesn’t care for (and by doesn’t care, I practically mean detests) taking photos. Since starting my 52 week project, his attitude about being in front of the camera is much improved but I still struggle to get him to take any photos of me with the boys or dare-I-say a photo with all of us together.

Most, if not all, of our family photos have been taken using the self-timer and if your camera has this capability, it’s something I strongly recommend (as a side note, there is a self-timer app on the iPhone). Using the self-timer creates a much more natural photograph and also allows for the element of surprise as you’re not quite sure when your ten seconds are up; thus it promotes more of a candid capture which is what I personally prefer anyway.

The self-timer, however, is still not the end all be all. Sure, it can take the photo but I’m still responsible for rallying the troops. As if the two wild cards aren’t enough, I often have convince the mister to join in- with a good attitude- as well. If it sounds like I have to pull teeth to get a family photo, then you’re getting the right idea. But I’ll pull whatever teeth I have to because I’ve never been disappointed by a family photo. There’s something so special about looking at us all together, sharing

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a moment in time that seconds later is considered the past.

The Roosevelt Hotel

by Ashley filed under Family, Travel

As I mentioned the other day, we spent a night at the Roosevelt Hotel down in Hollywood. Willy hung out with us for a bit and then left for a work function. We tag along whenever we can when Willy has to travel for work. At times it feels like another set of four walls, but I never regret going. It’s nice to stay together as a family and it’s a new four walls to photograph, so it’s whatevs.

The Roosevelt Hotel was amazing. The staff was incredibly hospitable, upgrading us to a suite as soon as they saw we had two kiddos with us. They also provided us with a diaper pail, a rubber ducky for the bath, and gave each kid a stuffed teddy bear. I had planned on allowing Hooper to stay up late, watch a movie, and sleep in bed with me but after learning their kid’s movies cost 14 bucks I stuck Hooper in the closet with his brother. Then I watched trashy shit on TV.

Spring clothing for the little tykes

by Ashley filed under Uncategorized

boys will be boys // meow top (on sale) ++ skinnies ++ flannel

girls will be girls // jean jacket (on sale) ++ never grow up (on sale) ++ comfy pants (on sale)

Sweet Threads always has the best in vintage and designer kid clothes, but I was blown away when I saw how much they have on sale right now. It’s going fast and not all sizes are available, so get these great looks before they’re sold out.

one ++ two ++ three ++ four

Please welcome new sponsor, Urban Baby Bonnets. They specialize in bonnets but they also have loads of adorable dresses for the little ladies. Everything they sell is handmade.

one ++ two ++ three

Baby Provence has some of the cutest french inspired clothing for the littles. They also have a ton of stuff on sale for the little ladies.

Eating Out With Kids

by Ashley filed under Family

05.06.201304.19.2018

We go out to eat a lot. Well, probably not a lot compared to some, but more than I think we should. I remember my parents saying there came a time when they both said enough was enough and they attest to a few years going by until they were ready to take the plunge again. We’re not ready to call it quits just yet. I mean these pancakes we’ve been eating at the diner down the street are so damn fluffy and the way the butter melts perfectly into each and every morsel is damn near good enough to put the kids at the their own table and pretend like we don’t know who they are or where they came from. Point being: it’s not easy, but we put up with it.

Hooper’s into this new random yelling thing. It’s not acting out so much as it is a reaction to whatever is going on around him. When things are wild, he likes to jump in on the action and yell. He can yell all he wants; it doesn’t change the taste of my pancakes.

Knowing the day will soon come when we’ll be labeled lunatics for trying to bring our children out to a restaurant makes me savior those pancakes even more.

Are you able to bring your kiddos out to restaurants?

18/52

by Ashley filed under A Portrait A Week Project

A portrait of my husband, once a week, every week, in 2013.

I thought I was going to die from frustration last night. It was one of those nights. And by one of those nights, I’m referring to one of those evenings where I was trying to juggle cooking dinner, breastfeeding Van, and taking a grabbing-his-nuts-and-yelling-potty toddler to the bathroom. Hooper was giving me a run for my money, Van has two teeth he likes to bite my nipple with, and somewhere in the midst of my I’m-a-single-mom-today day, I forgot to eat lunch. That happens when you’re a mom, doesn’t it? It was nearly five o’clock when I realized and by then nothing but a top tart sounded good. So I ate a pop tart. By the time dinner responsibilities came around, I was spent. I had no fuel to power the engine. Just when I thought I couldn’t handle anymore, Hooper pissed on the floor. And then mister-I-insist-on-standing-in-the-bath-Van fell in the bath. It was one of those nights.

I digress. This post is supposed to be about that handsome man in that sharp looking suit.

We spent the night down in Hollywood the other night, at the historic Roosevelt Hotel. Willy was invited, via work, to the world premier of Iron Man 3 so the boys and I tagged along to enjoy the perks of trashing a room we don’t have to clean up. If you follow me on instagram, you heard my ranting and raving about trying to make it across the street through the hoards of moronic individuals that chose to spent their weekday evening stalking people they deem important because of some script they read in front of a camera. No joke, I was pushed, shoved, and practically trampled by people running back and forth along the ropes of the red carpet. The stroller I was pushing offered no sense of a reality check and as I sat there with my boys in the empty diner across the street, I watched as crazed individuals waved their homemade signs and chanted the nicknames of their favorite actors. Hollywood just isn’t my thing. I think I’m too practical.

In any event, I highly recommend the Roosevelt. The room was fantastic and the service was incredible. I’ll share more photos next week when I, hopefully, have my sanity back.

You can check out other posts in the series here.

Three Days O' Fun: Day 3

by Ashley filed under Family

We spent our third family day at the beach. It was a lovely day but we didn’t stay as long as we would have liked. Van was not a happy camper. We took him to the doc the next day and found out he has ear infections in both ears. Sometimes there’s no rhyme or reason, other times there is. He’s off the hook this time…

As a side note, I became an Aunt yesterday. My sister-in-law birthed a ten pound baby girl and I can’t wait to meet her.

Three Days O' Fun: Day 2

by Ashley filed under Family

We spent the second day at the Science Center in downtown LA to see the space shuttle Endeavour.We left after morning naps, so everyone was in relatively good moods despite the long day. The Endeavor was pretty awesome. We walked around the rose garden afterward and both agreed that we could imagine someone being married there and/or murdered there. Lots of pretty roses with lots of mysterious looking people. We drove from there down to Santa Monica to have dinner on third street. Thank heavens for the street performers because someone was getting a little run down by that time. Needless to say, we have no photos from third street because I think I had a kiddo in my arms at all times.

Three Days O' Fun: Day 1

by Ashley filed under Family

Willy took three days off, mid-week, from work to spend some time with us. He’s been so busy with work lately, it was so nice to spend some good ol’ quality family time. Here’s how we spent day one: