Erika is 30...AGAIN!!!

Erika and Aubrey...

 Surpried by the waitresses...

 

 

 We celebrated Erika's birthday on Tuesday night at El Ranchito in Costa Mesa...

I wanted to surprise Erika with the munchkin...

I picked up Aubrey at school and we went to Party City where she picked out a few of her favorite colored birthday balloons...had a hard time deciding which colors to get Erika but she knew she wanted one for herself and it had to be PINK...

Went to my house to get cleaned up and had a Hagen-Daz ice cream bar...Aubreys favorite!!!

Once at the Ranch, we waited in my van til Erika arrived and we let her walk in so we could surprise her with the balloons...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

I left Aubrey's pink guitar in the van...she wanted to strum while she sang the song...

We had a great dinner and then the girls brought us the frozen ice cream and put Panchita's hat on Erika and we all sang Happy Birthday...Aubrey was totally surprised...She loves blowing out the candle but I think she was caught off-guard...Great smiles on Erika and Aubrey...

Train Station adventure...

Aubrey...smiling her way into adventures...

I spent the afternoon with Aubrey at the Fullerton Train Station / Downtown...

The Arts District...

It's been a while since we have gone photo shooting but as always, once I bribe her, she's a trooper...A cup cake with Oreo cookie sprinkles, just the icing Ma'am...then it's off to the park and the slides...and now...

Aubrey's into bean burritos with cheese...hello Del Taco...

Clara's Celebration...

 Mural on the wall of the Cathedral...

 Interior of the Cathedral...

 Chalice of wine and the hosts...

 

 Lauren, GranMa Tere and Lupe...

 

Lauren, GranMa Tere and Lupe...

We celebrated Clara's life today, it's been 9 years since she pased away and it seems like only yesterday...My Mom and I were selected to take the wine and hosts up to the Altar and hand them to the priest...we've never done that before, had to bow a few times and then it was over. 

We headed to La Placita and had lunch at La Luz del Dia...Great as always...the salsa was a bit juicier today and that was just fine...I complained of how expensive the parking is...Walked around the shops and bought a few items, then we were off into traffic...What a life!!!!

Just a friendly face...

Just wanted to post one more picture before the end of the year...took this one while taking the Christmas set in my Mom's living room...this was in her dining room near the front window.

Enjoy the photo and do good all year long...

Happy New Year...

 

Have a Happy New Year...

Xmas Party...

 

GranMa Tere...

 Jayde and Isabella...

 

 Erika and GranMa Tere...

Lauren and GranMa Tere...

 GranMa Tere and Julian....

 GranMa Tere and Isabella...

 

 Julian, GranMa Tere and Isabella...

 

 Jayde, Lauren, GranMa Tere and Isabella...

We celebrated Christmas at Jesse and Lupe's home in West Covina...had to do it late because everyone has commitments elsewhere on Christmas. 

Oh yes....Here's Lupes' new member of the family...

 

We had Mole with chicken and Pozole with all the fixings...

 Limes...Limas

Radishes...Rabanitos

Cabbage...Repollo

Pozole rico...Delicious Pozole

Nopales...

Happy New Year!!!!

Aubrey's card

Aubrey & Santa Claus...

Christmas Card Time....

 

 Erika, Me - Tito & Niki

 

 GranMa Tere, Tia Teresa...

It's that time of year again and we did our best to get faces on cards to send out to everyone. It's actually the first time that I've had a picture with both Niki and Erika...We just forgot the kid, Aubrey...But I'll do her card later cause I have a picture of just her and me!!!

Merry Christmas everyone, Feliz Navidad...

My assistant...

 My assistant...Aubrey...keeps her eyes closed so the light doesn't bother her...

We went to the park, then came home to set-up the studio for a Xmas shoot with the Arriola's...That's Jesse, Lupe, Robert, Lauren and Jayde...

Aubrey is my lightmeter stand-in....like in model...

She does it all, holds the meter, triggers the light with the remote transmitter and then calls out the numbers so I can set my camera...

And it's not minimum wage...it's like a chcolate dipped cone and french fries...

Here is one of the pictures that we created for Xmas...

A day at the park...

 Aubrey...

Another day at Eisenhower park in Orange...I haven't picked up Aubrey in a while and so we miss going to the swings and feeding the ducks. Aubrey is a bit under-the-weather but still has a bunch of energy. Most of my pic's were blurred since she is so fast. Here are a few with her after I bribed her with a chocolate-dipped cone!

Aubrey tells me that she loves Katy Perry, but hasn't learned the words to the songs, yet...