My dear friend, Aurora, gave the kids some gift cards for Target – as thanks for being stellar photography models. Completely unnecessary and uncalled for. This is one of those gifts that ONLY benefits the kids. Thankfully, I had a camera to keep me entertained as the kids combed each toy aisle, and spent some... Read More →

We don’t actually call him “Gramps,” but I think we SHOULD, now that he’s seventy! We had a low key birthday dinner for Grandpa’s 70th birthday. Our long-time family friend, Eva, came over to my parents’ house. My sister came down from Boston with her two kids (the light ones), and my parents picked my... Read More →

Two months? Really? Well, sorry for neglecting my audience of six people for so long! I have just been resting and RELAXING. But enough is enough, right?? ************************************************************************* I started writing this post a week ago – then got distracted by a 100 other things. This post is about our Girl Scouts campout two weekends... Read More →

Just about every Wednesday, my Dad picks up the kids early from school. He takes them different places, to the park, to the playground at Burger King during inclement weather. But many Wednesdays, he takes them to play tennis. This Wednesday, I joined them to capture some shots of the event. View my photos here: http://mariloujaen.smugmug.com/Lifestyle/My-Family/Tennis-with-Grandpa-2011-12/ Read More →

Welcome, visitors from Karen Russell’s blog! Thanks for clicking my link! View more pictures from our trip to Universal’s Islands of Adventure here: My Islands of Adventure Photos. View my Project 365 photos here: http://mariloujaen.com/365/                                            ... Read More →

Me and foosball go way back. My love of foosball started in middle school. (Of course, we weren’t cool enough to call it middle school back then. It was just Jr. High.) I went to a summer camp at FIU for drama. There was a foosball table in the student area; my “crush” would play... Read More →

Tonight, Ryan loves mix-matched jammies! And sliding on the floor, making his socks dirty. And his new bracelet from Tyler Thompson. And smothering his dog, while his dog bites my hand.   Okay, he loves these things every night, but the bracelet is new. Thanks, Tyler!! He loves it! (And don’t tell Daddy that Ryan... Read More →

We spent a good chunk of today over at the neighbors for their middle girl’s 5th birthday party. Can’t believe she’s FIVE. V. We’ve known her the longest. She’s Isabel’s buddy! N. Could she be cuter? No she could NOT. This one loves Midnight (our dog) the best! And the birthday girl. S. Too sweet!... Read More →

I bet you were wondering what happened to Sunday! Well, we took it easy Sunday, which we like to do. Got our homework done. Went to our usual lunch hotspot (Quizno’s). Then, I decided I wanted to try something out. See, a while back I had a phone consulting session with my favorite photography teacher,... Read More →

Once school starts up, our weekends tend to get pretty hectic. Between Girl Scout events, birthday parties and play dates, it is non-stop. Last year, we decided that Isabel would start dance classes on the first Saturday when she didn’t have anything planned. That Saturday NEVER came. So, while this weekend was crazy, that was... Read More →

Photography practice sessions and strolls in the neighborhood. These are things we can’t do on a weeknight. Not anymore. Especially not the night before a presentation is due. And the night a homework agenda was left blank. But we did them anyway. Because life is too short not to enjoy every moment. (Well, that’s my excuse.)... Read More →

I’m taking Karen Russell’s online class, The Photographer’s Workshop, again – because I loved it so much the first time (and learned so much)! This week is on composition, so I thought I’d take the kids to the playground – because where better to practice composition? Really. Anyway, I wrote this up for the practice... Read More →