I’ve been dying to share some of these photos of my kids session I shot earlier this month. I seriously can’t believe how FAST they are growing up! It feel like my daughter Chloe should still be a little baby. I am in denial that she will be 2 in March and Landon will be 5 in just a few short days! Chloe is rapidly growing up before my eyes. She repeats every. single. word. anyone says. She’s putting 2 or more words together and  talking constantly. And she’s always so happy and bubbly, goofing around all day long, laughing and playing. She’s a joy to be around. Landon impresses me more and more every day. He’s insanely smart! He’s in preschool and he can already count to 100 and is starting the early stages of reading and math. The kid is a learning machine! All day long he’s constantly learning more and more. He amazes me. He LOVES to dress up as super heros and have sword fights and he can literally live outside if he could. He’s also the sweetest little boy on the planet and I love him with all my heart!

Ok enough of me rambling on and on about my kids! On to some of my favorites from their shoot!

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It’s not fair that my kids are growing up so dang fast!! I tell my 4 (almost 5!) year old every day that he can’t turn 5 on his next birthday because I want him to be my baby boy forever and ever. Then he begs me to turn 5 on his next birthday It’s so cute! I tell him all the time that when he was a baby, he was soooo tiny! He was a preemie after all and I showed his how he used to fit in my arms and now when I hold him he stretches over 3 feet long in my arms! It’s crazy how fast kids grow.  I really can’t believe that Landon will be turning 5 in just a few short months (Jan to be exact) and that he will be starting Kindergarten next year! I think I will have a heart attack when next September rolls around. Good thing I have another year to prepare! And then my sweet little Chloe, she is growing so fast herself and quickly phasing out of the baby stage and into a big girl. She wants to do everything that her big brother does. Her favorite thing to do is chase him around the house (which almost always leads to a big scraped knee or busted lip). I’ve realized that I really need to stop and enjoy my kids in this stage because they really are only this little once. This business has been so crazy busy the last several months  that my poor kids have seen our sitter more than they have seen me on most days. Which breaks my heart. I’m working hard on finding an answer to the golden question of how to balance work and family. So please bare with me during this super crazy time of the year. I’m going to continue to get everyone’s sneak peeks, galleries, orders and emails sent as fast as I possibly can.

Here is my big almost 5 year old little stud:

And Chloe at 18 months. She’s modeling my most favorite dress ever from Ivy & A and the headband is my new favorite from who else but Banner Boutique!

Isn’t my cousin and his family just adorable?? Love that we only live 3 miles away from each other and that our kids (and our daughters are only 4 months apart) get to grow up together.

A & J: Hope you love these as much as I do!! xoxo

Here are a few of our kids together. This was after the shoot and they earned lollipops. I think they were more interested in the candy than they were in taking a photo. These kids have so much fun together. And my kids love Taylor like a sister. awwww.

This  past weekend we took the kids apple picking in Julian. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Every year for the past 6 years our family stays in a rented house in Julian for a week during Thanksgiving and we LOVE it. Last year it even snowed! So on Saturday, we went to Peacefield Orchard. All of their apples are organic, so we could pick an apple off a tree and eat it right then and there. The kids had an absolute BLAST! Chloe, my youngest, loved to pick an apple off the tree, put it in her bag and then take it out and eat it. Even though we melted (it was at least 90 degrees out and humid) everyone still had a great time. And I’ve got enough apples to last me a lifetime!

Below are some images of Chloe sporting a darling dress from Cotton Laundry on Etsy. Go check them out! She has tons of super cute shirts and dresses for the upcoming holidays! I tried a little different style of editing the images below. What do you think??

And here is a cute pic of my kids, Landon & Chloe (the two on the right) with their buddies all sitting under a 100 year old tree!

I am SO SO SO excited to introduce my new Studio Manager, Stephanie! Some of you may have met her already at your recent session with me. The rest of you will get to know her soon enough. Stephanie has been a dear friend of mine for a long time and she’s super passionate about photography-and I LOVE that! She’s been tagging along to almost all of my sessions recently and has been a HUGE help! Especially at my newborn sessions! Now I don’t know what I’d do without her!
In addition to assisting, Stephanie will be taking over my emails now handling all of the new inquiries. With her help we can now respond much quicker to everyone’s emails. I get so bogged down every day in just emails alone that now I can focus more on editing and designing! I’ve been a one woman team for so many years now doing all of this on my own, so this is a huge step for me and I’m thrilled to have Stephanie on board!

Lastly, I am still needing a few more testimonials for a new project I’m working on (more on that later!) So if any of my fabulous clients would like to write one for me to include, please email it to: info@melissaylnphotography.com I’d be so gracious!! Thank you!

Melissa
Website
Blog
studio@melissalynphotograhy.com

My beautiful little cousin flew all the way out here from Iowa for me to take her Senior Portraits. She was so excited to get her photos taken at the beach. Too bad she is already leaving today to go back home and I’m so sad that I didn’t get to spend more time with her. I’ll have to make sure I get out to Iowa this fall, as fall is my FAVORITE time of year and here in CA, it’s still so hot in October and sometimes even into November. I’m dying to do a shoot there in the fall. Hmmm…maybe I should do some fall sessions out in Iowa. Anyone interested??

Kelli: I had SO much fun with you at your session! I hope you love your sneak peek! Have a safe trip home and I hope to see you all soon! xoxo

PS: Doesn’t she look like Tiffani Amber Thiessen?? (from Saved by the Bell)

Busy modeling for some amazing etsy designers!

First up: Bambaroos Children’s Boutique. I was literally jumping up and down, squealing like a baby excited when I opened up the package with this skirt in it! It’s absolutely stunning! And the instant I put Chloe in it, she had the biggest smile on her face. It’s like she really felt like a princess!

Next up: Charming Necessities. Have you seen her clothes?? If not, you need to go and check out her site ASAP!! ADORABLE, vintage inspired stuff! Both Chloe and little Taylor modeled for me.

And lastly, Little Posh Bebe! I’ve been drooling over her shoes for months! So I was over the moon when I got these adorable pair of shoes in the mail!

I’ve been a busy little bee the past few weeks. Not only with work, but with my personal life. My kid’s schedules seem to be getting busier & busier and I feel like the hours in each day are shrinking by the minute! I’m sad to say that I’ve neglected this blog yet once again. I’ve been meaning to share a huge post of sweet baby Alexa (instead of just one photo) but I just haven’t found the time. I wanted to give everyone a little peek at what I’ve been working on. I can’t wait to share more! But for now, here is a sneak peek of some designers I’ve been working with lately. I haven’t even gotten through all the images yet, but here are some that jumped out at me:

First up: Banner Boutique Everyone knows how much I *adore* these headbands! My daughter is practically a walking advertisement for them!

Next up: Little Owl Creations I’m so excited to have some knit hats for newborn sessions!

Next up: Simply Irresistible Bowtique LOVE the image of sweet little Taylor on the left!! Her face kills me!

Next up: Charming Necessities Again, I’m SO excited to work with this designer! Have been eying her stuff for a while now!

And lastly, Look at what I got in the mail today!!!!!!!! A DARLING pair of shoes from Little Posh Bebe I’ve been a huge fan of her shoes for a while now and I’m so excited to photograph my little Chloe in these!!!!!

I promise I’ll be posting more of sweet baby Alexa soon! Most likely early next week. Got a super busy rest of the week that will keep me away from my computer for a few days (my birthday celebration, lots of events for the wedding this weekend and Mother’s day!)

Have a great day everyone!! xoxo

I’m super excited to announce a Mommy & Me Mini Session Event! I’ve been getting tons of requests for mini sessions so I figured it would be so fun to do a mommy & me session! Being a mom myself, I know that most of the time we’re the ones behind the camera taking photos of our little ones. Well now it’s your turn to be in front of the camera with your favorite little people! This would be a PERFECT mother’s day gift (hint, hint husbands!) or even grandparents! There are limited spots available and they will fill up quickly, so call email now to reserve your spot!

As most of you know, all 75+ of Chloe’s headbands are ALL from Banner Boutique! They are hands down the best headbands out there! I always include them in my sessions. Lindsay from Banner Boutique was kind enough to send me a box of headbands for this special mommy & me mini session event so that every little girl can not only wear one for the session, but she gets to go home with a brand new headband! And these headbands are not just for the kids! Many of the headbands can be made to fit adults too. Click here to visit Banner Boutique on Etsy!

And don’t forget the added BONUS! One very lucky mom will get her Mommy & Me Mini Session for FREE! All you have to do is spread the word about this exclusive Mother’s Day Mini Session. Whoever sends the most fans over to Melissa Lyn Photography’s Fan Page, and likes it, will win! Make sure your friends leave a comment with your name to receive credit. To become a fan and like Melissa Lyn Photography on Facebook, click here.

Remember, there are very limited spots available. Call or email to reserve your spot now! Bookings taken on a first come/first serve basis.

949-433-0975
info@melissalynphotography.com
www.melissalynphotography.com

I cannot believe that a year has already passed by since my beautiful baby girl came into this world! It makes me very teary eyed, but I’m so excited to watch her grow and see what happens next with her since she’s always keeping me on my toes! She’s truly a sweet baby and I always say that the perfect way to describe Chloe is that she is a little ball of sunshine. She’s always smiling and laughing and now that she’s walking, she’s always trying to keep up with her big brother. I used to think (before she was mobile) that she was going to be just like all of the other little girls who just sit quietly and play with dolls. But now I think she is going to be out chasing her big brother Landon and climbing up on everything, despite her girly style. It’s only a matter of time.

On Saturday, March 5th, we celebrated Chloe’s 1st birthday here at our home with all of our friends and family. My sister and I planned every little detail for weeks and worked very hard and I’m still in shock that we were able to pull it all off! Since Chloe is so sweet, I decided to go with a Sweet Shoppe theme with girly pink and lemonade yellow colors and with a bit of a shabby chic twist. Nicole from Sweet Sensations provided the AMAZING candy station and ruffled streamers for the backdrop of the dessert table. Katelyn from Katelyn’s Cakes provided the awesome glitter cupcakes, lollipop/pinwheel cookies on a stick and the glitter chocolate covered strawberries. I’m still in shock that this girl is still in High School! She’s amazing! Nancy from A to Zebra Celebrations made the adorable “Happy Birthday Chloe” banner and my cousin Amy made the banner on the dessert table that read “Chloe’s Sweet Shoppe”. I purchased Chloe’s Pettiromper and fluffy cupcake shirt from Chic Baby Rose on Etsy. And of course Chloe’s FABULOUS headband was from the amazing Lindsay from Banner Boutique on Etsy. All of Chloe’s headbands are from Banner Boutique! LOVE her! My sister and I made the chocolate covered marshmallows, flower chocolate pops, raspberry lemonade sangria, food labels, flower arrangements and ALL of those flower pom poms!! (which took FOREVER! lol!) Thanks again to my amazing sister Kate for all of your help! I don’t know what I would have done with out you. I love you!
Be sure to click here to view the slideshow!!! (make sure your speakers are on!)

So here was my sweet Chloe Madison when she was just days old:

And now here at 1 year old!