back down the mountain.

we just returned from an amazing week of family camp at forest home. it was such a fun week. a time of spiritual rejuvenation for jenny and i, and pure fun for our kids. the highlight for our children was definitely the zip line. when we went last year, the boys were so bummed because they didn't meet the height requirement. so this year when we measured them the first day of camp, they barely made the cut. you've never seen such excited kids! and poor kaitlyn cried for 5 minutes straight after we measured her and she was a few inches too short. i have to tell you how proud i was when we climbed up to the zip line platform, which was at least 35 ft high, and both the boys never hesitated. they just stepped right off with no fear. and then, when we did it again, they both zipped upside down! well the story doesn't stop there. the last day of camp, we hiked back to the zip line because the boys wanted to do it again. this time though, the zip line operator asked kaitlyn if she wanted to go...even though she wasn't tall enough. kaitlyn was so excited! and again, i was a proud papa as my little 3 year old climbed up and stepped right off - no encouragement needed. i thought i have to coax her into it once she got to the top, but nope - not at all. here are a few pictures from the zip line. i actually took some of these pictures "in flight." it was a bit difficult to get myself facing the correct direction as i slid down the line, but it was a fun challenge.

getting geared up

the intimidating staircase

the second zip line day

micah on his way to upside down

kaitlyn on the platform before the ride down

even mid flight she never stopped smiling

after a successful ride

noah turned into an absolute nature boy. he lived for using his hands to catch creatures most would refuse to hold. his empty water bottle was always filled with everything from giant ants to crickets to lizards. here is a picture of a "stink bug" he caught despite our warnings and also a blue belly lizard.

cowboy micah. even though he was a little under the weather, micah couldn't be held back from riding the horses.

have you ever seen a happier kid?

i know i put a lot of kaitlyn in this post, but she is just so darn cute i can't help myself!

gone fishing. I'll be back on saturday the 19th.

i'm going to be up in the "mountains" for a week with my family at forest home family camp. i'll be back on the 19th. i'll be checking voice and email when i return.

i also wanted to post about a fun experience i had this week. as you know, i have twin boys - which always makes finding time for them as individuals a challenge. so, this week we made a point of giving them some individual time. i took each of them fishing for the first time. i woke them up at 5:00 in the morning and made it to lake cachuma just as the sun came up. noah went the first day and caught his first fish ever! the next day micah got to go, and he caught his first fish ever! they were not exactly big enough for dinner, so we threw 'em back in the lake. but, they can't stop talking about their first fishing trip ever!

i have so much more to blog about when i return. including a beautiful engagement session and an amazing wedding from yesterday.

leah and steve's wedding

you've never seen two people more in love with each other than leah and steve. they danced together the whole night, and just couldn't get enough of each other. they're garden weddig at the pierpont was beautiful, and their reception was non-stop fun! thank you leah and steve for letting me be a part of your big day.

jane and kevin's engagement session

jane and kevin's engagement session was smoking! literally. the gap fire was blazing in santa barbara and covered the sky like a dark brown blanket, so we decided to head up the coast to one of my favorite little "secret" beaches. we had the place to ourselves as we escaped the smoke and ash. jane and kevin were a blast to be around. they are so much in love, and it was great to watch kevin care for his bride to be as we had to climb up and down some tricky terrain.

happy and hot 4th of july!

i thought i ought to post before the power went out again, its been off and on for the past several days. the fires are currently burning about 1 to 2 miles from my house, and many of the homes in my area are threatened. so far, everyone is safe. my neighborhood has not been given an evacuation warning yet, so we are thankful for that. otherwise, life is carrying on like normal - and we did our best to enjoy our country's birthday. i hope you all did too.

here's a few pictures...

...the first is a picture of the sun through the smoke and ash. the second is the fire behind our house (taken from my roof). the rest are our patriotic little munchkins.

katie and jason's wedding

katie and jason's wedding was dream to photograph! larner vineyard had so many unique locations to shoot, i could have spent the entire day with just katie and jason - taking pictures all over the property. and i think katie might win the "most relaxed bride of the year" award. she completely enjoyed her day. the gorgeous lighting was provided by lani at lbps. and the delicious meal was catered by pure joy. the beautiful flowers were designed by jennifer. it was an amazing day and a wonderful celebration!