"Gabbi-Fabulous"

"Gabbi-Fabulous" It's a title we'd give any outfit our youngest daughter Gabrielle would come up with as a toddler because she has always L-to the, O.V.E. 'd to play dress up and usually the more sparkles and accessories....the better.... There is a steady stream of hilarious photos in our family scrapbooks as proof of this. 

Now that she's 10, tho- and always crazy busy with sports... it's more athletic apparel than anything else so it's a rare treat when we get to see her dressed up- weather it's for an event or to go and play with me and take photos.

She also has a knack for really rockin those old WWI & II era looks.  Hard to believe that this demure looking vintage lady is one of the more feared softball pitchers in the league!  Just one more thing that makes her so cool I guess....

Snap!

*SNAP!*

And just that quickly- a decade passed.....

Where did the time go? My baby girl is now 10!  My once chunky-monkey, hula dancing, crazy fearless- counter top crawling little sister with and attitude  has begun to bloom into the most amazing young lady....

http://didi-mycrazycrazylife.blogspot.com/2011/02/brithday-baby.html

So proud of this girl- good student, natural athlete, wildly sweet, thoughtful and crazy artistic- those looks will take her far in life- because she too- is the complete package.  Absolutely beautiful enough to be in the limelight- but smart enough to know that there is more to life than just a pretty face.

Happy Birthday baby girl- love you so much! xoxo

Halloween

Take a "stab" at what my favorite holiday is..... LOL!

I tend to go a bit overboard when it comes to Halloween....

I love to decorate both the interior and the exterior of our happy little suburban home... and at the end of the decorating day- if it hasn't run away on it's own- it's been decorated. 

My house this year was once again dripping in Halloween and  the creep-tastic!

I'm sure it's because I'm and All Saints baby- so pretty much every birthday I've ever had has been Halloween based... and I love it!  I've been collecting decor for years... and now that my kids are getting older- I can start to bring the dramatic rather than just the "cute"...   And this year, they were really able to help, create and cook and it is making the holidays just that much sweeter.

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Gabbi is and always has been a horse nut- so when Onika found several components of an equestrian outfit at our favorite 2nd hand haunt- it was as if the costume Gods were trying to tailor the perfect costume for my girl this year.

Not surprising that Onika wanted to be a Vampiress- again.... {for the umpteenth year in a row...} just with better accessories.... LOL-  Oh well- she rocked it.

We had a fun little get together with friends and neighbors and rocked the pre-trick-or-treat snack and the post-frozen children dinner.... witch's fingers, chocolate chip cookies, home-made chili bar, spiced apple cider and a jack-o-lantern pizza.... goodness on a plate!

I even got in on the action as a sugar skull pulled from el Dia de la Muerto lore.  I had fun with it- but felt bad- I scared the pants off of several little ones who came to "twik o tweet" my house.... they were definitely NOT ok with whatever I was and where the heck was Mrs. Miles at?????

Hope you all had a fab Halloween!!!

{and now... back to work for me}

xoxo Didi V.

In the garden of good and evil.....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

I'm not sure if anyone understands the way my brain works most days.... and I'm sure that my kids certainly did not Saturday morning.... but after a little bit of prodding.... they decided to humor me.... and I'm so happy that they did....

I have wanted to go play in the gorgeous old section of the cemetery in Everett on Broadway for years..... it's incredibly beautiful- the gravestones are enormous and ornate, with wonderful moss invading the nooks and crannies.  The trees are Jurassic in size and the leaves are falling in a perfect orange and gold swirl all around on the emerald grasses.

{we paid special attention to stay on the paths and to walk the rows carefully- we wouldn't want to be disrespectful-

 just appreciative of the beauty around us there}

It was magic as far as the lighting went- sunny as the fog lifted... so it was dreamy and soft

....mmmmmm.....

And of course- I'm biased... but I got to work with two of the prettiest girls I know!

It was so funny to look back at how we spent the morning... because the rest of the day- was spent in sweaty gymnasiums in basketball gear- looking NOTHING like they had a few hours earlier....

I guess Lisa Leslie's book title says it best...

"Don't let the lip gloss fool you..."

Because they played like total rock-star jocks all day!
What a great day with my kids.
xoxox Didi V.

And now... back to our regularly scheduled workload...

The Gaggle of girls

And speaking of beach photos that I am crazy behind in posting.....

{I'm pretty freaked out how fast summer came and went and how little I got out and did with my family}  Just in case you were wondering if I ever get out from behind this computer...... I did manage to grab my two daughters and my two nieces and head to Jetty Island for the afternoon with my Sis-in-law Heather.  A little pic-nic action, some photos and lots of swimming, splashing and sand... everywhere.... 

But they had fun- and so did I.

Marching to the Beat of a Different drummer....

That phrase sums up my youngest pretty well.  Gabs stopped letting me dress her when she was about 2 . 

{ And yes- I realize that I was the parent and I was the one in charge... however with two toddlers there were just some battles I was willing to call a "draw" on,  in order to win the war on getting ANYWHERE remotely close to "on time"..... }

She has ALWAYS had a need for huge color and bold print and the more- the better. 

"The girl with the most accessories wins"

 Would be the 2nd best phrase to describe her now... which is ironic since we used to call her Houdini for  her ability to escape clothing, diapers, socks, shoes and hair pretties... oh- and cribs and car seats....

Nowadays,  she lives in sports practice gear- so it was hilarious fun to let her dress as bling as she wanna be the other day.  We capitalized on a little slice of Heavenly golden hour sun and I got to spend some alone time with my baby- who is definitely not a baby anymore.

So proud and so blessed in this life to be given my amazing daughters and a relationship that lets me combine my love and appreciation of them with my love for photos.

Kiss your kids and go &  take some pix!

Chix Pix

 You know- it all sounded good in theory....

One dozen little fuzzy yellow chicks. Check.
Giant plastic Easter Eggs. Check.
Easter Baskets. Check.
One dozen small children (and oodles of excited parents) booked to have photos taken. Check.

Permission to invade the yard of a neighbor, who has the perfect "little old lady"  house with soft dappled sunlight through enormous old growth trees, on the unmanicured lawn that is largely comprised of moss- and it was perfect for my giant Easter eggs, baskets and bunny ears.... and lots and lots of children..... Check.

But as I rose early on that completely dreary Sunday morning... it was pouring sideways rain, sleet, hail and snow greeted me when I opened the front door.  I was praying to all spirits who would listen to bring me sunshine- or at the very least- make it stop precipitating!  But the weather continued to get worse as the minutes ticked by and I took the weatherman's name in vein a number of times while contemplating whether or not it would make me a terrible person if I took up drinking at 8 AM.  I was relatively confident that I may have a heart attack- I was positively nauseous.

I began taking inventory of what I did have... (I had left two of my old studio lights burning over night to keep the garage warm for the fragile little chicks and consequently killed both bulbs....) I knew I couldn't shoot indoors in the garage studios with only one soft box and that many moving subjects. (lesson learned... ALWAYS  have a back-up on hand....) 

Gabbi and I began to brainstorm (she is the best little assistant some days!).  We realized that our front porch- was pretty good sized and with the overhang- well shielded from the rain.  Our house is boring old plain white with white trim... which acted like a natural light deflector and bounced around what light we did have.... so she and began running around gather props, light poles, clamps and back drops and set up a studio set on the front porch.  It was definitely more commercial than I tend to work, but it would have to do!

Thank goodness that my friends and new clients had faith in my craziness- because we got some cute stuff- and as the morning moved along- the sun came out and we had a glorious afternoon.

And I absolutely could not have pulled this event off without my two built in assistantants- Oni & Gabbi you were rock stars!  And a huge thank you to LSHS Senior and fellow photo-geek, Kaitie Jacobs.  It was certainly not glamorous work- but it was essential to making it all happen.

And so- with out further chicken scratch {pardon the pun}... enjoy the cuteness that is kids and baby chicks!   Happy Spring! xoox Didi V.

Birthday Baby

This has been a whirl-wind year already- and I can't believe that it's also birthday time for my youngest! 

Nine years ago today, I was up at 4 am doing my hair and make-up and getting ready for my scheduled C-section.  It was finally here- the end of the longest 9 months of trouble and anxiety ridden pregnancy and time of my life and the beginning of life with a newborn and a toddler.... and about to be some of the longest days of my existence.

 I was up that early because this time around- I wanted my first photos with baby to not look quite so horrible as I did when Onika finally came into this world...  I wanted to look alive- and perky... (of course after surgery and massive weight gain.... there was no pretty- or perky- just saying...)

Gabrielle came into this world with some pulling and prodding and a few surprises. She was supposed to be small- a low birth weight baby due to what all ultrasounds had said was a two vessel cord baby... there were also the partial placental abruptions and then low amniotic fluid.  We had been hanging by a thread for months of bed rest- praying that she would be ok.  The final scan had placed her at 6 pounds- with there being the possibility of a pound in either direction... small- but do-able.

After a not so pleasant 5 attempts to get my spinal going (thanks Everett General @ Providence).... we were finally down to business.. only she wouldn't fit through the incision..  all I heard was, "uhm... need a little help here...."  and of course I panic (in between puking every few minutes... anesthesia- not very nice to me).  Turns out she was not small, low birth weight- or a 2 vessel cord baby... she was an 8 lb 4 oz, 21.5 inch cruise missile who came out screaming loud and proud!  Our prayers had been answered- she was not only fine- she was perfect!  And so began life with Gabrielle.... our youngest has been determined to survive from the very get go- and that tenacity- is the very core of her personality!

She is not only one sharp cookie- but one of the naturally most gifted athletes we've seen.   She had figured out how to scale the kitchen cabinets before she could walk independently- and was single handedly the reason that our homes had to be baby proofed with locking cabinets and chimes on the doors. (Oni- never pushed that envelope- Gabbi- every danged day).  In fact we called her Houdini for the longest time- clothes, socks, shoes, hair pretties, strollers, crib,car seats... you name it- she could escape it!

So it's a really good thing she was graced with those huge copper colored eyes, and a smile and dimples that go to the moon and back- it's the only thing that has saved her some days!

We are so proud of the person she is- inside and out!  Happy Birthday to our "Hula-Hula" girl!  xoxo

Happy Birthday!

I am sitting here in awe of the fact- that at this time- eleven years ago today.... I was being whisked down the halls of Everett General for an emergency C-section after 4 days of inducement (and they were the absolute longest of my life). 

My heart was racing- I was scared to death- and my heart was broken.  I was ready- I was going to push this baby out- natural with little or no pain meds..... I had take all of the classes- read all the books, had a Douala and my husband....

ME:    "Wait!  Where the hell is my husband????"

As we race down the hallway, she's up on the table with my gown ripped back and rubbing iodine all over my enormously pregnant belly....

NURSE:    "He'll be right here ma'am... he's still changing into sterile surgical scrubs."

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Meanwhile.. back in my hospital room.... Ron emerges from the restroom to find the room empty, me and the bed GONE... he freaks- grabs the first orderly he can find...... by the collar and in a rather uncharacteristic moment  screams:

RON:     "Where the hell is my wife??????"

ORDERLY:  "Sir, if you'll just put me down.. I'd be happy to take you to her..."

RON:     "OH! Uhm, thank you"...

****************************************************************************

Clearly not some of our finest moments- and yet- they were- They had my strapped down and cut open in record time and with some pulling and prodding- they pulled out the most amazing perfect, little beautiful baby girl out of my abdomen. (I'd be remiss if I didn't say that I had a fleeting moment when I felt like Sigourney Weaver in Alien(s)... but it was the single most amazing and exhausting experience of my 28 years to date, on this planet.

Little did I know THEN  that labor and delivery was absolutely the easiest part about having children!!!!!  And yet- we choose to do this all over again two years later with Gabrielle... so clearly we were brain damaged from lack of sleep- or.... it really is as cool as we think!

Through the months and months that turned into years, with no sleep, teething, potty training and enough laundry to  wrap the entire planet in... we have survived.  We've survived the arrival of Onika M. Miles- (and Gabrielle L.) and their non-stop energy and talking, endless streams of homework, projects and sports practices... and we're only halfway done.....  We still have homework, and more homework.....more endless sports practices and games, driver's ed and more sleepless nights ahead when they begins dating and we'll long for the days that we could hold them in one hand and be the center of their universe.

I am so incredibly, ridiculously proud- and in love with my kids!  Happy birthday to my brilliant, beautiful and crazy talented Onika.  You make my heart soar! xoxo ~ Momma

Monkey-ing around.....

So I know.... I'm way behind on this post....  This was from October- on a very wet Seattle day.

I love the zoo- more specifically- I love the Woodland Park Zoo.  It's beautiful- and while I don't love that the animals are in captivity- I'm grateful to be able to see and experience them up close and appreciate how magnificent and magical that is.

Our dear friends {the P- Fam} from Spokane were over for a visit and the kids wanted to go to the zoo... and it was the perfect day to go- there was virtually no one there but us.  We could linger as long as we wanted to with no worry of being in someone else's way.  It was great!  We were also joined by Sean's sister Sarah and her family- so I had lots of absolutely adorable little monkeys to photograph!

If you haven't gone- or been a while- go in the off season- it's a better rate and way less visitors!

Have a great day- go monkey around! xoxox Didi V.

Winter Wonderland

Winter arrived with a small skiff of snow this year- but lots of ice to make it all kinds of difficult to get around last week!

While we had less than 6" of powdery snow- the ice that lie below was wicked. We had had much precipitation and high winds and the drop in temperatures wreaked havoc on the Puget Sound with trees down across roadways and some power outages.

The kids were quite excited that they got an extra two days tacked on to their Thanksgiving holiday.. of course if this keeps up... they'll be in school 'til the 4th of July.... but to be able to play non-stop in the snow for 2.5 days before it rained and melted off- was priceless!

The "Big Dipper" as all the neighborhood kids call it was like a thriving metropolis of kids and sleds and colorful winter wear... and had it not been so danged cold- I probably would have hung out longer- but the windchill was in the single digits!!!!!

Hauntings and Happenings.....

Just popping in quickly with some of my own hauntings and happenings here at Che Miles.... fall is absolutely one of my favorite times of year... the color and crispness, trips to the pumpkin patch, spiced cider, Carmel apples and pumpkin spice lattes!!! Crisp fall air, fallen leaves, the smell of a wood fire in the fireplace.... mmmmmm....... And I L-O-V-E to decorate for fall and Halloween- as you can see my house is dripping in it... inside and out!

We've also had an inordinately large amount of salamanders, snakes and frogs this Autumn... which makes my kids ridiculously happy... {did I mention that I live with Dr. Doo-Little I & II}

So life here at the Miles house rolls in and into basketball and book reports and pondering who will be what for Halloween.... I'm snapping away like a woman with her hair on fire trying to take advantage of the weather before it goes to... {well you know what I was going to say} winter mode.... I may make it out of hibernation from behind my monitor soon....and come out and be social.... but 'til then- have a great day- make the most of it! Mwah! xoox Didi V.

Hanging with my girls

Saturday was a crazy day for sure~ it was a flying trip to Leavenworth, Pashastin & Plain. It was primarily a work trip for me but we three girls did manage some fun in there as well.

We rolled around in the pumpkins and picked up some gorgeous produce and snacks to munch on before heading out to Napeequa for a visit to see Dr. David and see how they bottle our fave flavors! It was a cool process and there were some fun visitors.... {more on that later}

Girls Day

I take things for granted... I do- and I'm ashamed to admit it.... but I'm not so proud that I'm not above trying to fix that tho!

I'm reminded daily in my dealings with people- of a life cut short or massively impacted and forever changed, and the phrase, "I just thought I had more time" or "someday".... and then you have no more some days.....and no more chances to make things right.

Of the times and trips I've taken this year showing my clients fun places to go and shoot photos of their family playing and experiencing new things... I had yet to bring my own kids to experience the Seattle and the Market. And I've lived here for 18 years- and had NEVER gone to the Needle! I know- lame....

So I took last Friday off- got the girls up early- stopped for gas and told them to go and pick out two packs of the most obnoxious bright colored bubble gum they could find. They both looked at me like I'd lost it.... And we were off! We did donuts from the bakery by the flying fish, rode the pig, checked out the cool vendors in the market, found the bubble-gum wall and the girls were grossed out and intrigued all at the same time- and yes- they contributed...... we walked and walked- I introduced them to Pirosky-Pirosky- YUM! And We walked some more.

We headed to the Space Needle and took the spendiest elevator ride in the history of the world... but we can now say that we've been there- done that. The views were spectacular- but we are all a bit wobbly and nauseous... and glad to be back on the ground. :) We checked out the cool exterior of the EMP- and then headed to Capital Hill for Cupcake Royale..... and they rocked!

We had fun- made some memories and soaked in some sun on a glorious day.

Don't wait- get out there and play- don't be left saying "I wish I had....."

Much love- Didi V