October 30, 2011

I'VE MOVED!

I'm happy to announce the launch of a new brand that I've dubbed "Stunning: Portrait Couture by Tiare Photography" :).  Today, I released the official website, and will be blogging on a new blog as well!  Update your bookmarks & favorites, and come visit me there!

October 3, 2011

THE SWING OF THINGS...

I've been MIA from the blogging world for a LONG time!  Hoping to get back in the swing of things here soon - possibly with a new website and blog, on it's way soon!

In the meantime, I was thrilled to do Kayla's maternity shoot for baby #2 recently, and thought I should at least include some photos in this blog post.

We raced the sun setting, but were able to get a few great shots.  Congratulations Kayla, Ken & big brother Zander!




















June 27, 2011

PITY PARTY


(Image found on Pinterest by Rachelle Dunn)

My springtime/summer allergies hit me harder than ever, in all its seasonal glory - constant sneezing, drippy nose, sinus headaches: the whole miserable nine yards. I am convinced that there is mutant pollen floating around outside that is wreaking havoc on my immune system.

The consequences have been brutal. I've slipped up on household chores and making dinner, just to slum it on the couch instead with Netflix, my iPhone (for endless games of Words with Friends and that darn WebMD app that might turn me into a hypochondriac) and a tissue box, letting my kids run an absolute muck. My medicine cabinet has become my sampler box for the allergy medicine du jour. I could be the poster child for at least 5 different allergy medicine companies. The before-version, of course. I'm still waiting on the miracle drug to end this allergy horror.

I'm hoping to regain some functionality soon or I'll miss out on the tiny bit of a summer us Seattleites get every year. Stay tuned!

May 7, 2011

HANDPRINTS

I've always said that having children put things into perspective for me. From the moment I laid eyes on my firstborn, life as I knew it was altogether different. And truly, I'd have it no other way.

On Friday, my preschool daughters brought out two large brown envelopes, each adorned with shiny ribbons. They insisted I open them, even though Mothers Day was still a couple of days away. I told them I should wait, but they were so excited, I finally agreed to anyway.

Inside each envelope were identical sheets of paper that had a poem on the left. To the right of the poem was a red paint handprint - the handprint on one sheet of paper was slightly bigger than the handprint on the other. My oldest daughter Eden asked me to read the poem on hers first - hers was the bigger of the two handprints.

I read it slowly so she could try to follow along by looking at the words, and by the time I reached the end, I was completely in tears. I gave her a hug, and Taimane asked me to read hers to her. I obliged, and even though I'd JUST read the same exact poem moments before, reading hers had the same effect on me, and I couldn't control the tears.

They smiled, happy that their little Mothers Day gifts had such an effect on me, and I squeezed them tight. I sat there and thought about them as babies. I couldn't believe how quickly the years were going by, and how grown my little girls suddenly were. I stared at their handprints, and held their little hands, hoping that no matter how old they got, they'd never get tired of holding their mommy's hand, something they love to do now.



My life has been richly blessed as a mother, and I couldn't be more grateful for handprints on walls and furniture, and more thankful to my Heavenly Father for choosing to entrust 3 incredibly special children to me.

Happy Mothers Day!

April 9, 2011

ONE!

"Looks like Daddy will still be outnumbered...but not by himself!"  The ultrasound tech's choice of words made me pause to think a minute.  She must've noticed my momentary confusion, because her next words were, "It's a BOY!"  I remember how my heart skipped a beat, and the wave of excitement that came over me.  Finally..a boy! 

In just 5 short months later, our bouncing baby boy was born, with a full head of hair and the sweetest little face. His mommy fell in LOVE!
 
One year later, here we are!  I can hardly believe my Israel is ONE.  He is my most even-tempered child, and the star of the show at home.  His sisters looooove him to no end, so he gets a little spoiled sometimes.  He is sweet as can be, and my little cuddle bug.  The year has definitely flown by way too fast for me..I wish I could keep my kids babies for longer than they are. 



With his grandma, "G-Mom" on his 1st Birthday
(Thank you to Aunty Tiare for getting this shot..I have NO photos from his birthday..
so much for being a photographer..lol!)

Happy Birthday Son!!

March 25, 2011

PERSPECTIVE

I recently jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon.
Found this the other day, and I was reminded how lucky I am.


Image Source:  The World Sings

March 5, 2011

THREE...

...of my most prized possessions :).

The best part of ME:







March 4, 2011

ON THE BOOKSHELF : THE HELP

PREFACE TO THIS POST: I made a list in December. #1 on the list was to be a better blogger, and I have MORE than failed that one already, and we're just a few days into March. In an effort to get back on the saddle and make a real effort to blog, I've decided to dedicate some space to another number on that official list. #3 is one I'm actually doing OK with so far; it is, quite simply, to read more books.  "On the Bookshelf" will be a series of blog posts I will write periodically, with my thoughts on books I've read.  This is mostly to keep track of what I've read throughout the year, and to make me feel like I'm actually sticking to a resolution :)..lol.  But, maybe someone will pick up one of these books some time after reading these too.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help was technically the 4th book I’ve read this year, but the first I’ve decided to start this series of blog posts with. I knew about half way through it that if I was going to “review” the books I read, this is the one that I'd begin with.

I read the ENTIRE book on my iPhone using the Kindle app. It took forever to read this way, but that in itself should attest to how hard it was to put it down, and how obsessed I became with it. I have my phone with me just about everywhere I go, and so, the book technically went with me everywhere too.

I was completely wrapped up in it, drawn to each of the three narrators of the book, feeling like I wanted to reach through the pages (or iPhone screen in my case) and give them each a hug. I laughed, I cried, I recounted chapters of the story to my husband as if we had to do something about what was going on in whatever section of the book I was reading. I’m sure he thought I was nuts. At some point in the story, it began to hit home, and I have been beside myself since.

Set in the early 1960s, during the climb of civil rights movements in the U.S., it portrays the lives of 3 women in the deep South - two African-American domestic workers and one Caucasian woman who dreams of being a writer. Stockett does a remarkable job transitioning between perspectives and clearly establishing an important message throughout the book. It’s a heartstring tugger, and I found myself still reeling from the emotional high I was on after I finished it.





Growing up, my grandparents and parents hired domestic workers from Fiji who worked in our homes doing housework and cooking and caring for the children. Reading The Help took me back to my childhood various times in the book. While it wasn't nearly the same dynamic between my family and the women who worked for us, as it was between southern Caucasian families and their hired help in the 1960’s, there was still this onset of memories and emotions, as I felt like I could relate to the story sometimes.

In 1981, Naomi Bituroqoiwasa, who I affectionately called “Omzie,” came to work for my grandparents. I was born the following year, and my entire childhood, teenage years, and early adulthood are filled with memories of her. She passed away 5 years ago this May, and I miss her more than I have words to describe. She was simply another mother to me, who cared for me and had such an important hand in raising me.  She never had children of her own, but I have no doubt in my mind that she loved me, my siblings, and my cousins as if we were hers.  I wish my own children could’ve known her.  Like a character in The Help, I hope and pray that I thanked her enough, that she knows how grateful I am to her and how much she’ll always, always mean to me. 

Some of my cousins, brothers and I, and our last picture with her, taken in February 2006 in American Samoa.  She passed away 3 months later.

February 24, 2011

DOWNTOWN TACOMA ENGAGEMENT : MARK + SHARON

There are photographs of them as children, standing side by side. In one, they're toddlers in Germany; and in another, they're about 10 or 11, and in Colorado. Their dads were in the military, and they relocated often while growing up. At various times during their childhood, they just happened to live in the same place. They reconnected years later by writing to each other, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Mark and Sharon have known each other all their lives, and in July, they'll promise to spend the rest of it together.

I corresponded with Mark over email for weeks regarding his wedding, and sadly, I was already booked on their wedding day, but was more than happy to do engagement photos for them. Over the course of our emails, I knew one thing for certain - Mark completely and utterly adored his wife-to-be. It wasn't until I met them for their engagement shoot in downtown Tacoma that I could see it for myself, and to add to the beauty of it, I could see that Sharon reciprocated the feeling as well.

See for yourself...





















My FAVORITE pic...



FIERCE...



The Man of the Hour...


















Best wishes to you both ALWAYS!! xoxo