Wow, the end of 2015 was utterly busy (which explains why I haven't blogged since August)!  Between being a mentor teacher at school, the craziness of fall as a teacher, and preparing for the birth of our daughter, it has been difficult to find time for photography.  I am happy to announce that Isadora Jade Tayag entered the world on December 10th, 2015, at 8:12am as a healthy newborn baby girl!  We were over the moon that the little girl we have been praying and waiting for finally arrived.  We finished out the year with a quiet Christmas and New Year's (silly me, life with a newborn is far from quiet) at home, soaking up our precious family time and sleeping when we can!   Here are our maternity and newborn photos, taken by the brilliant and talented Erin Schedler (erinschedlerphoto.com)!

On a rare hot day in May, Kaia's family and friends gathered at her home to celebrate her 3rd birthday!  The guests enjoyed a taco bar (since Kaia is a Cinco de Mayo baby, after all!) and delicious homemade cupcakes.  Kaia enjoyed playing with her best friend from daycare.  After birthday cupcakes and presents, Kaia got a big surprise - a new balance bike from Mom and Dad!  Next was chalk and bubbles...what could be better?

On a sunny and cloudy day in April, I met the Qu's at a park in Auburn for Daniel's 6-month photos.  Daniel was very interested in the camera and couldn't figure out what this big black thing in his face was!  Big brother Joshua was entertained by a big stick, picking the cherry blossoms, and the nearby playground.  The spring cherry blossoms provided a beautiful backdrop to this loving family.  Can't wait to see him grow up!

 Eric and I love to bring out our playful side and re-live our childhood!  We love to take advantage of Educator Day at the zoo - what a great deal!  I hope they continue this program, since I was shocked at how pricey admission tickets had become.  The zoo was filled with families and their children on this sunny Saturday, children and adults oohh-ing and aahh-ing at the wild animals just feet away.  What will you discover about yourself when you let your inner child out to play?

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”
― Gustave Flaubert

Sometimes you just need to get out of your regular life, your regular routine and do something new.  One weekend, we went to Bainbridge Island to explore and play.  We shopped, walked around, enjoyed the Farmer's Market, ate lunch overlooking the water, and found a cozy little ice cream shop.  It's refreshing to be in a different space, breathe different air, and meet new people.  It helps keep a marriage fresh and new as you explore a new place together.  And of course, we brought the puppy. :)

Birthday's are such special occasions - especially for children!  Every birthday represents momentous gains in their lives, filled with learning, growth, and happy memories.  Kaia is a fun-loving, happy, and determined to get whatever she puts her mind to!  Just look at those cupcakes - who wouldn't want more than one?  It's also evident that Kaia loves her family, especially her parents and grandparents.

How does the saying go?  A picture is worth a thousand words?  Let's see if I can come up with a thousand words for these photos: beautiful family, happiness, scenic, surprise, new baby, four, togetherness, big brother, growing...

Not quite a thousand, but you get the idea!  I took some family photos of Yong, Quentin and Joshua at the Olympic Sculpture Park on a cloudy but dry day in March.  Joshua had a blast running around in the grass, gravel, and up and down the steps!  We managed to get some good photos of him in between.  Although Baby #2 has yet to be seen, he or she was very cooperative for the first photo shoot!