Sophia is now five (where did the time go?) and she invited her favorite Disney Princess, Belle, to come to her Belle Birthday Party!

Now, if one is having a princess come to her birthday party, she needs to be dressed for the occasion. Mommy & Daddy gave Sophia her own Belle dress, with matching crown and shoes, as her very special birthday present. Sophia even got to have her hair done up with beautiful yellow flowers and glitter!

Sophia and her friends had a ton of fun! They played games with Belle, danced, got their faces painted and then had cake and ice cream.  What a great way to celebrate a milestone birthday!

Two weeks ago I was photographing with BKids Birthday Parites at the Coyote Hills Country Club in Fullerton, CA.

Little Kai was turing three, and his family celebrated the occasion with a party!  This Thomas the Tank Engine obsessed boy had a party fit for Sir Topham Hat- from the balloons to the cupcakes, this party was about a little engine with big adventures and the boy who loves him so.

Kai and I got along great, playing trains on the rug while we waited for the guests, and giggling away. And he LOVED my fake sneezes, they were guaranteed to get a smile every time.

So here’s a few favorites from the party to share. Enjoy!

Ryan is obsessed with Lightining McQueen and the Disney/Pixar movie “Cars” so when it was time for his birthday party… Mommy knew just what he wanted!

From the racing red streamers to the present table guarded by Mac the Truck, everything was “Go, go, go!” as the guests arrived with their presents for the three year old birthday boy.  (Guess what? Almost all the gifts went VROOM!)

They played games, bounced in the bouncers, raced their bikes and scooters, and then took out the pinata for candy before it was time for cake and ice cream.

Playing catch-up today with blogging – a week ago I was at Sophie’s camping birthday extravaganza to celebrate her turning four years old.

The backyard was all set up with a giant tent and daddy was going to be charcoal grilling hot dogs… corn and watermelon and baked beans… a chance to get away from it all by staying home and having everyone come to them to celebrate!

But since this was also right in the middle of the 100 degree summer heat wave we’d been experiencing, it was also a water party!  Everyone came with their bathing suits on ready to get wet in the inflatable pools.  Splash!

After swimming and food, the kids went on a neighborhood hunt for the piñata - “Swiper the Fox” had stolen it and all the candy inside! When they got back to the house they discovered it hanging in the backyard ready to go.  And so they broke it open and got their fill of treats.

Then it was time for a birthday cake made by some of her very best friends. It even had a campfire and tent on it!  Opening present, and then a bit of playtime as everyone said their goodbyes… and then, later, after everyone went home and darkness had fallen, her family gathered outside the tent to roast some marshmellows and make smores.

It had been a very good birthday…

I knew that I was going to have to share more images from this party here… from the play house and climber to the clowns, games and magic show… Makena’s birthday was just too much fun!

As I’m going through images I keep finding more and more favorites that I had to add in.  So here’s just a few more from all the fun. Enjoy!

PS – interested in finding out more about BKids Birthday parties? Visit the web site – and when you schedule, make sure you ask for me!

Last Wednesday was Makena’s 7th birthday… and so on Wednesday it was time to party!

I was invited as a member of BKids Birthday Party Photography and when I arrived, everyone was just hanging out and playing.  But shortly the clowns arrived, and the kids were lining up for balloon creations and face/arm painting.  Then it was time for the show!

Makena loved ever moment of the clowns magic tricks and clowning around, cracking up and clapping for everything they did.  At one point she was laughing so  hard she had tears in her eyes.

So here’s a small amount of favorites from this fun, fun day… but I think there’s going to have to be a part two post on this party – it was just too much fun!

I’ve known Michelle since she was just a little girl, and when it came time for her 16th birthday party, I’m so glad her family called me! (Although I’m still amazed that this poised young teen is the same little girl that started dancing after coming to my recital, way back when I was in high school…)

Turning 16 is a big milestone, and Misha celebrated it by donating 20 inches of hair to one of my favorite charities, Locks of Love.  Not only does she look amazing with her new hair cut, she’s made some child’s day because they can now have hair like all their friends!

The party was last night at The Brickyard Banquet Facility in Orange, overlooking Eisenhower Park’s lake. With a beautiful view as the sun set, I dragged the birthday girl outside from some pictures, and learned that despite her love of dancing on stage… she was a bit camera shy.  And so were most of her friends.

Luckily for me, as the evening wore on, they started hamming it up and wanting pictures, so we had a lot of fun.  In fact, they not only organized their own kick line and wanted me to photograph it, when I turned around they were lining themselves up on the stairs for a group picture. So I did what any good photographer would do: I photographed it!

So just a few quick favorites to share until I can everything edited and ready… happy Birthday Misha! Hope you had a great night!

I spent Sunday afternoon shooting for BKids Photo at Olivia’s Dollhouse in Tustin, one of my favorite places for children’s birthday parties.  This time, princess Sabrina was the one having the birthday, and she’d brought all her friends in for a royal dress-up celebration!

Sabrina and her friends had been to the Dollhouse before for other parties, but that didn’t mean they had any less fun!  They agonized over which princess dress to choose, and then switched out shoes several times. Then they had to pick their hair decorations, and their nail polish color… its so hard being a princess!

At last they were ready for their fashion show, where they all took turns strutting down the boa-lined runway for their parent audience.  

After that, it was time to eat, at a tea party fit for a queen… or at least a birthday girl. Sabrina was an excellent princess hostess, helping pass her friends food from the platters and making sure that they had plenty of pink lemonade tea at all times.  Once the beautiful heart-shaped cake came out, everyone sung happy birthday to the birthday girl, and then enjoyed their special plates of sweets.

And then, it was time to change back into their normal clothes… and head home… until next time!

Sunday I was shooting for BKids Birthday Parties (www.bkidsphoto.com) and I just wanted to take a moment to showcase a few favorite images.

Little Emma just turned one, and had a blast at her first party. She loved playing with her cousins in the ball pit, daintily snacked on her special cupcake, and enjoyed having her family around to love and adore her.