RedBarn Photography Blog

...Happy 12th Birthday Baby Girl...

 

I just cannot believe that my baby girl is twelve today! I love you Hannah Beth! I love your smile, your sweetness and how goofy you are. I love your passion for animals and all things good. I love how much you love your brother...even when he annoys you! I love watching you play soccer and love how much you enjoy it! Thank you so much for being you! Thank you for an awesome year...I LOVED all of our trips and am so thankful for YOU!! Just do me a favor and STOP growing up!!! Or at least slow down just a bit....

All kidding aside, you are growing into a beautiful young lady and I love you ever so much!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 

Grandma

    Have you ever seen or read the saying “Life is not measured by
the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath
away". My wife Michelle loves that saying, she loves it so much that
she has it posted on her website and hanging up in her studio. She uses
it as a motto for her work as a photographer, and for her life, as a
daughter, wife, mother and a friend. She is truly an amazing person.
     Me on the other hand, I have always liked that saying; however, I
haven’t always loved it, I guess it’s because I’ve never really stopped
to think of its true meaning. In January of 2008 I was forced to
stop, and take in its true meaning. I lost the single most influential
person of my entire life, my grandmother, Virginia Castro.
     To say she was a great women throughout her life would be a gross
understatement. And for me to think that I could possibly put into
words how much she influenced me and those around her would be
impossible.
She was truly a compassionate, loving and selfless person. She was the
most caring, consistent, and loving person in my life. Throughout my 37
years, I can not recall a moment where I felt anything but loved. I
could always count on her to just be there! Whenever I walked into her
house I instantly felt relaxed, comfortable, and loved. People like her
are once in a lifetime. 
      She was the example of how we should be toward each other, an
example of how we should conduct our lives. She was Gods example for
us, I thank the Lord for every moment I had with her, and I wish I
could have had more. I wish I could put into words how much she meant
to me and those who knew her. But there are not enough words in the
world to describe my grandmother, and even if you or I tried, they
would only be words. She lives in my memories, in those moments!
Because “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by
the moments that take our breath away"

I love you Grandma, I miss you and I'll never forget you...          Ray

...Happy Birthday to my Christmas Baby...

 

 

 

Well, I begged her not to…but Hannah Beth is turning 11 today! I asked her to just stay 10 forever…but she said no! Can you believe it?!! My beautiful baby girl is 11 years old. I guess she isn’t a baby anymore.

The night Hannah was born, I remember just staring at her. I was in disbelief that someone so beautiful and so perfect was all mine. What a wonderful Christmas gift.

We are always asked if it is hard? Does she like having her birthday on Christmas? Or we get the comment, “Eww, that must be terrible”. In response to all of the above, she LOVES sharing her birthday with Jesus. Hannah Loves celebrating her birthday while the whole world is celebrating! 

Here is a list of things that I LOVE about Hannah Beth:

1. I love that Hannah is not afraid to be herself.
2. I love that Hannah is a really good friend.
3. Hannah is a fabulous sister.
4. I love that HB has a deep love for animals and wants to be a vet.
5. I love that Hannah and her daddy are so close. She actually chose her birthday dinner knowing it was really her daddy’s favorite.
6. I am amazed at how easy school-work comes to HB, and how seriously she takes it.
7. I love to watch Hannah ride her horse- she is an awesome rider.
8. I think it is adorable how Hannah likes to dress up her animals.
9. I wish I could be as organized as Hannah.
10. I like that Hannah is forever writing lists.
11. I love to watch Hannah play soccer. Hannah Beth is an incredible soccer player!
12. Hannah excels at most everything she tries, because she puts her heart and soul into it.
13. Hannah is a very talented artist, she can draw anything she sees.
14. HB is also a very creative writer.
15. Hannah Beth LOVES books. 
16. I love that I never have to ask Hannah to work on a school project. She always goes beyond what is asked of her.
17. I love how caring and thoughtful Hannah Beth is. She loves her family and her friends. Hannah is a terrific older cousin to Abby and Toria. She is kind of a baby hog, though.
18. I love that Hannah Beth is actually, finally liking shopping for clothes.
19. I love that Hannah has had her 2009 Goals written out since the beginning of December!
20. I love that Hannah likes to bake chocolate chip cookies for other people- even though she HATES chocolate.
21. Hannah has a wonderful self esteem- which is so very important!
22. I LOVE that Hannah and I are close and that she still likes to cuddle. (sometimes)
23. I love that Hannah begged to visit the SPCA.  
24. I love that most years Hannah wants a Christmas themed birthday.
25. I love to see Hannah want to go to church and learn more about our savoir.
26. I love that Hannah has a love for music, like her dad and I.
27. I love that Hannah enjoys riding quads with her dad and brother.
28. I love the patience that Hannah has with Connor.
29. I love that Hannah has a desire to be a good person.
30. Hannah is very into traditions- I love that!

Of course, I cannot list everything that I love about Hannah- it would never fit on a blog. I love her so much!

Hannah Beth, I LOVE you more than words can say! Happy birthday baby girl! I know you aren’t a baby anymore, but I am holding onto it as long as I can. You are a beautiful young lady. Just remember to be YOU!

Love you always,

 

Mommy

 

Oh and one more thing- I LOVE that Hannah Beth is our little tree hugger and  that she wants to save the world!!

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

  

   

   

 

...BMW...

Bradley Michael, what a handsome guy! He has always been good looking.  He has the best features of his mom and dad. Some of the things that i love about Brad have nothing to do with how photogenic he is...He is great with my kids even though they are much younger, he is helpful around the house (at least at my house), he has a great personality, he is quite the funny man- just ask him about the gun show or his other special talent, he is a child of God and believes, he has confidence and it shows without being over the top, he is thoughtful and thankful, pretty much just fun to be around.  

Brad has watched me take thousands of photos of his sister Hailey. He has allowed me to take a few of him, but is usually not too interested. This year he changed his mind- a little. He saw the number of portraits that I have up in the studio of Hailey and compared it to the number of him that we have up. Hailey had just a few more. I got the felling Brad was not thrilled about that.  So he allowed me to take a few more this year. not enough to cramp his style, just enough to maybe get a few on the wall.

Thank you Brad! I love you!

Love-

       Auntie

 

   

 

This is Brads interpretation of being a model...

   

 

This is one of my favorites of Brad. I took it a few years ago...I cannot tell you how many people have commented on this photo. Women have told me how adorable he is...

 

I took this while we were doing Hailey's senior photos in Tahoe...The Boys...

 

...The Twin Falls Wall Family...

When I was in Idaho, this July I had the experience of photographing my brother Mike and his family. I have to preface this post with the reason it was an experience and not an opportunity. I don't remember ever working so hard to get a family photo before! Between Mike not looking and constantly moving, Laura scolding I mean gently talking to the children about touching each other and such, and then there was Judi- just trying to get a great photograph of her family. She was so sweet and tried to just keep smiling all the while ignoring everything that was happening around her. In the middle of the shoot we had a toddler that came out of nowhere and continually tried to invade the photo. Oh and I cannot leave out the part of Connor Ray being a complete goofball in an attempt to get everyone to smile at the same time. I felt like I was being torn in five directions and when it was all said and done- I slept like a baby! After I won at Scrabble of course! Sorry, Laura I had to include that! :)

In the end I captured some of my favorite family photos ever. It could be that I am a little biased...

Thank you Judi, Mike, Laura, Hailey and Brad for allowing me to capture some beautiful family portraits of all of you! I love you guys!

Hope you love them, too!

Love you,

       Michelle

 

 

 

   

 

...Hailey...Part II

Tonight, we went up to Tahoe to play and to do some more Senior Portraits of Hailey.  The rocks and water at Sand Harbor made for fabulous back drops! Of course, having a beautiful subject always helps!:)

Have a great weekend!

-Michelle

...Hailey Laurin...

We took some fabulous photos of my niece Hailey! Every summer we do Hailey's portraits while she is visiting. She has been a wonderful model for us and we love to photograph her. She is beautiful, has a great smile and makes us laugh with her outtakes. This year though, Hailey is a Senior so we needed to do her Senior Portraits! We are doing this in a few phases over the next week or so. These portraits are from the first phase at the Summit Mall. We had a blast @ the Hollister and Abercrombie stores! Thank you again, girls! :)

Thank you Hailey- hope you love 'em!

Love,

          Auntie

...Happy Birthday to my FAVORITE Boy...

My baby is 9 years old today! Why does time go so fast? I love having a 9 year old boy, but I miss my baby. He definitely keeps us all on our toes!Thankfully Connor Ray still loves to cuddle, but gone are the little boy features and the baby talk. Some of the things I love about Connor Ray are- he is a very loving boy, he and his sister are best friends (he would do anything for Hannah, he once slept in her room on the floor for a long period of time because Hannah was scared by herself), he still loves to snuggle, he is a hard worker and loves to help out, Connor is a great rider and loves horses, he also loves his quad, Connor has grown up so much in the past year- his confidence is great, I love that he is a little boy that makes boy noises does boy things and is forever giving me gray hair, I love that he likes to look good and wears clothes like his dad and Papa, I love Connors love for tools and all things in the garage, I love that Connor pretends to be a tough guy but is really a softy, I love that Connor isn't afraid to try new things (anymore), I love that Connor is so smart and has a photographic memory- he can always find our stuff, although he is usually the one who didn't put it away :), There are so many things that I love about my boy, I could never list them all here...Each year I wish he could just stay that age...then as the year goes on, I think it is my favorite age. I know i am going to miss my 8 year old boy, but that I will LOVE my 9 year old boy, too.

I love with all my heart Connor Ray! Happy birthday to my little man!

Love you,

  Mommy

Some of the many faces of Connor Ray...

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Happy Birthday Connor! Thank you for sleeping on the floor for me when I was scared! Oh, and thank you for saving Lucy! (the chihuahua we found on the road) I bet she is really thankfull! I really hope you have a great birthday! Love you, Hannah  Beth  P.S. Have a great 9th birthday!!!!!!!!!

...Toria...

  A few weeks ago- we were down in Oxnard at my parents home. My sister Dyanna and her family were also visiting. More on what we were all down there for later... Anyways...as my kids were getting ready to go to the pool, Dyanna and Vyctoria were sitting on the stairs, looking very pretty. The lighting was perfect- and I had to stop and snap a few pics... Here are a few of the many faces of Vyctoria. I also included one of Toria and her beautiful mommy. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Time to Play

       All work and no play makes for a long work week, and I like to play.
For longer than I want to mention I have been riding motorcycles,
either dirt or street, and I have loved it! The feeling you get from
riding on a motorcycle is like nothing else.
       But last year my brother-in-law (Nino) went out and bought 2
quads, one for him and one for his wife (but really for him). We went
out every weekend and hit the trails, me on my dirt bike and him on his
quad. Although his little Honda could not stay up with me  and my
Suzuki, I soon realized that he was having a lot more fun on four
wheels through the rough terrain then I was on my two. So I went out
and bought a quad, but not just any quad, the best high performance
trail quad on the market, the “Polaris Outlaw 500 IRS”. Well, I think
it’s the best, and it’s my story, so I’m going with it.
       What a machine, power and performance (not like Nino’s Honda),
it is so much fun, the jumping, the power sliding around a turns, doing
donuts, wheelies (well trying to do wheelies) and gunning it on the
trails. I am hooked, now not only am I out running Nino and his Honda
trx400, but I’m having more fun doing it. My dad even went out and
bought quad (Can-Am Outlander 800), and I just picked up a Yamaha
Raptor 80 for my son, that’s right a Yamaha not a Honda.
       We are all having a blast, just going out and hitting the
trails as often as possible. Even the Honda is staying up with us! The
family and I went out the other day and Michelle (“Mitch”) thought it
would be cool (yes, cool) to photograph some of our fun. Even Nino and
his Honda did great! I’m the one in gray/black riding the white/black
Polaris, and Nino, my awesome (yes, awesome) brother-in-law is in
white/red riding the black Honda. I’ll let you guess who my dad and my
son are!

See you next time,

Ray