Renee Giugliano Photography

Vacation – 1 whole month of nothing but family time. I will be honest, the first week I felt very anxious – like I was forgetting to do something. I had none of my own computers, no image files. Although I was receiving email & phone calls, I vowed to do keep my word and stayed CLOSED. And I did! My kids & I hopped on a plane and headed to Southern California for 3 weeks. And it was so much fun. The kids loved the airport, the plane rides (we had connecting flights) and LOVED staying at Grandma & Grandpa’s house.

It was so hot. Right before we left, Oak Harbor was hit with 90 degree weather, which actually prepared me for what was to come. And sure enough, California brought on the heat. My parents live inland, and the air conditioner is on 24/7. But it didn’t phase the kids… they loved the weather too!

We did so many things while visiting. We really only had a few plans, but ended up doing so much more. Graduation party, family reunion, theme parks and family visits. A lot of you are friends on facebook and have seen bits and pieces of our adventure through pictures/posts. Here’s a few more highlights from our trip. Some of these pictures were taken with my handy-dandy point & shoot  – so no knocking the quality! To me, having that little pocket-sized camera was so easy and let me enjoy my time without worrying about settings and so on. (Yes, I was an AUTO the whole time – hee hee :))

Waiting at the airport – it was Abigail & Elijah’s first plane ride

The following day after our arrival was my niece’s college graduation party

Then it was all about playing at the park and in the pool for the kids

My mom’s side (the crazy mexican side) had a family reunion/picnic. We all had so much fun! Below is tug-of-war, youngin’s vs adults.

We visited Legoland for the first time! We all LOVED it. My sister & I took the boys to Disneyland also (free tickets), but they enjoyed Legoland much more, so did we!

Do you have a child like this? Well, so do I – always hiding from the camera.

Driving solo, he LOVED this and wanted to go on again and again. No track, he held down the foot pedal & did all the steering on his own.

Then more fun with the water in the backyard!

Yes, that’s my 4 yr old diving in head first!

Then we visited MY happiest place on earth – Knott’s Berry Farm! The kids loved it here too! We spent most of our day in Campy Snoopy.

Abigail loved the rides! Here she is on the air balloon ride.

Brother & sister on the little train in Camp Snoopy

Unfortunately, 2 days after we returned home, we were at the ER with a possible fractured ankle. He left with a splint (that looked like a cast), crutches & pain meds. We saw his regular doctor a few days later, new x-rays revealed no fracture, but a very bad sprain. No more crutches but he does get sore after a lot of walking/riding his bike.

And yes, I am open. I had my first session on my first day of reopening. It was an adorable repeat client who just turned 2 years old. She was wonderful! I had so much fun. I was quite tired after, but it was from playing peek-a-boo and laughing so much. So, now I am returning calls/emails, working on customizations, processing orders and preparing for the upcoming holiday season. Be sure to join the e-newsletter to get promotional information first. Click HERE to sign up. I am fully booked for August, but have openings for September & October.

Thank you for your patience as I get back into the groove of working again! Taking time off to spent time with my family really helped with refreshing myself. And thank you to my family – I had so much fun with everyone! I hope to be able to visit again next year!