Becky LaFayette Castillo

Yesterday I had a really fun photoshoot on a private property filled with apple blossoms and tall grass. My friend Liz brought her boys for the playdate photoshoot and took this photo of me working. I love it! Kayla has her little grumpy face because she was bummed no one would look at her when she was trying to take her own photos Shelsea was perfectly content hanging out on my back in her new Ergo carrier.

Around 2am this morning my computer was hit by a trojan horse. My computer crashed and I wanted to cry. I am sitting here getting ready for bed and all of a sudden I am hit by an unknown beast that in turn took over my machine and it crashed. As much as I wanted to pick up the phone and call Dell I managed to hold back and just go to bed hoping that there would be a miracle while I sleep and somehow would be fixed in the morning. WRONG!

After spending 3 hours on the phone I am back up but its only a temporary fix. Over the summer my RAID system went down and I now come to find out I need a new hard drive. Yay for a new hard drive that isn’t going to cost me anything but I have to wait until Tuesday to get it installed. Then I get the fun job of reformatting my machine and reinstalling sotware. Can you tell I am ever so excited?

And what ever became of that Trojan? Its still there. The guy who made it up is making serious bank off of it. My wonderful and patient tech managed to figure out a way to disable it for the time being though that means I may not even turn off my computer for the next 3 or 4 days LOL

Today was my best friend’s baby shower and I wanted to give her a diaper cake as her gift. I have always liked them but there is just no way I could afford to buy one myself so I thought I would give it a try. Yesterday I went to Michael’s and Target to pick up all the stuff I needed and got really lucky. I didn’t really have a plan thought out how i was going to make it so it probably took me 3 times as long to pick up everything. I do have to say that I love the finished cake. It took me several hours to make since I have never made one before but it was so worth it. Today at the shower it made a pretty center piece and my friend loved her cake. Yay!

Recently I have been turned on to the wonderful world of cloth diapers out side of the prefolds I have been accustomed to over the years and my other two children using a diaper service. My new favorites are One-size bamboo velour diapers These super soft, squishy, organic beautiful fitteds are extremely popular and sell out quickly. I was luckily enough to get my hands on one (yes I said one) diaper last month and now I want more. They are not cheap by a long shot though. For this one diaper it was $33 and that is before shipping. Still I try by keep my fingers and toes crossed hoping by some miracle I can buy another diaper. So today is a stocking day over at goodmama and I already missed my first chance to get a diaper. With any luck I will grab a diaper at one of the other two stocking times today.

Just 3-1/2 months ago I took a huge step to start my photography business. It was a dream I have been holding onto for years but always found one reason or another to wait. I know I still have lots to learn and I still am searching to find my style but I am excited to say that Wild Rose Portrait Photography is growing fast.

Last week my friend let me borrow her girls so I can try out some new ideas. I had ventured out to the Rail Road Square in Santa Rosa just a few weeks earlier and took what is my current favorite photo of Myah. This trip sparked new ideas and I was fortunate enough get some time with Alia and Fallon right before a huge set of storms hit Northern California and knocked our power out for a whole day. I finally got a chance to share the first few photos from that session with my friend and I was so happy to hear how much she loved them. As much as I already love how her photos turned out, it feels great to hear her say she loved them too and share them with friends.

It seems like in a blink of an eye the year is over and in a few days we will be in 2008. I can not believe soon my oldest daughter will be turning 10 years old. Where did the time go?

This holiday season was by far the most enjoyable with my hubby. We went all out spoiling the kids with gifts knowing that we are unable to see any of our own family this year. The girls had a blast and I tried to capture some of the early morning moments with my new camera. Over all today was a relaxing day with tomorrow being much of the same.

My oldest is on vacation so we are headed out to scout new photo locations this weekend and I have several sessions lined of for the first week of Jan. I love being busy I hope the new year brings more fun as I travel on my new adventure.

Season Greetings to all!

I am so excited, I feel like a child with a new toy. After months of waiting and a whole lot of wishing Santa got my letter and my gift came early. A guy in a brown uniform disguised as one of Santa’s helpers just knocked on my door and I got a new camera today.

With the new year just around the corner I have a lot of projects up my sleeve that I hope to unveil in just a few weeks. It seems there are just enough time in the day to get everything done and still have time for myself and family.

This week has been a wet one. We took a drive out to Bodega Head on Tuesday to check out the 20 ft waves. Here are a few photos I took with my pocket digital camera. I still have yet to develop the film.

Kayla Snapped this one as I was on the edge of the cliff. That was a bit unsettling with the rocks below and the huge waves.

My happy girls all bundled up.

Today I bought my first piece of glass with my christmas money. Yes I know I have been wanted and waiting forever to get my camera but with two shoots coming up I really wanted a nice lens. I can’t wait to go out and play with it. Anyone care to come play with me?

I got a very special surprise yesterday from my parents in the mail yesterday. I have been saving every penny I have so that I can buy the one I have had my eye on since the Fall. Now it looks like I might be getting that camera for xmas. I am so excited. Where is the dancing smilie when I need it?