Happy Mother’s Day to every mom who loves and cares for their child(ren). It’s a tough job. Trust me. Even though I was fairly angelic, I may have put my mom through some trauma.

I’m feeling blessed to have such a great mom. She’s really creative and smart. She was also my teacher for most of my school career. That kind of deserves a medal since we know that most homeschool moms are one science test short of a nervous break down. 

She had to put up with me when I was 5 years old and asked her 4,695,385 times if TODAY was my birthday. Note to all mothers of young children….never tell your child that their birthday is coming soon.

She comforted me after kindergarten one day when I came home and told her that I was sad because my classmate had a camera and I didn’t know how to take photos. She gently told me that while I didn’t know how to take photos, I knew how to make macaroni and cheese. I reminded her that I couldn’t use the stove by myself. “But you know *how* to make it, she reassured me. And that *did* make me feel a little bit better. But seriously, that was the most traumatic Show and Tell ever!

Although she always had an excuse why I couldn’t have a monkey as a pet (as a BFF!!!), she did let me and my sisters get the cutest dogs years later. Years later, I *still* had the same points as to why a monkey would have been a great pet.It almost felt like déjà vu.

She and my dad also showed us how easy and normal it is to tell the truth, be kind to everyone, give to others….you know…..try to act loving like the Bible shows.

And let’s not forget that she taught me how to speak Spanish and English. Imagine the trauma I must have caused her as a 4 year old asking her, “How do you say ____ in English”? Yes, I’m super blessed!

I’m also blessed to have my sister in my life who is also an amazing mom. She has two brilliant, beautiful children who I love so much. My sister does everything from teaching my young niece how to make creme brulee to tracking down stolen cups of coffee that my 2 year old nephew drinks up and hides. She also makes amazing (AMAZING) meals and cleans her home using natural home made cleaners….. without being one of those judgy, crunchy, cray cray moms. Yes, I *did* just say that. And she was on my side about the monkey pet thing so many years ago, in case you were wondering.

And let’s not forget my awesome aunts and cousins who are moms. They each have their special talents. I’ve laughed, been encouraged, and been fed amazing food by these ladies. Proverbs 31 anyone? When our family needs something, they are there. They are big time givers. When tragedy strikes in our huge family, they somehow find the time to help. When we have family gatherings, they always bring way to much food. When I post a photo on Facebook, they often share and comment encouraging words. Whether they are grandmothers or just starting their families, they are amazing.

Some other ladies who come to mind today on Mother’s day are Mrs. Apple, Shelda, Barbara, and Yolonda.

Yolonda is the owner of Amaya Papaya. She’s always giving and is so positive! She started her business to help so many kids and their moms. It’s so cool to see where she is going.

Shelda was my 4-H agent in middle and highschool. And no, I never raised a pig. LOL. Shelda along with Barbara worked at the county office and taught me and many others so much. Barbara taught Consumer Choices and had such a great sense of humor. I’m laughing now at some of the stories she told us….like the time when she went around at a party saying a word in Spanish that she *thought* meant something totally different. Shelda also made a big impact on so many kids. You could ask her any question about any topic and she somehow knew the answer. “Who’s holding this office in this city? How to you make raviolis from scratch? How do you sew a ball gown? How do you shoot a bow and arrow? What kind of bug is this?”. Yet, she is such an incredibly humble person. Although she was incredibly busy, we always felt like we could go to her office and visit. I was so incredibly shy and she somehow helped me with public speaking in front of a crowd. I just can’t say enough about these ladies.

Mrs. Apple is so, so dear to my family. She’s beautiful, so incredibly wise, full of laughter, and is so incredibly humble. She is thoughtful with her words and really researches things. Because of her character, her word is gold. She has our deepest respect and affection.

Now that I’ve written a novel, I will end with this. To all the ladies that have influenced me and helped me, thank you so much! I’m so thankful! Also, since it’s crazy late and my eyes are half way shut, I hope that this post makes sense.

This video is so great. It shows that we can each do something, no matter how small, to make a difference! If you like it, please share.

Harlem Shake – Big Giveaway!

Our Amaya Papaya Harlem Shake was such a fun time! The kids did such a great job with this. Please help us get to 5,000 views by sharing the video. If we reach 5,000 views on our video, we’ll be doing a big giveaway!

Our winner will receive the following:
An Amaya Papaya Year Membership worth $199
A Michelle Guzman photo session with digital files worth $375

Want to enter our big giveaway!? Here’s how.

1. Share our YouTube video (Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, or any social media platform that we can see). You must be a fan of both of our Facebook pages to enter.
2. Come back to this page and leave a comment letting us know HOW you shared the video.
3. You can share our video and enter to win on this page as many times as you would like.
4. One comment stating HOW you shared will equal one entry.

Please share this video: HARLEM SHAKE VIDEO

Amaya Papaya
Amaya Papaya Facebook   Visit page to see “SHARE Link”.

Michelle Guzman
Michelle Guzman Facebook   Visit page to see “SHARE Link”.

Please note that this is an Amaya Papaya and Michelle Guzman Photography contest and is not in sponsored by any other company.

Portrait Photographers :: Orlando

I love these portrait photos of this gorgeous mom and her daughters. They wore such fun colors and were the perfect models! We even talked about princesses and candy. It was a really fun photo session.

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Tonight, we got on the Harlem Shake trend with these awesome kids and their families! Thanks to all the parents and kids that came out to Amaya Papaya for this video shoot. We’ll be posting previews on our Facebook pages, so check and be sure to “LIKE”. us at Amaya Papaya Facebook and Michelle Guzman Facebook. Are you on Youtube? Subscribe to my channel for the upcoming video.

STOP MOTION VIDEO BELOW  PLEASE SHARE!

PS-  Check back because there’s going to be a giveaway!!!!!

Harlem Shake Kids Stop Motion

PLEASE SHARE!

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Portrait Photography :: Orlando Photographer

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It was really cold, but I wanted to capture a few photos and video of my favorite girl. <3

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So happy to have had some amazing ladies join us for our Winter Garden workshop. It was fun getting to know everyone, photographing our super cute models, and working on our photography skills.

If you’re interested in learning about future workshops, just sign up for the free updates for news and exclusive subscriber discounts.  If you would like to set up a workshop near your area, please use the contact form to send me a message.

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I like surprises, don’t you? In this post, I have a little surprise from a recent birthday party I photographed. I can’t wait for this family to find out about their surprise.

Know what’s better than professional photos? Professional photography and video! Surprise! I not only photographed the session, but I captured some footage of the party. Here’s a highlight video of J*’s Super Hero Birthday Party! Surprise!

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