Rain Couldn't Stop Us...

Rain...no rain...rain...no rain. We phoned each other about 5 times the day of our shoot trying to decide if we should go for it or reschedule. In the true spirit of the Northwest we decided to just do it. 45 minutes later the clouds came in and the downpour started. And that's when Dawn and David went form being clients to friends. As I started to jump into my car to wait out the passing shower they told me to jump into theirs. And there we sat for almost an hour chatting and pulling out their weather radar phone apps trying to figure out just what this storm was going to do.

That same gentle welcoming spirit that lives in both of them is just one of the traits that is going to make these two AMAZING parents. The excitement and joy in their eyes when they talk about this little one is so genuine. I can't wait to see that little bundle snuggled in their arms.

Meet the McCombs

The moment I pulled up to our session I should have known Joyce was not your typical mom. Her mom mobile? A gigantic pick up truck.

Later as we talked about things the family likes to do together, she kind of chuckled. Apparently Joyce is in line to win "Adventure Mom of the Year". Her kids have been skiing or snowboarding since they could say "black diamond". She also heads up the Ski bus program at King's Way to bring a little bit of the mountain into even more kids' lives. When the snow melts, she pulls out their ATV's and heads to the dunes for a little four wheelin' fun. These kids are blessed with one fun momma!

Our session was a blast. Of course it was. With Joyce, how could it have been anything else? She's bread confidence in her children and I could see it in the way they walked, talked, and freely joked around.

Thanks McCombs family! You guys are fantastic!

Pure Sweetness...

I couldn't help but smile as I sat editing these images today. Isn't this family adorable? Like seriously adorable. Their youngest was a bit shy, but I could catch glimpses of that mischievous sparkle in his eyes and I know he's got some pretty funny stuff up his sleeves and some slick dance moves too. And their daughter...just pure sweetness. Sometimes you meet someone and without saying a word you can literally see the kindness in their eyes. I could have sat for hours with her. Not one complaint, just smile after smile.

They say apples don't fall far from the tree. If that's the case do I dare guess which parent is filled with sweetness and which one is filled with a bit of mischief...?

Girl's Nannual Weekend

Sometimes your family ends up being spread across the country and sometimes distance becomes an excuse for not getting together. Not for these girls. Every year they meet in the designated host's city and sisters, cousins, aunts, nieces, moms, and nanny spend the weekend laughing, crafting, shopping, eating, and having the biggest slumber party you can imagine.

They joke that it took them 8 hours to agree on a name for their weekend long party. The weekend is a girls family reunion, but really it's all about nanny. And nanny doesn't mind a bit.



The girls are pretty serious. I had a hard time getting them to loosen up a bit.


They were pretty unphotogenic too.
And oh, so camera shy.

I wonder where she gets it...




Daughters and nieces

The shoot was winding down and one by one each one of these beautiful girls decided they wanted their own pic with nanny too.
And since Starbucks runs are a such a big part of their weekend, we had to get one last shot.
Thanks for such a fun evening ladies!

Whew! What a month!

How did I get to be so lucky? I've had a slew of amazing clients lately. And you know that whole 7 degrees of separation thing? Well, for the past month I've seen it in action.

It all started with the Jensen family. Robin saw their pictures and then found me. After her family session session she referred a friend who then referred two more friends. And of course they each received a referral gift from me.

This month, I'm shooting 7 families who all came to me by referrals. My business is primarily based off word of mouth so it means the world to me when you send your friends over. Seriously, thank you all for having so much confidence in me. I have the best clients!

I'm a little bit behind on this blog, so I'm going to attempt to do some doubling up.

Here are a couple amazing senior guys I shot last week. Both are musicians. Both are friends with Whitney. That last little bit? Well, because the came to me through Whitney, I knew I was going to like them. If they were friends with one of the happiest girls I've met, I figured I'd have some fun with them too.

Alex is brilliant. He may not know it or may not yet have figured out a way to apply his brilliance, but he will. I asked him the age old question "so, what do you want to do with your life?" His reply was awesome. Simply put, he wants to invent things. And not just anything. He wants to apply new laws of physics and make a pretty rad collapsing bicycle. His passion is to improve upon things we use everyday to make them more efficient. Umm...yeah. I think I was just trying to find ways to skip math class.
He also plays in a rock band. So, that makes him cool and smart. Nice combo.

Sisters

Shoots like this make me wish I lived closer to my sister or saw her more. The bond of sisterhood that these girls will always share is just magical. Daytime squabbles turn to nighttime giggles. They'll look back onto a life filled with memories of dressing up and dancing and hugging and doing things only sisters do. Every girl needs a sister. Some find it over time spent with friends and lazy summer days and shared secrets. These girls are lucky enough to be born into it.