My Sister and Her Cowboys

Last month, I packed up the family into the RV and we drove to Missouri for 10 days. It was a wonderful trip filled with campgrounds, my high school reunion, lots of choo-choos, and most importantly, several days staying with my sister on her new farm. My sister and her family moved away from Colorado last summer, and we haven't been able to see each other since. We had SO much fun, and boy was that a loud house for a few days! Six boys all under the age of 6 makes for some busy parents, but it was such a wonderful chaos that none of us would have changed a thing. We got to ride the tractor around their beautiful property, explore the old barn, meet their adorable goats, catch fireflies, set off fireworks, and just spend lots of special time together. It ended up raining most of the time that we were there, so unfortunately we didn't get to do as much exploration of their land as we had hoped, but it was still a great time. Finally on the last night the rain let up long enough for us to get a few photos in...it was a quick session, but it was a fun one! 

The goats! "Little Black," "Little blue," "Little Green..." you get the pattern. These guys were so much fun, and boy can they EAT!

Little John, sweet as can be!

My sister with all four of her boys!

Sweet, sweet Timothy. How could you resist those eyes?

The Three Amigos! Timothy, Nathanael, and Peter had all gone to their first rodeo the week before we arrived, so they were in full cowboy mode the whole time we were there. 

I'm still a little surprised I didn't smuggle this little guy into the RV and bring him home with us!  :)

After we finished our session, we headed back to the house. As we were passing their spot for the future garden, one of my nephews found himself stuck up to his ankles in mud. When his brother went to rescue him, he got stuck, too! By the time it was all said and done, everyone had waded out into the mud, gotten stuck, fallen down, and been pulled out. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't some playing in the mud, too...it was the perfect way to end a great visit!

Connor, Class of 2015!

This is my son's hero. His name is Connor and I have known him since he was just a kid. When I had my son, Benjamin, he approached me about baby-sitting and I think his first time watching him was when Benjamin was just a few months old. He is the kind of guy who is always wants to help others, has all kinds of different interests, and always has a smile on his face. He has had countless swordfights with my boys, and always makes them feel special by stopping to say "hi" when he passes by our yard. I can honestly say that if either or both of my boys turned out like Connor we would consider ourselves lucky. So when he approached me to take his senior pictures, I couldn't have been more honored. Congratulations on starting your senior year, Connor -- enjoy every minute of it! We look forward to seeing and hearing about all the wonderful things your future holds!

Introducing...Elsa!

One of my favorite families has added a beautiful new little girl to the mix! Introducing Elsie Morris...little sister to Jack, Jed, and Brielle. I have had the privilege of taking newborn pictures for each of the Morris babies, and Jack was my very first baby on the blog! It was so cute to see how all of the kids acted around their new little sister. Jack is the oldest, so he has this big brother thing mastered. Then Jed was the nurturer of the three. He was SO gentle with Elsa, and was all too happy to shower the baby with lots of snuggles and kisses. And Brielle wasn't quite sure what to think, but she was very happy to get to hold her little sister (with Mom's help)! This was the first newborn session that I have done completely outdoors, but it was so much fun! The weather was beautiful, and we were able to walk just a short distance from the house to find this beautiful lake and grassy spot.

Thank you, Erika and Kyle, for allowing me to capture these moments for you again -- Elsa is an absolute doll! :)

The Twins are ONE!

Wow -- it has been awhile since I have posted anything on here! It has been a quiet couple of months in the photo world for me. Between Drew's birthday and the holidays, December was pretty busy. Then I had foot surgery at the beginning of the year that had me sidelined for awhile, too. February has gotten me out there again, and my first event to shoot after getting off crutches was the Younger twins' first birthday party!

I'm not sure where the past year has gone, but somehow these sweet babies have already celebrated their first birthday! Their moms outdid themselves with the party, too. I'm thinking they missed their calling -- they definitely should have been party planners! The theme was The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and every little detail was planned from the kids' outfits to the cakes and the decorations. Everything was SO cute -- although not so cute that it overshadowed the two stars of the day! 

Happy, happy birthday Tyler and Morgan -- may the next year be full of smiles, giggles, and many firsts! :)

 

The cupcakes were VERY colorful...

...but at least my family is ready for St. Patrick's Day! :)