I'm in the midst of holiday card design. Crazy to think that our mailboxes will soon be receiving beautiful cards from all over the globe. So I am going to be brief with this posting as this family is also due for a card design. Getting a family of four kids all in one place is definitely a challenge but it is one that I always look forward to and these kids are really wonderful. They stepped out of the car and were giving me hugs before we even started. Such a nice way to start.
I loved that they had lots of hugs for each other too!

How is it that tomorrow is Thanksgiving? Lots to do but I am looking forward to spending a few days with family and friends. Today while I was getting coffee at our local Starbucks (yes, hate me but I love Starbucks...I always tell myself I am supporting local business since they started here so many years ago), & my favorite, friendly barista said he was working tomorrow. I asked if he was going to get any Thanksgiving celebrations in and he said yes and went onto explain that he was looking forward to the family tradition of jumping rope after dinner. So random, but I love it! He said he started it a few years back, family members moaned and groaned about the idea but then they ended up having so much fun and it has stuck. How fun is that tradition??!!

I am so excited to share these next images for many reasons. I will share just a few here. I photographed the oldest of the 3 kids when he was an infant, over 10 yrs ago. I was living in Phoenix and would return to Seattle for weddings. I didn't do much portrait work at the time and was excited for the opportunity. I clearly remember the sitting, meeting his great parents and loving little Charlie. Fast forward to last year and I learned that this same couple has "bought" my sitting that I had donated to Zubin's Wish, a wonderful foundation that everyone should support. When I learned of their connection to Zubin's Wish I couldn't wait to photograph them again but it didn't happen for another year and we were so close to postponing due to rain. But we crossed our fingers and meet up at Baker Beach where I had one of the most enjoyable sittings of the year. It was so fun to meet Charlie so many years later. And his sisters were incredible too. I started shooting almost immediately when they emerged from their car. The youngest stepped right up and we just started rolling (the first 4 images below were taken right at the start). Giggles and smiles came w/in seconds and lasted all the way through. I was shocked to learn that just 10 minutes before I met them their parents thought the wheels were going to fall off and the sitting would be a bust. They were so complimentary throughout the shoot and then both of them sent me emails expressing their gratitude for our time together. It really touched me that they both took the time to send a message. And what I loved the most is that as their second said that evening, "....and one of the best parts about taking the pictures is that I got to hug Charlie and he never let's me hug him..."
I really do love getting to photograph families and this family in particular really was a highlight of my year. I hope that they love these pictures as much as they enjoyed our time together.

I was almost positive the rain was going to force us to postpone this next family sitting. Even as I stepped out of the car I was unsure of how far we would get. The sky was grey, the light was fading and I have to admit I am so glad I did not follow my initial instinct to reschedule because I had so much fun with these kids. Running, jumping and climbing trees filled the hour and it was topped off with lots of beautiful moments. I think I am making a habit of over sharing images here but I have decided I am just going to go w/ it and not torture myself in trying to narrow down to just a few favorites. I am adding more of their mom. She has attended a workshop of mine so I am guessing she is the family photographer and may not be in too many family pictures. So I am going to highlight her here. I think she deserves it.