Working through these images was tons of fun for me.  This family has let me photograph them over the years and their relaxed vibe with fun, spirited kids is always a recipe for success.  We started with a few pictures inside when I arrived.  I had a first...photographing a guinea pig...I can see a coffee table book in my future.  A very cute subject, elevated by the most loving care giver ever.  The first set of her brother illustrates where we started...a little shy and unsure.  It didn't take long for him to warm up and have me rolling with laughter right along with him.  I always love watching young siblings try to hug each other...never picture perfect, but always filled with more love and emotion than the nice, soft hug.  Since we were in their backyard, capturing a few "at play" pics were essential.  These kids are stunning on the outside which mirrors their beautiful personalities.  LOVE this family and am thankful they continue to ask me to document their family!!

When I received an inquiry for this next sitting, it was from a woman wanting to have her 3 grandchildren photographed (siblings and their 3 month old cousin).  She asked very few questions and as I was arriving at her home, I assumed all the parents would be there with the grandchildren.  It was an incredible, pleasant surprise when I discovered she had coordinated the grandchildren to arrive with their childcare providers.  It was a first for me.  Kids only and no parents to be found.  I thought it was such a nice gift to arrange for her children.  And then she continued to surprise me.  She was incredibly relaxed and easygoing about the entire scene.  No fussing for the "perfect" shot.  No frantic-ness when the infant decided he wanted absolutely no part of the sitting.  I am very grateful for her calmness and I hope the pictures bring her big smiles to remember the morning she coordinated a great gift for her family.  There is not a picture perfect image of the cousins together...it just was not in the cards that day.  But there were smiles from all of them.  Here are many of my favorites.  I especially love the most creative response to how old did you turn yesterday...his three finger display is one I will never forget.  Iris, I hope your kids love the gift you are giving them.

These pictures make me smile for so many reasons.  First, the kids were a little unsure/shy when we first started out.  What kids aren't?  They quickly eased into things and soon uncontrollable laughter followed.  In the beginning, they we not really into the idea of being photographed and mid-way through, they were ducking into each other's picture (black and white on the stairs) and asking me to follow them to a spot to take more pictures.  As we were nearing the end of the shoot, something upsetting happened to the youngest.  Every parent's nightmare in the midst of a paid sitting.  But I LOVED it because it gave me a chance to capture the beautiful exchange with her dad and the laughter that quickly followed.  These parents were wonderfully relaxed and let the magic rise to the surface.  Magic doesn't happen in the first minutes (sometimes leading to an anxious filled time for parents), but it always emerges, even when it seems the wheels may fall off.  The wheels never even wobbled with this foursome and it was so much fun!  These pictures are in chronological order...the first two taken with in the first five minutes and the last was the very last image taken.