I first photographed this next little character for his preschool pictures in the spring. His personality jumps right off the image & is infectious and I was looking forward to seeing him again and meeting his little sister. He did not disappoint. He is full of life and his sister is right there with him. I had so much fun moving throughout the house and then chasing him down outside. The parents were a little worn out but I told them I would MUCH rather have spirited kids than boring, sluggish ones. When kids are having fun their true spirits shine and I think you will see that these kids are full of life.
The sitting was a gift from their grandparents. My most favorite thing to do is to connect with people and I have to say talking with their grandmother on the phone a few weeks back was a highlight for me. We have never met but I could just tell by our conversation that she is a wonderful woman & it made my day to get the opportunity to talk with her. Lynn, I hope you love seeing these images. I know your gift will be cherished for years to come.
I just love this first image. The two of them together was very fleeting but it only takes a few moments to capture how much they love each other. And the last image makes me laugh too, he really wanted to take pictures and I let him take a few with my camera of his sister with her parents and there were a few keepers in the mix.

Today is Veteran's Day. I have never personally met a US soldier who has fought in war but this week I was reminded how lucky I am that there are men and women who fought for our freedom and continue to fight to protect us. On Tuesday, I was interviewing a gentleman for my new project and he lost 4 siblings to a war that was eventually won and his and all his countrymen received freedom. Half his family was lost in the fight for freedom. How fortunate we all are to have our freedom and today I am thankful and will honor those who have made it possible.

This post is important to me for another reason. I was so excited and felt so lucky to get to photograph this family. I have known Holly for a handful of years, we never spent much time together but we just clicked. I loved every minute I would get to spend with her. Lots of laughs were a guarantee. She is one smart cookie that lives life w/o pretense which is always so refreshing and inspiring. I have gotten to spend more time with her this year and my year has been better for it. I LOVED photographing her family. The kids could not have been cuter (as you will see from the endless number of beautiful images...and there are even more than these) & full of life. Because I think the world of her I am being a little more liberal with how many images I post. The family is on vacation and I hope they all huddle around a computer and cannot stop smiling with how stickin' beautiful they all are!!

Looking at these fall pictures makes me wish we could stop time and enjoying them for months instead of weeks. I have gotten to photograph these kids before but this time I was excited that mom and dad were included. Their kids are really terrific and I so enjoyed seeing them all together. The laughter and love they share with each other is great to witness and hopefully these images will reflect it.