And then you put both of those together and the result is an almost overwhelming blessing.  I am so thankful for the siblings, aunts and uncles, and cousins that I feel this way about.  People whom I admire, truly enjoy, and miss desperately when we’re apart.

My cousin, Kjersten, is one who I feel this way for.  She is such a constant in my life, and is a sister and a best friend all wrapped up into one beautiful package.  She, her husband Michael, and their kiddos came to visit us over their Spring Break and my home, and my heart, were FULL…

These photos don’t even scratch the surface of documenting our time together, because I got caught up in just being present and enjoying what was going on.  Plus, it was a bit too hectic to take photos all weekend long with 6 very excited kids running around the house!

I’m so thankful that they made the trip down to our home … I absolutely love that we share memories from our childhoods, plans for our futures, and the joys and struggles of today.   And now our children will, too. xoxo

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Meet, Sarah …

…and Lilly …

{Lil is a strong little thing, and I spotted her jump up onto this window sill to take a seat.  The light was fabulous and I said “Hey Lilla … stay there a second!”  Off to get my camera, I went.  }

I just love these girls so much and am always so thankful to spend time with them, and their family.  xoxo

Thank you for visiting my blog, and I hope your week is off to a wonderful start!   

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And the rest of our trip in more images, and few words. 

Kaden making  Thumbprint Cookies with Grammie:

Matt getting some ‘down-time’.

This guy even came with us!  He was one happy pup!

Decorating cookies at the local grocery store…

And then to the “Swanson Family Christmas Party” and then to my cousin’s home for more family time:

Sunday morning we had our Christmas with my immediate family at my parents’ house …

A highlight for me was playing pool with my dad … something we haven’t done in years!

A highlight for the kiddos, of course, was present-time!

A highlight for Grammie … having all of her kids and grandbabies all together. 

Family family family … without these people where would I be?    I am so thankful for each and every one of them and cherish these opportunities to gather together in love and celebration.

xoxo

{btw … photog friends … I recently invested in a Speedlight (SB-700)!  All of these images were captured using it.  }

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Enjoy!

{Mater ended up in lots of the photos, but they said that’s fitting because he’s practically part of the family anyway… }

I am so thankful to be able to document my family like this, but only wish I could do it more often!

Thanks for looking and for visiting my blog!  <3

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Enjoy!  xoxo

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Remind me, okay? 

My dear, wonderfully sweet, always-up-for-doing-something-fun-to-make-his-wife-smile, husband …

Good, GOOD times. 

Until next year, River!

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Trips like these do my heart really, really good.  Photo overload, friends … I just can’t help it!

This is my nephew, Giddy.  He’ll be celebrating his first birthday very soon, and no doubt his birthday wish is for his mama to feel better. 

My boys could just not get enough of little Giddy …

I obviously couldn’t either … here he looks EXACTLY like my brother (his dad) when he was around this age.

My other nephew, Hankers.  Gosh this kid cracks me up.  He’s totally awesome …

One thing that I really love about going to my parents’ is how close they live to everything.  There are two parks within walking distance that we hit up regularly…

Above is probably my favorite shot I took the whole time, and below is a shot I am sure I’ll cherish of my dad.   This is where he can be found most nights …

Part of our vacation always includes fun day adventures … Remlinger Farms is still on our list of fun places we have to visit…

But as fun as those day outings are, the moments at home just being together are absolute treasures …

Can you believe I have a lot more photos to share from our week at my parents’???    Of course! 

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Our countdown for the trip began weeks before, and the boys and I were equally excited to go …

We have a 5 hour drive to  Port Ludlow from our little neck of the woods in Oregon, so lots of entertainment and stops are necessary to get us there safely and sanely…

{This sucker was our 50 cent insurance policy for Kaden … every 30 minutes or so he’d totally lose it, and the sucker would bring him back.  }

Finally, the arrival … this sight never changes and I never tire of it …

And this is our weekend in photographs.  You’ll see cousins, aunts and uncles, brothers, nieces and nephews … hopefully you’ll see fun, love, and joy. 

{My niece, Lilly}

{Out to dinner in Port Townsend with my cousin, Kjersten and her husband, Michael.}

{The “passenger’s” life jacket was a huge hit…}

{My niece, Sarah}

{My nephew, Taylor, taught Gage that playing catch is super fun…}

{There is no such  thing as camping at the Beach House without roasting marshmallows.  I guess Coop needs to perfect his technique.}

{Watching Uncle Michael bring in the crab.}

{As much as I love watching my kids have so much fun, one of my favorite times at the BH is sitting by the fire after they’ve gone to bed…}

{Checking the constellations with a crazy iPad ap.}

{I canNOT believe how well we all slept … that is for sure the makings of a good camping trip!}

… and please come back to see the rest tomorrow!

xoxo

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And yes, their eyes were just that spectacular…  just about as spectacular as their personalities!

Thank you, Lisa, for having me photograph your sweet kiddos!  It was such a pleasure. 

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I do believe these ‘sacred mundane‘ activities as Kari refers to them, are, well… truly sacred and beg to be documented in photos.  I’m over-the-moon excited to offer this type of session to my clients!  In preparation for our day, Kari and I chatted about some activities that are routine for them and she named study time, the kids playing, preparing a meal or a snack, housework, reading together, blogging, and putting her daughter down for a nap.  Realistically, these take place over the course of an entire day … so for the sake of our session {which was about 2.5 hours} we condensed their day!  I scoped out the lighting in their home, planned out where and in what order we’d roll through these activities, and off we went.

With a bit of forethought and planning, we had a relaxing, blessed experience, and I do believe we captured images that will remind Kari and her family of “A Day in the Life”…

{enjoy}

{such a sweet moment when her son stopped reading, to whisper his love to his mama …}

Time and again, I am humbled by the opportunity to document life for my family and for my clients … whether it is brand new life, or lives lived well.  This session truly touched me as it was an opportunity to observe the sweet, genuine moments this family shared as they simply did life. We didn’t have to go to a fantastically original location … the comfort of home was all we needed!

Thank you, Kari and Jeff, for welcoming this session!

And I have encouraged you to before, and will again and again, but please do visit Kari’s blog, Sacred Mundane.  You will surely be enlightened and uplifted! 

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