For so many reasons (far too many to list) this bunch is near and dear to my heart. I am truly blessed to know them and to have watched these kiddos grow and each time I see them, it brings me tremendous joy. Their energy and free spirits inspire me and make my soul happy.

His facial expressions are out of this world!

 Pure. Love.

 I don’t know why, but I adore this shot above.

 This light!!!!!!!!

She’s an old soul.

And how lucky were we to find these amazing bluebonnets!?

 Love.

 This image above just happened. The kids ran off, wild and free. It spoke to me and made my heart happy and ache at the same time.

SOOOOOO much personality in this family!

I was laying down on rocks for this shot. A few days later, I couldn’t figure out where all the bruises came from on my arms and legs until I remember this image, lol. #worthit

YES!

This is another one of those cases where clients have become friends. I’ve been blessed enough to experience so many incredible times with these lovely people…all the way back to when they were expecting their very first baby. I was even present at the births of their first two sons…both events to which I am forever emotionally tied. I will never, ever, ever forget those magical times.

And now we come to the caboose of their family…son #3, who is just as adorable as his older brothers and already immensely patient with all of the “love” with which they tend to smother him, lol! In fact, most of the time during his newborn photo session, I had to ask for less love from the big bros as I couldn’t see baby brother’s face, lol. I truly did enjoy watching these boys together, though. And mama…as a boy mom…is clearly worshiped by all three (well, four, counting her hubby) boys in her life.

Their grandmother has been present at each of their newborn sessions, too, so this was no exception. I just loved this candid moment snapped right before we had officially started.

See what I mean? Boy mom love!

 Gotta love those cute little newborn baby legs!

 I was trying to photograph the interaction of the three in front here, but the two monkeys in the back kept stealing the show ;-).

 So cute!

 I see sooooo much of his mommy in this pic!

 Love.

Of course, we had to revisit the infamous “family dinner table” photo now that they have a new addition.

 We were even treated to a visit from Buzz and Woody, who had me laughing so hard with their dance moves, I had a hard time keeping my images in focus!

I hope she doesn’t mind me posting this, but she looks so beautiful when she’s crying happy tears.

Yeah. I’ll say baby brother fits in quite perfectly with his family. Even during the crazy times like THIS ;-).

There is NO denying that these three are sisters. There is no question that they are STUNNING. There is NO doubt in my mind that dad is going to have his hands full when they are of dating age ;-). But for now, I think we can just appreciate this perfect, beautiful little milestone session just as the Texas wildflowers were starting to bloom (the last time I saw them, the caboose was just a few days old). These little beauties rocked it in every way possible and brought their A game to the fields! LOVED this image, but THIS might be my personal fav.

I honestly don’t remember quite how this crazy idea came up for me to visit Denver, CO, but I do know that two of the first people I talked to about it were these two. As with most of my clients, I first began working with them while their eldest daughter was just a baby bump. Honestly, we have had some of the most memorable and beautiful sessions together that when I learned they had pretty much moved to Denver from Austin full time (more on that in a sec), I was thrilled for them, but heartbroken because I feel like they are family. I was overjoyed to get to visit with them in Denver last week and to help document this new and exciting chapter in their lives as a family (again, more on that later).

Oh, how I adore this image!

TOO MUCH LOVE!!!

Z – you have impeccable fashion sense!

Sigh.

One of those families where you can just feel the love coming through in their images.

Maybe my most fav I’ve ever taken with you and A.J., M!

This made me giggle.

And goodness me, so did this one!!! So this is the new chapter in their lives: Fé Fit. I am so incredibly proud of them for following their hearts and pursing a dream of helping women (especially moms) to get healthy and achieve their fitness goals. I was especially inspired by the HUGE success of their pilot program to create fit communities by involving teachers, students, and their families in a bit of friendly competition. Be sure to become a fan on Facebook to keep up with their inspiring stories.

Before downtown at Union Station got too crowded, we drove out really quick to catch the sunset behind the Denver city skyline and of course, the Rocky Mountains:

Their faces were cracking me up!

Love!

Love!

Love!

Never will you meet a couple more in love than these two. They have an outstanding relationship and deep respect for each other. And as their family has grown, so has their love. And then my personal favorite from the session can be found HERE.

You gotta go with the flow. I LOVED mom’s idea to shoot at the newly revitalized Union Station in downtown Denver. Neither one of us made the connection that being the Saturday before St. Patrick’s day, downtown *might* be a bit crazy. Oh my word! The sea of green when I walked into the train station that afternoon was craziness. I almost texted her to tell her that the best way to spot me was to look for the only person in the station NOT wearing green, lol.

But in spite of the crowds, we were able to make it work just fine. These Austin transplants are doing so great in Colorado and it was nice to be able to capture them in their new town. Big sister and big brother were incredibly patient and so full of energy. Baby sister wasn’t quite sure what to make of me at first, but in the end, with the help of her older siblings, we were able to get a few giggles!

Such a sweet moment with his mama!

She was non-stop giggles!!!

Loved the little flower shop inside the train station!

Freckles sprinkled with perfection.

Hammy.

She’s not too sure about all this snuggling 😉

Flare! YES!

Sweeties.

He was being so adorably silly.

 They actually had me cracking up with them.

I guess this Pinkle Toes gal isn’t so bad after all 😉

I am so glad we stuck it out and made Union Station work for us. What a neat little place and what a beautiful family to play in it! (One more HERE).

Like, literally chillin’ – as in what is up with this Texas weather because it was reaaaaaally cold during our session. But that’s okay, the girls managed to have fun and let their true, energetic, sparkling personalities shine through the brisk wind that followed us up and down the streets of Georgetown.

I love this giggle shared above between Mama and baby girl, who, by the way, I guess isn’t a baby anymore because we were technically celebrating her ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY! My, my, my, how Baby Q has grown since her newborn photo session:

 This series above cracked me up. I told her mom there is no shortage of personality in any of these images!

 Cinderella kept losing her shoes 😉

Sometimes, I enlist the help of older siblings to get mom and dad to relax while I’m taking their photos. Usually it results in a photo bomb or two:

 Such a sweet moment!

And really, it’s a toss up between this one above (look at Q’s face…she is SO done with us) and THIS one as my fav family image from the shoot. Thank you again, guys, for having me document these days for you. Your family has grown into such a beautiful, fun little brood! [And once again, hair and makeup rocked by Katie with Modern Muse Beauty!]

Bless her heart, Lauren and her fam made the trip to Austin (and back, no less) from way down in South Texas in just one day. It’s funny because I was just talking to some photography friends (we are getting ready for our 4th–really FOURTH?–Annual Pinkle Toes Photography Workshop Reunion in Charleston, SC in May) about how you can drive and drive all day and never actually make it out of Texas. But Texans are used to those kinds of road trips I guess. Anyway, I was quite impressed that she AND her hubby AND BOTH kiddos were in such amazing moods even after all of that driving. Really, her daughter just marched right up to me when I first got there and chatted like we’ve known each other all our lives. And I could not get over baby boy’s infectious, whole-body grin! The four of them are so laid back and had absolutely no troubles settling into playing together while I happily photographed them. Hmmmm…and if I had to pick a favorite, I think it would be THIS one. But I don’t know. I could change my mind in the next five minutes. Again.

[Side note: pssst…hey…did you see my last post about Denver?]

I’ve had the joy of working with this family several times over the years and every session has been magical to me. Our evening at McKinney Falls in Austin was no exception. I’m embarrassed to admit that I hadn’t been there before, so it was amazing exploring a new place in Austin. So many different types of landscapes…walk a few feet in either direction and you could be standing at a creek, in the woods, atop a waterfall, or on a rocky limestone expanse with neato reflecting pools hidden here and there.

While location is certainly key to helping set the mood and provide a fun, engaging, beautiful backdrop for a family photo session, is is definitely the subjects that give it passion and energy. Watching these four interact they way they do–full of love and joy in life–is inspiring. That’s what makes pictures emotional and beautiful, so thank you guys, for letting me hang out with you once again. [Session FAVORITE!]

In case you missed the announcement, I will be in Denver, Colorado for a couple of days in March and am accepting a very limited number of family photo sessions. If you would like more information (dates, etc.), let me know as soon as possible!

When photographing little kids in downtown Austin, it’s usually a pretty good idea to have something to help keep them engaged and occupied and entertained and happy. When I met with their mama before the session, we came up with the great idea to give them bouquets of yellow flowers! And it DID work very well…the girls quite enjoyed them. Maybe a little too much as they were SO into the flowers (and leaving an adorable trail of petals all over the park), it was tough to tear them away (and also, we ended up with lots of yellow pollen on noses and chins, lol). But I LOVED how it added a touch of spring to an otherwise drab winter landscape this time of year and I’m glad that the girls had such a fun time with their little bouquets and sprinkling magic every where we went. Favorite image from the session? Right HERE and I knew the instant it happened it would be my favorite. And also, I loved the outtake at the end. Sometimes riding on dad’s shoulders doesn’t quite work out as planned 😉

We were originally slated to take their family pictures in December, but thanks to some nasty weather and a hectic schedule, we had to wait until this month. And…I’m so glad we did because LOOK AT THAT BEAUTIFUL BABY BUMP!!!! We had perfect, perfect, perfect weather and a stunning golden sunset and thanks to the delay, we got to turn the family portraits into maternity portraits, too. [My fav from the maternity portion ;-)]. We had to work a little bit to get big brother to smile but when we caught it, WOW! He’s got the best smile and amazing lashes and lips, doesn’t he?