Words that come to mind when I think of my evening spent with this family:

Busy, bustling, boisterous, creative, reading, books, art, collections, exploring, wonder, amusement, laughter, love, family, home, together, comfortable, at ease, happy, admiration, and peacefully chaotic.

There was so much to capture about this family…they are such a dynamic bunch. This session felt so real to me…so authentic. The little guy holding the frog up there…he was SOOOOO excited we found him in the pool! And THIS look on his sister’s face when she was oh, so curious but a bit timid as well was definitely my fav! The fact that the oldest brother was still holding his book even while snuggling with his mom was priceless. The way baby sister fits into her family so naturally and watching everyone try to win her affections made me smile. They’ve got quite the family here and it was not difficult at all to bring out their bond on camera.

Lucky me, this was my second time getting to work with Courtney and her fam this year. We had our session date planned around the blooming of the “Blazing Star” AKA “Purple Gayfeather” out here by the Pinkle Toes Studio and let me tell you, we had it on the books for what seemed like a very, very long time. But of course, wouldn’t you know? This year, we got like 5 branches of these purple flowers and I was so afraid she would be bummed with the turnout.

Okay, maybe it was more than five ;-).

But the girls totally didn’t care. They were waaaaaaay into my chickens.

And making yellow flower bouquets for their mommy.

And just being all-around adorable.

Those three images of the two of them up there? I love, love, love them. Especially when they got photobombed by their girls. Bwa ha ha!

We also got to introduce everyone to the passion vine, which smelled soooooo delightful!

And then, the Texas version of fall (ie. if you don’t have a fall, you make one ;-). My FAV HERE.

I got apples as props for the girls to play with, but I had no idea how much they LOVED apples. They didn’t last very long as they were gobbled up rather quickly.

And, from Courtney:

1) Tell us a little bit about your family… My husband and I have two amazing little girls. Ava, who is 3.5, is our “princess” who loves to play dress up. She Liv just turned 2 and is our little tomboy who is adventurous and loves to climb on anything.
2) What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc? We planned this session close to Liv’s 2 year birthday and are already planning to schedule our next session 🙂
3) Where was your session held and why? We decided to do the session at Michele’s house. She has an amazing property with so many areas to shoot at.
4) What did you like about your session location? It was something different than we have done before and we just loved it out there! It was beautiful and rustic.
5) What was your favorite part of your session? I think my favorite part was when the girls were on the wooden swing. They had been excited about that swing from the moment we got there. The sun was setting at just the right moment and we were just having a good time and laughing.
6) Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session? Since working with Michele, I have never been nervous 🙂
7) Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session? As soon as we showed up to Michele’s house, Ava “LOVED” everything about it. She literally kept telling not only Michele that she loved her, but she loved her “puter”, her camera, her house, her car, anything she saw. She was in la-la land and I loved that.
8) Any advice to other families before their photo sessions? I think Michele does an awesome job at preparing you for your session. I also always talk a lot about the upcoming session and the fun place we are going to go and we talk about what we want to do or see during our session so that once we are there, they are excited about those things.
9) What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography? I absolutely LOVE Michele. As a photographer, I have admired her work and this is now our second time to shoot with her. I always look forward to the session and working with her. My girls are completely at ease and love playing with her. Michele is fun, laid-back and allows my girls to just be themselves and shoots as natural as possible which makes our time together less stressful and fun.
10) What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images? I know years down the road we will enjoy these photos as much if not more than we do today. I hope in years to come, we are sitting around our living room looking through them, laughing and telling stories about how much fun we had.

I’ve been mulling over this post in my head for YEARS (no lie) trying to come up with the a guide to helping families make the most out of their photo session experiences. While editing these images for Kody (a photographer herself!), I realized that her session was one of the BEST examples for what to do to get meaningful, authentic, fun, and relaxed family images. (Kody, I hope you don’t mind being the star student tonight ;-). So here you go…these are my Top Ten Tips to Having a Perfect Family Photo Session (or as close to perfect as you can get):

1. Make it authentic to YOUR family. Kody lives on a farm. They spend most of their days there at home and playing outdoors.  One of her favorite parts of the day is getting dressed with her baby girl and it was very important to her that we captured this memory and this time. These photos are very authentic to her family and I know they will trigger powerful memories for her and her kiddos down the road.

(My favorite image from the “getting ready.” Please have this up somewhere on her wedding day. kthanksbye.)

2. Hold your session in a place that’s meaningful to you…in this case HOME! Truly. Being at home for your session allows us the chance to photograph memories for you and your children that you/they might not even realize until years and years later. Plus, everyone is more comfortable at home and there are usually no surprises (traffic, crowds, closures, etc.). If the kids get hungry, break for a snack (see below). If something spills on an outfit, change clothes. Easy. Peasy.

3. Grown ups should be just as involved in the photos as their children. You can’t expect your kids to take a photo shoot seriously or even want to be a part of it if you’re not willing to do so yourself. I love, love, love that these two are excellent role models for their kiddos for photo sessions (and actually, life in general).

4. Let your kids be. Think for a moment if you had some stranger with a big ol’ camera in your face AND your parents were constantly telling you, “Smile! Smile! No, not that way! A *real* smile!” Would you be able to smile a real smile? Would you want that to last for an HOUR or more?? Probably not. Take a cue from this mommy and daddy and just hang out with your children. Snuggle and play and tickle and be silly and let your actions and love bring out those natural, real, authentic smiles (read: laughter) in your children instead of barking commands or threats or bribes.

5. Go with the flow and let us create together. Yes, it’s important to have an overall vision for your session, but keep it broad enough so that you leave room for you and your photographer to create. Kody did a great job of this, telling me a couple of key moments she wanted captured, but then stepping back and letting me go wherever the kids and the light took us. If we were having to stick with a Pinterest Board of 30 different family poses and five outfit changes and a super detailed shot list, we would never have had the time or been open to seeing amazing photographic opportunities as they played out all on their own.

6. Pad your schedule. While this typically doesn’t apply to a session at home, it is probably a good idea no matter what to simply add about 15 minutes before AND after your scheduled shoot time. SOOOOOO much goes into setting a shoot start time and it is not arbitrary by any stretch of the imagination.  If you’re late to your session (even by just a few minutes) OR if you arrive on time, but you still have to get dressed/put on make-up/eat dinner/knit an afgahan,  that will cause a domino effect and you may miss out on amazing light or amazing temperatures or inadvertently shorten your session time.

Surprisingly, the same principle applies to after your session, too. It’s not a good idea to schedule something right after because #1 everyone is probably going to be tired and hungry and #2 it adds pressure to finish a session exactly at a certain time which can put a damper on creativity.

Once again, these guys get an A+ in this department. Of course, their session ran long because it was soooooooooooo good, but fortunately, they had no where else they had to be…except in bed, which also provided some wonderful photographic moments for us.

7. Dress comfortably and be willing to get dirty. If you’re trying to chase around after your kids in stilettos and your hubby is miserable in a suit and tie in 100 degree weather and your kids are fussy because their clothes are scratchy or uncomfortable…well, it becomes a losing battle trying to keep everyone happy. I totally understand wanting to dress up your family (I definitely do it for my family’s pics), but just try to be reasonable in your choices. Kody did a fantastic job of having everyone look nice, but also feeling comfortable. She let her kids play in the dirt (YES!!!!!!!) and she even got down there herself (DOUBLE YESSSSSSSSSS!!!).  Trust me, her babies are going to CHERISH these images when they get older.

8. Never assume we can just “…Photoshop that out…” (or in ;-). Yes, photographers have tools and tricks to help make images as pleasing as possible, but some things are just not simple fixes or cannot be addressed in 60+ images. If your child gets a boo-boo (especially on the face) right before the session, send your photographer a photo so s/he can decide what to do. If someone cannot make it to your session last minute, let your photographer know, because no, we can’t just Photoshop that person in ;-). If someone is wearing glasses/transition glasses, again, let your photographer know ahead of time so plans can be made. There are a multitude of examples and I can’t possibly name them all, so when in doubt, just talk to your photographer BEFORE the session. Kody totally gets this and there were no Photoshop surprises waiting for me when I arrived at their house (xoxoxoxoxo).

9. Enjoy the experience. It sounds so simple, but when the time comes for your actual photo session, your hard work is already done. It’s the photographer’s turn to take over, so you can just sit back, relax, and gush over your beautiful family. Don’t get upset with your kids if you think they aren’t cooperating. Instead, help your photographer find something that will keep them happy (once again, these parents were wonderful at redirection and keeping the kiddos involved and entertained). Family photos do not have to be a miserable experience for you or your kids and the best way to keep it positive is to be positive yourself. If you are anxious, your kids will pick up on that and become anxious themselves. If you’re calm and having a good time, they will eventually mirror your reactions.

10. Do it again. Children change SOOOOOO quickly and so do the dynamics of your family. Letting 5 years pass without pausing to record this metamorphosis is time lost that doesn’t come back. Yes, we are fortunate to live in a day when we can easily get snapshots with our mobile phones and that’s awesome for getting day-to-day memories captured, but it’s a very different experience allowing a photographer to show you what s/he sees in your family. Family photo sessions are kinda like going to the gym. Sure, it’s tough at first, but once you do it enough, it becomes familiar and a bit easier and more relaxed each time. (Okay, maybe the gym comparison isn’t 100% accurate, ‘cuz yeah, I will never feel relaxed after leaving the gym, but you get the idea 😉

P.S. This family totally gets bonus points for the red hair and freckles ;-).

And finally, from Kody (an amazing photographer herself):

1) Tell us a little bit about your family… My husband and I with our two little red heads are about as goofy as it gets. We love our life out in the farm and cherish the privilege we have to raise our kids in a quiet environment like in the “good ole days.”

2) What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc? This is the third year we’ve used Michele to capture our family. I enjoy the colors of fall and the cooler temperatures so we always try to book in October.

3) Where was your session held and why? At home, we want images that reflect our everyday life.

4) What did you like about your session location? Michele found so many forms of inspiration on our property. I see the homestead as a bit unfinished (as we are still getting the place just right) but she was able to find so many spots with hidden beauty I never would have thought of.

5) What was your favorite part of your session? The end with all of us reading he’d time stories just like we do every night. It’s a special time in our life with the kids this age and I wanted images of this to hold onto when the kids no longer want us reading stories and tucking them into bed.

6) Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session? Not at all, Michele is the best at what she does. Being a photographer myself I’m extremely picky when it comes to our images. Michele is the best at genuine moments on camera, crispy clean images and wonderful memories.

7) Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session? Our daughter is going through her becoming independent stage, and fought against every moment of babying we tried to throw her way.

8) Any advice to other families before their photo sessions? Relax, getting your picture taken is an awkward feeling. But if you just trust Michele and allow yourself to have fun she will make magic happen!

9) What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography? She’s the best at what she does, candid moments with real interactions between family members.

10) What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images? Wow we had a magical childhood on the farm!

I am lucky enough to call Minnette my friend and it was pretty moving after all these years to finally get to see her in her truest element: being a doting mom and wife, so proud of her family, glowing from the inside out. And even though I had only met her daughter just once before, it was as if I already knew everyone else. There was zero need to warm up. It was like I was hanging out with my own family, really. They are a dynamic brood of creatives and athletes with lots and lots of heart and soul. They color their world with love and light. I hope they can see how much joy they bring to one another and to the people lucky enough to be close to them.

So why is her hubby holding up iPhone flashlights? Read about that below ;-). We did manage to score some adorable images at this wall in spite of the challenge…this one is a top contender for my fav.

From Minnette:

1) Tell us a little bit about your family… Well, what can I say? We like to be silly, keep things as relaxed as we can and make a lot of jokes. We loooove to laugh. At each other. All the time. [Um, for what it’s worth, I have a GREAT image on hand you can use to get your kids to laugh anytime you want ;-)]
2) What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc? As a photographer, the only time I’m in photos is when I’m taking usies with the cell phone and honestly, my arms just aren’t long enough ;). Seriously though, we have been wanting to have you photograph our family for a very long time and are so happy we were finally able to make it happen. It was even more special to me, that YOU, my superfriend, knew us
3) Where was your session held and why? Downtown Houston because we love our underdog city and Montrose because it was our old stompin’ grounds.
4) What did you like about your session location? Both were just so us. [Indeed!]
5) What was your favorite part of your session? It was FUN! Let’s be honest. My kids aren’t thrilled about getting their photos taken anymore. They are over it. But it was very apparent that they loved you and the attention you gave them. I loved seeing them so happy to be there. [Honestly, I think they were happy because they were there with YOU guys. You two are such amazing and loving parents. It’s obvious the kids adore you!]
6) Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session? Our outfits. We didn’t buy anything new and I put it all together that morning. That Nathan wouldn’t smile or would give you a hard time. That I would not look good. That my hair and makeup were bad because I did them myself. That we would get stuck in traffic. That the locations would be full of people. Basically, all the things!
7) Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session? I took forever finding our 2nd location making the end of our session super dark. doh! [Yeah, thanks for the challenge ;-)]
8) Any advice to other families before their photo sessions? Relax, enjoy each other’s company and be yourselves.
9) What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography? I always have and still do think Michele is super talented and the best at what she does. And she’s my superfriend and I heart her. And now my whole family does, too 😉
10) What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images? That we were always happy and we loved spending time with each other. [Done.]

She dressed her family in the most colorful outfits and we worked in front of one of the most colorful places in downtown Houston and it was SO perfect for them!!!! FAV HERE!

It took the youngest member of the family a little while to warm up to me, but it didn’t matter because he was still adorable giving me this incredulous look ;-).

No problems smiling with his mommy, though!

Sisters. Sigh. See what mom wrote below for the total opposite of the love and tranquility in this shot.

He. Is. Precious.

These two…just play all the time. They are always laughing with one another!

Hi, K!

Oh, he wanted to take pictures with his baby brother like the WHOLE time. Okay. We can arrange that.

MORE COLOR!!!

Yup…back at it again.

From mom:

1) Tell us a little bit about your family…

Our little circus is made up of my husband and myself, and our four crazy kiddos (8, 6, 3, and 11 months). They are indeed a wild bunch and rarely sit still for a moment. But we’ve adapted and we love them to pieces!

2) What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?

We have a longstanding tradition of taking pictures every fall, and then turning those photos into a coffee table book and wall art.

3) Where was your session held and why?

We always try to pick interesting locations whether it be splashing around in a stream, jumping on a bed, or hanging out in front of Michele’s airstream (my favorite). This time we went to Houston’s famous Discovery Green park. How can you not love that brightly colored wall, which our kids have dubbed, “the Lego house”?!

4) What did you like about your session location?

I loved the colorful wall and all the interesting architectural elements that were nestled in the middle of a city park.

5) What was your favorite part of your session?

Probably the end when I asked Michele if she thought we got at least one good family photo. She assured us that we did! 🙂 [And we did, but I’m saving that one for you]

6) Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?

I was nervous about getting up so early with the kids. [But you did it and I was very impressed!]

7) Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?

The highlight was probably when our three year old, who was trying to run off, bit the fire out of our eight old’s arm. Tears ensued. 🙁 [Sisters. Sigh]

8) Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?

Just relax. You will be amazed by what Michele is able to capture.

9) What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?

Michele is simply the best family photographer in the world! She is absolutely amazing!! I love her creativity, the way she plays with light, and the way she captures the beauty in the families she photographs.

10) What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?

I hope they remember the joy of being little, the feeling that nothing can stop them, the intrinsic curiosity they had about the world, and that they grew up in a family filled with love!

I admit that I nearly wrecked my car when I spotted this wall a while back. It was so nice to stumble upon something a little different and SOOOOO beautifully colorful among the bold, cool Austin graffiti. And I was delighted when this family decided to hold their photo session here! It made for the perfect backdrop against their bright, colorful clothing that simply reflected their bright, colorful personalities.

Baby girl was a big fan of sticking out that tongue…and it was too adorable!

Playing airplane while holding an airplane in front of an airplane wall = we are talking multidimensional family photography here.

And here’s another cute shot featuring the whole wall.

Time for reading their favorite books. I wish I had taken audio of the AWESOME voices everyone was providing!

And then…the high school band started up their practice across the street, so naturally, we decided to compete ;-):

#winning

These two are a wonderful, loving, relaxed, joyful, down-to-earth couple. Obvs. It really took zero time for them to warm up for the session.

Time to celebrate ONE YEAR with a cupcake smash!

Success!!!

From mom:

1) Tell us a little bit about your family…

We have been married for 11 years and have been living in Austin for a little over a year. Andrew (almost 4) and Alison (almost 1) are the light of our lives and we love watching them interact with each other and seeing their personalities shine through!

2) What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?

Andrew and Alison both have birthdays in early October so we wanted to capture them around their birthdays.

3) Where was your session held and why?

Our session was held at the “Hello” wall. I wanted to do an urban shoot in a space unique to Austin, so Michele suggested the wall and it was perfect!

4) What did you like about your session location?

It was just a neat space with lots of bright colors. It even had an airplane painted on it, and Andrew is obsessed with airplanes!

5) What was your favorite part of your session?

Playing the instruments and trying to be louder than the high school band practicing across the street! Also, watching Alison dig into her birthday cupcake 🙂

6) Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?

The humidity ha ha! The kids getting tired, hungry and crabby (but they did great!)

7) Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?

Going back to the humidity… we just weren’t expecting that. [True story: I would rank it is one of the top 3 most humid sessions I’ve ever done. It was BRUTAL, but everyone hung in there!]

8) Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?

Just go with the flow.

9) What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?

I had been following Pinkle Toes blog and love the vivid colors and overall fun atmosphere the photos depict.

10) What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?

That we had a really fun silly time getting photographed!

I was so. Overwhelmed. They brought me to one of their most favorite places in this world and the beauty of it and all of the picturesque possibilities had me going in 1000 different directions in my mind. SO many things to do! I was telling them it was like one of my recurring nightmares as a photographer…that a location was too inspiring and the sun would set and I wouldn’t have been able to take a single picture.

But of course, I *did* take plenty of pictures that night. And they made it so easy for me. They spend so much time together as a family on/in this river, they were completely at ease. Their kindness and thoughtfulness has led to a wonderful friendship and so they were also completely relaxed and very much themselves around me. Of all the sessions we’ve done together, this was by far the most meaningful and authentic because of those things.

Just now realizing her kids have the same exact eyes. But only P can roll his tongue ;-).

I really don’t know if I’ve ever seen her look more beautiful or content. She’s a wonderful wife and mommy! And Katie with Modern Muse Beauty ROCKED her natural beauty!!!

And then, I got in the water. And let me tell you, it was c-c-c-c-c-o-l-d! I wasn’t sure I could take pictures in focus because I was shivering so much. I really should invest in a wetsuit, huh?

K…your legs look Ah-Mazing!!! All that barre and running!!!!

The two of them paddling together = precious!

Look at the ducks!!!

Above is the color version of THIS. I love them both equally.

Another fav from this group HERE.

And then they paddled off into the sunset. And I was sad to see this session end :-(.

From mom:

Tell us a little bit about your family…

We are a family of four. Nathan and I will celebrate 10 years in a few months. Kennedy just turned 5 and Parker is 2 ½. They adore each other and are as thick as thieves.

What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?

I feel like we are entering into a really fun stage in life with the kids. They are now old enough to get in the boat with us. They love playing in the river. They love going to races and cheering everyone on. They are fully on board with river life and I wanted to capture that.

Where was your session held and why?

The San Marcos River. 6 years ago Nathan started canoe racing. 2 years ago I got hooked. Not only have we fallen in love with racing but the rivers on which we race. The San Marcos river is gorgeous and is home to the Texas Water Safari, the race that got us hooked. We spend so much time in and along the San Marcos, it feels like our home away from home, and seemed like a no brainer for where to take pictures.

What did you like about your session location?

It was such an effortless backdrop that we got to just be ourselves and have fun.

What was your favorite part of your session?

All of it. We had so much fun and laughed the entire time. [I agree. I don’t think I could pick a favorite part either.]

Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?

This was a location Michele had never been to and we had only been with the intent of paddling. I had never looked around thinking about how or where exactly we might take pictures. I felt like we were all going in blind. [Sometimes, the unknown spurs the greatest amount of creativity.]

Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?

Parker’s three loves are water, bears and trains. Right in the middle of the session a train went over the bridge above us. The kids loved it. It was such a random surprise but so fitting. And definitely less stressful than if we had run into a bear. [um, yeah.]

Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?

Tell Michele your vision and then just sit back and let her work.

What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?

It was sheer luck that I came across Pinkle Toes shortly after we got married. We never had any kind of engagement photos or photos of just the two of us and she was the first photographer I came across whose photos felt natural and real. Years later and Michele is still the only one I will call. I’m an architect and I can be really picky when it comes to design. I get an idea or image in my head and want to turn it into reality. Michele is able to do that. Our canoes have always been a part of our sessions since Kennedy’s newborn pictures and when I suggested this time we get in the water she didn’t hesitate. She gets me, our kids LOVE her, and the end result is magic.

What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?

I hope when they look at these pictures they will remember the feel of the water, the sound of laughter, and the love within this family. I hope they will see just how much they are loved and how much we love this place.

This is B. And her family. She is very busy. Very, very busy. In fact, she’s so busy, I have now deemed her “Busy B.” Based on my extensive experience in photographing littles who happen to be as busy as Busy B, I thought I’d share some tips you may find helpful should you per chance to meet a Busy B of your own.

1. Wear running shoes.

2. Accept that she is the leader and therefore, you must follow her.

3. Enlist the help of friends.

4. Rescue her friends.

5. Offer help, but only when it’s *really* needed.

6. Snuggle.

7. Often.

8. Play.

9. Often.

10. Laugh at your efforts to keep up and love every ounce of her energy and spirit almost as much as her parents do!

From Mom:

Tell us a little bit about your family…

We have been married for over five years. Our 2 year old keeps us super busy and we are looking forward to welcoming a little sister soon.

What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?

We love working with Michele and we try to schedule a session once a year

Where was your session held and why?

Our session was held at Phil’s Ice House in Austin. I really liked the idea of using their playground, especially with a busy two-year old.

What did you like about your session location?

The playground was perfect for a busy toddler and I loved all the colors and textures.

What was your favorite part of your session?

We spend a lot of time playing outside and I think the outdoor/playground session reflected our family well

Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?

tantrums!!!

Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?

Blake did have quite a few tantrums during our session, especially trying to get her away from the playground.

Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?

Just roll with it 🙂 [And you did. And you did it WELL! It really makes a session so much more authentic and relaxed when parents are as easy going as you are. You set a great example of how to just let a session be!]

What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?

We have started working with Michele when I was pregnant with Blake and we have never been disappointed. My husband always says that “she is the best” and he is completely right. We are always blown away by the moments she captures.

What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?

I believe all of our sessions tell a story about our family. I hope when the girls look back on the images they understand the meaning of those moments.

Annnnnnnd…as always, my favity fav can be found HERE!

Oh my gosh, I could not get over how amazing the sky was during our entire session! Not only that, but the temps were so fall-like for September in Austin, TX. It was a treat simply getting to work with this family, but with the spectacular sunrise and the city as our backdrop, I was in photography heaven.

I mean, look at those gorgeous rays of sunshine framing his delighted smile!

And the relationships between the older siblings and the younger twins would make anyone’s heart melt.

Four. 😉 Get it?

The skies were really THAT blue! Love how it made the colors in their outfits really pop. My FAV cloud image HERE.

These two are really amazing together.

So were these two…

And these two…

She was really wanting to be the star of the show, so we let her. And then she got all bashful ;-).

Her little shoes…I die.

Okay, I had to throw this one in there. We asked her to give her brother a kiss and he was having no part of that. But then seconds later, he was playing and laughing with her. Sigh…sibling love!

This guy has got skillz!

Little guy’s suspenders = perfection!

And I want to point out that Katie with Modern Muse Beauty was up before the sun came up, too, in order to do makeup/hair. She’s pretty awesome like that and I know mom sure appreciated not having to worry about that part of the session. It takes so much as it is to work out wardrobe and to get everyone dressed and fed and ready for the session, the last thing you want to have to fret over is makeup/hair. Wise choice, Mama!!!

And, from mom, herself:

Tell us a little bit about your family…

Well, there’s 6 of us; we get along great in that we’re so close we’re not afraid to give one another “the business”. My older two are from a previous marriage but they’ve had Mark in their lives for almost 10 years. We’re silly and (when we have time and our schedules allow) we like to have game night complete with cheating scandals.

What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?

We have never done a family session and with the twins able to walk we thought it would be a good time. This year will be our FIRST ever family Christmas card.

Where was your session held and why?

It was held on the rooftop of the parking garage of the long center because I hate nature… Grass creeps me out, true story, and the family indulges me, God love them. My poor children.

What did you like about your session location?

I loved the contrast of the beautiful sunrise with the concrete; it was SUCH a pleasant morning and the view of the city in the distance was amazing. [my kinda girl!]

What was your favorite part of your session?

our photographer!! What else. Honestly, you put us at ease (we’re awkward people in front of cameras) and you were so great with the little ones, and won HUGE points with the older ones for knowing something about a “whip” and a “Nene”??? [#imthatcool]

Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?

I was worried that we’d all be/feel awkward having our pictures taken and be left to our own devises to come up with poses etc.

Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?

Yikes – it was all such a rush and I hadn’t slept much the night before I don’t really recall. I do remember feeling like the vampy mom with the JCrew family. Then later that day, Marky (baby, not hubs) broke his leg and I kept telling the entire family, “HE’S FINE!” even though he wouldn’t walk… Tuesday (TUESDAY) I finally took him to the doctor and had a cast put on. I felt badly. I have withdrawn my submission for Mother-of-the-Year. [Oh, P…poor little guy! But try not to feel too badly…at that age, it’s really hard to tell when something is wrong sometimes. I hope he has a quick recovery!]

Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?

Oh my.. just relax and enjoy the ride because they’re in GREAT hands!!!

What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?

I stalked the blog and I loved ever last little thing about the pictures and the photographer and I have no regrets!! Can’t wait to do this again for senior pictures or something fun. 🙂

What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?

I hope they remember how much fun we all had; even coming up with what to wear was silly and fun because of all the drama coming from the boys… I dare say they were better dressed than me. [I think you ALL looked amazing!]

We’ve been working together since just a few days after this little guy was born. Well…he’s not so little anymore, is he? And for as long as I can remember, they’ve been talking about their forever home they were building. And finally, we got to work in their new forever home and it was just as wonderful and beautiful and relaxed as we could have ever imagined! AND, we need to talk about mom’s amazing decorating abilities. Her lust for crazy and colorful wallpaper is enviable…and I wanna know when she’s going to come out and select fun wallpapers for my house? 😉

LOVE that flag. Love this whole room!

Another fun and different image from her room.

He LOVES being outdoors…I think that’s why this forever home is so perfect for him.

From Mom:

What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc? 

We try to do an annual session with Michele:)

What was your favorite part of your session?

Our favorite part was watching our daughter spin our son in a chair and both of them laughing:

Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?

No.

Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?

Be flexible and relax…Michele is super Zen and easy and will make your family instantly at ease

What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?

We love Michele’s finished product…year after year…

What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?

That looked like a fun day:)