We ventured out to Marble Falls (Horseshoe Bay, specifically) in the wee hours of the morning to catch the sunrise and to take advantage of the temps before it was too late. It was a lucky treat to witness the fog over the waters and the pink and blue watercolor reflections from the sky. As if right on cue, the sun peeked out to highlight golden curls and the free spirits of these sisters. They got to run across a golf course with total abandon (my FAV HERE) and then bask in the glow of a sparkling pond with their beautiful mommy. I have been lucky enough to photograph each of these beauties since they were born and I have loved getting to see their personalities develop through the years. Their bond as sisters is quite apparent, but individually, they each bring something precious and unique to their family.

At the end of our session, mama asked specifically if we could take some pictures by this stone entryway (the series just above). When we started shooting there, I noticed it was strangely familiar. And then it washed over me with a wave of wistfulness and pride and disbelief: this was the site of my very first professional photo session almost 10 years ago exactly. Now that is just beyond coincidence, my friends. As proof, here’s my all time fav image from that session all those years ago:

What a journey these 10 years have been!

Things you should know about this photo session:
1. These may be the most down-to-earth and laid back people I’ve ever met in my life and it is SO good for me to work with people like that. Their calm draws me in and makes me lighten up and see things that I might not have seen otherwise. I’m not sure mama realizes it, but it’s true.

2. The same thing happens when I’m lucky enough to have her as my yoga instructor at Modo ;-). And that’s why I love that place so much!

3. The breakfast tacos were a bit of afterthought, but it was perfect! During session planning, I asked her what they liked to do as a family and she half-jokingly replied, “Eat breakfast tacos.” Well, the early start to catch the sunrise began to take its toll on little man, so we decided to just give in and head over to grab breakfast tacos. I had no idea how CUTE and photographically awesome that place was. WIN!

4. I LOVE big sis’s freckles.

5. I also LOVE this pic totally improvised between mom & dad ;-).

6. That adorable fence where the kiddos are holding hands up there is now gone!!! It was a reminder of how quickly beautiful things come and go and how fast Austin seems to change sometimes.

Let me tell you that it was such a joy to get to edit this senior portrait session while the rain poured down outside my office! This young lady is about to start her final year in high school and I can’t think of a better way to kick things off than by celebrating what makes her…*her*. I’ve had the honor of working with both her big sister AND her big brother in years past, and it really amazed me that we were still able to make this session unique. Her smile is radiant and her self-confidence and genuine compassion really shined through. Just an incredible end cap to the senior photo session series in their family and I can’t wait to hear about her adventures as she leaves the nest next year!

Oh, loved this quick snap with her parents below and her eyes HERE and the colors (in spite of the dark) HERE.

…were definitely our sunshine on a VERY cloudy day! As I watched the skies grow darker and darker, I didn’t think there was any way we’d be able to pull this session off without it pouring on us. I was incredibly impressed with how cooperative the boys were and I think they understood the urgency of our photo shoot that day. Absolutely gorgeous family with gorgeous smiles to match. My favorite moment HERE.

When I first learned that my daughter would have to start going to gymnastics in Cedar Park 4 days a week this spring (which is about a 30-45 min. drive one way), I was none too pleased. But thanks to a tip from Katie (who also did Rebecca’s beautiful hair and makeup for this photo shoot ;-)), I chose to make the trips to Cedar Park EXTRA worth my while by taking classes at the new Pure Barre studio that had opened there. And that’s where I officially met Rebecca, the owner of this Pure Barre studio. It was so much fun to get to see her outside of the barre…all dressed up and without her headset ;-). Her family is pretty amazing, too, and I was totally smitten with her son. Sure, he has a lot of energy (what little kiddo this age doesn’t?), but he’s got a great sense of wonder and enthusiasm for *everything* around him and you can’t help but to be drawn into that with him.

Loving the family snuggles up there!

So precious, the two of them. Dad is soooooo tall. Baby boy is soooooo small. Love the contrast between the two of them, knowing that one day, he’ll be just as tall (if not taller than) his daddy.

When I’m running in Cedar Park, I often pass this amazing rock wall. It looks prehistoric to me, with the ferns and greenery growing out of it. I was so happy to finally get to use it as a backdrop.

This. Dress. Um. Wow. Does it not show off that Pure Barre definition perfectly?

Such a handsome young man! We did have to have Mickey Mouse along for the photo session, too. By the way, his dad does a SPOT on Mickey voice!

This last photo is one of my favs from the session. While I’m usually pretty decisive when it comes to color vs. black and white, I happen to love both versions equally.

Rebecca…thank you so much for getting up soooooooo early to take these pictures and you did a fantastic job pulling everything together. I feel so lucky that barre has introduced me to so many people I might never have met otherwise, and that absolutely applies to you!!! I respect and admire what you’ve put into your studio and what you are giving your clients with each and every class!

He is caring, curious, clever, and creative. He is adventurous, a voracious reader, a talented writer, an excellent artist, has a wonderful laugh, is SUPER fast, loves his mama and his pup and his father, and it’s a pleasure to get to hang out in his world each year for a little bit. I love that he totally wanted to create *with* me and he was so into our experiment with the prism. Look out for him one day, world, because he is going to do amazing things.

Oh, wait! *I’m* not saying goodbye to Austin…but I am sad to know this family is. I’ve been fortunate enough to get to work with them a couple of times during their short time living here and it was my honor to help them document their life in this wonderful city. I know they are probably busy packing right now, but I hope they get a few minutes before the big move to see these images that will hopefully commemorate Austin for them and their children.

I definitely hope they never forget how much fun they had here…

at the gorgeous parks.

Always remember those big, blue,

beautiful Texas skies.

The wildflowers, sigh.

Golden sunsets.

Oh, yes, never forget the grackles 😉 and yummy treats!

Doesn’t THIS look tasty?

And magical sparkles in the water.

Most of all, never forget that no matter where you are, home is where you are loved.

I wish you all the best on the upcoming move and come back and visit Austin any time, y’all (I had to throw one in there ;-).

{Hair and makeup by Katie at Modern Muse Beauty}

Beth is a beautiful person with a radiant smile. Her son’s laughter is completely contagious. And her hubby is so incredibly patient while letting us play at our photo sessions. And everyone was beyond patient as we tried to get this photo session actually to happen! Every now and then, I’ll travel to the Houston area and usually, it’s not a big production. But it seems like for this trip, each time I would pack up and get ready to leave, there would be torrential rain and historic flooding. So, about a month after we had actually planned to do this photo shoot, we were able to get together. I’m glad we waited it out because we could not have asked for more amazing weather or more beautiful blue skies!

Flowers = gorgeous. Mosquitoes = annoying. But everyone is still smiling!

Ohhhhhh…that one up there through the jasmine? Look at his look…his smize…the protective love he has for his mommy in those eyes and in those hands that still have a trace of baby chub.

And I was LOVING the colors and patterns here!

Mr. Man decided he wanted to play hide-and-seek with us. I’m certain you won’t be able to find him…

Meghan Trainor look-alike, no?

Favity fav from this session is a tie between that jasmine photo and this one HERE.

Seriously, he can have anything he wants. Those sparkly eyes! His coy smile! What a charmer!

These brothers stole my heart when I first met them at my holiday mini sessions last year and I was VERY happy to get to see them again when the wildflowers were in full bloom. They had me cracking up pretty much the entire time. Their smiles are infectious and it’s just not difficult to draw out their personalities on camera at all. I love their energy and their enthusiasm and most of all, their LOVE for one another. It makes my heart happy. THIS image also makes my heart happy.

1) Tell us a little bit about your family… We are a family of 3 + 3 pups. Our dogs are part of our family! Dad works in Healthcare Sales. Mom worked in Finance until recently and is now at home. Little is in 1st grade and enjoys all sorts of extracurricular activities, including Girl Scouts, gymnastics, horseback riding, soccer and kickball.

2) What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc? It’s been about 2 years since our last session. We missed a year because we were moving and renovating a house. So it was time…I hate that we missed a year because we treasure these professional photos so much!

3) Where was your session held and why? In the wildflowers. Because, WILDFLOWERS! We had never had professional photos done in the bluebonnets before and they were fantastic this year, so it worked out perfectly.

4) What did you like about your session location? Flowers!

5) What was your favorite part of your session? It was an adventure! We had to hike through some pretty big grass to get to the one patch of yellow flowers. Something none of us will soon forget! I love that Michele is willing to take the risk to get the perfect shot! [Um, I was shaking I was so skeered. The grass was much taller than what I originally thought. I was very impressed that they were game for the adventure!]

6) Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session? Well I always worry about whether my daughter will cooperate. But I’m unsure why at this point as Michele always makes it work no matter the mood. My daughter LOVES her, as do we!

7) Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session? Yes, aforementioned hiking through tall dense grasses. Ha!

8) Any advice to other families before their photo sessions? Try and relax leading up to it(advice to myself included). Michele will take care of everything and your photos will be spectacular! [Thank you, dear!]

9) What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography? The first time because I was impressed by what I saw on the website. And we keep going back because her work is amazing!

10) What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images? That we had fun taking them and they are glad we have them to look at and remember our life along the way.

Pinkle’s FAV from this session HERE!