To be honest, I can’t believe we managed to pull this one off. We got together in the wee hours of the morning for our annual summer family photo session in an effort to catch the sunrise and beat this awful Texas heat. I knew I was in trouble when I got to my car in the dark and drove all the way out to their house (about an hour) and my windows *still* were foggy from the humidity. Yikes! I intentionally kept my camera in the way back of the van so as not to make my lenses too cold otherwise they would never defog when I needed them.

When I got there, we found the spot where we thought we would catch the best light (nailed it!), but I made the mistake of wearing flip-flops and was slipping all over the dew-covered grass. So, off went my shoes and I prayed I wouldn’t step on anything pokey (I’m NOT a barefoot person at all). Just as we got the twins settled on the that gorgeous red sofa (which can be quite challenging when you have two very active little girls!) and we were ready to bring in big sister, she managed to find a fire ant mound, bless her little heart.  It’s times like this when I wonder why in the world I still live here in Texas.

BUUUUUT, you know what? It came together. Everyone rallied and we were able to get all the necessary birthday photos on that lovely red couch in spite of it all. I was WAY impressed with the patience of mom and dad (I know you have to be when you’ve got three busy kiddos) and their patience helped *me* to relax. We were even afforded the opportunity to switch gears to do some more casual photos at their favorite park. Of course, these are always the times I like best…when I get to kind of sit back and watch families play together and just enjoy being a family.

I truly was amazed watching them all in action. Twins ain’t easy, that’s for sure, and it never feels like you have enough arms. But these parents are doing an incredible job and it has been my extreme honor watching this family (and these beautiful girls) grow each year!

But these boys do ;-). I cannot say enough wonderful things about my time with this family. For starters, they are AUTHENTIC and FUN and the boys loved to smother their mommy with bear hugs and kisses. Add to that the fact that mom let them wear casual clothing for their family photo session that still reflected a little personality and perhaps a bit of team rivalry in their household. And dad just got right in and played with them, even when we stumbled upon an abandoned game of tug-o-war. And then there were the capes…oh the capes!!! It was like those boys completely transformed when they put them on and my heart melted. These are the photo sessions that memories are made from.

Her story is not mine to tell, but you can learn a number of things about Samantha in these images:

1. She LOVES her son and he ADORES her.
2. Her faith and strength have been tested in ways I could never fathom and yet she has come through with flying colors…almost as vivid as how she colors her world.
3. She has a fantastic sense of humor.
4. And sense of style.
5. And sense of who she is and is not.

I don’t have adequate words to express how beautiful my time with her family was to me, but it I hope she and K know it was 100% my honor to get to see them in their element. One of my many favs HERE.

It’s yet another one of those bittersweet moments when I realize I’ve been working with these children since before two of them were even born. Their family photo session this spring was a pretty big milestone as they were marking the time before their firstborn leaves for college and I honestly get choked up just thinking about that…not only for his mom and dad, but for myself as I know I’m going to be facing that in just a few short years. I don’t know why I did this to myself, but I went back and looked through images from some of their earlier sessions and gah! It was heart wrenching to see how quickly the time has passed and how much these kids have grown–in particular the eldest three (as they were the ones I met first all those years back). I think mom and dad should be incredibly proud of the super people that have raised/are raising and their baby birds leaving the nest, one by one, are going to be super grown ups. [Random fav image HERE…she reminds me of Lana Del Rey for some reason].

Side note: if you are going to be visiting Austin and need a place to stay, might I suggest their awesome red barn???

He was such a perfect little angel during his official newborn photo session (his debut appearance on the Pinkle Toes Photography blog was actually on his Birth Day). I can’t believe how he just let us dress him up and take photos all over the house, posing *just so* it seemed for every single picture. He was completely content snuggled up in his mommy and daddy’s arms, that was for sure (favorite image HERE). If I were to give out grades for a newborn photo shoot, he would get an A++++ GOLD STAR in my book, with extra credit for that adorable baby smile up there ;-0.

This little guy was SUCH an angel for his newborn photo shoot! He was asleep and cozy when we needed him to be and then alert and curious for the later half of the session. It was really a perfect blend for newborn photos. I also loved that when I first arrived, there were mimosas (for two) and a bottle of milk (for one) to celebrate Dad’s birthday…my how life changes after having a baby, huh? And then…we got to go out and take photos around/in their adorable Casita! I can see so many wonderful memories being made for him as they travel together. The connection and love flowed with authenticity and ease among this sweet family. It really reminded me of why I like doing what I do so much: getting to see those interactions on such an intimate level, watching people actually become parents, seeing the looks of wonder over their baby and one another…enough to make my heart burst with joy! Favity fav HERE.

We wanted to do something colorful and fun for their family photo session this time, so I thought these spots in Austin would do just the trick. We were pleasantly surprised to discover some new options to add to the mix and they were the perfect “models” to do so! I love how fun and effortless they made it look and how they jumped right in to use our “props”…like this one HERE.

She is a complete angel and was so precious throughout her entire newborn photo shoot…even at the end when we were trying desperately to wake her up ;-). My favorite part was having her big brother greet me at the door by saying, “Want to come see *my* new baby?” Look at how he is with her! Yeah, I guess she kinda is *his*. And mama…I hope you are enjoying this sweet babymoon with your daughter. I know you must have all the tasks of work trying to pull you away, but work will always be there. Take as much time as you can to simply adore her. {Words I told myself when I had my own daughter 8 years ago}.

Interestingly enough, my first two photo shoots of 2017 were for 3rd babies named “Asher.” This dude was pretty much wide awake during his entire session (mom told me zonked out the second I left), but it allowed us to get wonderful images of interactions with his doting big sisters, snuggling parents, and adoring grandparents. And his sparkly hazel (?) eyes! I wonder if they’re going to stay that way? I loved the way his sisters loved on him with all their might. I loved his perfect little back rolls ;-). I loved his long, curly toes. I loved how I could see already how much he looks like his middle sister, who in turns, resembles her father. I loved how his mommy breathed him in every time she picked him up. Most of all, I love that his grandfather was able to make him SMILE *just* as I was packing up my stuff, getting ready to head out. Lucky catch, there!

I’ve had the extreme honor of photographing the newborn sessions for each of their 3 babies and I had to giggle when I walked in for this little guy’s debut photo shoot because his basically a carbon copy of his brother and sister ;-).  I LOVE that they all seem to have inherited that beautiful red hair, but they still have so much of their father’s features in them. This guy in particular. He was a perfect little doll the entire session, doing exactly as the third baby typically does: putting up with the antics of his older siblings and being totally chill about the whole thing. Mom and dad are an amazing parenting team and this sweet baby is going to have no problem fitting in with the rest of his fam. A perfect summation of their lives right now can be seen HERE.

Hair and makeup by Katie of Modern Muse Beauty in Austin, TX.