My work is typically focused on smaller, immediate family groupings, but I do marvel at the importance of and beautiful interworkings of the extended family. It is quite a special thing when families from all walks of life, joined together by marriage, are able to create such a peaceful and loving and fun little unit as this family has been able to do. And I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to witness their bonds in action and see the magical little world they have created for all of their grandchildren and hopefully, future great-grandchildren.

Sabrina (an extremely talented photographer in Fort Worth) is not often the one in front of the camera and I know how hard it is to switch from being the photographER to the photographED. But, I have to tell you, she did quite an amazing job coordinating all of this and then stepping back and letting the session unfold. That is *not* easy to do (I’m not very good at letting go myself), but she and the entire group were an absolute pleasure to work with, rolling with whatever hurdles came our way (say, a baby that refused to nap that day and unpredictable weather) with grace and a fantastic sense of humor.

I have lots of favs from each of the groupings, but HERE’s one in particular of Sabrina and her lovely daughter that really grabbed me.

I can’t believe I’ve known these cuties since they were in their mommy’s perfect little tummy and their newborn session seems like forever ago. But, watching these girls grow up through the years has brought me so much joy and laughter. Every photo session with these twins has been fun and memorable and unique, and getting to share in a bit of that magical glow just before Christmas definitely fell in line with the wonderful memories of past photo shoots. They are beautiful little people and they crack me up with their energy. But they also melt my heart with their love…for life, for their mama, and for one another. I’m so lucky to know them!!! Loved this sweet little kiss HERE.

Note the “heart” pic up there was a nod to a little something we managed to pull off during their newborn session all those years ago:

Her 9 month photo session was shot during the craziest time of year for me, but it was a welcome little respite from the hustle that comes along with holiday sessions in the fall. It was perfectly candid, relaxed, laid back, and documentary:

• a sweet little round face peering through the crib in the early morning sunrise
• snuggles and bedhead between baby sister and her big brother before they head downstairs for breakfast
• building Legos on the living room floor
• a shy game of peek-a-boo
• the perfect water spout cascade of pigtails
• clumsy, yet loving hugs from big brother
• dimples in all the right places
• breathing in warm, bare baby skin
• playing in the light and shadows of a warm fall morning in Austin.

My heart skips a beat when I look at the images from sessions like this because if I squint my eyes and try really hard, I can almost see my own kiddos at these ages again. I can almost feel the sticky kisses from a toddler and the whisper of milky baby breath and I realize how lucky we are to live in a time and place where we can take a few moments to document these seemingly “everyday” occurrences and file them away until we need a little reminder of how life used to be and how completely wonderful “ordinary” actually is.

[The black and white image in the shadow grid up there…I couldn’t decide which one I liked better…that one, or color?]

GPS can’t guide you here. It’s hard to believe there are places in Texas that are *that* remote ;-). The directions to get to their family’s beautiful remote ranch involved a number of gates and “turn past the 3rd cow,” but it was 100% completely worth it. My daughter actually accompanied me on this adventure and I felt so blessed to have that little girls’ trip AND to get to spend such a wonderful time with this family. The weather was absolutely incredible and we actually stayed out exploring after sundown. It truly does not get more “Texas” than this photo session…complete with big blue skies, cactus, rocky hills, yellow grass, and wading in a river. Oh, and don’t forget the beautiful family, too! I know I’ve probably blogged way too many images from this session, but I could not narrow it down. I also had a hard time picking a single fav…THIS is just one of them.

Thank you so much to this family for sharing the ranch with my daughter and I, for this incredible photo session, and the wonderful hospitality (with some very, very tasty chocolate chip pancakes the next morning ;-)).

Hopefully, you can’t tell in these pics, but this little guy had us trying everything we could possibly think of to keep him calm and happy. Well, I take that back…he *was* perfectly calm and happy when we let him rest peacefully in his crib, but unfortunately, he had a photo session to attend that afternoon and he was not terribly thrilled about being removed from his comfy little cocoon. Can’t say I blame him ;-). But you know what? He is really stinkin’ cute and I think he’s going to surprise everyone with all of the wonderful images he actually allowed us to take! And I have to say he is quite lucky to have such an adoring and caring and attentive big sister. Truly, a beautiful family all around and I was incredibly impressed with the team work we all put in to make his debut photo session a huge success! My favity fav HERE.

The last time I saw their eldest, it was in celebration of his first birthday! Now he’s a big brother and I can tell those two are going to be the best of friends and be up to all kinds of shenanigans as they grow up together ;-). Love that we were able to capture big bro and his furry bro on their lookout up there. And this one of the whole family together was too cute to pass up.

I couldn’t think of a more perfect place nor perfect day to mark their new adventures here in Austin from Chicago! And what an incredibly stunning and striking looking family as well. The children really interacted so well with one another, so well in fact, they required very little direction from me. My favorite images from this photo session were from when they were just being themselves. Like in this dance party HERE. At first, it was just Dad and the pup, but the kids wanted to join in, so we convinced Mom to play along as well ;-). Speaking of the pup: I was a bit skeptical when they wanted to bring him to downtown Austin for the photos…I was worried enough about keeping all the kiddos safe and contained…but they assured me that this dog was very well-behaved. And let me tell you that my jaw hit the floor to learn that this dog was still a puppy but followed the family around perfectly behaved, even without a leash! It was quite impressive!

The last time I saw the boys, I believe they had just turned one and NOW look a them???? So much fun…so much energy…and stunning smiles! It was incredible weather that evening and I LOVED the outfits mom picked out for the family. I also LOVED this shot HERE.

Hair and makeup by Modern Muse Beauty!

[Sorry for not being very wordy on this post and probably the posts to come…swamped with holiday stuff over here and my main goal is to get these pics out to my families as soon as I can ;-).]

Each year when I get to work with this family, I know there will never be a shortage of ideas because their kiddos are so full of energy and personality. I don’t have to make anything up…it’s always a case of me going along with whatever the kids want to show me at the time and I like having to think creatively on my toes. On this particular evening, we celebrated the completion of their new backyard. Dad even built a fire and they got to roast marshmallows! We also spent a lot of time playing on their awesome swing and I loved getting to hang out with the chickens, too! {Favorite HERE}

Their new pup stole the show quite frequently as you can see. You may recall in past sessions, the appearance of their doggie, Troop. Sadly, Troop passed away shortly after our annual pics last year and I’m just so glad we were able to faithfully document his time with his family though the years. When I walked in for the first time since they lost Troop for this photo shoot, the first thing I noticed was this tribute to him and I thought it was sooooooo beautiful and special:

Note: We are currently booking for the 6th Annual FREE Pinkle Toes Photography Kids Only Holiday Minis! A little sneak peek of the set is HERE and to find out more (and see more pics) and snag your spot, inquire HERE. There is a bonus offer that is ending soon, so you’re going to want to learn all about these ASAP!

Helping this family celebrate their life in their new dream home was magical. Hearing the story of the house was even more incredible…long story, short: don’t give up on a dream. Even if it takes longer than you had anticipated, persistence pays off. It’s quite clear that these two little ladies are perfectly content here and are super duper loved!

Don’t forget, we are now booking for the 6th Annual FREE Pinkle Toes Photography Kids Only Holiday Minis! A little sneak peek of the set is HERE and to find out more (and see more pics) and snag your spot, inquire HERE. There is a bonus offer that is ending 11.5.2016, so you’re going to want to learn all about these ASAP!