blessed boy.

as ready as these guys were for this little boy to arrive, they still wouldn't have minded if he had held out until their house was ready.  or i suppose it would have been nicer if the house could have "come early".  needless to say, they are two weeks away (fingers crossed) from moving into their gorgeous new place and we couldn't help but fake it for an hour by taking pictures in sawyer's future nursery.  carly still has that incredible glow to her which didn't disappear with pregnancy or lack of sleep.  when i sent her a sneak peek she said she cried.  might sound strange, but i'm pretty sure that's the best compliment i've gotten yet!

he was so lively, that we had to get together a couple days later to get a few more sleepy shots...and he certainly didn't disappoint!  

we even got a smile!!

party time

this family has a lot to celebrate.  not only is it grandma and grandpa's anniversary, it's a birthday for a little boy who has an incredibly miraculous story for being only four years old.  they are a lovely family who are a wonderful example of grace and generosity.
getting everyone together was no easy task...5 families, 20 people, 11 grandchildren (9 rambunctious boys and 2 girls who keep right up with them) ranging in age from 2 to 14.
there was much exploring to be done...at every picture break they were on the run.  from catching spiders to reading tree etched love notes to riding the "elephant tree"...so much fun to be had!

can you spot the elephant below?

this was supposed to be just of the grandkids, but can you spot the adult who didn't make it out in time...?

baby s.

when i met fred & amy a couple months back for their maternity shoot, they were so sweet and excited about the arrival of their firstborn.  i love having the opportunity to photograph the parents before and after baby is born because there's so much anticipation followed by purely exhausted joy.  there's nothing quite like it.

i'm sure fred's family is so anxious to see her - hopefully having these pictures will help tie them over for a little while longer.  we even got a smile!

baby pigtail

miss alexa's mom contacted me about doing 6 month pictures for her.  apparently we picked a good day because after a 3 hour nap, she was a happy little camper!

vacation round-up

so we hit the road to head down to oregon last week.  didn't have internet access at our (ahem) BEACH HOUSE, so i decided to give you a highlight of each day.  keeping it down to one picture a day was a unique challenge!  stay tuned on facebook to get a more detailed account.

day 8: we got to go on a date!!  we drove into vancouver, grabbed some mexican take-out and headed to jericho beach for a *free* performance by the avett brothers (i.e. we sat on the sand and watched the sunset and crazy hippies while the folk fest took place behind a big see-through fence next to us).  oh, and kettle corn is growing on me.  slowly but surely.

day 9: welcome to the united states of america (click on the picture to read his jacket).

day 10: salem art festival.  next time you see me ask me about the dance troupe made up of 15 year old girls and an incredibly awkward 40 year old man wearing a red velvet court jester costume.

day 11: oh, hey there depoe bay.  welcomed by a gatrillion seagulls, a grey whale and more mexican take-out.  thank you very much.

day 12: oh, hey s'mores.  first successful cousin coastal adventure.  fire making, kite flying and couch jumping had by all.

day 13: ship captain in the making.

day 14: oh hey, sand eater.

day 15: oh america.  even your roller coasters are patriotic.  skidsville, usa summer festival.  i've never seen so many inflatable machine guns in my life.  where freedom looks like being able to tell your wife to $#@! off in public.

the end.  as much as i give you a hard time, united states of america, you sure are beautiful.  and you claim some of the people i love the most (you know who you are).  so i guess i can give you some slack.  i leave you with a picture from the deck of the amazing home we stayed in.  did i mention it was right on the most perfect beach?  well, it was.  thanks for following me on our family vacation...back to reality today!