I love this sweet little family!  Not only are they good friends, but they have been long time supporters of studio3z, and for that, we are so incredibly thankful.   If they look a bit familiar, you may have seen them on the blog a few times…actually MANY times!  *hold on a minute….*  Ok, I just went and counted back to when they first started with us in 2006, and this was their 9th session with us!!!  (Thank you guys so much!)

Here are a few recent sessions:

Asher’s newborn session (which has one of my FAVORITE family photos I have ever taken!!)

Family when Asher was  in the belly

Meet Jessica and Michael….they have been making babies at warp speed, and with how flipping cute they are I don’t blame them!!  :)  From oldest, to youngest we have Alayah, Jade, and sweet little Asher.

This shoot was mainly to focus on Asher, who is 6 months old now.  Of course we had to get his sisters and Mom and Dad in on the mix as well.  We had such a good time, and shot the whole thing in our backyard.  :)

Mr. Smiley.  He is about the most precious little guy ever.

Holding Daddy’s hand….

This child is beyond BEAUTIFUL….I told Jess he is too pretty to be a boy.  ;)

Standing up like a big boy!

And then with some help from Daddy.

Editing this photo, I realized you can see Brett taking this shot, with me dancing in the background- in his eyeball!!

He loved grabbing this grass.  :)

Then Alayah and Jade jumped in!  Alayah is 4, and Jade is 2.

Sweet little family!!

Mama with her Asher boy!

He looks like such a big boy here- very independent.

I LOVE this!!

(Sorry Jess, tattoos are showing….but it is sooo them.)

Alayah had a laughing fit!

Love the pat on the head….  :)

Oh!  Let’s stick the baby in the rusty pot!  Of course!

Jade’s a sweetie.

At the end, they were jumping in the car to leave, and the sun decided to peak out as it set….I made Jess + Michael hop out, so I could grab a couple of the two of them.  :)

Jess said, “Ok, make us look like all those cute couples on your blog!”

Jess, no need to “make” that happen.  You guys are adorable.

Here are some behind the scene shots- Brett was taking feet shots, like the one at the top of the blog.

I love how Jade is “turning” her brother’s head.  :)

Even Priya took some shots!!  (I’m getting this family business started YOUNG!)

Jess and Michael, thanks again for allowing us to capture these beautiful times in your lives.  We love your little (but bigger than last year!) family.  ;)  Can’t wait to watch your kiddies grow.

I’m uploading cards tonight from some recent shoots and was floored by this image.  Looking at this photo, my heart hurt with sheer joy.  As I began to edit it I realized more and more why I reacted so strongly to this simple photo file….

I am often asked what caused me to get into photography, and what inspires me.  This photo would sum it up.  Almost 10 yrs. ago when I had my first child, I saw a beauty in her that I wanted to share with the rest of world.  This is why I love photographs. I wanted something that could point me back to that day-that moment, and that feeling I had when I spent time with her.  Just she and I, laying in the grass, playing with her toys…..a very simple everyday scene, but seeing her face as she discovered and learned, was a place where my heart would love to live.  You parents out there know…..if it were possible to bottle it up for later, we would.

Taking my daughter to the local department store for a photo brought us both to tears, and I almost always hated the photos.  So I quit going.  One day I picked up my point and shoot, I quit making her look at me and smile, and I waited for those moments.  I fell in love with watching and waiting for those moments.  And the rest as they say, is history.

When you look at this photo what do you see?  Being the mother, the power of this photo is quite different for me, I’m sure.

I see a photo that 20 years from now will be posted in my house, and a cute moment that Adin and Riah will look back on fondly.

I see:

a summer day

the warmth of the sun

a beautiful place

two precious boys

a relaxed moment

a big brother’s love

a proud little brother

and the stillness of life.  simple + sweet.

I find it an incredible joy, honor, and an absolute dream to be able to capture these moments for others that perhaps can help them feel an *inkling* of what I feel for this little photo.

Thank you for being a part.