One of our days at the park, I was able to photograph a beautiful family who loves spending time at Disneyland and California Adventure . . . so much so that they have annual passes! Of course, it made perfect sense to do their family session inside the park and we all had a great time.

Could these boys be any cuter??? I think not!

Erin and I go way back and have been friends since high school youth group. She married a great guy and they now have four cool kids.

We spent the morning out at Celebration Ranch where the kids enjoyed being pushed in the swing (my oldest included). Celebration Ranch is such an AMAZING place. Check it out when you can and you should definitely plan on taking your family out there for some camping Memorial Day Weekend! For details www.celebrationranch.org/Celebration_Ranch/events.html

There was the threat of rain during my time with the Beatties, and it was pretty chilly, but we all had a great time. As you can see from the pictures, Bruce & Mary have some serious love between them and they stay cozied up while the boys ran all over the place (I won’t mention who was texting, ahem). There is just such joy within this family that I think it’d be impossible to spend time with them and NOT have a smile on your face! And no, Bruce isn’t extremely short, Mary is just standing on a crate.

One of my favorite pictures from the day!

Thanks, Beatties, for such a fun day! Can’t wait til next time!

Wow.

The expenses associated with having a child with autism are unbelievable. With the autism diagnosis comes so much information that it’s overwhelming; too much to comprehend. There are a lot of unknowns in the world of autism. There are also many blessings.

One of those blessings is the (sometimes rare) smile on a child’s face.

Last summer, one of my good friends told me she had few pictures of her son, Blake, smiling. We’ve known Blake since birth, a buddy to our oldest child. We’ve seen this family endure many trials. We’ve loved them and we’ve prayed for them. We’ve also seen the love they show others and the blessing that they are to others. Blake is such a sweet little man, with the most beautiful eyes and lips you could ever imagine on a boy. Oh he is such a handsome guy! So when Traci hired me to take their photos, I was truly honored. This is what my work as a photographer is all about:

I still love looking at these pictures of Blake. It makes me smile just to see him smiling.

So, in honor of Autism Awareness Month, I’ll be offering FREE mini sessions for any child on the autism spectrum. This offer is for the month of April and includes a private 20-minute photo session and one 5×7 print of your favorite image. The photos will be taken outdoors, where your child will have freedom to roam and be comfortable.

Limited sessions are available, so please contact me to schedule your appointment!

Here’s a little excerpt describing what Celebration Ranch is all about: “By providing the opportunity, activities, and information required to connect young leaders with their natural environment, we can help to uncover and empower the next generation of creative and environmental innovators”. Crea is collaborating with her in-laws, the owners of this heaven-on-earth property, and they have some great plans for the ranch! They have teepees out there for the kids (my own kids FREAK OUT with excitement when they see them). Beautiful ponds, amazing views, and vast serenity. They have plans for various art classes, fishing, archery, conservation, and even cross-fit training! The focus of their programs will be on children, with the ultimate goal of involving families and the community. How awesome that such a place will exist just minutes from Roseburg?!?!

Here’s Crea and her adoring hubby, Troy. Who, incidentally, used to jump over me on his BMX bike when I was a little kid (one of the downfalls of being the only girl in the neighborhood).

The Willis clan!

Don’t these boys look like little models? Theo and Mose, you guys rock!

Thanks so much for sharing the beauty with our wonderful little community. I can’t wait to get tons of people involved in Celebration Ranch!

She turned 2 months old last week and today she had her third photo session! I’ve been friends with Lilly’s mom, Cary, since we were in preschool and what an amazing friend she has been.

I just knew that Lilly would be born while we were on our family vacation to Disneyland in October and, sure enough, Cary texted me while we were driving to SoCal that she was in labor. She texted me again the next day to say that she was going in for a C-section as Lilly was being stubborn. I was thrilled when I received the news that Lilly had arrived and she and Cary were both doing well. I was heartbroken a week later when I got the news from Cary that her mother, Lilly’s grandma, had died very unexpectedly. I felt helpless being so far away, but knew that Cary was being taken care of by her wonderful hubby, Patrick, and all the rest of her family.

I’ve been amazed to see the way Cary has taken to motherhood and the love she has for Lilly, even in the midst of her pain.

I love you, Cary, and I’m so thankful for your beautiful little blessing!

Caleb and I found these amazingly cool lollipops a few weeks ago and they have been in my camera bag just BEGGING to be photographed So, I had to oblige . . .

I love this shot of Derek! He has such a fun personality, but normally hides it when the camera comes out, so it was great that the lollipop worked its magic on him, haha!

We hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful time of year. Things are finally slowing down a little bit for us, so we’re hoping to get some baking done this week.

Remember to check back on Christmas Eve when I will announce the winner of the GIVING IS AWESOME contest!!!

And here’s mom and dad . . . trying to stay warm!

Seriously, can you believe these kids?????

And I love this shot of Austin and Andy, rad brothers!

Thanks so much for the fun session guys–can’t wait to do it again!  Oh, and Olivia, I’ll be watching you