There are several families that make up this bunch. We have brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and second cousins. They all wanted to get together to capture some photos together as they all live in different areas of Texas. The main reason for gathering was to get some pictures with their grandmother, the tie that bonded them all together. Sadly, a week before the session, she passed away after a tough fight with cancer. The family, however, still wanted to have pictures taken in memory of her. She was a huge Texas Longhorn fan.  So in honor of her, they all wanted to have a group picture wearing their burnt orange proudly (even if there happened to be some Aggies in the bunch).
I loved getting to hang out with these families for a couple of hours. They made the session fun and easy.

This was my first time to The McMillians ranch outside of Mason, TX. I have to say, it was one of the most beautiful places! I personally think the Hill Country is amazing and has some of the prettiest sunsets! The hills and all the rocks are awesome!
This family was so nice and welcoming. I immediately felt comfortable with them and almost like I had known them for awhile and not just a few short hours. I loved getting to see their place and take pictures in a spot that is very special to them. Once that sun hit the trees…wow! It was amazing!

Meet the Gabrysches! They are an Austin family that I had the privilege of photographing. This family was so fun and easy to work with. One of the coolest things about them is that they are moving to Ethiopia this next year! I love, and am a little envious of, families that do this. It takes a lot to move yourself and your kids to another country! How cool is that?!

This was one of the last sessions I did while living on the coast. Literally, we moved days after. I loved getting to photograph this family. They were extremely easy-going and fun. Despite the crowds of people and the ridiculous wind, we had a good time. One of the girls, Jessica, went to high school with me. I don’t know if I have even seen her since graduation, so it was fun to be able to catch up a little.

Lexi is the daughter of our friends, Mandi and Thomas. She happens to be about two weeks older than our youngest, Case, but she is so much smaller! She always has been such a tiny little thing! Lexi was so much fun to photograph because she was joyful and had the cutest little smirks the whole time.

We miss seeing Lexi and her parents in Rockport. Maybe we can talk them into coming up to Fredericksburg for a visit!

As I sit down to write this post I feel at a loss for words. There are a couple of reasons for this. For one, I’m having a hard time conveying how awesome this family is. Yes, I was just with them for a few short hours, but in that time I could see how much they love each other. Through their interactions and through the conversations that I had with each parent on the side, it was obvious.  As I waited for them to meet me at the first location, I see an entourage of cars driving up. Every single family member was present, grandparents included.  I must admit it was a little intimidating at first.  However, that didn’t last long.  It was refreshing to see that they all wanted to be in this experience together.  I had so much assistance from the dads and the moms were great at helping get the attention of the eight kids.

The second reason that this post is difficult to write is because the youngest, Jacob, passed away just a month and a half after the shoot.  Jacob happened to stand out from the beginning. Besides his cute red hair and his adorable face, he had a spunk to him that made him so much fun to photograph. He made the greatest expressions and his personality was contagious. He was simply precious!

Upon hearing the tragic news a week and a half ago, Cat and I were so broken for this sweet family. Being that we are both moms ourselves and each of us has a three year-old boy, we hurt for this family and what they are going through.

With all of this said, the bottom line is that we do not know the number of days we have here on earth. We aren’t promised tomorrow and as cliche as it might sound, we need to live each day to the fullest.

And now for some pictures….

Sweet Jacob…

As a photographer, you develop a connection to your clients. This happens not only through the session, but through the correspondence before and after and through the hours of editing. We love what we do and in situations like this, we really see the importance.

-Cyndea

Today I got a call from the family member of a client that shook our world.  I forget sometimes how valuable our jobs are as photographers.  But today I am so incredibly thankful we are able to bless a family with our photos.

Cyndea shot a family session with 7 grandkids about a month ago.  I remember her calling me after the shoot to tell me how it went.  And the only thing I really remember is that she kept talking about the youngest one, Jacob.  She said he was just the most adorable little red-headed boy, and she couldn’t wait to show me her photos.  And wow….she wasn’t kidding.  He had an unbelievable smile that radiated joy.

Sadly, that sweet little boy has passed away.  I never even got to meet him, only talked to his mom on the phone when she first contacted me.  But Cyndea had the honor of documenting that incredible family of siblings and cousins.  And I know it will always be a memorable family session for her.

We hope to soon share the photos Cyndea took.  But for now, please pray for Jacob’s family as they deal with the loss and grief.  And pray for God to somehow be glorified through this all.

Somehow these two jokers keep making it into the family Christmas picture each year.  And somehow they end up looking directly into the camera and posing better than any dogs I’ve ever seen.  But it takes lots of effort and many funny moments like this to finally get that perfect photo in the end…..

And I just love this little guy’s laugh!

It’s so neat getting to see families you haven’t seen in almost 20 years!  I went to elementary school with the oldest daughter, Cammie.  How cool is it to reconnect YEARS later and see the whole family again?  It’s even sweeter when the family has expanded…

It’s so cool seeing families growing up over the years.  And it’s great knowing they want to use us again.  Guess we’re doing something right, huh?

Anderson and Harper could not be any cuter.  They were running wild much of the morning we spent together.  But what else would you expect at their age?  I love that they had so much energy and pure joy.  I would be concerned if they were just bumps on a log or wouldn’t crack a smile.  They laughed and giggled like crazy and it was fun to be around.  And I just love how much they love each other. 

I’m pretty sure Cyndea and I NEVER got along (until high school), and Stewart, well he just tortured and pestered us every chance he got.  But that would take multiple blogs posts to cover.  Someday….maybe.

How sweet are they loving on their mama?

We may have ourselves a future photographer here!