Family: (n) a group of persons who form a household under one head, including parents and children.

I feel so privileged to be a part of something that's a special gift for someone. That is definitely the case with these portraits that my very dear friend, Erin, requested as a present for her Mom. Their Nana had to get through her first Mother's Day without her only son, Michael, and it had to be a bittersweet, emotional day of remembrance. I hope that these images somehow helped you through the day, Gail. You're so often on our minds.

These kids are so absolutely sweet and adorable; I love 'em to pieces! They are good friends to our children, and we have so many memories with them, from going down to the beach on Sundays after church, to camping at Cape Cod last summer. (Yes, you read that right- 4 adults, 8 children-camping! The kids had a blast and talk about it often.)

I had such a great time doing this shoot; Erin made it so easy. She had a vision in her mind of what she wanted, so it was fast and painless for the kids. And when she told me that she wanted them all done individually, I was thrilled, as I can use my favorite settings when it's just one person. LOVE that. I tried to get a little of their personalities in each picture, and they definitely complied!



Samantha is a hard worker who takes great care of her animals, getting up on her own before 7 each morning to take care of her pair of oxen! (This is Brock or Carl; can't remember which one, Sam!:)

I saw the rusty ladder and the horseshoe, and she gracefully climbed right up for me!


Miss Elsa often has a soulful look in her eyes, and I'm so glad she let me catch it here. She is always so kind to our little Nora; and we think she's pretty special!

And she loves a good flight on the rope swing:




Miss Lois is a shy, sweet little tomboy. Nora and her get along like frosting on a cupcake. They are so funny, how they interact and giggle all day, all while running and keeping up with the boys!

Plus, this little girl's eyes are some of the most amazing I've ever seen. I had a few of her in black and white, but I just HAD to put them in color. I did nothing to add to the blue of her eyes; I tell her they're like perfect little blueberries, all ripe in the sun.




And then there's Owen, full of mischief and cuteness. Is he always this angelic, as he looks in the photo below? Well, that's a question for his Mom, but I will say one thing: He is always this cute!--


Told you he had a little twinkle of mischief:


Miss Maddie is quiet and cute, and just plain rolls with the rest of the crew! I'm holding out hope that she'll end up with gorgeous red hair like her Mommy... She definitely has her Mom's deep brown eyes:

I love how demonstrative Madison is; she's so inquisitive, and I love how we got that in this picture. I had this one in black and white and it was so pretty that way, but I just had to keep it in color to show Erin's beautiful red hair- (Which she is not a fan of, by the way. No fair!)

Maddie wasn't feeling good, and while I felt bad for her, it made for a pretty picture for Mom:



Thanks, John and Erin and all the kiddos! I had a lot of fun, and am so glad this worked out!

And I saw this quote and couldn't help but think of the Doyle family:

"What the heart has once owned and had, it shall never lose."
-Henry Ward Beecher