Families

 by Terri

Family Time | {Special Memories}

Yesterday morning I woke to grey skies and rain…and after looking at the forecast showing rain most of the day…I must say that I was nervous. Later that morning I had a session scheduled with a family and it had to be done that day…dad is in the Army and has been on leave, but heads out again in a few days…so I knew that one way or another…this had to happen! Driving to Tacoma it rained, rained some more and then rained even harder…ugh…I wondered how many covered places could we find?? Upon meeting up with the Lizotte family…the rain was diminishing and amazingly, after just a short time…it stopped!! Phew…and thank you!!!! It was chilly, but they were all great sports and it was fun to wander around and let them explore a bit as I captured some special photos for them. Hailey, who I’ve photographed before, is very sweet, but I must say, she’s an active little one…one shot and she was off and running – which certainly kept me on my toes…and helped me stay warm…so thank you, Hailey!  It was refreshing to see the family together, even if just for a short time…I can’t even imagine how the military families do this…being separated for so long and a parent back at home, being both mom and dad while the other is serving our country…my gratitude goes out to the families and their spouses who are serving overseas! It was evident that Hailey enjoyed having her dad around…and he was great with her and the two of them seemed to have a lot of fun as we wandered around this cold morning! I’m so grateful we were able to schedule this and especially that the rain stopped so we could shoot outside…it was my pleasure to spend some time with this delightful family…and I wish the very best for them for the holidays…even if they won’t be together…hopefully, they can hold on to the memories of their times together!

Time together is what’s important and this family is making the most of the time they have right now…that’s certainly something to be treasured!

Hailey never turned down a chance to dance and twirl…and in her darling dress…she was as pretty as could be!

I love this photo of Hailey with her dad…it shows that they are both happy to be together and enjoy having a good time!

This beautiful little face was created out of love…and as you can see, she is loved and they all love one another…what is more special than that!?!

Thank you, Matt, Tara and Hailey for a fun session…despite the weather, all worked out and it was my pleasure to capture some family photos of you while Matt is home…be safe Matt…and thank you for your service to our country…and to Tara and Hailey for allowing him to do so!

in Children / Families / Love 0 comments
 by Terri

Addyson turns 2 | {Adorable}

What a fun session I had this past weekend with this adorable little girl.  Addyson is two now and I first met her when she was just 6 months old…I can’t believe how she’s grown and what fun to get some time with her this afternoon! She was a bit shy to start out…as are most two year old’s around someone they really don’t know, but by the end of the session, she was leading me off to play with her…ahhh, she’s a sweetheart!  We began outside as it was dry at the time and thought the outdoors would give her time to explore and use up some energy…and were we ever lucky as later, after moving inside, the rains returned…so good timing for us!  This cutie LOVES dogs and early on her aunt and uncle were trying to sneak their dog into their car (heading home), and Addyson saw this and just HAD to see the dog…so we used that to our advantage in order to get her to sit still and smile for a few photos! It’s amazing how you have to be creative when working with toddlers…finding ways to entertain and distract them…this afternoon I pulled out a little gift I had for her…early…to bribe her and it certainly helped! Mom also had some M&M’s in her pocket that helped as well…by by the end, no bribes were necessary…she was a great little model and tons of fun!

Isn’t this the cutest pic of Addyson with her big sister, Cami…these two have a very special bond…it’s wonderful to see! And, beautiful mom with her darling little girl…always a precious sight!

This was when Addyson was warmed up…and we had some fun…she was a real cutie and her smile made me melt!!

LOVED her little vest and besides keeping her warm outside, it was so cute on her…

Addyson has the greatest playroom…and it’s very neat and tidy…and she was quite excited to show me all the different toys in there…especially her dollhouse…I would imagine she spends a lot of time in there!

How fortunate that they had just decorated for the holidays the day before…couldn’t resist getting Addyson in front of the tree!

Here’s Addyson “hiding” from me…it was so funny to watch her play…did I mention how much fun I had with her!!!

Serious and curious…but also lots of fun and giggles…isn’t that was makes up little girls?!!??

What a great family…they were all so kind and welcoming…it’s always a pleasure to work with families like this this one!

Okay, this little face below looks a bit mischievous…but how could you resist this beautiful little girl…I think she was doing the “Happy Feet” dance at this point!! Too cute!

Thank you Addyson and family for your time this day…you are a wonderful family and it was my pleasure to capture some special memories for all of you!

in Children / Families / Teens 0 comments
 by Terri

Giving THANKS for Family

This past weekend my husband and I flew to my hometown (Spokane, WA) to visit my mom…sort of a belated birthday celebration as well as a chance to attend an auction her church has each year to raise money for various programs. For several years now, I’ve donated photographs to the church for their auction and am more than happy to do this and see what wonderful things the church does each year. My husband and I were married in that church, about 28 1/2 years ago and both of our children were baptized there as well, so there are many wonderful memories as we return.  The evening is a wine tasting as well as an auction and it’s wonderful to try many of the great Spokane area wines from the various local wineries. I must say we do have a couple of favorites, but always enjoy trying new ones as well as talking to the representatives from the wineries…they are so proud of their wines…and as well they should be! That’s definitely something wonderful about the Pacific Northwest…some GREAT wines are produced here!!

My mom’s birthday was the weekend before and so I planned a surprise dinner for her with my sisters and their families…since we don’t get together that often, I figured this would be a great excuse!! The location changed a couple of times and trying to keep my mom “non suspecting” about it was tough…since I told her we wanted to take her out and yet, WE chose the location…she had to be a bit suspicious about that. And, she saw a couple family members during the week before and a comment or two was made about seeing her for dinner later in the week…I think she then knew something was going on! Oh well…it didn’t matter whether or not she knew, what mattered was that we ALL got together and had a wonderful evening. We met at Europa on Wall St. and it was great…good food, wine and service and wonderful atmosphere!! A chance to visit and catch up with everyone was so nice and I think that even though the surprise was gone, my mom still enjoyed it and loved having us all together.

This  year for Thanksgiving we will be with our kids and their families as well as some WONDERFUL friends from Tennessee, who are just like family to us. So, it really doesn’t matter if you’re not with immediate family or a lot of family, what matters is that you spend it with those you care about and enjoy being with…and are thankful for the times you do have with one another!  Tomorrow our friends fly in and I can’t tell you how excited I am for them to visit…we don’t have a lot planned, but just to spend time with them sounds so nice…a week of hanging out and catching up…cooking, walking, talking, playing games, drinking wine, and laughing together (lots of laughing!!)…is the best way I can think of spending time with friends…or family!

This time of year we all get a bit crazy with everything going on, but I do hope you take the time to think about what you are thankful for and appreciate those loved ones in your lives…sometimes we take for granted what we have and who we have…and you never know what is ahead, so just enjoy TODAY!!

Here are a few photos from our dinner last week!!

“Uncle Phillip” is happy to help Jack build someting with his blocks…looks like Batman is going to be part of the end creation!

The whole group (minus me…someone had to take the photo!)…what a GREAT looking family I have!!!

My mom and niece, Heidi…so wonderful to see them together…what beautiful women!!

All the girls…so fun to be together…there were a couple more missing who couldn’t come, but what fun was this evening!!!

 

 My nephew, Phillip and his fiance, Celina…who are getting married this coming summer…SO excited for them!!

in Families / Personal 0 comments