Julie, Michelle, and Families~Extended Family Session in the Orchards
While extended family sessions might be something that stress some togs out, I have grown to really enjoy them and love doing them.
They make the time go by super quickly, and it's thoroughly satisfying when I manage to snap that "everyone looking and smiling shot" that ultimately everyone wants. I also am always a huge fan of seeing how closely knit some families are to one another, beyond just siblings and parents, but cousins, aunts and uncles too!
When Julie asked about having some extended family photos with her sister's family in one of my favorite Spring locations, my answer was an obvious yes please! I always love when Dries orchards are blooming, and while it was tough to catch the bloom time this year, we couldn't have planned their session timing better if we had a crystal ball. It made the perfect setting for this special group of people, with lots of space to move and play games with the kiddos to keep them content, and gorgeous scenery, it was perfect in my own personal opinion. What made the photos epic though, was being able to watch the interactions between these cousins, aunts, and uncles. They shared a closeness and love that reminded me of my younger years with several of my own cousins, Bryan being one of them. Having cousins that you're close to like these are, is one of the greatest blessings there is in life. These kiddos will be able to look back when they're older and have some of the best memories with their extended family and be so thankful for having such great friends.
One of my favorite games to play with kids during family sessions is "run to mom and dad and give hugs!" Normally it comes with laughter and smiles and creates some super cute and fun images. This was the first time however, that one of the kiddos decided to plow into their mom and take her out. Sorry about that Michelle! I don't think any of us saw that one coming, other than maybe the kid in question! Needless to say, after that incident Michelle had a slightly more nervous look on her face for the second round, although we did switch kids and gave somewhat more specific instructions which included "don't knock over your mom!"
As some of my own relatives, Julie and Bryan's little boys are some of my favorites. C seemed to be feeling a little extra mischievous during our session, but we still managed to get some of his epic smiles out of him. C definitely showed that he is daddy's little buddy, and was way more willing to smile and snuggle his daddy than mommy. Fortunately Julie still has little O who is her best little buddy and had all sorts of gummy smiles for his mommy! It's crazy how fast these babies grow up and I know that having these photos and memories to look back on will prove priceless when they're older.
Julie and Michelle, thank you for trusting me to capture these extra special photos of your sweet families this Spring. You all were the nicest group of people, and I loved seeing all the love shared between each and every one of you!!
