5 on 5 | The Temple

There were a lot of stories I wanted to share this month. I mean hello- it was October! We went to the pumpkin patch, our favorite fall festival, carved pumpkins, explored the canyon with it's beautiful leaves, went trick-or-treating, etc. And I have lots of pictures of all of those things. Hopefully I'll still get around to sharing them. :) But this was the story that really spoke to me this month.

Almost seven years ago, my husband and I were married in this beautiful temple in my hometown-  the Logan, Utah LDS temple. Now we live about two hours away, and even though we visit frequently to see my family, for some reason we had never taken our kids to visit this beautiful place that is so meaningful to us.

A few weeks ago we were visiting to shoot a wedding for one of my very best friends from high school. It was awesome and wonderful, by the way. Blog post to come soon. ;) On our way home we decided to stop and show our kids this lovely temple we were married in, and talk to them about why it means so much to us. 

It was a perfectly warm, sunny, gorgeous fall day. We wandered around the beautiful grounds, collected pretty leaves,  rolled down the hill (at least they did- I tried it once and was SO DIZZY I couldn't stand it), and took pictures obviously. :) 

For me, the temple represents peace. Whenever I am feeling frustrated, overwhelmed or confused about something in life, this is where I come. (Well, to one of the temples. There are lots in Utah. :P) In the temple is where I feel nearest to God. It is quiet, peaceful, spotless and beautiful. I can pour out my heart in prayer and always, always feel the love the Lord has for me. I leave feeling refreshed, stronger, and with a better perspective on life and my problems. 

This specific temple will always hold a special place in my heart. Spending time here with my family on this beautiful fall day is a memory I don't want to forget.

You can see the rest of my pictures from this gorgeous afternoon here. I managed my very first picture of a butterfly, and even ended up in the frame a few times myself! 

And if you're curious, you can learn more about LDS (Mormon) temples here. 

Finally, don't forget to hop on over to the see the next story in our blog circle! Jennifer K Photography- Maryland Lifestyle Documentary Photographer

Good Vibes

Raise your hand if your life is crazy busy.

If you feel like you are rushing from one thing to another, constantly trying to get something done while being distracted by another thing. 

You love your family with everything you are, but sometimes it seems like you just can't quite be enough for them. You feel like you are doing a half way job with everything in your life because you are just stretched too thin. 

Oh it's just me? ;) 

Parenting (especially little kiddos) while juggling work, church responsibilities, friends, etc is HARD. Sometimes it feels good to just admit that. Say it out loud. 

But spending time with this awesome, fun loving, laid back family gave me hope. 

Their life is dare I say EVEN busier than most. They juggle so many responsibilities, and when I asked them how they do it they said "well we aren't doing it well". 

But I'm here to say that YES dear Sato family, you are doing it well. Very well. In fact you are rocking it. 

Stepping outside my own bubble of crazy and spending this evening as a "fly on the wall" following your family around was such a gift to me. 

Photography forces me to slow down and notice the little things. To reveal the beauty in ordinary moments that otherwise go un-appreciated. 

And you know what I saw? I saw you taking time to have fun together. Working as a team, always having each other's back. Loving your kids, and them loving you right back. I saw how you do your best and work so hard for them. I saw a whole lot of love.

Most of all I saw that you are doing so much better than you think you are. 

And because you are, maybe that means the rest of us are too.

So THANK YOU for trusting me enough to let me step into your world for a little while and document your story. Thank you for giving me hope, and reminding me that we are all doing better than we think we are.

If you've read this far and want to see more, check out this story, and this one. If you're ready to preserve your own family's story, let's chat! 

5 on 5 | Cousins

A few weeks ago my kids, younger sister and I went on a road trip to visit my older sister in Vegas. Her kids are my kids only cousins, so they are always super excited to see each other. 

Our first day there they took us to one of the coolest parks I have ever been to. It was pretty hot (hello Vegas weather), but we all had a blast together! Except for maybe the cranky, hot, tired toddler. ;) 

It's funny how sometimes the simplest things are the most memorable.  

What? There are six you say? Considering I narrowed them down from about 15 favorites, I'm feeling pretty good about it. :P 

Oh! And I was pretty excited that my last month's 5 on 5 story was featured on Beyond the Wanderlust (a beautiful photography blog). You can take a peak if you wanna. :D 

Now head on over to Melissa's blog to see her awesome lensbaby pictures! (Waterloo, IA birth and family documentary photographer)

Zucchini Bread | Kushlan Family Story

Home. That's what spending time with this wonderful family felt like to me. 

It might be because Emily and I grew up in the same little town out in the middle of nowhere Utah, and have been close friends for years. Or maybe it's because I have my own fond memories of backyard gardens and making zucchini bread with my family. Or maybe because of the love and warmth that fills their home. Or maybe even because after this session I got my FIRST ever flat tire, and Emily and Josh came to my rescue and taught me how to change it (aka changed it for me. :D) 

Either way, that's the word that keeps coming to mind. Home. It really is a beautiful word, isn't it? 

When Emily first called me about this session, she said that she takes lots of pictures of her kids, and her husband with her kids, but she doesn't make it into many of the photos. Sound familiar? :) 

She wanted to be part of that story. To be in pictures WITH her family. 

Visual evidence that she was there too. Loving, playing, and devoting her whole life to them.

You might look at your life and see a messy house, weed filled garden, crazy kids, and "boring" life. But what I see is magic. I see those fleeting little moments that tell your story. Your unique, love filled, wonderful story. And hopefully I get to show you that despite the craziness, you are doing a pretty darn good job after all. 

back when they were tiny | Smith family story

Refreshingly real, and with hearts of gold. Always, always finding ways to improve themselves and help other people. I find myself taking mental notes of things I love about people, and Sean and Jessie's list could go on for ages. 

After trying for 7 years to have kids, they were blessed with these three miracle babies- right in a row. And even though they are completely exhausted, they treasure this time with their little boys and want to remember everything about it. Because (as we all know) with that exhaustion and every other struggle kids bring, they also bring a whooole lotta joy. 

After the session, I got this little note from Jessie: 

“Just wanted to say thanks again for today. I’m so excited to have these pictures and memories of my little family, to remind me what life was like ‘back when they were tiny’. I’m already emotional about it and I haven’t even seen them yet! Haha.”

After spending the morning at home, we headed to one of the family's favorite places. Savers! The boys think it is the coolest thing in the world to play with the toys while mom looks at clothes, and they even get to pick one toy each to take home. How fun will it be for them to look back on these pictures 10 years from now and remember one of their favorite family traditions?? 

Can you imagine this family sitting around the table 20 years from now and flipping through a book of these pictures? Think about all the memories that will come flooding back. 

And how awesome would it be if you had pictures like these from your Grandparent's or Great Grandparent's lives? Pictures that show you not only what they looked like, but what their lives were like. How they lived, and loved. 

If you've read this far, you might be thinking about how cool it would be to preserve your own family's story this way. Yeah? Get in touch! I'd love to answer any questions you have. If you want to see more, check out this story, and this one.   

5 on 5 | Mud Cakes

Month two of our 5 on 5 blog circle is here! In case you missed it last month, this is where a group of photographers tell a story with 5 images on the 5th of each month. You can see my last one here. 

When I was little, my siblings and I LOVED playing in the mud. We would tip our bikes upside down and use the spinning wheels to "shape" our mud cakes. I remember being so proud of those masterpieces. 

That's probably why when my girls started turning on the water spigot and playing with mud in our "flower bed" (which is more like a weed bed right now- I haven't mastered the art of keeping flowers alive :P ), I couldn't resist pulling out my camera. 

I finally bought a big bag of bulbs and plan on reclaiming the flower bed, so I'm glad I documented their *hopefully* last time of playing in all that mud. Knock on wood. :P 

And a bonus picture, because when I said "Chloe! Your face is so dirty!" she tried so hard to see it for herself. :D :D

Now head on over to see this lovely story by Melissa Clark, a birth and family documentary photographer in Iowa. 

PS- I had THE HARDEST time choosing which images to share for this post. If you want to take a peek at the rest of them, head over here. 

5 on 5 | Swimming

I'm super excited to start participating in a project called 5 on 5. It is a blog circle that features documentary photographers whose passion is telling the stories of our everyday lives. Each photographer will post 5 photos that tell one story on the 5th of each month. So after you're done reading my post, click on the link at the bottom of the page to check out the next photographer! 

My parents recently traded their 100+ year old country cottage for a townhouse in the city (or at least closer to the city). While we all miss the beautiful fields, wide open space, garden and animals, they don't miss the mice and constant repairs. :P 

The biggest perk of their new home (at least in my kid's opinions) is hands down the awesome new pool. It's always hard to say goodbye to a chapter of life, but we're sure having fun making new memories. Now if only Summer would last a little bit longer!

My favorite part of these photos: how much my two year old loves those upside down goggles, even though she can't go underwater yet. 

Oh hey! I even managed to get in the story with a handy dslr selfie. ;) 

Next on the list: Central Florida family photographer Nicole, of Nicole Austen Photography. Go check out her beautiful work! You won't be sorry.

Welcoming Baby Kit

After years of hoping, heartache and loss, Brad and Erin were finally blessed with their miracle baby- little Kit. 

Since this precious newborn stage passes in an overwhelming, sleep deprived haze, my goal was to capture all the little details they wanted to remember. Itty bitty hands and tiny flaky feet, bath time, a meticulously prepared nursery, the adorable outfits gifted by friends (that were already getting too small). All the little things that would help them re-live this amazing time in their lives- over and over again. 

Press play to view the little "fusion film" we put together with a few video clips. My new favorite way to really capture life. :) 

If you are having a baby soon and want that precious time in your life honestly and beautifully documented, let me know! I'd love to preserve those priceless memories for you with a relaxed, in home session. 

All the Little Moments | Whitney and Ashton's Big Day

The day you've been dreaming of since you were little, and will remember for the rest of your life. The day you marry your best friend, the person who makes you blissfully happy. The day that seems to go by in one big happy, emotional, and overwhelmingly wonderful blur.

That big day (just like the rest of your life) is made up of lots and lots of little moments. Funny ones, exciting ones, emotional ones. Fleeting little moments that come and go in an instant, but that you want to remember for the rest of your life. Those are the moments I'm passionate about capturing for you. 

Whitney and Ashton's big day was sunny, beautiful, and overflowing with love. I can honestly say I've never met more kind, genuine people. I felt so honored to be able to capture all of the little moments that made their big day so wonderful.

Thank you, Whitney and Ashton! I wish you all the happiness in the world.  

Are you looking for natural, beautiful photos to capture all the little moments of your wedding day that you want to remember forever? Get in touch! I can't wait to get to know you and hear your story. 

So Much More

I'll be the first to admit that portraits (the everyone looking at the camera kind) are irreplaceable. Really. I'm not here to say you should ditch them. In fact, I make time for them at every photo shoot I do.  Here is what I AM here to say.

There is more. So much more.

The dimpled little hand holding yours, the knees covered in bandaids, and that dirty little blankie that goes everywhere with your toddler. The way your heart swells with pride when your daughter helps her little sister. The way you hold hands with your love and smile amidst the chaos. Your family's favorite outings. A cozy, lived in kitchen filled with good food and the people you love. When you look at your family at the end of an exhausting day, and realize it is all worth it because your heart is filled with more love than you ever knew was possible.

I want to capture those moments so you don't have to forget them. 

The Cross family recently moved from their home in Salt Lake City. Before they left, Hannah really wanted me to document their family's nightly walk up a beautiful, nearby trail. It was their time to reconnect and enjoy each other after a long, hectic day. She said that this was one of the things she would miss very most about their time living here, and she wanted to remember it. 

Since Hannah is an amazing photographer herself (check out her work here), she had already taken lots of pictures of this pretty place. But this time she wanted to be IN the pictures. She wanted to enjoy the experience and soak up her family one last time before they moved- instead of worrying about getting "that perfect shot" the whole time. 

She wanted her kids to remember that mommy was there too.

My husband was able to come with me on this photo shoot, and made an awesome little film too. After you've caught the film bug, it's hard to be content with only photos!
 

What are the little moments that you want to remember about your life right now? What are your family's favorite things to do together? What memories do you want to preserve for your kids- and have to look back on yourself after they are grown? 

Get in touch, and let's chat about the best way to preserve your stories.