My camera is officially loving this summer weather… and all the gorgeous families I’ve been photographing!   Teri is the author of this blog…   if you haven’t read yet, you definitely should become a follower.  She’s a great writer, and her style of writing is fun and catchy!   I’m always excited to see a new posting come up…      Yay for blogs.

On to the pics.  We met at the ever-so-amazing WWU campus in Bellingham.   I could shoot there 20 times before ever running out of different spots for pics…  it’s just gorgeous there.  You might remember Stephen and Jessica’s wedding pics from last August there?   Fabulous place!   I’m hoping to go back in the fall…  when the leaves are changing.   Let me know if you’re interested in booking a fall session at Western!

Now… without further ado.. the Milnes family.

I just can’t get over Eli’s red hair – is he not adorable?!?!   Not to mention the most well mannered, laid-back two year old I know!

love, love, love

hot mama, I’d say!

Teri – you wanted a profile pic, here you go

We headed to Boulevard Park for a few pics after Western… heart all of these!

And a few pics of summer fun…  love Hannah’s jump in this one!  She’s all about the dancing moves and jumps etc…  so fun.

Hope you guys enjoyed, we’ll be in touch soon!!

A few weeks ago I met the Bartons at their home…  and lucky me got to spend more time with them last night at their beach house.   I’ve really, really enjoyed getting to know this family – and to know that my kids aren’t the only crazy, goofy ones out there    Shawn expressed that they really just wanted pics of them being who they are… no super posed type of portraits,  and that is just what we got.     Thank you so much, Bartons, for making me feel so welcome to both of your homes, and making my job not feel like a job!   It’s been a blast

When I arrived Jake was on the dock fishing, something he does a lot of I gather   He had already caught three fish that evening (yikes I forget the name of them!!).

Gorgeous people, gorgeous boat!

Jump!

And a short little jaunt away was this gorgeous rocky beach… we hit it just as the sun was starting to set.   Fabulous!

Enjoy!

Now, to blog about a family that is very near and dear to my heart.   One would think this would be an easy thing to do, but for me, it’s torture.  Between trying to whittle down to a manageable number of pics to even edit and present, decide what to write – something quippy, cute and not too sappy,  and then to choose a small-ish amount of photos from the list to put on the blog!   I found myself going through the pics from this session and wanting to keep them all, because that certain look was so Noah, or that big wide open mouth laugh was so Lisa, or that pose was so Harv or that grin was so Chloe.  But, I sucked it up, and did what I do, and they just might be given more photos than they know what to do with   Haha.

Really though, there is so much I could say about this family.  They are God-serving, fun-loving, and go-getting.   If  you look back on this post from last May, you can see how much the kids have grown… but more importantly how I wrote about how they were going to be moving to Australia for a year.     WELL…  God decided He had other plans for their family, and Harv was offered a pretty sweet job here, and they never got on that plane!!   A win-win all around I’d say.

Lis, capturing you and your family through my lens was such an honor to me.   You are a beautiful person, inside and out, and it’s so easy to see that in these photos.  Your love for Harv and the kids is so obvious… you are an amazing wife, mother and child of God – as well as a fabulous BFF   So thankful for you – and I hope that these pics are all you hoped for!

On to the pics.  We waited a long time for the right summer day to come along… and after about a month and half, that day arrived.   We started around 8 pm, and the light was lovely…  nothin’ beats evening sun, a bench and a happy family.   I’ll take that any day!

I might be biased, but these kids are seriously CUTE.

harv and noah.  twins.  lisa and chloe.  twins.

rawr.   lis – you are gorgeous!

the focus fell on her little wisp of hair, but i love it anyways…  beautiful gurl.

this shot was just taken to change my settings for the new locations, never meant for it to be anything – but i saw it, and it just spoke to me.  not literally, only figuratively.  cause that would be weird – if my monitor started speaking to me.

i’m in love with these pics…  noah and chloe running to Auntie Lyss, Harv and Lisa making out (okay not really)…  the suckers…  so fun!

Crazy people.  Classic them.  Heart it.

That’s all folks.   Have a great rest of your week!

I will be on vacation beginning Monday through Friday, and will be able to respond to any emails on Saturday (17th).   Here’s to a week off – and lots of sun!!  Yay!

And what blog post would be complete without a pic?   This guy is fun, happy, stubborn, energetic, crazy, goofy and trouble all rolled into one handsome boy!   Life would be boring without Joey, our oldest son, in our lives.  Love this kid so much!

Summer is finally here!   The sun made for some beautiful light tonight – I couldn’t help but post just one for now    Look for the full sneak peak sometime in the near future!

Love these peeps!

Another lovely family to photograph last week – the fun just never ends!      This family saw some pictures I took for a previous client of mine, liked what they saw, and gave me a call.  I just love that!   I was looking forward to meeting them after talking with Shawn and email correspondence, so was a little bummed when the weather didn’t seem to be cooperating.   But…  we decided to go for it anyways, even though the clouds were dark and it was a little chilly, and I am so glad we did!   All of the photos were taken on their property, and I had such a hard time narrowing down which pics to blog!   They have an amazing property and home,  it was the perfect location to shoot at.  Later this month we are heading over to their property on the water and taking more photos there and near their boat.   Needless to say, I’m excited about that.  You 4 were fabulous to work with…  I’m looking forward to spending time with you again, and hope you enjoy your sneak peak!

Beautiful mama and her girl…  and I just love this family shot in the trees!

The pretty little Miss Taylor…  now those are some true baby blues!

Handsome Mr. Jake..

i heart this brick front porch.

Married 14 years and going strong!

We’ll be in touch soon guys!  Enjoy the sun!

Laura was the winner of my Lynden Kids Market first prize – a free session!  Yay!   Perhaps even more exciting is that she is a friend of mine – what were the chances?!   (I had nothing to do with the draw – it was done by Denise of LKM and the results were given to me!).

The day I found out that she won was also the day that Mr. Aiden made his arrival into this world.   He was welcomed by big sister Tessa and his mommy and daddy.   Laura, I just loved coming for a visit/session…  thanks again for having me.   Aiden is a beautiful, healthy boy – God is so good!    One thing I love about newborn photography is how the pictures portray the freshness and awesomeness of new life, and I am reminded every time of God’s graciousness and power in creating this little life.

Aiden.  Oh sweet Aiden.  When I arrived he was sleeping so soundly all wrapped up, so I got set up and we started with some shots just as he was….

There are so many things about this photo that I love, but perhaps the most striking thing to me was how calm and peaceful Laura looks.   That is just the way she is – calm, peaceful, gentle.   Beautiful!

Then Daddy came home from work and we were able to head outside to their beautiful gardens for some more photos.   For relaxation, Dave likes to garden, and I’d say he must be pretty relaxed because their front yard is gorgeous, full of color.

It’s about time I posted one of Tessa!   She’s such a sweetheart, and look at those lashes!

…and such a good big sister!  There was no shortage of love for Aiden!

and some lovin’ from Mommy and Daddy…

Hope you all are feeling better (Tessa had the flu!) and enjoyed your sneak peak.  We’ll ttys!

Sigh.  Another cute belly.  I love it!   Michelle contacted me a couple months ago, and with only one minor reschedule, we were able to keep our “date” earlier this week.    We had fabulous weather, and drove around my neck of the woods finding fun places to shoot.

These two are an adorable couple, and were a pleasure to work with.   It’s so fun for me to see couples going through these exciting times – even though it’s been 7 years since we were expecting our first, I remember it like it was yesterday.  It truly is a special time of life, and I am always so honored when someone chooses me to document it for them.  It is so rewarding, and I feel so blessed to be doing what I’m doing!

Back to James and Michelle.   Michelle, you are beautiful, and these pictures are evidence of that.  Thank you both for being troopers and so willing to do whatever I asked….   you guys rock!  I can’t wait to meet your little one, and hope these last couple of months go by quickly and comfortably

Seriously gorgeous.

I sort of feel like I was intruding on a special moment on that first one…  slightly paparazzi.  Haha.   This path and the trees were a beautiful location…  will definitely be going back there, perhaps in the fall when the colors change…

yep.  they are super cute.

now that is a perfect belly!

beautiful mama to be!

hello eyelashes!

James and Michelle, I’ll be in touch soon!  Hope this tides you over for now

Yesterday I had the privilege of photographing Paul Akers, a local Republican businessman running for Washington’s US Senate seat, in action at his business, hangar and home.   You can read about Paul here…   and his vision for government, and what he wants to bring to the US Senate.   He believes in applying LEAN concepts to governments, concepts that have proven highly effective in not only his business, but many other successful establishments around the world.  His plan is:

10 – 3 – LEAN

10 – Cut income taxes and spending across the board by 10%. That will immediately put money in the hands of American people, while simultaneously reducing the size of government across the board. If the American citizen has to live within their means, then so should our government.

3 – Make these cuts effective for 3 consecutive years, for a total reduction of costs and taxes of approximately 27%. This will reinvigorate the private sector, empower the American people and shrink the size of government. The result: a vibrant economy that will create jobs, balance the budget, and restore the confidence of the American people in our leadership.

LEAN – Federal agencies will adopt a lean thinking strategy, making our government the model of efficiency and competence for the rest of the world. Lean is a world-class business practice which focuses on eliminating waste and increasing efficiency. Lean empowers people to continuously improve everything, everyday. Lean is practiced by companies like:

• Harley Davidson
• Boeing
• Ford
• Group Health
• ThedaCare
• My company, Fastcap
• Jacksonville FL Sherriff’s Department
• Erie County, NY
• along with thousands of others that are operating successful organizations in today’s global economy.

My dear father has recently taken on the role of Paul’s campaign manager,  and I wish him and Paul and the rest of the Akers for US Senate team all the best in your quest for success!

Here are a few photos from yesterday…   I couldn’t help but play with some of them.   Senatorial photos don’t typically have this kind of processing, but because it’s my blog, I did it anyways

Vote for Paul!

Some shots by Paul’s plane…

The company mascot (ack I forget his name!!  but he’s oh so cute!), Paul and Leanne’s dog is well loved around Fastcap!

Don’t forget – Vote for Paul!!

Well, here I am blogging for that final time this week – and then it’s off to enjoy the sun and take a break for a few days!

I finally got to meet this fun family earlier this week, and by the time we met, it seemed like I knew Candace so well already after all of our communication in dealing with rescheduling 3 times due to the *ahem* lovely weather we’ve been experiencing.    We had a ton of fun watching Chloe enjoy her new balloons, and getting to know eachother.   I just loved the outfits Candace picked – the colors were awesome!   I know you’ve been waiting patiently for your sneak peak, so here you are!  Enjoy

lovin’ that sun!  yummmmmm…

Chloe fell asleep on the short drive to our next location, so we took the opportunity to get some shots of Mommy and Daddy…    love how they turned out!

she’s baaaaack!

Alright, I’m outta here to enjoy the sun!