Lovin' Those Baby Blues

Let me just say.... this session has been a long time coming. It was originally planned for last winter. The perfect outfits had long been selected, and my weekend with Mom was greatly anticipated. But them some nasty weather decided to come through, preventing these precious little ones from making their way over the mountain to see me. So we postponed. And they went back home. All the way across the country.

Finally, this summer, we nailed the date. Ironically, they were visiting from South Carolina the week before I was headed their direction. Mom is now pregnant with number 3, and dad is in the Marine Corp (oops! I originally said he was Air Force!), so I had the pleasure of spending some time with the little ones alone.

Evan gave me a run for my money. Literally. He JUST figured out how to walk, and there was no stopping him. He was determined. Head down, feet stomping, get outta my way determined. If I would jump ahead of him, he would turn the other way. If he was momentarily stopped from his new found adventure, frustration would ensue. It took me a little bit, but I finally outsmarted him. And I got some good shots of his adorable little face, including those hard-to-resist cheeks I just want to kiss over and over.

And Ellie... that tutu... those pink converse... and her striking eyes. Wow. Quite possibly my favorite children's session so far.

There are so many shots from the afternoon that I love. And I haven't even finished editing the whole thing yet, I just wanted to get a quick peek up for Mom before I drew it on any longer. So be warned... a few more shots will most likely find there way on here in the new future. I hope you don't mind. But I just won't be able to help myself.

Warning: Long Post Ahead!

From the first moment I lay eyes on a photograph of little Hudson, I knew I had to get my camera on him. The problem was, his big baby blues were across the pond in Hawaii. So I waited, and drooled, and gushed to his mom over his photos whenever I had the chance. Finally, the day came when I got the good news. I was sitting in a booth at the Huckleberry Inn in Government Camp, enjoying my freshly cooked French Dip sandwich, killing time before shooting at a wedding at Timberline Lodge when I saw I had a voicemail. With my mouth full of food, I wiped the crumbs from my hands, held down 1 until the phone connected and almost choked when I heard the words.

"Janer Baner! We're coming to Corvallis and we want you to do some family portraits of us!"

Josh nearly had the remnants of some half-chewed French Dip goodness all over his face when I listened to it. I was thrilled! And it was to be on my birthday! What a present! As the weeks went by, their three-person, one hour family session turned into a six person session with Caila's parents and brother. From there, it quickly turned into a 17-person extended family reunion, two hour portrait session set at her grandparent's wheat farm in Lebanon. The timing was perfect. But as the day grew closer, weather.com was quickly becoming my enemy.

By the time Saturday rolled around, the forecast was grim. Showers steady from 10am on, and thunderstorms in the afternoon with a 60% chance of rain all day. I prayed for two days. As I got up that morning, I prayed. As we drove over the pass and into Corvallis, with blue skies peeking between the clouds, I prayed. This was a family gathering together from California, Hawaii, Salem and Albany. And it was set to rain. But by 2:00, I was astounded. Not one drop of rain had fallen, and the skies were absolutely clear. So clear in fact, that I prayed again. (I love that God has a sense of humor!) We had yet another discussion.

"Ok Lord. This is awesome that you answered my prayer verbatim. Thank You for Your faithfulness! However... You created photography. And while this sunshine is beautiful. we're set for a 3:00 photo shoot and You know the light will be a little harsh. A little bit of cloud cover might be nice..."

As we pulled into the driveway that had marked the entrance to the family property since 1954, I was speechless at the incredible landscape in front of my eyes. And I couldn't help but smile at the high clouds that had started to formed overhead.

God is good. And He is so faithful to answer our prayers. The result is quite possibly my favorite shoot to date. It helps that it was with people that we love, and who love the Lord as much as we do.

Here are just a few of the many from that afternoon.

Hudson had just started walking a few days before the shoot. As soon as his wobbly little legs were under him, he was off. Arms outstretched, trying in vain to walk straight, and concentrating with all his might to get to his target destination without face planting. This shot pretty much sums it all up:

I had to include this one because in this shot alone, 110% of Caila's dramatic personality is wrapped up in Hudson's little 10 month old body. Knowing her well, and having known her for nearly nine years now, this shot makes me laugh every time I look at it.

Birthday Re-Cap

It's amazing how quickly your birthday sneaks up on you as an adult. As a child, the countdown to my birthday started back in March. Planning the perfect party (that my twin sister and I both had to agree on), asking for the perfect presents, and being queen for the day. Well.. Queen "A" at least. Between building the June issue of True North, a full schedule of shoots this month, and still working 40 hours a week, my birthday snuck up very quickly. And there was no resting on this day.

Josh woke me up at 7am with my signature Starbucks drink in one hand and a pumpkin scone in the other. He always knows the way to my heart. We were on the road by 8, en route to Corvallis to give back a friend's hot tub we had been babysitting for a few months. Yep, you heard right. One of my best girlfriends took her hot tub away from me on my birthday. The nerve! Another (more faithful) friend had us over for some homemade enchiladas for lunch, and her kids greeted me at the door with a flurry of handmade cards drawn with crayon on construction paper. One of them even had a box of Skittles Bubble Gum taped to it. You know you're loved when a five year old gives you their precious Skittles gum!

But the highlight of my day ended up being in Lebanon, Oregon of all places. I'll tell the story later in the week with a sample of photos from the shoot, but this is how I spent my afternoon. Amazing location with one of my favorite couples.

Birthdays are good. And this one happened to be extra good. Tonight I'm counting my blessings... and realizing I don't have enough fingers.