The Hilgenfelds are one of my favorite repeat clients.  They just keep hanging around wanting more pictures of their crazy bunch of rugrats!  I love them all!

Usually, they meet up with me in Oklahoma City somewhere for our session.  This time around we wanted to meet a little closer to their hometown of Chandler to get some fun shots.  Luckily, one of my favorite spots is about halfway between us both.  It worked out perfectly.

It was a great time for them to schedule a session since the smallest member of their family is turning ONE and her big brother just had a birthday, too.  I’ll be seeing the “middle child” again soon for her four year pics, I’m sure. 

Here are my favorites!

As usual, I had an awesome time with you all.  I can’t wait to see you again!

The kiddos have really grown since I saw them last, especially this gorgeous little gal…

and I was lucky enough to catch her just after she’d lost her two front teeth.  AWESOME!

AND, of course, I can’t forget her brother.  He’s grown a TON, too.  It’s amazing how much they can change from age two to three.  He’s really starting to look like a little man and a WHOLE LOT like his daddy!

Last time, we barely caught any shots of the two kiddos together.  This time wasn’t much different.  BUT, we did get this cute shot on some old steps.

I’m not exactly sure if the time will ever come when we can talk them into hugging on each other a bunch so we can get more shots.  Luckily, every now and then, they’ll get close enough for me to catch a cute one or two. 

Mom and Dad are pretty cool, too.  They even let me snap some of them by themselves, which is usually like pulling teeth for the adults in the family.  Not them, they totally ROCKED!

I had a blast with you guys, as usual.  Thanks for making my job so much fun!

Our session started off a bit shaky since Sam had a bit of a spill on the gravel when they arrived.  But, he recovered well with a band-aid from Mom and a few bites of left-over Easter candy I had stashed in the car.  That was all it took to bring out the smiles – that and lots of peek-a-boos.

All of a sudden, Sam was a total HAM!

I’m pretty sure this was our best session yet.  Although, I must admit he did some funny stuff during our session a few months back.  This time they left Daddy at home (thank goodness!).  Daddy tends to instigate lots of crazy behavior from his little man.  BUT, I must say this…

with Dad being home, I noticed lots of his craziness coming out in Sambo anyway!  What’s up with that?  He’s more and more like Daddy every day!

He had so much fun with all the rocks, bugs, sticks, and leftover gum (YUCK!) we found.  It was hilarious!

Sam’s mama is gonna love all the great shots we got – I think she’ll get a kick out of all the silly faces and character that shows through in the photos.  For now, she’ll have to live with this tiny sneak peek. 

I know her parents won’t believe how many good shots we got, but we did!  Blaklei was smiling from the second I met her.  Then she started moving….

Whew!  I’m pretty sure she wore her mom and dad out.  I kept asking them to grab her and drag her back so she could run at me again and again.  I wasn’t sure how else we’d actually catch any shots of her!  The girl can move!

Just look at her grin, though.  She was one happy camper.

Her mama and daddy were just as much fun, too.  I loved them both and their awesome attitudes.  They did such a great job helping me keep Blaklei entertained and happy and even came up with some ideas of their own.

Here are some more favorites!

I love this shot of their tickle fight.  She was cracking up so hard that it made the rest of us howl with laughter, too.

And I’ll finish up with a couple of Blaklei in her birthday outfit.  She’s so stinkin’ cute, isn’t she!

I officially named him that when he showed up ready to go carrying his guitar….

and strumming a little John Mayer.

Oh, lordy be.  I nearly had a heart attack.  He had me at hello. 

I told him he could follow me around anytime….

playing John Mayer.

BUT, unfortunately, we couldn’t take EVERY shot with his guitar.  It’s just not right….

or is it?

Nah, really… he’s a super cool guy even without the guitar.  I knew the second I saw him loving on his mama.  He was a sweet guy.

We had so much fun cruising around town finding cool places to shoot.  He was a real trooper, too, and listened to everything his mom and I said.  He minded well.

Wait a minute…

A sweet guy who loves his mama, plays guitar (John Mayer songs, no less), and minds well.  Did I just describe the perfect guy?

It’s possible.

All credit needs to go to his mom who was pretty neat herself.  We talked a bit about family and boys….

It’s obvious she’s raising ‘em right.

I’d say they’re gonna have some trouble choosing which ones to print.  What do you think? 

Courtney and I had some MAJOR fun during her session this past weekend.  This gal was up for anything.  In fact, we couldn’t even fit in all the neat ideas we had…

My favorite thing about her session was all the different colors and textures we were able to incorporate.  In a small two-hour time period, we went from urban to traditional to retro… it was perfect!

Of course, it’s hard to go wrong with a gorgeous subject like her.  Those pretty eyes and bright white smile.  She’s a beauty!  AND, the best part is her attitude matches her great looks.  She was the sweetest thing ever!

It was totally obvious, too, how she learned to be such a nice person.  Her relationship with her parents demonstrated just how awesome life at home is with Miss Courtney.  She’s got some lucky folks and she’s pretty lucky herself to have such great parents who love her so much!

Her mom kept teasing her about these HUGE high heels, but the truth is I kinda liked them… not that I could actually walk in them or anything.  HA!

She totally rocked the 2010 glasses!  AWESOME!

I felt so sorry for her during the white-dress pictures.  She must have been absolutely FREEZING, but she was a trooper and totally stuck it out.  It’s a good thing, too, cause they turned out SUPER cool.

I can’t wait to go back to this spot.  It was so unique and cool.

Thanks for being such a perfect subject, Courtney.  You look amazing in every shot!

This little guy was a mover.  I can’t believe I actually caught a couple of him looking at the camera.  It was tough.  BUT, what could we expect?  We were at the train depot and the sun was shining…

who has time for a crazy lady with a camera!

uh oh.  He’s giving me “the look”.  I was teasing him pretty bad, so I understand.  Heh…heh

Don’t let that look fool you, though.  This guy is a complete mess and I love it!  He’s guaranteed to produce at least one nutty photo per session (I won’t torture him with one this time).  He’s also really great at getting his kids (and wife) to smile, laugh, and be “real”.  AWESOME!

This one sure is a looker, isn’t she…

and, watch out, this cowboy is a rough rider!

I love how Dad ended up with the horse.  HA!

Have a happy Monday!

Still, look how great the photos turned out!  Lilly is gorgeous!

Her mom and dad were pretty cute, too. 

Lilly was such a trooper.  After nearly every photo, she’d say “all done” and was ready to head to the truck.  I’m tellin’ ya, it was cold outside and she knew better than to be out there too long.  After a while, we were agreeing with her!

At the very end, she changed into her Christmas dress.  By then, she really was DONE.  But, we bribed her with a Christmas tree lollipop and I was able to snap a few more shots because of it.

All in all, I’d say things went pretty well.  The photos are proof!

I’ve been photographing this family every year around the same time for quite a while now.  I’ve gotten to see the kiddos grow, and grow, and grow.  I’ve also gotten to see some of the family members shrink and become REALLY buff.

BUT, their awesomeness has remained the same.  They are still the nicest, most easy-going family to photograph.  The kids are still well-behaved and giggly.  I love them all.

The best thing about this crew is my buddy, Karri.  She is now the principal at Ty’s school and I couldn’t be happier.  Karri has the heart of an angel and the attitude to go with it.  I’m lucky to call her a friend.

Karri’s brother, on the other hand, is a complete mess.  He’s always picking on her!  What’s up with that, Tim?

heh…

Luckily, Tim’s family makes up for his orneriness.  So, I forgive him.

Oh, who am I kidding?  He’s a pretty cool guy…

I guess.

I’m pretty sure they ALL get their “awesomeness” from these two.  They are just about the NICEST people I’ve ever met.

AND, they’re so stinkin’ adorable, too!

We even talked Kathleen’s mom into coming this year.  I’m really glad she did.  She only added to the awesomeness! 

I had a great time, as usual, you guys.  I’ll end this sneak peek with probably my favorite pics from our session…

One of these days I want someone to take a photo of my family like this…  TOO CUTE!

As you can already tell, I met up with them at my favorite spot: the old Santa Fe Train Depot in Shawnee.  It’s definitely a favorite of mine and my clients are requesting it more and more after seeing photos on the blog.   It really is an easy location and awesome for kids.  The best part is the train cars.  Little kids and BIG kids alike enjoy getting to hop on board for a few photos.

These three were so much fun.  I loved how laid back they were and how they interacted with each other.  You could definitely see they were sisters!

I hope you all had a spectacular Thanksgiving!  I know I did.  Food, family, and friends – it doesn’t get much better.