He had the family session scheduled for the night of the surprise birthday party to totally throw her off the trail and the kids clothes were all wrapped back up and waiting in the bags for the big event! I think she was totally surprised! I also think she’s going to get him back good when he least expects it! Can’t wait to see what’s in the cards.

Here are a few of my favorites from the studio session! A lot of action and movement and twirls and tickling were going on that day. If you have never tried to focus on a three year, you should give it a try sometime! And then, you should throw a five year old in the mix and just watch the kinetic energy in action!

Happy Birthday, Kristi!

Suprise!

I can’t even imagine the anticipation that she and her husband must be feeling right about now. They only have about two more weeks to wait!

Ivan came from the Alaska Dog & Puppy Rescue from up in Wasilla.  It is a great organization of volunteers who house the dogs themselves until a permanent home can be found for them.  It was great for us, too, because we were able to meet with him in a home environment to really get a better impression of his personality. We were looking for a love sponge who would entirely tolerate two little boys and this silly puppy completely fits the bill.  He is a non-stop barker and the fastest thing on four feet that I have ever seen.  He loves to sleep upsidedown with his paws in the air and he has two ice blue eyes with a hint of brown in one.

This past weekend we took him out for a walk around the lake which is now pretty solidly frozen.  We’ve been dog sitting Mookie for the past week and had him join us for the jaunt.  The boys careened around the lake in the sled and the dogs just played and played and played.  It was a perfect little family adventure on a cold November day.

We traipsed over rocks and outcroppings and played in dirt and water. At one point, Amy even went sliding and splashing into the water as we tried to inch near a waterfall! I fell in a few minutes later as payback for even suggesting such a thing. Luckily it was gorgeous and hot outside. Amy’s jeans never quite dried off but she looked like she was having fun throughout the soak filled latter half of the day.

Congratulations Amy & Andy! I’m looking forward to your wedding next summer.

The big challenge of the evening was to counter balance her nephew’s “James Bond” posings with a few natural smiles.  There were some great lifted eyebrows and expressionless glances but eventually we had him crack a real laugh.   I think those are going to be keepers for his grandmother!

Chelsea is one of those people who has a special knack for making you feel like you’ve known her forever. She and her merry band of bridesmaids welcomed me into their group and I spent a full day following them around from the hair salon to the mountain top. It was on the mountain top where I first caught sight of Sam and got to witness the perfect wedding gift — Mr. T cuff links! They were a present from his bride to be and Sam was ecstatic.

Sam & Chelsea were married outside in front of their family & friends.  The reception was kicked off with plenty of dancing including my favorite dance of the evening, Sam & his mother dancing to Sweet Home Alabama.

Chelsea, you are a stunning bride!  Please don’t use the photo of the two of you strangling each other as your Christmas Card!

Here is to a lifetime of fun, love & laughter!

The ceremony was held in a private location hidden away on Jewel Lake. Although the day started out with a tiny bit of sprinkling rain, the sun decided to make it’s appearance just in time for the ceremony– perfect!

Thank you Elaina & Seth for letting me share in such a beautiful day with you. Congratulations on your new life together!

Be sure to check out Alisa if you are in need of a photographer down in the Kenai Peninsula. She will be relocating there after the wedding and getting back into the groove of photography sometime thereafter!

Congratulations Alisa & Casey! Here are some favorites from the day.

Luckily for us, they came on an extended trip home to Alaska to visit their family this summer.  Time was still short but we snuck in a few good visits and Zefen and my boys had a great time throwing toys around and wreaking all sorts of “little boy” havoc!  We also had the good fortune of meeting Zephen’s grandmother and her beautiful and tiny dog, Bijou.

Michele, we are already looking forward to seeing you again next summer!

We flew from Alabama to Idaho and so we didn’t technically start driving until we already hit the northwest.  We hooked a left into Washington and drove up through Rossland, BC to visit some friends.  What a great start to the trip!  We slept inside instead of in the tent, saw beautiful gardens, climbed a crazy steep hill and got a glimpse of a Raccoon.  After that we headed to Banff and experienced non-stop wildlife viewings.  Banff was stunning and from there things begin to blur together.  

We drove the Cassiar highway which was in wonderful shape.  We were the only ones on the road and it was smooth and fast.  The highlight of the Cassiar was our night camping at the Deese River Crossing.  Beautiful location, incredible hosts and sparklingly clean facilities! 

After a bumpy ride on the AlCan, we hit Whitehorse in the Yukon and enjoyed a great evening at the Takhini Hotsprings. The water was perfect for little boys and swimming!  The next day we stopped into Muktuk Adventures to see the sled dogs and the boys were hooked.  Solomon even started crying when we left.  It turns out that Dave had already met some of these dogs four years earlier during the Yukon Quest when a blizzard prompted the race directors to call in the helicopters.  Gorgeous dogs, great hosts and another wonderful day.

Now we are just looking for the next family adventure.