Family Photos

Signs that summer is in full swing:

- kids are staying up as late as the sun and waking up lazy in the morning

- mealtimes and naptimes seem to happen randomly throughout the day with no set schedule

- grocery store trips include stocking up on KD and alphagetti for all those at-home lunches

- and I haven't posted on my blog since the beginning of the month...

Yes.  Summer is here.

And though we're missing our Manitoba summers a little bit, we're also enjoying our first full summer on the farm.  And we got to host some Manitoba-folk at our place this past week.  My sister and her friend came out to Abbotsford for a photography workshop and we really enjoyed having them.  They came away from their workshop with some renewed inspiration and we got to be the beneficiaries.  The last evening they were here we headed out to the pasture for a quick photo shoot.  Experience has taught me that my kids have a limited window of enjoyment for this type of thing but they actually did pretty well.  

We lucked out by getting a sunny, warm evening (we wanted the sun setting behind us for the pasture pictures) and we also had some nice tall grass out there that would've been sadly missing if we hadn't sent our cows away for the last few months.  

And while the 2 professionals took pictures, I - the unprofessional - took pictures of them taking pictures...

Erik was a good sport too.  After a long, hot day at work I made him go out and use the tractor to move one of the old garden bathtubs and then haul the hose all the way out to the pasture to pressure-wash it.  

And he also did a good job being the sail holder-upper.

And I think he would agree that the effort is worth it when you get adorable shots like this one...

I'm a big fan of the family shots in the pasture.  I love the light and the muted colours.  I'm envisioning this photo gracing the walls of my home...

Then we headed to the lawn for a more classic family pose.  I love Silas' grin in this one :)

If this is just a sampling of the rest of the photos, I can't wait to see them all!

If anyone in the Winnipeg area is looking for some great photographers, check out Erin and Melanie's work.  They've also joined forces to create Hello Love Photography for engagement and wedding photos.

After the family photos were finished, the unprofessional (a.k.a. me) got to take a turn behind the fancy lens for a moment to capture a photo of the photographers.  Thank you girls for a great week and for such beautiful family pictures!