Bubba, 8 months

i can't believe my little baby is a 8 months already!  why oh why does the first 8 months fly by, while the previous 8 months (in utero) were so, so very slow! 

Colin is just a joy of a child.  the girls are in love with him, and he is just growing a learning every day.  though i've always thought girls clothing to be more fun, i must confess i'm loving all the fun boy accessories too!  Colin always gets a lot of attention in his bow tie!

 but really, it's easy to see why!

crawling! never underestimate a boy's love for his dog

so Colin is the baby who has spent the longest learning to crawl.  not that he was a late crawler or anything, just that he spent a long time learning.  the girls would get up on all fours and rock, and then a few days later, a week or so, get their wheels under them.  Colin on the other hand, has been rocking on his hands and knees for weeks on end.  i knew crawling was just around the corner.  but when. 

that's where Nalu comes in.

 Nalu has been so sweet and patient with each of our children, but Colin has a special love for this dog.  he spends countless hours mauling her each day.

 it's not just a one way street though.  Nalu loves her boy right back. but, when she's done, she's done and she gets up and walks away. 

 i think Colin was motivated to keep the love alive.  he finally started to make his move!

i got some video too, he's a crawler!

meeting sweet Violet!

Colin and i took a little trip to Washington to meet the newest member of our family.  it was a funny experience flying with Colin.  i got lots of stares in the terminal with a baby strapped in a front carrier, a back pack, and a trolley with my bags on it.  lots of people asked if i was okay, and i was like, "this is my fourth baby, i'm on vacation!"  we originally planned on spending time in Seattle once we arrived, but i opted to rent a car and get to Olympia stat. 

we had these people to see, can you blame me?

Colin is a big fan of his cousins.  and Laine is a great cousin to climb all over.

 and as all grandchildren, Colin is a big fan of his Grandpa!

 baby Violet did not dissappoint!  she was a doll, and a total angel!

 we did get to spend a fun day in Seattle with Henry and Laine.  Grandma and Granpa took us to the Space Needle!  it was so fun seeing such a landmark.  Grandpa was all about getting this shot of the kids with the needle above them.

 here's the same shot with Colin and me this time!

 we were lucky to get a semi clear day for our trip to the city.  everything was so beautiful.  after some fun shopping and sight seeing, i headed to the Hanley's house (or should i say houses) to visit with my dear old pals.  i can't believe that after all this time we can still hang out 'til the wee hours of the morning and never run out of things to talk about.  another trip to Seattle is definitely in order!

 Colin served as my dutiful assistant during my newborn session with baby Violet.  still not quite able to crawl, but giving it the good ol' college try.

 such a helpful prop manager:

 the 4 days i was in Washington, the skies ranged from clear and blue, to the traditional overcast, to a complete white out. 

 after we finished up our portraits, it started to snow.

 it snowed all day and all night, we built a snow man, and played all day.

 though beautiful, it was a little touch and go for a while on whether or not we were going to be able to get out of there.  the flight was delayed almost 8 hours.  my parents were kind enough to follow us to the airport just to make sure everything went smoothly.  all in all, it was a wonderful trip!

best buddies

Colin and i are prepping to go on a big trip to Washington this week.  he spent his last day cuddling with his best buddy Avery.  these two are pretty cute together, if i do say so myself.  even though he isn't keen on "being held" by his sisters anymore, he sure does love to play with them.  and he's very excited for the tricks they try to teach him.  we're all trying to get this kid crawling!

more adventures in hair!

this holiday season i had the pleasure of photographing many an adorable family.  one of my favorites was a little trade i did with a pal, photos for haircuts.  these two little cuties needed their stragglies trimmed up. 

Avery kind of looks like she's posing for a mug shot, but i like this photo because it shows just how cute the little cut is. 

 Madeline surprised us with her transformation.  i thought her curls were being wieghed down by extra length, but once we trimmed it up her whole look just became sleek and sophisticated.  her curls are no more!  it's a little sad.  but Madeline was pleasantly surprised, she's been wanting straight hair for a while.

the annual Christmas tree burning!

our family loves to get our s'more on!  Jason built us an outdoor fireplace for just that reason. 

each year we gather the Christmas trees of our neighbors for the annual burning party!  as an afterthought i grabbed my camera to catch these shooting flames:

 are you kidding me, these sparks are amazingly fun!  the s'mores definitely take the back seat to the fireworks!

Utah trip

we spent the last week of the year livin' it up Utah-style!  we planned on putting the girls in ski school, but alas it filled up too fast!  so Jason and i took the physical challenge.  we ventured to teach the girls ourselves.  by the end of the day, Anna was a pro, and Maddie was tapped out!  it was a blast, but we were super exhausted when it was all over!