At 5:45 A.M. on the first day of August, I joined Cory and Paige at her family’s home in Harrison, AR. They put on their Tevas and backpacks, and we headed to Hawksbill Crag for a very natural and private wedding.

To finish their ceremony, their families joined hands for a prayer circle around the couple where they had their wedding kiss.

Later in the day, we met up again for their reception where extended family and friends were invited to enjoy time with the newly weds before giving them a hefty handful of birdseed  at their sendoff.

Cory and Paige, thank you for including me in such a personal morning which I’m sure is the first step in overcoming my fear of heights.

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On our first morning in California, Steve took our family to Roaring Camp to ride a train. I hate to sound like Drew Barrymore here, but it was really magical. The red woods were incredible.

After Steve took us to lunch at this yummy brew pub, we went looking for a geocache.

Thanks for a perfect day Steve!

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This past year, Jacob brought to our attention that their were many forms of transportation he hadn’t experienced yet. So we set out to change that this summer. The most obvious of course was a plane ride. After a night in Tulsa, we were off to California. The kids loved the flight.

We had a layover in Dallas where Emma was tired of having this experience documented.

So we took pictures of this guy. His shirt by the way, says “I didn’t do it.”

We finally arrived in California where Steve took us to Aunt Dru’s house. She had lunch waiting for us by the pool, and later we had dinner near their vineyard which was a very nice way to start our vacation.

Before bed, Jacob talked the guys into playing a game of pool.

Our big day and our first night in California were only the beginning to our week of adventures.

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Last month Rachel and I photographed a beautiful wedding. Our nephew Mitchell and his bride Bethany were absolutely lovely.

They had a huge wedding party, and each one of them could strike-a-pose!

Here are just a few of my favorites from Rachel.

Thanks Mitchell and Bethany for trusting us with these photos. I love you both!

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While cleaning up my photo library, I found a few events from earlier this year that I haven’t shared. This first group of pictures was from a night at Gully Park with Nathan’s family. We were celebrating Caleb and Rachel’s birthday.

And I can’t believe I missed posting about this momentous occasion. These were from Emma’s kindergarten graduation last May. She’s so big!

And here are some photos of Kara and Mathew at their joint birthday party way back in March.

I think I’m getting caught up… sort of.

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Yesterday was our first day back to school. This one was a little different though. The kids were excited and neither one was nervous or in need of… me. Thankfully they didn’t refuse an escort to their classrooms, but once in the door neither Jacob or Emma looked back to give me a goodbye hug. I had a twinge of sadness, but it wasn’t at all as hard as the past first days of school have been. I enjoyed my first day too. I spent most of my morning reading in the hammock and pretending that I didn’t have work to do in the days to come.

I used to hate when my mom made my sister and me hold up our fingers for a picture. Now it only seems natural! 1st grade and 3rd grade

Going upstairs holds a special feeling of big-kiddness.

I thoroughly enjoyed my summer with these incredible kiddos, but absence makes the heart grow fonder. And I like being fond of my kids after a day alone.

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This summer I was invited to celebrate with Julia for her big 13th birthday. Her mom threw her and her friends a Phantom of the Opera themed party where the guests enjoyed dinner and dancing and a quick performance from the musical.

Julia, I had a blast photographing you and your friends even if your dancing and your music made me feel so old! Happy Birthday!!!

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A million summers ago I met my favorite junior camp counselor, Shawna. That first summer, it seems like we spent all our energy coming up with toothpaste and toilet paper pranks to pull on each other. Now Shawna is spending her energy on someone new. Meet Lilly.

Shawna, you know I love you. Thanks to you and Billy Jack for a perfect afternoon with your perfect baby girl!

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Let me just start with this. Last year when we were invited to a very casual night out with our neighbors and their friends to celebrate Scott’s 40th birthday, Nathan wore a Tux. So when those very same neighbors invited us to a Sugarland Concert in Kansas City, he didn’t want to let them down. Nathan decided to forgo the tux in lieu of more appropriate attire. I apologize for not taking any full length pictures of him. I don’t know what I was thinking. But let me assure you, his ensemble was complete with boots, wranglers, and three golden ponies adorning his huge belt buckle. It scares me that the look sort of worked for him.

Before we left for the concert, the boys tried to see which one of them could convey that he had the heart of a cowboy.

Thanks Scott and Lori for a great night!

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Way back in June, my nephew celebrated his 14th birthday at Fast Lanes. We had a blast bowling, playing laser tag, and eating a good portion of our 29″ pizza!

Happy Birthday Christian, we love you so much!

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