Being a parent is one of the biggest blessings in the entire world. The smiles on our childrens faces….even IF they just dumped an entire bottle of syrup on your freshly cleaned floor, or put gum in our hair, or wont stop crying because their cartoon is over….all of it–at the end of the day is worth it. Its what unconditional love is…and as parents…we really wouldnt have it any other way.

The Nickle’s family will tell you that with 2 kids under 2…there is never a dull moment. You learn to take the good, bad and frustrating as a package deal. When you plan for family portraits…on a gorgeous day, even with the sweetest of outfits….your kids still have a mission of there own: Its called…operation NOT SIT STILL OR SMILE/WE WANT TO DO OUR OWN THING WHETHER OR NOT A CAMERA IS IN MY FACE.

It is a wild misconception that photographers children are better at this than others. Its also a wild misconception that all kids are perfect for every shoot…and that its JUST your kids who decide to throw a tantrum or not cooperate on call at a shoot. Here is the secret….THEY ARE KIDS! They are not meant to be perfect, poseable, stagnant beings. They are meant to be kids. That innocence, silliness and free spirit is only around for so long before attitudes and talking back and real trouble starts.

I loved that this family came into the shoot just wanting one thing captured: THE REAL FAMILY. They knew getting them both to smile at the birdy and smile when told to “chhhhheese” was just not them….and they loved just being themselves. Rolling in the grass, playing chase, and bitting noses. I was so excited to have the opportunity to shoot as CANDID as one could shoot. I sat back and spent 20 minutes just shooting….A REAL LIFE FAMILY!

Enjoy!

 

Ms. Hailey was a true jokester…she even stole my glasses once or twice!

What a ging! I love it! Baby Connor was having a blast tackling daddy!

Now thats a 100% mom face! I MAKE IT ALL DAY LONG AS WELL! Crazy, but still standing is how I would sum it up!