The first time we ever met Taylor was when she hired us to photograph an adoption for one of her friends. We were blown away by the whole foster and adoption community. So much love and support. And we could really see Taylor’s heart to want this amazing moment to be captured for her friends. Fast forward two years and we are finally getting to take backyard portraits of her own beautiful family!
Aren’t they adorable?! So cute and cuddly! And I’m so glad they opted for backyard portraits. This is the place they feel at home. Here is where they know they’re loved and they can just be themselves. Peep the next photo where the youngest is sticking her tongue out at her brother. These are the moments I absolutely love, when kids feel safe enough to be goofy. Don’t you enjoy watching kids making each other laugh?
This family acts like a team. Sure, there are good days and bad days, just like any family, but they know they always have each other. They are on this journey together.
I was so grateful to get so many adorable smiles from these beautiful faces! Sometimes life seems so full of chaos and we aren’t sure at the end of the day what was even accomplished. But you can look back on moments like these and realize what it’s all for. These are the people who matter most in the world to you. This is your why.
You know what else I love? The in-between moments. These times when things aren’t exactly “perfect”. There is so much beauty in the everyday, so much we could miss when we’re just looking for the snapshot of what a family “should” look like. But these moments? These are what bring us joy.
You smiled at that, right? Your day has just gotten better because a little kid made you smile. And that’s what I love about this family. Happiness is a priority.
Every child needs to feel loved, cared for and wanted. This is another reason I love this family. I see their “happy gotcha day” posts for each of the kids they’ve adopted. It always touches my heart to read “I didn’t give you the gift of life, the gift of life gave me you.” But it’s not just on special days that kids need to feel loved. It’s an everyday thing and you can tell there’s plenty of that to go around.
It was so sweet to see the kids with their grandma as well. A grandmother is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend. So much love and respect. I’ve heard people say if they knew how much fun it was to be a grandparent, they would’ve skipped straight to that. Funny, right? But true.
Now was time for just the girls. I loved how kisses brought out the giggles. Is it just me or are these colors absolute perfection? They did an amazing job picking outfits that matched hair and skin tones beautifully. Every little girl needs cuddly photos with mom and grandma. These will be memories to cherish forever.
Then it was time for just the guys. So many laughs and lots of craziness ensued. And we were there for it. I never laughed harder than going through all of these photos. Kids are awesome. So full of personality!
I was so proud of the older kids, waiting patiently for the littles to get their wiggles out. But now it was time for individual backyard portraits. This gave everyone a chance to just relax and be themselves. Everyone deserves their moment to shine. And shine they did!
Before we did the other individuals, we took a couple of mom and dad while we were still in the back yard. The way they look at each other! There were so sweet together but there was plenty of spice too! And a few laughs mixed in.
Now it was time for a few senior portraits of the oldest son. We took several with his truck. And he finally got to put his hat back on so he could really feel like himself. You could sense him getting even more relaxed. Here are just a few of the many amazing photos he took. You can tell a lot by looking into someone’s eyes. Determination. Kindness. Gratitude. He’s going to do some pretty amazing things.
Then we decided to take a few photos of each of the other older brothers with something important to them. For one, that was a car he will fix up for when he can drive. For the other, it’s his bearded dragon. I loved that we were able to get unique photos for them.
We took one more family photo on the front steps. After all, this says “home” more than anything. There may or may not have been some bribing to get everyone looking and smiling, but it worked! Haha. Whatever it takes, right?
And with that, we finish our session. Here’s a massive fist bump to the Carroll family!
Thank you for allowing us to capture your beautiful family at your home. We had an amazing time with lots of laughs! We love watching the love between you. And we appreciate your giving heart!
Love, Kevin and Reneé
