A Summer Sunset with Twice the Fun | Whidbey Island Family Photographer

It's always hard to leave my sister. 

Living half-way across the country, we're only able to see each other once, maybe twice, per year. And now that we both have children who desperately want to play with their cousins - we try to make the time we have together count that much more. 

The girls and I traveled home this summer for a few weeks to do just that. To spend time with family reconnecting, packing in so much FUN that we all most certainly needed a vacation from our vacation when our time together ended. One of the things Lauren and I both had on our "to do" lists while we were in Omaha was to find time for a family session and get some updated pictures of her beautiful family. 

When Lauren, Casey, and the twins came out to Washington last spring, we were able to go to Deception Pass State Park and shoot a gorgeous sunset session. And even though I loved taking their family pictures here on Whidbey Island, I was even more excited to document their family in their own Midwest backyard. 

I consider my "job" to ultimately be this - showing families how much they love and are loved. And I feel this even more strongly with mothers. There is something so incredibly validating in seeing your children in the frame with you. Lauren and I often talk about our struggles as mothers and help to give each other perspective and build each other up when we're feeling less than enough. I see the way she interacts with Hallie and Barrett, the way she loves them, and the sacrifices she makes for them every day - and I know that they are two of the luckiest humans alive. 

Because their mama is the best person I know. And I love her to pieces.