It's officially that time of the year, where extended family all around gather to be near! It was so fun to take a walk outdoors with the Hawkes extended family to document the specialness of this stage of their relationships in family photos. My favorite moment of the shoot was when I asked if we should do a photo of the "originals" — they had a good laugh about it, but it is true. I absolutely love seeing how families have expanded throughout the years, but there's also something special about seeing the original family that started and then being able to compare that to the wonderful families that have grown and continue to change from it. So, in true fashion, I have the extended family photo at the top of this blog post and you'll have to scroll to the very end to find the originals — you're welcome!

I always love it when "kids" reach out to say they want to gift their parents an extended family photo session at Phalen Regional Park. What a perfect gift to capture this stage of life as a family! We had originally aimed for an earlier date but had to reschedule and in classic Minnesota weather, the second night's weather was better than we would have originally gotten. This family is a fun-loving crew and were game to get a bit silly amidst all the family portraits. So fun to meet you all, Jones extended family!

It’s that time of year – the time of family get-togethers and celebrations. I don’t know about you, but it’s unbelievably refreshing to be able to be gathering again with friends and family after a couple of crazy years in our world. The Whyte family wanted to commemorate their family occasion by getting some family photos as a group and individual families. Definitely a fan of this! It gives you the chance to look back for years to come at this stage of life, reliving the memories of this moment in years to come. After looking at a few other photo sessions I've done recently, they asked to do their extended family portraits in Hastings at LeDuc Historic Estates, a Civil War-era Gothic Revival home built in the 1860s.

​What you will not see here is the picture we recreated from this family’s childhood. Yep, I’m sorry, but I am not stealing that thunder. But it leaves you to think. This. This is why I do photography, this is why I capture families. It is to freeze these temporary moments into a lifetime’s worth of photos, to capture the smallness, the specialness of the family bonds, and the oh-so-cute dimples at that stage – and possibly even the style of the era! Once again, I am left so beyond grateful to get to hang out with amazing families like this on beautiful nights and capture these special moments.

A slew of Christmas songs and lyrics are running through my head on this Christmas Eve. Can't help but love this time of year with moments like these photos where you can gather with those you love far and near, and celebrate because the birth of the Savior is here. Scarrow family, so fun to connect with you at the beautiful Union Depot in downtown St. Paul!