Here in Indiana the most common conversation is the weather.  It’s so ___________ (fill in the temperature).  We all act like whatever the weather is, it’s unusual – but that’s Indiana!  You never know what to expect!  We have something called a forecast, which many of you have in your local news segment.  We have the weather apps on our phones.  A lot of good it does us, though, because you never really know until the day before (sometimes the day of) what you’re going to get, and every app has a slightly different forecast.  There is one thing that’s guaranteed, though, and that’s looooooong days in the summer with beautiful light.  If you don’t mind letting your kids go to bed a little later, it’s worth the (slightly) cooler temps to let them play in those magical evening hours.

And… If you bring me along to photograph those magical hours, it’s always nice to have a beloved babysitter come along so I can get some long-time-coming shots of just mom and dad, too!

I had already worked with these small kids as part of a Father’s Day surprise, so I was beyond thrilled when their mom asked me to do a full family session!  She knew exactly the location, too!  Her husband works on a local campus, and their previous family photos had been taken on that campus, so it has lots of sentimental value (which I love).  As always, I scouted it out before hand and fell in love with the pond and the weeping willows and the grassy fields and the….  Well, you can see below.  I was in no shortage of places to put the family.

I was already on campus when their van rolled up.  The happy family emerged from the vehicle, ready for this next adventure of theirs.  They knew I would come with surprises for the kids to discover and lots of ideas.  They brought their own surprise for me: As soon as they all got out of the van, they all put their shoes back IN the van.  Every. Single. One. Of. Them!  Do you realize how giddy I got in that moment?  Often times I need to coach families into relaxing and going with the flow (especially with a toddler who doesn’t want to sit still).  I think I walked to our first location on my tiptoes I was so excited!  They were all in!

We plodded (who am I kidding – I skipped) to the creek side.  When I saw that the toddler just wanted to jump up and run, we used his energy in games.  Go with the flow, right?!  Using up all that energy can make anyone thirsty, so back to the vehicles we went where I had cold waters and snacks ready.  Rejuvenated, I took the box filled with surprises with us to the next location.  These kids had already experienced my box (a vintage suitcase, which adds a timeless charm to the photos) and the wonders I kept inside.  On our walk to the pond they kept asking if I had the same things inside.  Oh, no…  I had all new surprises in store for them!  With their anticipation at its peak, it was easy to settle them under a willow tree and wait for the countdown to open the box and discover it’s contents.  They loved the experience, their parents loved them loving the experience, and my camera loved them all loving each other loving the experience!

Now, I hope you love sharing this little slice of the experience!

Thanks for reading! This is just one of my ways of putting a smile back in the world!