My favorite part of this session was when the oldest of all the kids asked me what his mom was like as a young adult. He asked me because I have known this family since before any of these kiddos were born! I met Julie, Jennie, Cassie and Bill 16 years ago in Biloxi, Mississippi when our families were stationed at Keesler Air Force Base. We endured Hurricane Katrina and it’s aftermath together, which really cements a friendship in a short amount of time. By some twist of fate, we all ended up in San Antonio together as they each got married and had these beautiful children! As I was finishing up another session, I saw a large group gathering as I was looking for my next family, but my brain said the group was way too big for the family I was looking for. Turns out I hadn’t realized how their numbers had grown over the years! This tends to happen more often these days because I don’t even realize how old I am and how things change!
When Julie contacted me for this special shoot I was so excited! This was a special gift for the grandpa of all of these kids. I have a special place in my heart for their grandpa because he was our bishop when Hurricane Katrina hit and he and his wife ministered to so many people in need during that time, even while they were dealing with their own losses and stress at the time. I was all in on this Christmas surprise!
It got ridiculously cold in a short amount of time as we gathered to capture these shots, but they all were such troopers. It’s not always fun to get your pictures taken by someone you’re not familiar with, and being frozen on top of that doesn’t help much. The older kids were such big helpers in making sure the younger ones were happy. I love to see cousins who are also best friends. Each of these kids are kind, well-mannered and beautiful, inside and out.
It’s always fun to catch up with old friends and see things come full circle, and this session was no different. I can’t wait to see each of these kiddos grow into amazing adults just like their parents.