And good ones at that:).

You know when you move to a new place and you instantly love it just because of the people you meet there?  When we moved to Port Orchard, WA right after my husband graduated, I was a little bit apprehensive.  There was no Target, no Old Navy, let alone Restoration Hardware or the GAP.  Although my grandmother grew up there, we didn’t really know anyone who lived there.  I just didn’t anticipate falling in love with the place.  And then we went to church.  And we met one of the most amazing groups of women I have ever had the privilege of knowing.  Seriously, I was inspired every day by my friends there, and knowing them has changed me forever.

With that little bit of backstory, you now have a slightly better idea of how excited I was to hear that one of those amazing women was moving (with her family) to Connecticut for a few months.  I was even more excited when Mother Nature decided to push up the time table for spring so that their session could take place among the blooming apple trees.  We had a wonderful, relaxing visit, a great meal (although any meal involving 8 kids is going to be a bit crazy), and then headed out to capture a little bit of fun.

The kids:

The oldest (gorgeous as ever):

The boy (such a handsome guy):

The middle one (so cute and fun, and look at those curls!):

And the baby one (totally sweet, if not totally in to having portraits taken):

And what’s a family session without a little fun (on your mark, get set, GO!):

Tiff, Jake, I cannot tell you what a treat it was to see your family.  The girls keep asking when we’re going to see you again.  Better clear your calendar;).

They are going to be fabulous adults.  They really are.  At least that’s what I tell myself over and over when I am in the throws of yet another battle over something seemingly insignificant for which they are fighting tooth and nail. My husband and I are blessed with three strong, smart, feisty, and fiercely independent girls.  Unfortunately, those qualities married with a completely unique and creative sense of style pose a constant challenge for our family’s portraiture, as clothing and hair play huge roles for good or bad in any portrait.  I’ve come to decide that being the mom of four kids is all about choices.  I can fight the clothing battle for an hour every day and have children who don’t look like homeless ragamuffins or I can have four children.  We all know which choice I’ve made.  The clothes they wear are always clean when they put them on, and that is a quite a feat in and of itself.  Sadly, there’s rarely a random moment when I can just grab my camera and snag a portrait.  A fun family snapshot, yes.  A nice portrait (even a casual lifestyle one), no.

So when all three girls got haircuts on Friday, I told them in the car on the way home that the second we arrived, they were to put their shoes away, run upstairs and hop on Julia’s bed, and not touch their hair.  At all.  I wanted to snag a couple of shots before everything came undone.  I was given 4 minutes, 5 tops.  They make me smile:).

Oh, she cracks me up:

Such the little poser:

This one is always a challenge–always on the go:

And just a couple quick ones from the day her teeth fell out–she wasn’t excited or anything;).

Being the mom of four also means I haven’t the time, energy, or patience for a personal blog as well as a business one.  Thanks for indulging me as I try to keep our families (most of whom live thousands of miles away) abreast of our family adventures:).

I should have a maternity session and a newborn session up later this week and maybe Jack’s 7 month portraits, so check back!

Happy Valentine’s Day!  I had such a fun time taking pictures of my own valentines that I couldn’t resist sharing a few.  Or considerably more than a few.  Forgive this photographer as she slips into adoring mother-mode:).

The baby valentine (On a side-note, is it weird that my barely 5-month old thinks he can crawl and sit up?  He can’t quite manage it completely, but he sure thinks he can.):

The little valentine (She is beyond excited to hand out her valentine cards at church today and roams around the house randomly bursting out in exclamations of, “I love you more than chocolate!“):

Okay, the one on the right just kills me:).

The middle valentine (Super sweet, and so hard to get a real expression out of now.  We caught a couple, though.):

The big valentine (So beautiful, but so, so crazy for candy.  We managed to tame a little valentine sweetness out of her for a second.):

And a little more like reality:

Yep, that’s my girl!

If you made it this far, I commend and thank you!  Hope your Valentine’s Day is full of sweetness, hugs, and, kisses–candy or otherwise.

I truly think there is nothing dearer to a mother’s heart than seeing how much her children love each other.  Case in point, yesterday my Julia was getting in the tub to get ready for church and asked, “Is Bella going to take a bath?”  “Yep, and Emily too.”  Her response: “Emily too?!  All my friends?!  All my friends are going to take a bath?!”  I am still smiling about it.

Saturday I had a session with the darling-est (yep, I’m going to say that’s a real word) 7-month little girl and her wonderful big brother.  You could just tell she adores him by the way her eyes just tracked him around the room.  He was so, so sweet back to her–so patient and kind and interested in her.  How lucky they are and will be to have each other as they grow up!

This one just made me giggle–he was trying to get baby sister to smile (On a side note, how fabulous are their outfits together?  Mom did such a great job!).

This is a better representation of their actual relationship:

After a few abysmal attempts on my own and some coaching from Henry, I finally made it through the whole alphabet without any mistakes–who knew my sleep-deprivation had gotten so bad?  He’s one smart cookie:).

And I could not get over gorgeous Lila’s delicious rolls, beautiful eyes, or those LIPS!  Mom and Dad are in trouble for sure.  I have his same shot w/a smile, but oh, how I love the hand placement, those wide eyes, and her little mouth in this one.

A session favorite–can you see her grabbing his foot?

Thanks for such a fun morning guys, and for alphabet lessons!

Happy Holidays from Jessica Washburn Photography!

I am still not quite done for the year–I have two more newborn sessions in the next two days–but I wanted to take the time to wish all my blog readers a very happy holiday season while I have a moment to breathe:).  I hope your December is filled with love and laughter.

A few more images that make my heart happy:).

Happy Holidays!