The flu bug hit us hard and fast.  I can't remember a time when I have felt so awful.  To make matters worse, my entire family was ill with me; we made it a family affair :)  Talk about a sniffling, coughing, stuffy head, fever and body aches times 4.  Let's just say, we are all beyond happy to be feeling better again.

Because of the little flu that hit our family, it's taken me longer than usual to get around to editing my photos of The Hein Family.  Not only are they good friends of ours, but they are 4 of the kindest people you will meet to boot.

We spent a little time together at Tanner Springs on a VERY cold Saturday morning.  There was a lot of hugging and snuggling to help keep everyone warm and cozy.  Thankfully this is a family that loves to cuddle up and just hang out together.  After running around to keep warm, they settled in for some reading time together - those are some of my favorite pics :)

It was hard to narrow down my favorites, but I think I managed.  Thanks for a great time, Hein Familia.  Lets do it again soon.  Xo

The rain has been coming down steadily.  Through the summer I checked the weather report every morning and had continued to do so until recently when I realized chances are it's going to be wet and chilly, which is fine for this time of year.  Honestly, I enjoy getting bundled up, seeing the beautiful fall colors all around, the crisp morning air - I like all of it.  Come April, it's a different story, but in  November, rain is fine.

Unless of course you're trying to take photographs... of a family :)  I thought for sure the rain would greet us and keep us company on Sunday, but to my surprise, it was a beautiful dry morning.

The Jones Family was such a treat and like last year, they were ready to brave the rainy weather and make the best of it.  Fortunately for us, the weather cooperated and the kids were able to just run around and have some fun while being photographed.

Fun = Happy Kids = Good Pictures = Happy Me :)

Here are a few of my favorites from our time together.

The Monaghan Family met me bright and early at Peninsula Park for a family photo shoot a few days ago.  At 9:30 in the morning, the sun was shining bright without a cloud in the sky - sort of strange for October in Portland, but I'm not complaining :)

We hung out for a bit, let kids run around and play at the playground while I snapped pictures here and there.

Here are a few of my favorite images from the shoot.

Some of my fondest memories as a child involve my grandparents.  Riding my bike to their house after school.  Going swimming in their backyard on hot summer days.  Camping trips & clamming... so many sweet memories.

My kids don't live near their grandparents, which always tugs at my heart a bit, especially when I stop to think about all the day-to-day fun they are missing out on.   But when their grandma and grandpa come to visit them, oh boy, watch out.  They have a handful of days with their grandparents immersed in their world, living and breathing all the fun, chaos and laughter that rings throughout our house almost constantly.

That's exactly the feeling I had at my last photo shoot with Gram and Papa who were in Portland to visit their Grandson (and of course their daughter and son-in-law!).  These two are SO full of life.  It became very clear that Gram had more energy than the 5 of us COMBINED!  No joke.

Watching them with their Grandson reminded me of that special bond between grandparents and their grandchildren - it really is a sight to be seen.

A big thank you to the Labbee Family for hosting me at their home on this fine Portland morning.  They have a GREAT space tucked away in SW PDX.  I was thanking my lucky stars that I had the navigation map on my iPhone. :)

The boys were super sweet and seemed very excited to show me how they spend their time playing and creating.

It's always a joy to meet new families and I hope we're able to do this again soon.

Here are a few of my favorite images from our session - enjoy our sneak peak :)