Sisters

I have mentioned before that I when I was growing up I thought it would be so cool to have a twin. The second best thing is at least having a sister. I have a strong big sister instinct for these girls as we have a lot in common, even though we just met.

They moved to Geneva when they were in in 5th grade...so did I. They are lifeguards at the Geneva Pool...so was I. They run track at Geneva High School...so did I. They are going to Eastern Illinois University (probably)...so did I! Am I their long lost, much older triplet??


They are identical twins, but I could tell them apart right away. I was proud because I still struggle with telling my cousins apart who are fraternal twins.

I have photographed lots of twins, but none that were older than 3. This was super fun.

Love this one.

Best of luck to you both during your senior year! Let me know if you need any much older sisterly love or if you want me to tag along on any family vacations.

Birthday Shout Out

To my girl, Ella...

Happy, Happy 1st Birthday to you, my sweetness! I can't wait for your birthday party tomorrow so Brynn can give you your puppy! Don't worry, your mom and dad won't mind. Just let me do the talking ;)

O'Reillys' Got Talent

A few weeks ago I mentioned that we were all headed up to South Haven, Michigan for a family weekend filled with lots of festivities. Thanks to my Uncle Ed & Aunt Betsy's warm hospitality, we all crashed their family vacation and stayed at the most beautiful home on Lake Michigan with a bluff over-looking the water. This is the scene that welcomed us as we arrived.

The 134 stairs down to the water did not deter me and my pregnant body from wanting to jump in that water asap. I love swimming on a warm evening.

My Grandpa O was doing his best Pope impression.

I passed my camera to my Aunt Pat to grab some fun candids. Thank you to her for grabbing these next couple shots.

Look at those rollers. I wanted to body surf so bad...ugh, the limitations this bump has given me ;)

Pat got Brynn to ham it up. I think I am in trouble with this girl.

We all were given jobs and responsibilities for the weekend, like meal preparation, s'mores, drinks, etc. My Aunt Pat was in charge of floral arrangements for our dinners. Her creativity and talent has no end.

My Uncle Ed, a/k/a the Cruise Director, organized the weekend events and competitions...including kayak racing.

The dinner party on our last night included the dress code of funky dress coats for the guys and sundresses and tiaras for the ladies. I found this jacket for Chad at a resale shop in Geneva. Brynn liked it so much that she wanted to wear her yellow jacket too to look like her Dadddy.

Every detail was to the nines.

My dad and his parents and brothers & sisters.

Love these jackets!

The winners.

We also had a talent portion of the evening with a 1st place prize of a plane ticket to visit my Uncle Ed and his family in London.

Competition was fierce!

The crowd gathered...

for quite the show :D Complete with the Mexican Hat Dance...

Irish step dancing...

and the grand finale...

My dad, brother, brother-in-law, and husband did synchronized swimming!!! :D LOL

I should really put this on You Tube, but I don't know how. I almost wet my pants Iwas laughing so hard!

B and her Great-Grandpa O sharing a moment.

Thank you Ed & Betsy for a wonderful, unforgettable weekend!!! Brynn keeps asking if we can go back to Michigan again soon :)

"Choo-choo"

Finn wasn't complaining when we were walking up to trespass on the trolleys. He was all smiles. I was glad I took advantage of that smiley time...he got sick of me shortly thereafter ;)

You may recognize them from their session last October which you can see here. Hasn't Finn grown up so much??

Ha ha.

No Trespassing: Violators will be prosecuted ;) I decided that these images would be worth the risk of incarceration...and would make a good blog post in case I got a rap sheet.

Kristy an I have been friends for so long. It is really nice to have that history with someone and it is so fun to be with her little family.

Finn liked me for a little while after I bribed him with colorful suckers and doughnut holes.

Look at Finn smiling at his mom & dad ;)

Last shot! Yay!

After two rain-outs and rescheduling, we finally pulled it off...and boy was it worth the wait!! Thanks guys for such a great shoot! xoxo