There are two reasons I used “incredible” as the title for this post.
First, this family is absolutely INCREDIBLE. They took their son in when he was 14 years old and their oldest daughter was only an infant. For those of us with young teens or for those of us who remember what it was like, you know that 14 and the surrounding years are tough, to say the least. But, the act of opening your home to a teenager, taking him in, and instantly making him part of your family is incredible. This young man is incredible as well. He was so sweet – to his parents, to his sisters, to me. It was an added bonus that he looked like a model! I often write about the love, compassion and energy that I feel with the families that I photograph. It’s crazy how you can just feel it after only being with them only an hour or two. But the connection and love that these people have for each other is astounding. Another example: their dog was a rescue dog. They couldn’t find a home for her so they took her in and let me tell you – she was the sweetest little dog. What an incredible family.
Second, the best massage I have ever received in my entire life was given by the mom of this family. She owns Massage Works Pain Relief Clinic in Beaverton. Seriously INCREDIBLE. I am a firm believer in the power of massage. Starting in February of my junior year of college, I got my first migraine and I continued to get them every single week. They affected my vision, gave me a splitting headache, and made me sick to my stomach. I had my first massage in November of that year and they went away. I continued to have regular massages on and off for the following decade. I enjoyed prenatal massage throughout both pregnancies and it was a tremendous benefit to my hips and back. Then, at the beginning of this year we took a break from getting massages because we decided to try and save up as much money as we could. Six months later, low and behold, I had my first migraine after a decade of going without. A couple weeks later, I had another. Then I found D’nise. I have had more massages than I can count over the past ten years and hers was seriously the best! I am so glad I found her and can’t wait for my next one. I could go on and on and on forever about how wonderful she is and I highly recommend her. But lets get to the best part of this post – the photos!
I loved this dog. She would make a great friend to my fluffy Pomeranian. If this family wasn’t so attached to her and if my husband wouldn’t veto my decision, I would have snatched her up and taken her home as my own.
I love everything about this photo.
Handsome, right? I love how they’re almost the same height when they’re standing on a steep slope. 
I love this shot for a couple of reasons. First, I think its gorgeous. Just look at that red hair. Second, it was totally her idea. A lot of times, the kids like to make suggestions during their session. More often than not, they turn out to be something that I would have never thought of and I end up loving the result.
I love that within the span of five seconds, you can get three completely different expressions with a kid this age. Just precious.
These girls adore their big brother.
Can you guess who’s dog she is?
These were so much fun to take. I’m so glad no one fell and got hurt… Can you see mom & dad lovin on each other in the background of the image on the left? I didn’t even notice it until I was editing the photos.
But at the very end of the session, this little sweetie was playing and fell down and scraped up her knee pretty bad. Poor little thing. Nothing can make it hurt less than mommy can, right?
