Today I finished editing my fifth family photo shoot with the Duncan family. Chris & Michelle have been my dear friends for over 10 years and every time I visit California I do a shoot with their beautiful daughters to try and thank them for all their wonderful hospitality. It’s been amazing to watch their little family grow. Their oldest, Kendall, is a chatterbox and so, SO, thoughtful, just like her momma. While two-year-old Reagan is clever, independent, and stubborn, just like her dada.
Our shoots began when Kendall was just a few months old, we did another when they visited Colorado around her first birthday and then I have done a shoot every year since. I can’t believe she is four already. This trip was great because even though it had been a full year since I had visited, Kendall remembered me and was instantly my little buddy again. Two-year-old Reagan is a bit more weary of “strangers” and took a little more time to warm up but by the end of my trip she was giving me her beautiful smile freely.
There are so many wonderful moments and memories I have of working with this family. Kendall resting her head on her father’s shoulder while he fixes the swing, stomping around in pink cowboy boots and dancing with fairy wings in her bedroom. I remember Reagan’s tiny feet in her mother’s loving hands, her bright pink, puckered lips and one-year-old meltdowns. Now she is spunky and constantly rebelling against clothing, always just in a diaper tugging on her ear while sucking on her thumb. Watching them move from the baby swing to sharing a big-girl swing hanging on to each other with such caring, precious, sisterly love is truly amazing.
Michelle is running out of wall space after all of our shoots. There is something really special about walking in to a home and seeing photos you made blanket the walls. I am so thankful I was able to be there to capture some of the special moments from these fleeting years.
