Our house is GORGEOUS in the fresh snow!!

Isn’t it!?

Last year we took a photo of ALL the kids together – so I made sure to recreate it again this year!!

Do you remember the photo from last year!?

Grace has certainly changed the most!!

I really don’t love winter. Or even like it. Not even a little bit.

BUT. I DO love taking photos in winter. And OF winter!

I’ve got two people on call for SNOWY sessions!

I would be perfectly happy with a very early spring – but we all know that won’t happen!

AND I need some more snow for PRETTY pictures!!

When the sun starts setting earlier – I need to be with you beautiful people before Jared gets out of work.

Jared’s parents live right next door & while they are still here and not traveling the winter away – they keep the boys for us.

She LOVES the silhouette shots and had been asking to fit them in somewhere – but my late fall schedule was completely packed!!

Unfortunately – someone had to cancel because their son was pretty sick and needed to recuperate.

So I scheduled a silhouette session for them!

She had asked if I would bring the boys along – I had planned to surprise them anyway!!

It’s a BIRD!! It’s a PLANE!!

I LOVE THAT ONE!!

OHHH!! THAT ONE TOO!!

He wasn’t scolding him – but it sure looked like he was!!

I LOVE THAT ONE TOO!!

THAT ONE!!!!

SWOON!!!

They said – can you get a picture of us fighting!?

BROTHERS!!!

THANK YOU for watching those sweet boys while I take photos of beautiful people!!!! WE LOVE YOU!!

Mara got her turn with Grace too!

GAH!!! THAT HANDSOME HUBBY & THAT GORGEOUS BABY GIRL!!

We went looking for caterpillars but didn’t find any – Aiden wanted a picture in the field!

THIS MADE ME LAUGH SO HARD!!!

Aiden & Enoch wanted to take pictures of ME!!

THAT SWEET FACE!!!

I ran inside to grab that sweet girl – because I NEEDED some photos of her in the flowers!!

MY FAVORITE SHOTS!!!

ABSOLUTE PERFECTION!!!

Enoch needed a turn with Grace too!!

Did you know that I wanted to be a photographer for National Geographic and NEVER photograph people – unless they were in those remote places that Nat Geo sent me to!?

NOW – ALL I do is photograph people. Babies. Toddlers. Kiddos. Families. Seniors. Engagements. Weddings. And then it starts all over again!!

AND I WOULDN’T CHANGE ONE THING!!!!

On Friday we had a fire and fireworks with our friends and then on Saturday we celebrated Jared’s birthday with our family and friends – and THEN on Sunday we had lunch AND dinner with said friends!

It was a GLORIOUS weekend!!

EVERYBODY wants a turn with that sweet baby!!

Grace LOVES Fitzy’s face – I mean – who wouldn’t!?

She also LOVES grabbing handfuls of his hair!!

And I LOVE taking pictures of the scene instead of interfering!

She KNOWS that she’s got everyone wrapped around her finger!

I had a session Sunday night – and I wasn’t sure if I would make it back home in time to grab my camera – so again – I brought it with me!

And am SO GLAD THAT I DID!!! Because we ALL need pictures of us just hanging out – doing our every day things – because we will forget.

That beautiful friend of mine and her beautiful baby girl – they NEEDED these moments captured!!

Last week we met up with my friend Megan at our FAVORITE place in Mansfield to have our family photos taken!!

When I get them ALL back – I’ll show you!

But here are a couple – just because!!

This might be my FAVORITE picture of us – EVER!!! This is my favorite spot on the creek – and that’s my favorite guy!!

When we started – I told Megan I wanted mostly all lifestyle shots of us just exploring the creek – like we’ve done SO MANY days this summer!

But I did want one of all of us looking at the camera – THIS IS PERFECT!!

And THIS ONE!!! This is EXACTLY what I had envisioned in my head!

It’s SO VERY hard to NOT take your own family photos – and while I ALWAYS love our photos with Megan – this year – they were AMAZING – exactly what I envisioned!!

And I’ve only seen a handful of shots!

After our photos we went to dinner – ICE CREAM!!

Those boys – those amazing miracles!

Did you know that I never buy clothes for family photos!?

Typically I pick my outfit and then Jared picks his around that. And then I go through the clothes for the boys and pick out something that will compliment the colors we have!!

The boys are OBSESSED with basketball right now and I found these REAL basketball jerseys on clearance at WAL*MART and they LOVE them.

So when they asked if they could wear them for family photos – ABSOLUTELY!! Because that’s how I want our family captured – REAL.

After ice cream we went to Mara’s for a little fire and some fireworks to celebrate Becca’s birthday a little late and Jared’s birthday a little early!

This is the first time my kids have ever really SEEN fireworks! When Fitzy was little – we took him but they were too loud and he never wanted to see them after that!

MOM – LOOK!!! I’M DOCTOR STRANGE!!

That Mara – WE LOVE HER!!!

Get together with your people. As often as you can. I promise you – it will make ALL the difference!!

Becca and her baby Grace – you MUST make sure to grab that little girl before Becca does – because you will NEVER get her after she grabs her!!

Did you know that I LOVE grainy photos!? They’re my favorite!!

I am SO glad that I thought to grab my camera before we left!!

We showed up a little early for Missy’s session – so I took advantage of having my camera with me!

I LOVE coming to the playground and chasing your kids around – getting them in action – the BEST way to shoot – in my opinion!

We met up with Sierra and her kiddos for ice cream – and I took advantage of having ALL our kids together!!

8 – 3 – 8 – 10 – 6 months – 5 – 7 – 5!!

This mom thing – it’s not easy – and having a tribe – it helps SO MUCH!!!

Missy and I were close and we knew Sierra – but one day about two years ago – Sierra told me she wanted to make an effort to get to know Missy & I better – she needed a few 3 AM friends and she was hoping Missy and I might be those friends. And sometimes it’s hard to bring someone else into a close relationship – and people ask how we manage it.

We try. We make an effort. We are CRAZY busy – we all work – we all have family and other friends we spend time with – we sat down to try and figure out a time we could all have a sleepover for a weekend – and it was OCTOBER 26th before 2 of us said YES – we are FREE!! But the third wasn’t – so we said – let’s come back to this later. But sometimes it’s – hey – wanna do dinner NOW!? What are you doing in an hour!? We help each other. We encourage each other. We love each other and every kid in that picture – I love them. Missy loves them. Sierra loves them.

I love that our kids love each other. That this big group of kids – do they argue!? Yep. But do they love each other!? ABSOLUTELY!!!

I love you guys – SO MUCH!!!

If you’ve followed my blog for any amount of time – you know who Missy is.

And you know she had a baby girl 6 months ago – CAN YOU BELIEVE it’s been SIX months!?

But – she also has this guy – who will be EIGHT this December!

And she has that guy – who is 19! And I’m gonna get that shot of those brothers for as long as I can!

GAH!!! CAN YOU STAND IT!?

Sweet baby girl – words escape me. This baby girl has been prayed for. Waited for. SO MUCH!!

That middle guy – the littlest big brother – he could NOT stop looking at that baby girl!

He said – Danielle. Do you know what!? Grace is BEAUTIFUL. Isn’t she just BEAUTIFUL!?

THOSE FACES!! Missy – I know you know – but LOOK at your CHILDREN!!

SERIOUSLY!!!

HIS BABY SISTER!!!!

HEY BABY GIRL!!

I CAN’T EVEN WITH THAT FACE!! MY FAVORITE!!

GORGEOUS GIRLS!!

Stay tuned for the rest of their session!!

My sister came to visit in July – so we all stayed at the farm together!!

I posted a blog recently where Enoch helped my mom make food for Ebony and feed her. Jack hadn’t been able to help yet – so Enoch had to step aside – which was HARD for him.

You know what else is hard!? Navigating boundaries and relationships with your siblings when you all have kids and parent differently!

My sister lives 3 hours away and my brother about 6 – we live about 45 minutes from my parents. We see them quite often.

And when we are all visiting together – I have a hard time. Because I want to see my family and I want my kids to experience their cousins. BUT I also want my niece and nephews to experience G & Pa without my kids there monopolizing ALL the time and attention!!

SO – Enoch had a little bit of a hard time handing it over to Jack – because we are a selfish race!

AND – he ended up doing really well with the sharing! After his initial whining of course.

Jack is 13 months younger than Enoch – but they’re about the same size – the Trout genes are strong!!

THOSE GUYS – Jack only calls him Enochguy and Enoch usually calls him Jackieboy!

I LOVE THAT SHOT!! Makes me laugh every single time!!

That’s Red and her gorgeous little guy – Brownie!!

I hope we have a few more years with Red!!

Jack with his little arm around G – I know that everyone loves their mom – but our mom is AMAZING!!!

THAT FACE!!! Like I said – EVERY CHILD should grow up on a farm!!

That guy – look at how GROWN UP he is looking!!

THAT SHOT – I see teenage Enoch in that face!!

ALSO – if you need a cat – if you want a cat – DO YOU WANT A CAT!? My parents might have a few you could take!!

Do you drop off your pregnant cats at farms – PLEASE don’t.

We are NOT bringing a kitten home – but if we did – it would be that one!!