Hissyfits Photography Blog

It’s funny how certain moments in our lives stick out among the hundreds that make up even one day. I remember the day I met Lindsey like it was yesterday. In reality it was four years ago this past February. Four years. She showed up at my house with a baby on her hip and a toddler holding her hand. She was young. She was cute. She came bearing strawberries for the Valentine’s playdate I was hosting. It was the beginning of a friendship that would grow to be one I treasure. I am a big believer in the theory that paths cross for a reason. Friendships bud and bloom – some for merely a season, others for a lifetime. I know that the chapter of our life here in Arizona is fleeting in the scope of life, but from this entry in the book of my life, I will take countless memories with me. And I will take friendships. Friendships that saw me through some of the hardest times in my life. Friendships that circled me with love when I needed it the most. Friendships that will never, ever be forgotten…

Lindsey and her family will never, ever be forgotten…

This is the last frame I shot. Seriously. Then my battery died. {No worries, I have since purchased two new batteries so that won’t be happening again any time soon!} How incredibly cute are these faces? Are the kids looking? Nope. But do I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this shot? Yep. This is real. These are the images that tug at my heart strings and remind me of why I adore this gig…

This was one of the last shots as well. Look at that sweet girl running to her mama with outstretched arms as her daddy looks on adoringly. Melt my little heart!!

I was so honored to be able to photograph this family again this year. It is crazy how much everyone changes and grows in just 12 short months…

Yes, he is every bit as ornery as he looks!!

Bobby, Lindsey, Jakob, Aiden and Lucy,

Thank you for being you. Thank you for being our friends. Thank you for bringing smiles to our faces and happiness to our hearts. Arizona has never been our forever home. But the trip has been made all the sweeter because of the friendships I have made and the memories that are etched into my heart. Thank you for allowing me to capture you as you are right now in this crazy beautiful life.

Last week I had the opportunity to steal away from home for a bit to photograph sweet Kenley! She was in town for just a bit while her daddy worked and we managed to squeeze a session in before she had to leave! I am glad we were able to make it work! It was such a fun evening and I was able to capture some of the many different facets of this little one!

I will preface this one with the fact that I know it is blurry!! There is another version saved in the folder that is crisp and clear, I just happen to like the dreamy feel from time to time!

This next one is the first one I edited! There is something so real about it!! One of my personal faves from the session for sure!

So, so sweet!!

Thanks for making time to get together Katie! It was so great to see you guys again!

For those of you who don’t know me or much about my past, before I was a mom {actually, before I was even married}, I worked in foster care. My college degree is in sociology. I have a minor in psychology. People fascinate me. I love watching the interactions of others and trying to figure out “their story.” Where are they from? Why are they here? What are their careers? For those who have seen Date Night, remember the scene where the husband and wife were out to dinner and assigning stories to the couples around them? So me. I even caught myself trying to discern what was going on with the couple who sat in front of us at church on Sunday. The body language going on between them was FAR more powerful than words! {She seemed to be thoroughly annoyed. He tried to put his arm around her on more than one occasion and she kept pushing him away. Chris even picked up on it so it had to be pretty obvious!!}

Birth order. I really wish I would have studied this more in school when I actually had time because this is one subject that peaks my interest like no other. It is beyond interesting to me how we all find our niche within our families and how birth order plays into that. I am your “typical” first born. Perfectionist. Nurturing. Responsible. Control freak. Rule follower. Achiever. Yep, that’s me. Or it was anyway. As time goes on and I am, ahem, getting older, I’ve changed. I’ve mellowed and the traits aren’t as strong as they once were.

When I think of my kids, I wonder how their birth order will play into their lives. Huntler is very much like Chris and I. {Chris is an only child but has lots of first born traits!} But Gentry? Ohhhh my. Based on a list I found online, she has very strong “last child” traits. Outgoing. Risk taker. Sense of humor. It will be fun to watch who they grow into and how, if at all, Brighton plays into that.

Meet Annagail. She is a first born. She’s three. I didn’t get to spend enough time with her to figure out which characteristics she portrays, if any just yet! I was far too focused anyway – when I am shooting that is literally all that is on my mind!

And this is her baby sis Harper. I LOVE her red hair and would be more than happy if Brighton’s grows in this same shade of happiness!

Right now they adore each other. ADORE. Here is the proof.

I loved this next shot – it screamed vintage to me!! {And thus the reason why I edited a bit different in case you notice that kind of thing!!}

Family photos are challenging. They are. Small kids have minds of their own and at times even the best of bribes won’t work. So managing to get four pair of eyes on the camera at the same time as four smiles? Nearly impossible. But that’s okay. Because that’s real life. Everyone lined up and smiling perfectly for the camera? While of course those shots are nice to have, they aren’t real. I LOVE THIS SHOT. I do. I even edited it two different ways I love it so much. This is real people. This is real. Annagail is so over this photo business she can’t even pretend to be happy. Harper is so eager to move that sitting isn’t an option. This is time standing still for this family right now. It’s them. And it’s perfect in every sense of the word.

Bill and Katie,

It was so nice to meet you. Your family is adorable and your girls too cute for words! Thanks for letting me freeze a little bit of time for you all! Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

I talk often and openly about our move here. I can’t help it – it has forever changed me. And yes, it was four years ago so one would think I would hush about it already, but I so desperately want to move home that it is never really far from my mind. I’m not the same person I was when we moved out here. But how could I be? I was forced to leave everything that defined me. Every single aspect of my perfect world was turned completely upside down. I had no choice but to find a new normal. To create a happy life for my children who really didn’t know any different.

That was the very end of September of 2006. At the beginning of October of that same year, I joined a playgroup. It was just a random one I found online through meetup.com, but it has proven to be the single best decision I have EVER made. Nearly every single friend I have here in AZ was made in that group. I’m a thinker. Although you can’t tell from my short and sweet posts of late, I love to write. I love to ponder life and daydream. I love to reflect. I often wonder how my life would be different had I not joined that group. How I would be different. How my kids would be different. It’s quite fascinating to think about how single decisions can impact the entire path your life takes…

So mid-October I loaded up my littles into the back of our Trail Blazer and headed out for our first ever playdate with this new group. Nervous. Excited. Hopeful. And completely irritated that it was mid-October and we were headed to the pumpkin patch in 90 degree heat! The sacrifices you make when you are desperate to connect. I drove for what seemed like forever in parts unknown to me. I unloaded the massive double stroller out of the back of the vehicle and in we went. That day I made my first Arizona friend. Her name was Mistie. She had a son Huntler’s age, Bailey, and a daughter Gentry’s age, Arianna. She was new to Arizona. She had an SUV and a double stroller. She was my age. She was normal. Really. Could it possibly get any more perfect?

Time went on and our friendship continued to grow. Playdates. Birthday parties. I would say Mom’s Night Outs, but I always skip out on those!! And our kids continued to grow. But then Mistie moved. She packed up her cute little family and they moved away. That was March of 2008. We stayed in touch off and on through email and then a lot more often once I finally jumped on the bandwagon and joined Facebook. In March of this year they welcomed their third baby, a girl. In June we of course welcomed our third baby, a girl. Kinda crazy. And then in July Mistie and Co moved back!! Same peaceful suburb. Same crazy summer heat. Same adorable family. And yes, I thought she was absolutely nuts to “want” to return {and I’ve told her so!}, but I am so glad they are here again!

We picked right back up where we left off. Playdates. Birthday parties. Dinners out.

The photos I posted last week of the little girls in the orchard are Mistie’s. We met up on Saturday afternoon to take photos of the whole fam and go to dinner together. Pictures were taken. Tears were shed – poor baby Mya was so worn out! Bribes were issued. Dinner was eaten under the stars. But most importantly? Memories were made. There are the memories forever frozen in time that I captured on my trusty camera, but there are also the memories that replay in my mind that aren’t on camera. Walking to the restaurant. Sitting outside in the cool autumn air listening to the chatter and giggles wafting through the air from the end of the table where the kids were gathered. Simply knowing that I can be exactly who I am and be accepted for it – flaws and all.

Tony and Mistie – thank you for allowing me to freeze just a smidge of time for you. We are all so excited to have you back and look forward to making many more memories!

Here is just a tiny peek at what we captured…

Something about this image totally caught my eye – I really love it!

And a couple of the whole fam…

Last week I met up with THE very first friend I ever made here. I have so, so much I want to share about her and our friendship, but I am saving that until I blog the rest of their session! I snapped these of the girls while big bro was at school! But we are meeting up again this weekend for the full family shoot!

Until then…

And my own personal favorites…

In my last post I shared photos of Miss Taverli. I mentioned that she loves to be in the spotlight and in front of the camera. Her brother? Not so much. The images of her I captured over a couple of days. Trig gave me about 15 minutes to work with. So while I have image upon image of his sis smiling and hamming it up for the camera, I have only a handful of him.

This next one? LOVE. I mean LOVE LOVE.

Gentry calls her hair yellow. I guess she is right? I mean, if you are four years old and don’t know the term “blonde,” yellow certainly seems accurate! And so here are the yellow haired girls hanging out on the fence! Excuse the fact that I cut off Gentry’s hand. She is not nearly as brave as her partner in crime and had to have a death grip on something the entire time!

That’s all for today!! I seem to have FAR more photos and craft projects than I have time for!

Meet Taverli. Or Tavi as we call her ’round here. She is my niece. My beautiful niece. And she is a blog stalker. Yes, at barely five years old, she is an official blog stalker! She LOVES to follow my blog and look at all the photos! Well, she used to anyway! My lack of posts is probably boring her to pieces these days and by this point I am sure she has moved on to bigger and better!!

Over the long holiday weekend, we loaded up and drove to Colorado where we met my parents, my sister and her husband and two kids as well as my brother and his girlfriend. We had a WONDERFUL time. It was just way.too.short. WAY.TOO.SHORT. But at least we got to go – for that I am grateful. Not many families are fortunate enough to find a time where everyone is able to get away for a few days. This was the first time we have ever done anything like this but we all hope to get back to our little cabin in the mountains again next year!

Anyway, I HOPE to post more on the trip later. Don’t hold your breath because I blogging is on the back burner these days, but I do hope to!! For now I want to share a few images of Miss Tavi. I could easily edit photos of her for days on end, but considering I still have photos of her brother, Huntler, Brighton and my brother and his girlfriend as well as tons of snapshots to sift through, I am calling it quits at six!! Otherwise this post would never get done!

Taverli LOVES to have her picture taken. LOVES it. And I love that about her!! Here are just a few of my faves from the trip! This first one is the first one that caught my eye. I knew right away it needed a totally retro feel to it! Days later I spent FOREVER trying to recreate the same look on the second one!! I should have written down what I did!!

Raw emotion. Nothing posed. Nothing forced. Nothing pretend. Just a happy go lucky little kindergarten girl being herself. THIS is why I love this gig people! These moments forever frozen in time. What a treasure this will be to her mama!

She’s a lot like Gentry – these girls have some serious sassitude!! Here she was getting ready to demonstrate some of her newly learned cheerleading skills!

Thanks for being my perfect little model Tavi! We had soooo much fun with you all in Colorado! We can’t wait to see you again at Christmas! Until then, be dreaming of how you want your next photo shoot to go! I am thinking urban – like an alley somewhere! You game? We love you!!

Friday night I wrapped things up with Hissyfits until sometime after the baby is born! For this last session we met in a historic part of town and spent the evening snapping away!

Big sister Faith is in Gentry’s dance class. She is such a sweet little thing and it was so fun to see a different side of her! She is so focused and quiet at dance but was happy and carefree at the session! She was a dream to work with – listening well and having fun with what we were doing!

Her baby sis Ariah is Huntler’s absolute FAVORITE thing about having to go to dance every week. He takes along his stuffed reindeer and shoves it in her face constantly! He ADORES her!! She is normally so happy and full of smiles but she wasn’t quite sure about what was going on at the session! Her smiles were few and far between but we did manage to capture a couple of them!

I love this next shot!! Faith is very much into dress up and pretending and was so cute in her twirly skirt and beads!! I love the motion I caught as she was spinning around! What a true moment in childhood!

And little Ariah, still not super sure what in the world was going on!!

And one last shot of them together…sweet, sweet sisters!

Charise,

Thanks for loading up the girls and making the trek to meet me!! I know Ariah wasn’t her typically happy self but hopefully I managed to capture a little bit of who she is!

I complain a lot about living out here. I know I do. Not constantly, but frequently. I can’t help it – that is simply where I am in life. I could pretend that I love it here and I want to raise our kids here and spend forever cultivating our life in the desert, but that wouldn’t be keeping it real. What’s real is that tears flow frequently and my heart breaks often because I long for home. For Kansas. For the family that awaits us with open arms. For the country roads lined with trees as old as time. For the wheat fields swaying in the summer breeze. For the dandelions. For the fireflies. For the memories just waiting to be created. That’s real.

The truth of the matter is that life doesn’t always play out like that fairytale we envision when we say our vows. And while we may not always be where we pictured ourselves years ago when daydreaming about the future, that’s okay. That’s life. That’s real. Do I love it here? Of course not. Would I pack up and move tomorrow if Chris said we could? In a heartbeat. Am I sad for my kids because I know what they are missing out on not being close to cousins and grandparents? You bet. But will my heart break and tears fall freely when the time comes to say goodbye to our life here? Without a doubt.

When we moved here I made a promise to myself that I was going to get us involved. I was going to join a playgroup and we were going to make friends and meet people. That was three and a half years ago. That playgroup and the people we met? They are more than just people – they are friends. Forever friends that have given comfort. Friends that have provided encouragement and laughter. Friends that have shared advice on everything from the best doctor to directions to the new Carter’s store. Friends that have had babies. Friends that have closed the chapter of their life in Arizona and have moved on yet still stay in touch. Friends that see your faults, listen to you whine and yet still love and encourage you anyway. They are the constants in my life here {other than Chris and the kids of course!}. They are the bright spots on dark days. They came into my life at a time when I really needed them and I will forever cherish the place they hold in my heart because of that.

Meet Lindsey {and her man}! She is one of those friends. A forever friend. I remember the day I met her like it was yesterday. It was a Valentine’s playdate at my house – 2007. She showed up looking all cute and trendy with her bowl full of strawberries, a toddler holding her hand  and a baby on her hip. I can’t believe that was over three years ago. I can’t believe that day I made a friend whom I love and my kids adore. Lindsey gets it. She gets that our family is what seems like a million miles away and I can’t get back there fast enough. She knows how hard it is to be pregnant and miss your mom. She understands…wholeheartedly. I love that about her.

And Lindsey, if you do not have this image printed big and hang it in your home, I am going to do it for you!! I LOVE THIS MOMENT!! This is exactly why I love this gig – freezing real life snippets like this for people to look at and remember long after they have passed!

Lindsey and Bobby aren’t from Arizona either. They moved here from California –  she left behind her family too. Her mom. Her sister. Her dearest friends. Her life. Sometimes you don’t have a choice…I get that. But she too made the decision that they were going to meet people, to make friends. They were going to make the most of their life here because that is all you can do. Shortly after we joined the playgroup, she joined the same one. One decision. One simple decision that has created a friendship that will last a lifetime.

I had fun shooting Lindsey and Bobby! I RARELY photograph adults so it was something new and different. And easy! Oh my gosh! It is so easy to take photos of people who listen and cooperate without having to bribe with candy or a trip to Toys R Us after the shoot!

These two  have three beautiful kids…Jakob, Aiden and sweet Lucy.

Jakob and Huntler were in the same preschool class last year and while they knew each other beforehand, they grew to be good friends over the course of the year. But when Huntler returned for another  year of preschool, Jakob moved on to kindergarten. He is sweet and shy…much like Huntler. He rolls with the punches and is low maintenance. He enjoys school and is soaking up all of the new knowledge like a sponge!

And then they had Aiden! Their Aiden is the equivalent to our Gentry. Cute as a button but ornery as all get out! This little guy gives his parents a run for their money numerous times a day! Personality just exudes from his little body! He is so candid and real…

And eight months ago tiny little Lucy joined the world and won the hearts of her parents and adoring big brothers! Happy, adorable, petite little Lucy girl!

It’s been so fun watching these kids grow up! Jakob wasn’t in school and in a few short months he’ll be starting first grade. Aiden wasn’t even one yet when we first met him and now he is four. Lucy was just a dream and now she is here. It is amazing how much has changed and how much we have all grown in the last three years.

When my mom gave me this vintage white bowl at Christmas, I had a vision. A vision that involved a baby girl and strawberries! I had no idea how it would all play out and it was admittedly a bit more challenging than I had pictured {I’ll blame that on my large stomach and inability to get up and down in a timely fashion!}, but it was fun to bring an idea to life!

Little Miss Lucy was VERY interested in the strawberries…she couldn’t shovel bites in fast enough! And her outfit? Well, about two minutes into this set of photos it was gone! But the thing is, it was okay. I know Lindsey well enough to know that she would be able to just roll with it…that a few strawberry stains weren’t going to be a big deal! And they weren’t! Lucy girl was so focused on the strawberries I had a terrible time getting her attention for a few photos! In most of them she is far more interested in the strawberries and hanging out of the bowl to get them than in having her picture taken! But I did manage to get this one!

And this next one? It just makes me giggle. Laugh out loud really. Because it is Aiden. It is 150% orneriness and personality. LOVE it!

And of course a few of the fam! I will be perfectly up front and honest here in saying that this is the first time I have ever shot more than four people at a time! For some reason I have just never had any more than that involved in a session. It was challenging for sure…but I love a good challenge from time to time!

I kid you not when I say this is the first frame I fired off at our session {other than the one I took to check my exposure and get my settings right}. FIRST SHOT = FAVORITE SHOT.

And then we changed it up a bit! I promise Bobby’s eyes are opened in this one!! His allergies were really bothering him and I felt so bad! {Note Aiden and his ornery grin!!}

Lindsey {and fam!},

Thanks for meeting up with me for a fun family session! Thanks for humoring my ideas and letting me experiment with your family. But most of all, thanks for being such a good friend. I meant every word I said – while I can’t wait to move back to Kansas, my heart will break when it comes time to say our goodbyes. You have been such a great source of strength and encouragement in our journey out here and I am forever grateful our paths crossed. Big hugs!

Enjoy your photos!

Energy. Ohhh the energy of this little guy! How I wish he could give me just a tiny bit! I can still hear the sound of his little flip flops hitting the pavement as he hopped, skipped and jumped from one place to another during our shoot last week! In fact, he was skipping so much that I asked his mom if he had just learned how! You see, Gentry recently figured it out and has been skipping all over the place ever since! But Tucker? Nope. He is just a little ball of energy who is always on the move!

Tucker ROCKED at our session! He was so good! And he listened so well! And the smiles he would flash? Priceless!!

I love these two! I cropped them opposite because I think they would be so cute hanging one above the other!

As we rounded a corner and this bike rack came into view, I almost let out a little squeal of excitement! What a FUN element to work with! And so boy. Oh so boy.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this black and white one!!

The little guy does have some serious faces too…

And this one just makes me smile for some reason!!

We ventured up onto a hill during our time together too! For anyone interested, I started shooting in “evaluative” metering mode but when Tucker was way too underexposed because of  all the backlight, I switched to “spot” metering and had MUCH better results! I love it when I take the time to think things like that through and experiment a little during a session! That one decision made all the difference in that entire series of photos! And it took all of three seconds to do!

I LOVE this light!! For real. One of my personal goals is to get out of the open shade and start shooting in light more often! Now that I see the results first hand, there is no holding me back!!

And a couple with mom! Tucker is going to be a big brother this summer and his mom looks AMAZING. Seriously April, you look great!!

Dad wasn’t actually planning to be in any pictures, but I sort of insisted that he get in on just one!

Thanks Tucker and Co for taking a little bit of time to hang out with me the night before you left! It was so nice to meet you all and I wish you all the best! Good luck this summer with the birth of Baby #2!