Pre-shoot pictures in the mountains

Chris set a goal this year (one of many) to build his portfolio as a photographer. He has always loved taking pictures but it has taken a backseat to his other talents the past few years. He's had fun taking pictures documenting our life together the past few months and is now trying his hand at doing it for other people.

The other day he took pictures for my friend's family in the beautiful mountains. We got there early to check out the area and try to find places that would photograph well but ended up taking pictures of each other haha. The goal was to find a spot that would be easily accessible with toddlers but we adventured a little bit :) 

 ^^channeling my Big Foot roots.

Chris prefers to being behind the camera, but I managed to grab one or two of him ;) After playing and walking around a while, our friends arrived and we had a fun time trying to get a few good shots. My official job consisted of helping the kids look at the camera and passing around the blankets. The kids were troopers and we had a great time! Here are a few behind-the-scene shots that show what pictures in the snow are really like ;) 

Thanks Tuft family! 

Christmas highlights + a few pictures

We had a busy Christmas but it was wonderful! We got to see both sides of the family over the break, play lots of games, and eat a lot of good food :) This year felt extra special since we went to church on Christmas Day. Seeing people gather on that snowy morning to celebrate the birth of Christ made the true meaning of the holiday much more real for me. I am so grateful for my family and the opportunity to celebrate something so special to me. 

^^We bought matching pajamas this year and it fulfilled all of my dreams :D The beautiful tree in the background belonged to my in-laws. Since we weren't spending Christmas at our own apartment, we didn't get a big tree. But we had cute little ones! And a few decorations I picked up from Target :)

^^We drove down to Las Vegas to visit my brother-in-law's family for a few days. It was nice all being in one place since it's been a year since everyone got together! My mother-in-law wanted a family picture so Chris set up the tripod and went to work. I think they came out pretty good for self timer ;) I'm really am so grateful for this family that I married into; having two families is such a blessing!

After spending time with the Romneys in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, we flew up to Washington to spend New Years with my family. Since we went back for Thanksgiving, we initially weren't planning on visiting but I'm so so glad we ended up going. It was a busy few days with a family lunch in Seattle, my little brother getting engaged, going to the temple as a family, and catching up with my high school friends. By the time New Years Eve came, all of us were so tired haha. We passed on our party plans and watched a movie, drank Martinellis, and kissed our loves at midnight. 

We had a little miracle on our last day. We tried changing our flights to stay longer but it cost too much to make it worth it, so we decided to fly home at the originally planned time. Turned out Delta had oversold the flight and when we volunteered to go on a different flight, they picked us! So not only did we get to stay another day, we got Delta money as part of the deal. It was the best possible way things could have worked out :) 

And now we're home! Family time is fun but so is coming home to our own apartment after a lot of traveling :) Happy New Year friends! Can't believe it's 2017!