We plan family photo shoots a long way out. It's a good thing in that we're able to plan as many shoots with families as possible during our busy wedding season. It's a terrible thing in that we have to wait FOREVER sometimes to photograph families we're really excited about working with.

This post belongs to Erin, Pat and Sadie who are going to welcome a new family member this year, and that is awesome. Let's jump right in, because I'm really stoked about this one.

Somehow, in the past few years, we've had the most ridiculous luck and ended up getting to photograph the most amazing families. Seriously, I love each and every family we meet, and I can't believe we are so lucky to have the job of taking these awesome, loving families and documenting a little slice of their history. And it's even cooler when we get to see them grow year after year. Last Easter, we shot Miss Sadie for the first time, and she has changed so much in that year. I believe I squealed when she got out of the car and I saw her hair - little girls with curls absolutely kill me.

You definitely squealed a little. And then we saw they brought balloons to play with on a grey, overcast day at the beach and that's also a lot of fun.

Check out how into their kid Pat and Erin are. You can't pose that or fake it. It's there, and it's amazing to watch. It made me go back home after the shoot and give Murphy a huge bear hug.

Also, awesome? They were heading back to Brooklyn after the shoot so they sent us home with the balloons for Murph. He was THRILLED. Our dog? Not so much - funny story (well, maybe not funny for everyone who's not me, but I'm gonna tell it anyway :) ), she's terrified of balloons. We knew this as a puppy and thought it was hysterical to chase her around our apartment with them. So, one day, I come home from the grocery store, and I swear the dog has a panic attack. She leaps into the air and skitters across our apartment. I look at her like she has two heads and go over to see what the problem is, and she freaks out and runs from me. Seriously, I keep following her and she won't come anywhere near me, and I realize it's because I'm still holding the watermelon I was unpacking. We never figured out why she was terrified of colorful oblate spheroids, but she is. Also, she's still afraid of balloons. :) Dumbest dog, ever. Anyway, guys, thanks so much for the balloons - Murphy had a blast!

Love this one of yours, spouse.

Thanks - but I'm still a little staggered. I know we're not exactly "industry norm" because we swear a lot and said weird stuff on the blog, but you just typed "oblate spheroids" and I need to go look up what the hell that means.

Oh, and if things get weird here in a minute it's because we're watching the NFL draft while we're writing this and the Buffalo higher-ups are about to waste another first-round draft pick.

Hah - and I love this new layout you're doing. I mean, how hipster is this next section? Damnit we're arty.

I know, right? Shoes! Birds! An purposely out-of-focus photo! We're so arty and hip! Now if only you'd grow a beard, and I could pick up some funky glasses, we could truly be hipsters!

Oh, wait....

So, we're standing there shooting, and suddenly Pat has his shoes off and is carrying Sadie into the ridiculously cold lake. Weird enough, but if you're the kind of rad dad Pat is, you take one for your kid and freeze your toes off in the lake a week after the last snow. Then, a second after they go out, he reaches down and plucks a crawfish from out of nowhere. You guys ever see the Office when they go on the company Survivor outing? They do a little sumo wrestling, Pam walks across coals and tells Jim she called off her wedding for him and Creed randomly karate chops a fish out of the water? Yeah, Pat = Creed.

Also, damn you guys are adorable!

Hah :) Well, we've got the self-deprecation angle down, anyway. We'll leave our banter at that and let the rest of the post go. Guys - we've said it many, many time over email and at your shoot and now here, but - again - thank you.

We first met Jenn + Nick a few years back at a wedding Jenn was a bridesmaid in. And last year when they welcomed their adorable son, Finn, into the family, we had the honor of shooting their new family (which was the greatest thing ever, because, really, Finn is heart-meltingly cute!). So, when Jenn contacted us about shooting their wedding this year, I believe there was some jumping and clapping on my end. I couldn't wait to shoot them again! After the longest ever winter of waiting, we got together Saturday to shoot their engagement photos!

It's been a pretty awesome week to start off our busy season. Despite all the nasty weather and rain, we managed to only have to cancel one shoot this week, which is a minor miracle this time of year. I'm actually a little overwhelmed that Spring seems to actually be here now and we're getting right back in it (other than that whole extra baby thing, which is still making life pretty interesting).

And seeing Finn walking around and being about as cute as it's legally allowed to be is already getting me excited for Dexter to get to that stage.

Gah! Are you kidding me?! I'm not rushing this one. In fact, when he starts trying to stand, I'm going to kick his feet out from under him! It went way too fast with Murphy - I'm rushing nothing! Finn = one heck of a good looking kid, who also just happens to be a bad-ass with his rockin faux-hawk. I desperately wanted Murphy to get one, but he's a big ol' hippie and refuses to cut his.

Also this next shot of yours = win! It's funny, we were driving to the shoot, and it was overcast and threatening rain. Then, we drove through this crazy, crazy fog, then the shoot started and the sun came out and by the time it was over it was back to overcast. It's maddening that we never know if a shoot is going to get rained out, but as a photographer, I love that this town's ridiculous weather allows us to get such different looks in a one and a half hour period. :)

Jenn - you seriously killed these shots!

It's hard not to see yourself in your clients' families if you have kids. I've been hit in the eye by __(insert inanimate object used as a weapon here)__ about 435 thousand times since becoming a dad. These top two photos may be my unintentionally hilarious favorite shots from a family shoot ever.

And shortly after you took those, Finn came looking for me with his branch of justice.

Yeah, I think it took him about .15 seconds after you handed him that before it turned into a weapon. Boys are funny - I look at nature and see beauty; they look at nature and see weapons. I swear, Murphy found a stick at Knox Farm last spring that was an L shaped stick, and it was immediately a gun. And, I might add, his favorite gun toy for the rest of the year. He still has it. :)

Guys, you have the sweetest kid ever - thanks so much for hanging out with us and letting us shoot your adorable family. We seriously cannot wait for the wedding!!