The LiLo Life: The Erickson Family

This was almost the session that didn't happen.

Cindy wanted to get a big group family session done while all of her kids were in town for the holidays. We had to postpone it several times. Nils was in bed with a terrible cold for several days...then it passed from person to person (the youngest of which came down with it on Saturday night, but she was a trooper). Then the weather was not cooperating. In the end, we decided on Sunday morning. I skipped church for this family (just about the only family I would do that for) and we braved the cold.

When I say cold I don't mean just a bit chilly. I mean bone-chilling, freezing, biting cold. When we started the session my car said it was 8 degrees out. By the time we were done (90 minutes later) it had warmed to 10 degrees. Heat wave! I know what it is to want a big group family picture so I knew that I had to make this happen for Cindy. There is no better gift for a mom/grandma than a big group picture that she can hang on her wall and show off to her friends and family.

This was one of those sessions that I stress about. I love this family and have known them for 20+ years. Not only that, there are no re-dos. Dane and his family were leaving the next day and who knows when they would all be together again. I also knew it was going to be cold and there are 4 little kids, which is tough. It snowed the night before and I wasn't sure how that was going to work. I also wanted to make these pictures perfect for them, so I put added pressure on myself. But, prayers work people!!! Everyone was well enough to take pictures. Yes, it was freezing but everyone held it together long enough for me to snap some photos. They took turns getting warm in cars so the kids weren't out in the cold too long.

God blessed us with the most amazing blue skies. The lighting was perfect and I got some of my favorite shots to date. This family is SUPER photogenic and I couldn't be happier about the way these turn out.

See what I mean?

I really wish that I could share with you every single picture from this session on the blog. I can't, however, if you want to see all of the pictures click here for the online gallery.

These two crazy-fun people started this family over 40 years ago. Hard to believe when Cindy doesn't look a day over 40! They are so cute and fun. There is never a dull moment when these two are around!

First comes Love....Then Comes Marriage.....

And then come the babies in the baby carriage...

Then those babies grow up and have love, marriage and babies of their own.

Nils and Karli...

Bodie and Tate...

These sweet boys were amazing. They had to spend the most time out in the cold. They handled it like champs. Tate was crying by the end and I felt so bad for him. But I couldn't be happier with the way these turned out. Karli, those sweaters are to die for!

Dane and Bazi....

Little Nia has never played in the snow before. Not sure she liked it. Or perhaps it was the sniffles she had that kept her from enjoying the Colorado snow.

She did, however, love getting a piggy-back ride from her gorgeous mamma and warm snuggles from her smitten parents.

Danika and Brandon.....

Danika is one of the sweetest gals I have ever met. She is so kind and loving! And these guys could all be professional models...especially little Talia. Her eyes are so beautiful and expressive. She was pretty quiet and just took everything in. I never saw her cry but she wasn't super interested in smiling in the freezing temperatures either. Perhaps we need to get together again and do a whole session with this little beauty!