When I got the text from a childhood best friend that they were hoping to schedule an Extended Family Session for their parents 40th Wedding Anniversary, it was definitely an honor to book. Having basically grown up with this family, I knew it would be a session filled with good laughs and constant jokes. And the shenanigans would probably all be lead by the matriarch of the family herself, Linda.

Knowing this crew would have a lot of energy and moving parts (aka kids), my sister-in-law luckily jumped in to tag team this session which was so much fun to be able to do with her! It was also a saving grace, as we pulled up to our originally planned location to find out our beautiful field of sunflowers had breathed its last breath and wilted away. We quickly jumped into problem solving mode to rattle off our other options, which is precisely when my friend Kayleigh gave me a call to let me know they were on the way. “Actually, maybe just sit tight exactly where you are and let me tell you the new plan in about 5 minutes.” Thank goodness this family isn’t easily rattled and can go with the flow as we rerouted to another beautiful spot.

Having a gorgeous evening on the lake as our backdrop, we set to work capturing the laughter and love of this crazy bunch. John and Linda are definitely the type of people that stay just as they are, in all the best ways, no matter what time has passed. They now have three grown and married children who have given them the gift of a total of 10 adorable grandkids who all clearly love their Grandma and Grandpa.

We had so much fun with this family and these kids did great! I think often times there can be a little bit of panic and stress for parents over making sure your kid smiles and sits still long enough for the photographer to capture them, but if you trust your photographer to do what they love to do you will more than likely be so happy with the results. When kids get to be kids, that’s when you really end up with pictures of moments and laughter that will remind you of the joy of that stage of life. That’s when you capture each unique, silly, and vibrant personality of who your kid is becoming.

As every great portrait session should end, we concluded our evening with a little reward of Fruit by the Foot for kids (young and old), and naturally this lead to a hands-free eating challenge.

Check out their full gallery here!

Thanks for letting me celebrate this family milestone with you all! Cheers to many more years of love and laughter to come!