The Yearly Family Pics

When we went home for my mom's surprise birthday party and Sloane's annual tailgate birthday party, I was crossing fingers that we would be able to meet up with Wrenn, our favorite photographer, to grab a super quick family session.

I say super quick because we aren't the family that changes clothes and gets millions of shots.

We are the family that gets the group pics, the individual pics, and if we are lucky, a few others... but we just want the basics. Mainly because there is always someone that doesn't want to participate. So we just don't have time for the 'extras'.

And Wrenn knows this about us. Six years later and two kids later, she knows how we work.

She's seen us through the newborn years, the screaming toddler years and now the little girl/boy years and back again. She knows what we need... so knocks it out as quickly as possible!

God love her.

Maybe one day, the weather will 100 percent cooperate and just be a beautiful day, rather than randomly freezing freezing cold or nice and toasty (when we all have decided to wear clothing for fall temperatures). I did grow up in Kansas, so I should know better.

Thank you, Wrenn... for always capturing us in the midst of madness! As frustrating as family pictures can sometimes be, we have learned that it is what it is and what we get in the end is so worth it.

Even when we look at each other and say, "This is so not worth it!" :)

Another year down. Many more to come!

XXOO,
Allyson

Yearly Pictures

We came across Wrenn Pacheco thanks to one of my sweet hometown friends when Sloane was a year old. We were going to be in Manhattan for her first birthday party and I wanted to try and get pictures taken of her and Matt and I.

Wrenn was just getting started with her photography business and funny enough, she and her husband were considering a move to southeast Kansas, around Sedan, where I grew up. So we had lots to chat about!

We LOVED our pictures with Wrenn - she was so easy to work with and so sweet, a good combination when you're dealing with children (and a husband who would rather be doing anything that taking pictures -- though he always loves them after the fact)!

Since then, we have used Wrenn every year (with the exception of one when we couldn't get back to Kansas for pictures) for family pictures and every year, I'm in love.

And every year, someone in my family doesn't want to cooperate and/or the weather doesn't want to cooperate, such as the last two years.

Wrenn's business has BOOMED since we first started using her - she is an amazing wedding photographer and spends many weekends doing just that. She was my sister's wedding photographer and I'm still jealous about that and she just recently shot my friend Abby's wedding in Manhattan. Again. Jealous.

But we are thankful we have found someone who now knows our family, can deal with what comes with us, and who I can trust will capture pictures that we will treasure forever!

 

 SO... if you need a wonderful photographer in Kansas ------- find Wrenn! :)

XXOO,
Allyson

Recap

Friends,

It has been over a week and a half since my last post and I have been busy.

I have no clue what the hell I have been doing... but obviously it has been enough to keep me away from the blogging world!

First off, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! This has been quite an off year for me - the only bright spots in the year have all encompassed my children in some fashion. But because it being such a weird year, it's made me really focus on the good in my life and I know I have a lot to be thankful for!

We spent all of our break traveling (because if you know me and my family of five, that is what we do best). We spent Sunday at Matt's grandparents house, eating great food. We stayed there until Tuesday - the kids and I went to visit my aunt Sally and her crew on Monday which is always wondeful - then drove to Manhattan Tuesday afternoon.

Off to Aunt Sally's!

Matt and I got to go watch the K-State basketball team play Tuesday night, which was a nice way to spend the evening. Away from those beloved children of mine for two hours. :) Too bad I was so tired, I could barely keep my eyes open.

We had pictures scheduled with our favorite photographer, Wrenn Bird Photography, for Wednesday morning and as my luck would have it, it was cold. We've taken pictures with Wrenn since Sloane was one and not until last year have we had cold weather. Now we are back-to-back cold weather picture takers and though my oldest two are Minnesota-born, you'd think they grew up in south Texas.

"Mom, it's so cold!" "I'm freezing!"

And in classic Allyson/Mom fashion, I told them to suck it up, they lived through 50 below temperatures, they can handle 37 degrees! :)

Poor Wrenn did the best she could with what she had to work with!

The rest of my siblings and their respective families arrived Wednesday evening: my brother Jordan, Alex and their mini dog, Stanley, my sister Lauren, Sam and little Perry.

The rest of the time at my parents was spent either in front of the TV, drinking all of my mom's Coors Light (that would be Jordan, Sam and Matt), at Target (that would be my sister and I), reading Black Friday ads (that would be my dad), or holding babies (that would be my mom). Alex is almost eight months pregnant so she got to do whatever she wanted! :)

Saturday was spent at beautiful Bill Snyder Family Stadium with 56,000 of my closest friends, watching as my Cats played poorly against the worst team in the Big 12. BUT it was a win, and we take a win in any fashion! Plus it was Bill's 200th win at K-State so it was fun to be there for that!

We got up Sunday and packed the car up to get back to Arkansas, in hopes of missing the rain (we drove the truck and Wrigley, our 10-year-old lab was in the back). We did not miss the rain.

Because that is my luck!

Can I just say that seven days of vacation is no vacation for me! I'm more tired now than I was when I left!

BUT... it was a wonderful getaway. And whenever I'm with my family, I'm in my happy place. I can be myself, I can pass kids off, I can laugh really loud, I can speak my mind, I can just be. And that is what family is all about!


XXOO,
Allyson