When Laura Katsaris contacted me about family pictures, I knew her family was going to be pretty incredible. She was able to coordinate her two brothers, one in Reno, mom and stepdad, and grandparents! I don’t know if any of you have ever tried to get your family together for dinner, let alone family pictures, it’s no easy feat! Not to mention the stress of getting kids ready and wearing something that will keep them semi-warm in the cold is really tough! And wear something that coordinates with everyone else! They brought their A-game and rocked the session!

I loved having all the adults help the kids to laugh and smile! It was like I had nine assistants! Ha! Maybe I’ll hire all these guys for my next photoshoot!

These guys were so easy to work with, so willing to do the funny things I asked them to do. My grandparents are not longer living, but I really enjoyed being around Laura’s grandparents, the DeBraga’s. Really, this family is their legacy and one to be very proud of. They reminded me of my own grandparents.  The way they looked at each other was really special. I felt their love for each other and their grandchildren and great grandchildren. Something about grandparents just tugs at my heart strings!

Laura’s brothers have this cool swag about them, and Hailey, her sister-in-law, is such a sweet mom! They just made my job super easy! Jesse, Laura’s husband, was really fun. He has the biggest smile. Every time he could, he’d sneak in a kiss followed by this huge grin! What a sweetheart!

Dear DeBraga Family,

Thank you for trusting me with your pictures! I love how important family pictures are to you. Thank you for giving me a little peek into your wonderful, kind family. I’m guessing you all have a lot of fun at family dinners and holidays! You all seem like go-getters, and I loved learning from you! These cute kiddos are so lucky to have you! Hope you enjoy these photos!

Some of you long-time followers will remember this family, the Budd family. We did last year’s family pictures on the Truckee River in Reno. And you might remember that Courtney was a huge help to me at the hospital when Elsie was born. The Budd family has always been there for my family, and their kids have been a shining light for my kids. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve to know this incredible family!

Dan and Courtney are amazing parents, teaching their kids kindness, charity, selflessness, patience and hard work. These kids look out for each other, laugh with each other and serve each other. They are the type of kids you dream and hope your kids can learn to be someday. They cheer each other on at soccer games and they catch crawfish at Tahoe together. And they thrive on their Dad’s playful teasing and practical jokes. Let’s just say, if you were lucky enough to be a fly on the wall in their home, it would be pretty entertaining!

Dan and Courtney are such a powerful team, constantly helping each other out and lifting one another up. They had a crazy year with some unplanned house construction, and I watched in awe as they handled everything with far more patience than I would have. It’s really fun to watch them feed off each other with jokes and funny stories. My cheeks always hurt from smiling after hanging out with them!

Dear Budd Family,

Thank you for trusting me to take your family photos. You guys always make me laugh behind the camera! Your smiles are infectious, and your countenance is always positive. I can’t get enough of you all! Your quiet examples always show me that I can be better. I love meeting up with you at Tahoe to play in the sand, and I’m eternally grateful for your constant friendship. I love each and every one of you!

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Hi friends! Meet the Dagerman family! I have had the privilege of knowing this sweet family since it was established! I met Mindi through my husband, Brandon’s, work. Mindi and Brandon were both engineers for Southwest Gas. Mindi and I always say that she and I were friends before her and Brandon, haha! 

I had the honor of attending Bryan and Mindi’s wedding 8 years ago. Brandon and I knew their love would be one to last through the good times and bad. I love watching the way Bryan takes care of Mindi and their two boys. His heart is gold and his humble, kind manner is easy to be around. 

Mindi is one of those “I’m there for you no matter what” kinds of friends. She is such a loyal friend and I am so grateful for her constant kindness towards me. She has always supported my photography, and I couldn’t ask for anything more! 

I remember when Mindi was pregnant with her first son, Cameron. We were so excited to welcome him to the world! Mindi and Bryan have raised him to be incredibly smart, kind, and the best big brother. Those boys are inseparable!

Henry is 3, and he is such a sweetheart. Whenever he was nervous in front of the camera, Cameron would ask if he needed him to be in the picture with Henry. He always nodded yes. They made a great team!

Dear Dagerman Family,

Thank you for your quiet example of kindness and hard work. Thank you for continuing to be such loyal friends throughout the years. I love you all and I’m so thankful I have you for friends. Thank you for trusting me to take your family pictures and for making it fun! Hope you enjoy these as much as I love you! 

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Hi Friends! I’m so excited to share these pictures with you all. Those of you who know me, this family is probably really familiar. You may even remember their session from last year! Those of you new to the blog are in for a treat because this is my amazing sister’s family! Meet the Emerick’s.

Jared and Emily have been married for 19 years. They are an incredible team and the wonderful parents of these four beautiful girls. Jared and Emily are go-getters. They don’t settle for anything, but instead they strive for excellence, success, and accomplishment.

I’m always in for a good laugh with Jared. He can tell a really good joke, and honestly its hard to stop smiling when I’m around him. His story-telling skills are so entertaining, and he’s the life of the party. Jared loves sports and loves cheering his girls on in their sports. When they were having children, I remember asking Jared if he was hoping for a boy. He said he wouldn’t have it any other way, that those four girls have his whole heart.

Emily is my one and only sister. And really if I had more sisters, they’d probably feel left out because we are so close. She is the biggest fan of my work. It is because of her that I have grown this business to where it is today, thanks to her consistent encouragement. Emily knows how to balance a busy schedule. She works part-time, is getting her Master’s Degree, and juggles the activities of her four girls. She knows what her priorities in life are and how to stay balanced.

Not only is Emily my best friend, she is one of the greatest examples to me of an incredible mom. She has taught her kids to be independent, kind, loving, helpful, faithful, smart and virtuous. Emily is keenly aware of each kids’ hopes and dreams. She helps nurture their talents and hobbies, and really gives them the space they need to learn and grow.

The four girls, Macy, Halle, Sami, and Chloe each have such kind souls. They are the type of kids that look for the good in people, and they live by the golden rule and then beyond. I’m getting teared up as I write this because I am truly grateful to have them in my life and in my kids’ lives. I love when they “Marco Polo” me, and send me funny texts throughout the week. I never tire of hearing about their adventures and hobbies. This family really does have my whole heart!

Dear Emerick Family,

Thank you for believing in me and for always trusting me to take your family pictures. Thank you for your example of faithfulness, charity, and love. You, Emerick family, are beautiful inside and out. Anyone who gets to be your friend is blessed because of your heart. I love you all to the moon and back, and I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I truly loved taking them! I look forward to this every year more than you know!

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Meet the Houston Family! Haha, ok ok, you probably already know these famous Lovelockeans. Lee and Emilee are incredible teachers. And you probably remember Taryn’s senior pictures! (And she’s already off to college!!!) But I want to tell you about this amazing family anyway!

I was so excited when Emilee asked me to do their family pictures. They are always busy with 6 kids, house projects, extra curricular activities, teaching, kids going off to college, etc etc!! So I was beyond thrilled we found a day that worked! They dressed fabulously and brought their “A” game with tons and tons of smiles!

The Houston’s are the kind of family that inspires me to be better. They humbly and quietly show me how to be a better parent and friend. Lee and Emilee are so patient with their kids, and they have taught them to be kind and respectful to everyone. Their whole heart and soul is poured into these little people, and their love is really palpable. They always leave me craving more time with them; it’s just never long enough! I have really enjoyed getting to know them and learning from their example.

My kids get along so well with the Houston’s. They have included my kids and really made us feel welcome because sometimes I still feel like I’m new to Lovelock! I loved their fun ideas at our session for how to pose and what pictures they wanted to take. It was really fun watching how good of friends they all are with each other.

Dear Houston Family,

I can’t thank you enough for your friendship. I’m rooting for you, Taryn, at college! You’re going to kill it, girl! Makenna, good luck this next year in high school! It goes by fast, so enjoy every minute! Lee and Emilee, you are exceptional parents and friends. I feel really lucky I know you, and will get to see you at school throughout the year. Thank you for sharing your kids with my kids and for your contagious happiness! I really love being around you all. Thank you for being awesome in front of the camera! I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I love you!

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Meet the Shields family! They are the type of people who are kind to the core, and it was my absolute pleasure to be their photographer for the night!

I know I say this all the time, but I truly have the BEST clients! I knew they’d dress fabulously and show up for a good time! Often I hear from people that they aren’t excited about having their picture taken. There’s probably a million other things they’d rather do, but my clients always end up having a great evening and really enjoy the session. The truth is, I’m kind of a doofus behind the camera, so it’s definitely entertainment for the evening!

I love this Shields family! They were such great sports for all my crazy ideas and they just went with the flow. I really enjoyed following the kids as they played. They smelled the flowers, ate “breakfast” at the bistro table, and opened the gates for the show that we were inevitably always late to, haha!!! Roman, their son, was awesome and showed me his best macho moves followed by the best laugh! I love that the Shields family had ice cream and played Minecraft after pictures. It’s always such a great way to get kids excited about pictures through a great bribe!

Dear Shields Family,

Thank you for being so easy-going at our session! Bryce and Melissa, you guys are amazing parents. It shows in how great your kids are. Your love for them just oozes from every word and action, and I loved capturing that.  You are both patient parents, a quality that is hard to develop. Thank you for your kindness throughout the time we’ve been here. I will never take your kindness for granted. Thank you for finding this incredible oasis in Lovelock, and inviting me to be a part of it. I am truly grateful for your family and for trusting me to take your family pictures!

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Every 4th of July, my siblings and parents get together, and this year I had the privilege and honor of taking my brother’s family pictures, the Hill Family. I am so incredibly excited to share these with you! I adore this family more than my words can explain, but I’m going to do my best today.

My brother Spencer and his beautiful wife, Sara, were high school sweethearts. Both of them a little shy, but both of them determined to make the very best of anything and everything. They are the kind of people that work tremendously hard each day to get to where they want to be.

Sara

Sara is one of the most amazing mom’s I’ve ever known. She is keenly aware of each child’s needs and then meets those needs far above par. Her whole life revolves around teaching, loving, and raising independent children. If there’s a book that may help one of her kids with a problem they are struggling with, Sara is on it. If there’s a resource out there that will help her child, she will find it. She wants the absolute best for her kids. She is such a great example to me on how to be an incredible mom. I just wish we lived closer so I could be more like her!

Spencer

Spencer is an incredible father and husband. He works long hours to give his family the best. He has created very successful online businesses. His entrepreneurial heart is so fun to watch. I love cheering him on from Nevada and hearing about new developments in the business. He continues to employ more and more people, and each person loves Spencer as much as I do. His businesses haven’t come without deep struggles, and I know he would do it all over again just for his love of his family and the concern for his employees.

Spencer is always making me laugh and doing something funny. Just this last reunion in Boise, he pulled me on his boat (that he made!!!) with me “skiing” on a kayak. Boy that must have been a funny sight! After a few crashes, I finally figured out how to ski a kayak. Spencer is always thinking of something new.

The Kids

These Hill kids have a maturity level that you won’t find in most families. They help with household chores without pay. They respect each other and play with each other because they are best friends. These kids are the kinds of kids you desperately want your kids to be around so that their goodness might rub off on your kids. I LOVE hearing about funny stories from Spence and Sara about my nieces and nephews. They are always on adventures and making everyone laugh!

Dear Hill Family,

Can you guys get any better than you already are? I don’t think so. I think you are like Mary Poppins. Practically perfect in every way. My heart is so full of love for each of you. I love learning from your quiet examples. I love when we chat until late in the evening. You all amaze me and I love you, Hill Family, very much!

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Hi friends! Thanks for stopping by the blog! I want you to meet the kindergarten grad, Giana Williams! She is the most adorable, kind, and sweet kindergartener. My kids just love Giana and her younger brother! She is a fantastic older sister and a caring friend.

Giana loves all things girly and that fits right in with my girls. She is very smart, and she is reading so well! I got to see her reading skills in action at our session as she flipped through her chart of sight words. She loves her teacher and learning new things.

Her parents have raised this complete sweetheart, teaching her values and principles that make her outstanding. I have so much respect for Giana and her wonderful parents.

Giana was so much fun to work with! She knew exactly where to put her hands and she fell right into poses that were darling! I didn’t have to give her too many instructions before she just fell into the perfect pose. Model status! Her smile is super infectious too! My cheeks hurt after we were done because she made me smile so much! She had a ton of good ideas for spots for pictures too. She would say, “Let’s try this spot,” and it was always a perfect idea. I am pretty sure I’m hiring her as my new assistant!

Dear Giana Williams,

Thank you for being such a kind friend to my kids. I couldn’t ask for anyone sweeter! You have an incredible talent to include everyone and that is so admirable. Your parents have raised you to be respectful and responsible. Lovelock is blessed to have you in the community. You are an example to your friends on how you should treat people. I am so grateful to know you and call you my friend! Thank you for trusting me to take these pictures! You are simply wonderful, Giana!

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