angela & co.

Five children. Five. That is the number I prepared myself for one day last week, and I was looking forward to it. As the oldest of five children, I knew we'd have lots of fun shooting and playing. When Angela and her crew arrived at the park, the children exited the car and immediately lined up for pictures. Pa and Joy joined their grandchildren, and in between shots they all 'sniggled' (which was Joy's new way of saying snuggle, which the girls just found to be hilarious!). But as I lined the entire family up for a group shot, something was off. Not quite right. I couldn't put my finger on it. Until I positioned the five children for a sibling shot. And that's when it hit me. There were six children! Six children, all under the age of 10, and all home schooled by the very patient and gentle Angela. And those six children? Well, aside from being 5 girls and one very laid back little Benedict, they were polite, intelligent and just so much fun. Annabelle, the oldest of the six, was ever the Big Sister and was such a wonderful little assistant to me. Juliette is the second oldest, and fearless does not begin to describe this little girl. She was wearing a cast on her foot, that somehow did not stop her from running around the park, climbing trees and jumping off of them. I kept joking that she broke her foot jumping out of an airplane, which the younger ones thought was so funny. Oh yes, the younger ones: Amelia and Miranda are twins, and the whole Twin Bond was very evident between these two. And little Miss Sassafrass, I mean Elena, is three years the twins' junior, but clearly considers herself to be their triplet. Anything they could do, she better get to, as well. And then there was 7 month old Benedict. The girls adore him, and he is very content to sit and bask in the adoration. Daddy Larry took time off from work to join his parents and lovely family for the session. All in all, a great way to spend a morning. When the session ended, the girls descended upon an old tree and started climbing. As I walked back to the car, I could hear them talking about how it was a sled, how they were North Pole bound . . . and then pirates and fairies entered the mix, and I was again reminded of my own childhood, climbing trees and make believing with my own siblings. Angela, thanks for the wonderful opportunity to photograph your not so little family. They are such good, good children, and it was a pleasure! Enjoy your sneaky!