Olympic rainforest vacation

TEMPERATE rainforest, that is, not a tropical rainforest (a fact that plagued me all through school).

Our family got to spend a week in the Seattle area this month. It was amazing! Both my husband and I grew up there and we both still have family in the area. We started out our trip with some camping out on the peninsula... in the actual rainforest. Guess what? It's rainy in the rainforest, even when you're camping there and camping in the rain isn't your favorite. (But it wasn't so bad - just a little muddy.)

I always say that Seattle is the opposite of Albuquerque. Well, the Olympic Rainforest is REALLY the opposite of Albuquerque! It was like being in another world entirely, especially for our kids, to whom a "forest" is an exciting thought. Giant slugs! Trees bigger than tall buildings! Green everywhere! Actual rain! We got some incredible beach time too, but I think that's a post for another day.

We went into the Hoh rainforest - just outside the Forks, WA area (yes it's true, we were in Forks on the very day Eclipse premiered, but that is another story. Or, sadly, it's not, because there were no Cullens to be seen in Forks).

Anyway - along the side of the road would be these signs:
"Big Spruce"
and you could turn off. Sure enough, that is a BIG spruce!


First of all, how do those phonebook pages stay dry?


We did actually see an elk, but no calf, and we weren't chased. Kind of disappointing after a sign like this.








The whole state is an Albuquerque photographer's dream!




When you're not used to running through mud, it can be slippery! I can only post this picture because 30 seconds later she was happily running through the mud again, after we wiped her face clean with some socks I'd had in my pocket. (Handy.) It was a true face-plant, and not the last of the trip either.


Think of the forts you could make if you lived here!


The sign here:
"Big Cedar Tree"


And to prove that we really were in Forks:

I remember when my grandpa used to get out his slide projector.... more slides, anyone? :) I'm calling it a night - catch me again next week?

Beautiful blue eyes - {Albuquerque newborn baby photography}

I am always telling people that if they want newborn-style portraits, I need to do them EARLY, preferably before the baby is 10 days old. (And that is one of my favorite perks for my job, which I love, that I get to be one of the first people to meet the newborns!) So anyway, I'm always so happy when I get a baby who's a little older, but I can get them to sleep for portraits anyway! I think 2 out of my last 3 2-month-olds I have been able to coax to sleep, I love it.

This little guy was DARLING, and he had the most beautiful deep blue eyes! I had to do most of these preview portraits in color, not in black & white, because I just had to see the blue. :)

He started out asleep...


Then awake. And - his mom brought some really great hats!


Usually it's kind of tough to get 2 month olds to smile for pictures. I always hear "Well, he smiles all the time at home..." but he was so smiley!




And then we got him to sleep! LOVE this hat.






I've been working on this pose - so tricky to get them up on their elbows! He was so good. :)




Then - awake again, and so happy! What a good boy.








His mom is great. They just moved to the area, and I'm so happy she found me for portraits! I loved meeting her. (And isn't she beautiful?)










Thanks so much for coming! There are tons more great pictures, and I should have your gallery in the next week or so.

Family portraits at the zoo - {Albuquerque family photography}

Another long-overdue preview for this very nice family. (I was on vacation for a really fun week in Seattle, someday I may get around to posting pictures... but I've fallen very behind!) We went to the zoo for the evening music show. Well, we didn't really hear any music at all, but the light was gorgeous and the animals were awake and interesting.

They have the most gorgeous children - even though the evening timing was difficult at times for little ones, I thought they did a great job. And I love this sort of photography - it's definitely not very posed :) - very "lifestyle photography" and lots of action. (It helps that I still have small kids so I have the knack of it.)

We spent some time on grandparents pictures - so funny because there was always one child not interested in being in the picture... until it wasn't their turn any more.








The big chair in "Africa" at the zoo is always so hard to work with - right in blazing bright sun. But if you go in the evening it works really well! Plus not so many other kids waiting to get up!








These are excellent grandparents. Here's some expert "ring around the rosies".


Can you see the hippos? (Answer: not really.)


Oh I so want one of these walls at my house. Maybe my husband will want one side of the shed like this.




The hyenas - not my favorite zoo animals. They were up & running around, and were not afraid to get up close & personal.


But when I got home & saw this picture, I thought he looked kind of nice. Not pet-nice, but not freaky either.






No one got hurt climbing on the lion statue. (If you've taken a bunch of kids to our zoo, you know that usually someone gets hurt climbing on the lion statue.)


And here's that large group picture that we went for... we probably should have done it first, for the kids' sake, but it ended up working!




And a couple of family portraits to finish up the night. I left so amazed that their kids could last that long and that late! It was great to spend some time with you all - thanks so much! The rest of the gallery is on the way.


(see the giraffe? that's what's fun about portraits at the zoo)