Tansy and Veronica are two sisters whose mom shares my name and a November birthday. For Katie’s birthday, they wanted to do something special, so they hired me for an extended family session. Tansy and Veronica, thank you for inviting me into your family for a day. Thank you both for sharing your perspectives and values with me. I can see how different you are and I can see how much you really love each other. May these photographs never let you forget…

One word to describe our family is intense.

We pretty much travel as a herd and live life out loud.

We just want to keep on keeping on, making the most of each day God gives us.

Dad manages projects and computery things…Mom makes sure everyone else is still living, fed, educated, and nothing catches fire that isn’t supposed to.

My hobby is horses…Pete likes arguing about theology, conspiracy theories, and the tractor. The rest of the family just kind of enjoys playing and existing. Walks, climbing trees, making forts, art, painting nails, lots of cooking and baking, making messes, things with wheels, board games, time with friends.

An ideal Friday is usually just dinner, clean up, prayers, maybe a movie, a walk or a bonfire with friends. We’re very low key but with such a large family and livestock there isn’t much time.

What we want most for our children is contentment, confidence, health, and the ability to know, love and serve God in all they do.

In ten years I see myself wherever God wants me – just a little more wrinkled, greyer, wiser and maybe a little more patient.

One word to describe our family is loving.

I’m a Nurse Practitioner and my husband is a Pharmacist.

Our hobbies are exercise, crochet, reading, plants, sudoku.

An ideal Friday night is getting together with friends, with a relaxed meal and spending time outside.

Our biggest goal is to maintain our health and happiness as we grow and learn as a family unit. We love to travel and hope to show our children how big and diverse the world is.

Finding a balance between being a parent and an individual and finding time to all be in once place together is our biggest obstacle.

We’ve learned as parents that the hardest day of your life and the happiest day of your life can coincide without you even realizing it.

In ten years I see myself as the mother of a 13 and 11 year old, probably in the throws of managing school calendars, extracurricular activities, hopefully (part time work) and continuing to grow as an individual and maintaining close personal relationships.

Hope you had a wonderful birthday Katie, aka: Nanny!

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