The Short Bus

Cairn Terriers are known to be an extremely smart breed, but...

My mom watched Max and Maggie about a month ago and she told me she hosed off her deck while the dogs were playing outside. She mentioned that Max really liked "playing in the water," but I didn't really think much of it. Of course she puts it nicely and doesn't warn me that my dog's a freak. Typical Grandma! :)

Well, I pulled out the hose today (which, by the way, has a huge hole in it that Max chewed, so forgive the white trash double-spout hose), and found out that Max has a little bit of a problem. I couldn't stop thinking that if there were doggie school buses, Max would definitely be on the short one.

Ummmmmmm........?!?!?!?!?!?!??!

Todhunter Family - Maternity

You always hear about pregnant women having a "glow," and I think it's probably true of most women. Kristin, however, took that to a whole new level. In fact, if she wasn't so sweet and fun, I probably would've found her cuteness annoying. ;) Seriously though, she looked way better at 8.5 months pregnant than I look on my best days!

We did the first half of the maternity shoot at her house, which I think made these photos so unique and intimate. And not to mention that the Todhunters have the most adorable house. EVER. I contemplated asking if I could live with them, but I figured that would have made for an awkward first impression. :) In all seriousness, this house and their decorating style put Pottery Barn to shame!

And I haven't even mentioned their little boy, Creighton, who just adds to the cute factor of this family! We ended up doing a mix of maternity and family photos -- some at their house and some at a field and barn on the backside of the South Hill. Check out some Flat 4 favorites! And remember you can click on any of the pictures below to make them bigger if you want.

Thank you to Julie Jones for referring Kristin for pictures!!

At the time we did these photos, the Todhunters had decided not to find out the sex of the baby, so they didn't know if they were having a boy or a girl. Well, a couple weeks ago they had a baby girl and named her Hattie. I'm considering hiring Kristin to pick my baby names when I decide to have kids. :)

Congrats on your growing family, Todhunters!

Tampien Family

If you don't know me very well, you probably don't know that my sister-in-law, Julie, and I actually knew each other well before we met our future husbands, who just happened to be brothers. Julie and I played U-16 club volleyball together in high school and then also played volleyball together at Whitworth. Then Julie met Joel, and about a year after that, I met Jordan. And the next thing you knew, we were related! Crazy, huh?!

Julie and Joel are such a special family to us. Joel, Jordan's younger brother (by about a year and a half), was the best man in our wedding. And together they have created the cutest little family -- Beau, our nephew, who will be 3 in September, and little Bailey, who was born at the end of May. They asked me to do some family photos for them shortly after Bailey was born, which was a little bittersweet because Joel was being sent to Afghanistan a few days later. I can't imagine being in the situation they are in right now, but I know if anyone can handle it, it is this family! They are so strong and their love for each other is truly amazing! Please keep them in your prayers this next year.

Without further ado, here are some Flat 4 favorites of the beautiful Tampien family!