Samantha Ferguson does it again

Well..we've established for me to be in any pictures AND for them to be in focus I have to hire someone to do it. That person, Mrs. Samantha Ferguson, just HAPPENED to be at my beach. I know!!! Totally meant to be. The universe lined up for that one split second where everything worked out. Samantha was going to my beach. The entire family would be there AT THE EXACT SAME TIME. This...doesn't happen to me!

We set it up weeks..maybe even a over a month before. Which means if something happens, it will.

Like this:

What/Who the crap is this? That would be my husband. That would be my husband's black eye. Due to a 8 yr old girl's fastpitch that went all wrong. According to my husband aka "the catcher", the pitch was coming in low. Expect the ball went and pulled a fast one over on him, hit the front corner of home plate and popped up and hit him in the eye. He suffered a mild concussion. I'm not kidding.

One week out from picture date, it looked like this:

I may have started to panic. A little.

Actually...go google Modern Family Portrait Episode. If you haven't seen it, WATCH IT! This is my most favorite episode EVER. Gretchen = Claire.

ANY-WAY. (and Billy says I'm A.D.D. Whatever).

Pictures..right. The stars lined up and Samantha Ferguson will be at the same beach as us and all family is available. Then Billy gets a black eye. I am on the receiving end of a not so great haircut. When I say "not so great" I mean the only good thing about it was I had hair left. I may have cried over it. Twice. I wake up morning of with my tear duct messed up and my eye is swollen. Anna decides she wants to go and get a fever and a sore throat (who does this at the BEACH?).

Now the planets have lined back up correctly.

Samantha worked her magic. and I'm in a picture. and it's not blurry.

 

I hear the collective AAAWWWW.

You can barely see Billy's black eye. You can see Anna's fever though. 

I usually totally fight the khaki and white trend that everyone does. However when Shrimp & Grits  came out (I bought these just for beach pics at the beginning of Summer..this was the only time it was on their bodies) with those smocked outfits they were a must have. That is the biggest size Anna's dress comes in and that is the biggest size Hudson's jon jon comes in. If I'm going to put them in the cutest beach outfits known to man, now was the time. My smocking love affair is coming to a end now that Anna has outgrown the dresses and Hudson the jon jons. :(

You can tell Anna wasn't herself

 

Should I even mention the last time my parents were photographed by a professional photographer was December 1999. At my grandmother's nursing home. Who knew that would be a) the last photograph we would have with Haley and b) the most recent up until August 2011 photograph my parents would have made.

You can see black eye and fever here. Hudson makes up for it though..

Swoon

Aint going to lie. I thought the heat had gotten to Samantha when she said now RUN.

But it's beautiful..don't ya think? I do...

Thank you Samantha Ferguson for your beautiful work.

and sorry for changing clothes (all of us..adults included. I blame the heat) in the parking lot (not in the car mind you) and bringing the cooler of cold beverages. I'm pretty sure you will completely understand during that shoot with Amanda Trawick you have coming up. :)

The pictures above belong to Samantha Ferguson and His Hands Photographs. I have not purchased the CD yet as these ARE JUST THE PREVIEWS! I know..can you believe it? I can't wait to see the rest.

My big fat beach post

If you are sick of seeing beach pictures and updates, go ahead and close the browser. Tatum stayed at the beach with my parents all of July. Anna stayed for 3 weeks. This was Anna's first time to stay with the grandparents and her aunt at the beach. Just a warning. When your daughter stays with her aunt and grandparents you will get texts like this:

 Saying "She couldn't choose". McDonald's and 2 ice creams = Heaven for Anna.

Ah..to be 8 again. and have a metabolism. Must be nice.

We got to take in a whole lot of these

These were taken with my iphone.

and a few of these

 I'm convinced Laguna Beach HAS to be the luckiest beach on Earth. Everyday storms would pop up all around and somehow we managed to dodge them.

We got in some of these:

 Hudson & my dad during their afternoon nap. Whenever it was naptime, Hudson would pack up his toys and say he was ready for his blankie. We would come back to the house, shower off, eat lunch and drink a cup of milk and he would be down for the count. My dad would sacrifice and just so happen take his afternoon nap at the same time. This defines what it's like to have Hudson sleep with you..he gets right up under you as far as he can.

When he would wake up he would get his basket (or one weekend a toy story lunch box) of toys, his bathing suit and stand by the door ready to go back to the beach.

 We mastered potty training this summer

 Luckily these ladies thought he was cute..and funny. My goal is to teach him that in a few years this will be creepy. and a felony. I know. I set those goals HIGH!

The boys went deep sea fishing

 and caught some of these:

and the rest of the kids liked posing with the fish too

Anna was there for decoration. I don't blame you darling. Fish are kinda nasty.

I got some weird poses from the princess.

and some cute ones

 and some posed ones of Hud too

and some natural ones

Look at Hudson chasing the birds

The one above is my favorite.

We did a LOT of running and playing

(Lots of Hud ahead. They're all too cute not to add)

 

Now you know why those naps were so important. and necessary. I'm talking about the naps for US!

 

Billy built his annual great sand castle

or sand CAR

and Saydee bug was there too..but like Tatum..there are not a whole lot of pics I have. Especially since my hard drive with all 44,897 pictures on it crashed. :(

 and I took some beach pics with clothes ON!

These are my favorite

are these babies not the sweetest...

most angelic...

 beings you have ever in your life seen?

Ya wanna know my Anna's secret to those natural laughs?

 Fart noises.

Somehow Anna figured out a way to make above noises with a piece of sea grass? oat? whatever that is. Here they are concentrating HARD on making the noise. But they do look sweet don't they? Look being the key word there.

See..here is a beforeseaoatthingmakingfartnoise smile

Totally worth people on the beach thinking I was letting them rip. Dont you think?

I caught Anna in a couple of her favorite dresses

and her favorite hairstyle. I'm afraid hairbows are a thing of the past. I know. It's tragic.

Tatum's BFF came down and spent the last week at the beach with her

I can't believe these two just started high school.

How did I get that natural smile you may ask? I barked at her. Mmmhmm..barked like a dog. What I wouldn't do to get a natural smile.

What will I do to get a picture of myself at the beach? Hire Samantha Ferguson. That's coming up next. It needs it's very own post!