top 10 2016 | the winners!
top 10 2016 | the winners!

Hey hey, the people have spoken and here are the winners for this years contests.

1. Cassi & Justin: I love how competitive these two are. I also love how Justin beat her at basically every contest they had that day.

2. Rings: Erin & Aaron
This little catchphrase these two had is my favorite. They worked it into their vows and my wife and I have since worked it into our lexicon as well.

3. Bridal: Rebekah
Rebekah was a stunning bride and so so full of joy. So easy to photograph.

4. Mug Machine: Circle of Life.
I’ve been doing The Mug Machine for 7 years. I’ve never seen anyone come up with this.

5. Random: $100
Grandparents are the best. Full stop.

6. Wedding: Katherine & Josh
How amazing is it that these two had a Texas wedding in December where it was like 70 degrees and it managed to snow?

Each year it’s so hard for me to narrow down the categories and pick only 10 photos per section. Here are 100 more of my favorite images that were not able to make the cut into the top 10.

Lots and lots of eye candy below. Enjoy.

Thanks to everyone who voted and a HUGE thanks to all my 2016 couples. You guys are super generous to allow me into your lives on these intimate days. You are the best.

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Ali & Greg’s Key Largo Wedding
Ali & Greg’s Key Largo Wedding

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When a couple entrusts me to document their wedding day, it really is an honor. When a couple is generous enough to fly me out to Florida to do that job… it’s an honor, and a mini-vacation. :)

I had such a great time getting to know Ali & Greg’s family for the few days I was with them. They are such a neat group of people and I can’t wait to share a little part of their story with you.

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Their rehearsal evening at the Key Largo Lighthouse was so laid back; full of laughter, and stories.  I could tell right away these two were surrounded by some serious amounts of family and friends.

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Of course Ali had her mother’s wedding dress altered and turned into her rehearsal evening dress.  Why wouldn’t she?

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Greg apparently has 3 super heroes for Aunts.  They ended the evening by singing a song about Greg & Ali’s story while dressed in appropriate beach attire.

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The only problem with getting married in Florida is that sometimes it rains.  From 10AM on, we were unsure if we would be able to have this ceremony outdoors.

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Ali wore a necklace that her dad gave her mom on THEIR wedding day, her grandmother’s earrings, and a ring her mother gave her when she turned 16.

Basically, every single tiny detail of this day was layered with depth and meaning.

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Of course Greg gave her some custom made shoes.  Why wouldn’t he?

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3 things I love:
1. Grandparents who take photos all day long.
2. Killer make up artists who make my job easier.
3. Bridesmaids who steam dresses while wearing them and try not to scorch each other.

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Seriously, everytime I turned around, this girl was hugging someone.  Her day was filled with love.

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1 hour before the ceremony.  Still raining outside.  Ali is looking out to check the weather AND SMILING!!!!

You can see the droplets on the door.

SHE KNOWS IT’S RAINING!

SHE’S STILL SMILING!!!

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Even though it was drizzling, they still wanted to have a First Look.  (Because they are awesome like that.)

I found a covered-ish area and stuck them there.  Ground was still a bit wet, but they didn’t seem to mind.

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And then, almost like magic, it stopped.  The rain was gone.  So in the span of about 30 minutes, we took every possible photo we could. :)

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I already mentioned they had a super strong family support group…  but my favorite photo of the trip was this next one.

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When you say “I know we are from Texas, but we are getting married in Florida on a Tuesday in January” and 67 people show up….
That’s a pretty good way to start your marriage.

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I’m super proud of the group shot with the whole wedding party and the flower girl in the middle.  She wanted no part of the photo shoot, but I was able to bribe her participation by offering her some Frozen stickers. :)

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Small children on the beach in fancy clothes are the best.

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Remember the super hero aunts?  Yeah, they made all the sweets for the wedding.  (Of course they did.)

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By the time the ceremony rolled around, the little one was done.  She made it down the aisle, tearing up along the way.  All the while wearing one of my Frozen stickers. :)

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Give it up for Curbside Gourmet.  Yes, please.

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Greg’s mother spent so much time playing with and enjoying her grandson.  Fully present and in the moment.

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I love watching parents during a couple’s first dance.  I love it even more when the Father of the Bride has a slightly disinterested look on his face that says… “I suppose she was bound to grow up eventually.”

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My favorite thing that happened during the toasts was how their friends didn’t just tell stories of growing up together, but also shared stories of wanting to grow old together.  Committing to being there for them moving forward.

“I wanna be the one dressed up in a bathing suit t-shirt singing at YOUR daughter’s wedding,” she said.

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I don’t even know.  But I felt like I should share it.

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The night kept getting better.

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Thank you guys so much for trusting me with your wedding.  Thanks for letting me join in on the fun and be a part of the family for a few days.  You are the best.

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What We’ve Been Up To
What We’ve Been Up To

Hey hey hey!!!  Long time no personal updates.  Sorry.  I know you all have been dying to know what’s going on with my little herd of people.  Well, here is the rundown since the beginning of 2014.  (Many of these have been pulled from Instagram.  You should follow me there.)

The boys all enjoyed playing a bit of basketball.  Jo was given the nickname J-Money and Luke & Eli loved being teammates.

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That one time it almost snowed the kids tried to make snow angles.

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2014 is really shaping up to be Eli’s year.  He turned 5 and finally was able to sign Eli Maldonado and thus was granted his very first library card.

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One of our favorite parts about homeschooling is all the random field trips.  Our kids love museums and zoos, so we visit them often. :)

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Eli thinks he could take on anything.

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Jo turned 11 which means birthday parties have transitioned from cake and silly games to going and getting pizza while dad sits at another table.  (This is me crying on the inside.)

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Other cool things that happened were Sara’s first dance and Jo getting his baptism on.

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Basketball is our favorite sport.  We like the way they dribble up and down the court.  Jo & I made our annual trip to the Texas high school state tournament as well as a Rockets game with young Luke.

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Eli is now building Lego sets and trying to sell them to other people.
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When the school year came to an end, everyone received their diploma.  Boring diplomas are for public school. ;)

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On to some of our Summer Adventures.  1st up was Box Day.  The kids had a blast with this one.  The massive box fort actually stayed up about 5-6 days, too.  Crawling through and in there, totally made me feel like a little kid again.

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Danielle left for 2 days and I managed to chip Luke’s tooth and get a new high score on Flappy Bird.  All in all, a good weekend.

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We were lucky enough to spend a couple of days out at Lake Tyler Petroleum Club.  It’s super fun out there.  You can also get married out there. (Give them a call ladies.)

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May the Fourth.  Big day at our place.

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Danielle and I surprised Jo with this double feature.  She took him to see Captain America. Then when they pulled in, I got in and took him to see Spider-man.  By far the hardest part about having this many kids is making sure we carve out time for each of them on their own.  Our kids love hanging out as a family, but when we give them one on one time, it’s like this other side of them shows up and it’s great to just soak it all in.

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Sara turned 9 and busted out this new t-shirt.  “My brother has the best sister. (Me!)”  She then made all of them take a photo with her.  Because you know… she’s totally in charge.

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Another Summer Adventure.  Beach!!!!

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We took this first photo back when Jo was 2; right after Sara had been born.  Anytime we are in Galveston, we try and recreate it. (Photo credit: Sara)  I hope that one day he can wheel Danielle & I up there and sit between our chairs.

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I am so proud of Sara.  For just about a year now, she has been saving and earning as much money as she can.  She wants to go on a cruise and has a chart she has been filling in along the way.  Every other month, we have “spending day”  where the kids can spend their salary on what they have been saving for.  Every other month, Sara watches them all come home with new toys/books/games, and she sticks her money in a jar, colors in some squares and inches that much closer to her 5 day dream vacation.

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Eli lost his first tooth just last week.  It was kinda of a HUGE deal.

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This shot is one of my favorites.  It’s Eli being a little bit sad because it hurt when he pulled his tooth, but it’s Danielle being a lot of bit sad when she realized we’ll never have another kid lose their first tooth.

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This is where this post gets kinda creepy but good.  So get ready. :)

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When your kid loses their first tooth, you keep it.  Because that’s what you are supposed to do.  Because…. it’s what you do.  Then they lose another one and you keep it to.  Why not.  We have a little baggie.  Just toss it in.  Then one day you look up and you’ve had 4 kids and 3 of them have been losing teeth and you have 3 bags full of teeth.  So Danielle and I looked at each other and thought.  This is strange.  Why would they ever want these?  We should chunk them.  But then in a stroke of creepy brilliance, I decided to wait ’til Eli lost his first tooth.  I had this image in my mind of Eli’s tooth next to all the others he’s had to endure.

You see, Eli has been around to see all these other teeth pop out.  And, as the youngest, he’s always wanted to lose a tooth.  Not for the dollar under the pillow, but more for the status symbol.  I, too, am one of you guys.  I can lose a tooth.  I’m just as big as you.

So month after month, year after year, teeth would come out and Eli would continue to long for his day.  His day when he would also be a “big boy”.

Well, last week, that day finally came.  He ripped that bad boy out just as he’d seen his brothers and sister do 42 other times.

He was now just like them.  He could lose a tooth.

He was excited.  Jo, Sara, and Luke were excited.  Danielle and I were excited.

But then it started to set in.

He’s growing up.

As parents we are always aware of it.  But every now and then moments happen where you can’t avoid seeing it.

That first time they don’t laugh at your dumb joke.

The first time they don’t want to hold your hand when walking into the store.

The first time they are not interested in your fashion advice.

The first time they lose a tooth.

As much as it’s tempting to feel your heart sink just a little, this is when we most need to take heart.

This is our job.

This is what we have been called to do.

Raising these tiny humans is our greatest challenge and doing that job well, means little milestones along the way.

Our family loves to play together.  We are around each other so much, and Danielle and I can’t imagine any other life.  At the same time, part of this life is growing and teaching these kids.

Teaching Jo to understand that being the biggest does not mean he can’t also be the most tender.

Teaching Sara that boys who don’t open doors are not worth opening your heart for.

Teaching Luke that being a good listener is more valuable than being a good dribbler.

Teaching Eli that patience is important.

That there is a time and season for everything.  Even losing your first tooth.

 

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