Laurie Heath Studio: Wonderfully Made

Mimi and Grandad's bunch are back! They've grown up so much in just a year, and they've added one more to their number. Since I have the privilege of seeing these kids on a weekly basis, I wasn't rattled when our session got off to a bumpy start. Would Ella cry the whole time? Would the promise of "ice cream if she was good" be enough to help her settle in?



Well, judge for yourself! Grandad helped by getting the crowd to holler "lizard!" and pretty well any silly thing that came to mind.



Moving from one interesting location to another helped, too. How many times did we lose Sadie's tiny orange shoes?



During one of our moves, I noticed how beautifully stair-stepped the kids are at this moment in time, so I convinced them to line up in order of age. Next year's line-up may look completely different, since at least a couple are on the verge of a growth spurt.



Eight kids. Eight kinds of adorable. Don't you love Race's snaggly teeth and the way he peers over the top of his glasses?



Awww. So sweet, so cooperative, so relaxed with one another. At least two mamas were dancing behind me at this point, I believe. Rowan had found her happy place in Mimi's lap.



And then what did I do? I got them all riled up. "Squish together a little bit more. Do something silly!" I didn't really intend for Grandad and Kindle's necks to be snapped like twigs. In the back, Alley is thinking, "Grrrreat. Here we go again."



And then all mayhem breaks loose. By that point, Averi could do nothing to help the exhausted baby in her lap except commiserate with her.



Cane, however, had thoroughly gotten into the spirit of the moment and was ready for more action.



So we really had no choice but to take that energy and move to the trampoline for one last set of shots. Someday I'm going to set up this disaster-in-the-making and someone's going to get hurt and I'll be in trouble. Not this day, thankfully.



In the meantime I'm just going to enjoy egging them on and reaping the benefits with my camera.

Thanks for sharing your grandkiddos with me, Pat and David. I love seeing how much they adore you and look up to you.

I ponder every morsel of wisdom from You,

I attentively watch how You've done it.

I relish everything You've told me of life,

I won't forget a word of it.

Psalm 119:9 MESSAGE