Gulf Shores Vacation 2014 {Family Photos}

At Christmas when we were all together, we started dreaming up this beautiful family photo we would take when we went on vacation in July.  We knew we wanted to have turquoise and coral, and quickly after we decided that the guys could wear navy...they weren't too keen on wearing turquoise.  I think the colors are really pretty together and it all coordinates.  It's riding the border of "matchy-matchy," but when you have a group this big, you have to make concessions unless one person is going to buy everyone's clothes.

On Sunday, after our first day at the beach, we headed back out in our awesome duds and took the pictures from this post.  Although they may not be perfect, and I still have a lot of work to do before they go up on the wall, they are a beautiful reminder of the time we got to spend together on vacation.  This means that to us they are priceless.


Our big, wild, and crazy group!



We are pretty cool too.



Remember when I mentioned crazy?  May I present exhibit A?  I had the tripod set up for these shots, and I think we were giving some of the evening beach strollers a show.



MoMo B & Papa





Mom and Dad.  I finally got him to be serious and smile.  I will have to post some of the silly ones later.


Our family unit.





GiGi looked mighty pretty.





Uncle Samuel's little clan


Sweet siblings.



I love this one of the two of them.



Beautiful Bekah


My handsome little cousin is growing up.  I give him three years, and he will be my height.



This was actually one of the first photos that I took while everyone else was making their way down to the beach.  This was one of the only times the whole week that Kari came down to the water, and I actually caught her in her natual pose--book in hand.



Brittany striking a pose.  You can hear more from her here.



I didn't take a lot of time on a photo of our little family since I knew we were taking more photos the next day in the outfits that I brought.



Mother and Daughter.



It was almost dark and everyone was heading back, but our photos wouldn't be complete without a sister pic!



This was so much fun, and I know that these photos will only become more special as the years pass.  Maybe in ten years, the rest of the family will forgive me for the pain and suffering that I put them through to get these.

But then again, maybe not. ;)

Rives Family Christmas

My dad's side of the family is really laid back.  When I was little, sometimes we would have Christmas with them in March or April.  It. Was. Amazing.  All the other kids in my class were just chugging along, and then BAM!  I had more Christmas presents to open!

I told my grandmother that for Christmas, I wanted to buy them a canvas print of our side of the family.   I knew that the only time we would all be together would be our Christmas celebration.  I called everyone and let them  know ahead of time that we would be taking a family photo. 

Our family has really grown!   Aren't they just beautiful?



My wonderful grandparents.



The grandkids!







Not sure there is a lot to be said about this photo other than the slang, "We Crazy."







Our expert package opener was at it again with another huge stack of presents.  I keep telling Bradley that we shouldn't ever buy her anything.  Ever.  We should just put money in a bank account every time we want to buy her something.  She could live so happily with just the blessings that our family gives her.





J.T. was pretty excited about his gift.



A pretty Minnie blanket!











As always, we had an amazing time visiting with all of our family.  Although we may not get to see each other as often as we like, when we're together, it's as if we were never apart.  I love that.

Family Photos 2013

When we took Emmy for her two-year photos, Butterfly Chaser Photography also took some new family photos for us.  I really cannot begin to describe how much a love Sarah and the photos that she has captured for our family.  This was our fifth session with her, and so many of my favorite photos of Emmy are because of her.  It is so nice to just show up and have someone else be in charge of making photos happen for a change.  We met Sarah at the Administration Building at TAMU.  All of the photos below were taken there. 

This was one of our first shots.  It took Emmy a few minutes to get warmed up to the camera.





This one of my favorites from our family photos.  It is just fun.





Sarah got one of just Bradley and I.  I love him.  (most of the time)



Bradley and Emmy always get such great photos together.

















She seems to love Mommy a little too.













This is my favorite of just Emmy and me.





My favorite family photo of the day.





Thanks Sarah for capturing us at this stage!