Look Who’s Joining Our Family

The big news around here, aside from 14 inches of snow and another Christmas in the books, is…we are gaining a new daughter in law!

This happened a week before Christmas…a fun birthday gift to me was photographing my firstborn son, Judah, proposing to his girlfriend. Judah called me ahead of time and asked if I could stealthily photograph him proposing to Celeste, his girlfriend of two years. Of course, I said yes! The only snafu was…despite how the photos might look, it was only 36 degrees out. I hid behind a tree in a park (a park I took Judah and his siblings to frequently when he was just a toddler). Judah had Celeste remove her coat under the guise of taking a selfie…the two of them were dressed up to celebrate Judah earning his MASTERS DEGREE (!) in Criminal Justice…so, you know, that’s the other huge news in our family. We are beyond proud of Judah for his hard work and commitment to being the best law enforcement officer he can.

Judah and Celeste first met at Kalina’s birthday party a few years back when Judah was in the Washington State Trooper Acadamy. Kalina had met Celeste at Whatcom Community College and invited her to her birthday party. Apparently, there was chemistry between Judah and Celeste right away and they started talking after that night.

You can see more photos and read more about the proposal here: I Do! A Surprise Proposal at Elizabeth Park.

Once again, we feel profoundly blessed by the spouse our child has chosen. We are 4 out of 4 for gaining daughters and sons-in-law that we really, truly love. Also, so far I have been asked to photograph marriage proposals for 3 out of 4 of my children. Don’t worry, Jared, I forgive you 😉

In other news, Jubilee is registered to train as a CNA (Certified Nurses Assistant) starting in January. We are so proud of her and excited to see where this leads her.

Here is a snapshot of a few of the kids on Christmas morning. I ordered this amazing custom puzzle from Collage.com (affiliate link). It is high quality with thick, sturdy pieces and the photo came out beautifully. Judah was thrilled with it and I was more than happy with how it turned out. You will probably recognize the pumpkin head photos from this shoot I did of Judah and Celeste.

Chuck feels very torn about his current curly and unruly beard…what do you think?

Keep or shave?

Sonic and her beautiful teeth…chewing on her current favorite toy: a little nub that she chewed off of a rubber bone. I have seen her entertain herself with this for literally an hour.

Best. Toy. Ever.

Apollo building with LEGO bricks…what else?

One of our Christmas traditions: a 1000 piece puzzle. This is from one of my favorite brands, Mudpuppy.

Your World 1000 Piece Puzzle (affiliate link)

Sadly, I wasn’t joking about the 14 inches of snow. It started on Christmas Eve and hasn’t left yet. Sonic doesn’t know what to think about the snow. She loves to play in it but isn’t so fond of early morning/late night trips to the bathroom. I have been having a little too much fun throwing snowballs for her. She is so confused by why she can’t find the “ball” she clearly saw me throw…