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Some of you who’ve been reading for a while may be familiar with the family portrait shoots I’ve done with Jenny Jimenez in the past — she did our maternity shoot, and then a shoot with Tavi at six months last spring. To say I love Jenny’s eye is an understatement — I trust this woman to capture some pretty pivotal moments in my life. She is amazing.
So when Jenny contacted me a couple months ago wanting to do a different kind of photo shoot, I was all ears. She wanted to do a shoot that was more photo documentary style — no posed shots, no forced smiles. She wanted to capture our family just doing what we do.
What we do most Saturdays is snuggle a bit in bed, and then get up and have pancakes. And so Jenny showed up a little before 7 one morning (!!!), and followed us around for an hour. The photos that follow are the result — with the exception of the last few shots at the end that feature the most ridiculous family rompers evar.
So yeah, about the Care Bear rompers: after stumbling across Etsy seller BangBangCrash a few months ago, I convinced Andreas to let me purchase a set of custom rompers for the entire family. He begrudgingly agreed, and when Jenny ended our shoot by saying “Any shots you want me to get?” I said “Um, can we put on our Care Bear rompers just for fun?” The rest is embarrassing family photo history!
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If you’re inspired by the Care Bear rompers, BangBangCrash makes amazing custom-made animal rompers like dinosaurs, frogs, and even Max from Where The Wild Things Are. I know what MY family is going as for Halloween — how about yours?
oh.my.god. those rompers are so sickeningly KICK ASS. plus, your family is beautiful and the photos are amazing!
The shot of Tavi crying over his pancakes is amazing.
Plus the rompers, of course.
We got that crying pancakes photo framed and have it hanging in the kitchen. Tavi likes to point to it and remind us, “Too hot.”
Yes, those pancakes were too hot. PITY THE BABY!
Best. Rompers. Ever. Must call husband now…
Wow, it looks like Tavi has his mom’s deep blue eyes! Beautiful photos. Sometimes I set my camera on a dresser or table and use the timer to capture the everyday moments of our family – in all of our non-glory 😉
Those blue eyes are all Dre’s! 🙂 Mine are green: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ariel/120603466 🙂
these are lovely! those pancake pictures are priceless. tavi (and dre, and you) are beautiful. nice job, momma!
Argh! I love this SO MUCH. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Oh, geez, I might have to change my Halloween plans. I was going to dress up as Texas, but a whole family of Care Bears just melts my heart. And Tavi is gorgeous. Just stunningly gorgeous. Thanks for sharing, Ariel!
These rompers are AMAZING. Like many things Etsy, they were spendy, but I love them hard and intend to get many years of use out of mine and Dre’s.
I love these so much!
My favorite has to be the deep, thoughtful, almost visual SIGH of Tavi turning to noms after a solid GRUMP.
His expressions are just uhmayzing, though.
These pictures tell such a nice story!
Any chance you want to share your pancake recipe Ariel? Those look like my kind of pancakes!
Sure thing!
Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 2/3 cup milk
1 1/3 cup flour
5 tablespoons of butter, melted
Add eggs and 2/3 cup milk to blender
Blend
Add all flour, continue blending
Add remaining milk, continue blending
Melt butter, continue blending
Start pouring immediately. No need to butter the griddle, as they’re buttery on their own.
Makes enough to feel 4 people, assuming one of them is a Tavi-like pancake monster.
Thanks! They’ll be on my table this weekend. Or maybe tonight for dinner…
After I got the recipe from a cousin, I made them three meals in a row. 0_o
Soooo eggy and thinnnnn…
Speaking of pancake monster, that backlit shot makes me think of a muppet-esque pancake monster with blueberry eyes, ala Cookie Monster. 🙂
Beautiful photos! I love the documentary style for capturing sweet moments – something about the not posing/spontaneous feel makes the family mood come through even more.
And yum, pancake weekend breakfasts – one of the things I’m really looking forward to sharing with my kids. I love my pancakes! I hope my kids love them too.
I LOVE THESE PHOTOS. What a happy little family.
I’m getting on the Love Train! Jenny’s work is fantastic – she seems to know just how to capture you guys individually and as a whole. I think my favorite is the last one, just seeing how happy Tavi is being in a world of love! Not all kids get that, so one day when he’s being angsty, point to it and remind him – we love each other! 🙂
You have a very good sport in Dre! I highly doubt I could get my husband into a care bear onesie! If by some miracle he agreed I am sure there would be a lot of eye rolling & “you owe me!”‘s!
Andreas was very VERY patient with this idea. When the rompers showed up, he was like, “Oh, these aren’t as bad as I was expecting.” I have NO IDEA what kind of horrors he had pictured, but he really was very game about it.
Why do I love this:
1.)pancake-drama!!! so intense
2.)a baby that’s totes adorbs
3.)saturday mornings under a canopy bed are best
4.)MOTHEREFFING CARE BEAR ROMPERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*can you adopt me???
Ariel
i want to come live with you so you can make me pancakes (i promise not to cry if they are too hot) and wear costumes and read books while boys do handstands around us
Your family is just GORGEOUS
I love the shot taken through the doorway of Andre with his hand on Tavi’s head. Gorgeous light, and it’s such a small, sweet moment.
Everything is so beautiful, I feel like trying to fix my camera again. I used to go around the house taking pictures of my family like this. Also, I am in LOVE with your bed – it made me want to crawl in to one and sleep!
The bed is ALL my husband’s thing — I’ve teased him that he has the taste of a 9-year-old girl, but he loves his romantic canopies! 🙂
As I looked through these I just kept thinking that in 20 years when Tavi looks at these photos there is no way he can miss seeing the love his parents have for him. So so beautiful.
I keep thinking how much he’ll be like GAWD MOM, I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU MADE US ALL WEAR THOSE THINGS! DAD, WTF WAS WRONG WITH YOU!?
LOVE the pic where you’re both eating pancakes with the same look on your face.
also, not to be a creeper, but your husband is total Hottie McHottness.
Yeah, Jenny was like “I have to include some of these shots not because they’re flattering, but because you and Tavi are making total twin-faces.”
And Dre? Totally my trophy DILF. Please: ogle. It’s a crime not to.
These are AMAZING!!! Also, I now secretly want carebear rompers for us too…
..all of the above, AND:
yoga-mobile?!? where…how…?!
perfect pictures!!
Mobile is from the infamous Etsy seller SaltyAndSweet.
ohmygodddd that first photo, just such a beautiful little family! thank you for sharing these with us!
Photos are all 404 not found :'(
Try clearing your cache. 🙂
Still not working for me, must be my phone. Oh well, excuse to hit the computer! lol 🙂
I love them, but I think my favourite is the one of Dre doing the handstand while you and Tavi continue reading, as though handstands in the middle of the living room are an everyday occurrence. But seriously, are they?
Actually, they are! Dre teaches both yoga and circus arts, so hand stands are a daily living room occurrence at our house. 🙂