I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to share this session with you all today! This family is super special to me, not to mention super adorable. :)
But first... a story.
Approximately 24 (wait... 24?!) years ago, a shy brown-haired girl met a little blond-haired girl at AWANA and they immediately became best friends. They were next door neighbors, fellow homeschoolers, secret-coded note writers, sleepover BFF's, and outdoor play buddies on our adjoining property in Eastern Oregon. Emily was my best friend; her sister, Meaghan, was my sister's best friend; and their younger sister, Anna, was my brother's friend. We did everything together--church, 4-H, swimming in the summer, playing in the snow in the winter, birthday parties, everything. When I was 15 my family moved away and it was the saddest time in my life. Emily and I wrote letters to each other for years. We both graduated from high school and she went off to college to pursue nursing and I attended a local community college and waited for my boyfriend, Avram, to finish basic training so we could get married. :) We kept in contact and saw each other a few times over the years, and each time it was like no time had passed at all. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding in 2004; I was in her wedding in 2012.
Fast-forward to 2017. Emily and her family now live in Eastern Washington and both of her sisters live here in Tacoma. We moved to Washington last year and it's been so fun getting to know these girls again! (Fun fact: Anna is now Hadley's piano teacher!) They each had a baby within months of each other, and earlier this year they contacted me about a session with all three of their families. Of course, I was super excited about that and had so much fun planning everything with them!
We met at Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood for their session. I just love the barns there and it was the perfect spot for their families! Their babies--Jack, Paxton, and Zoey--are just the cutest little things, and their husbands--Eric, Tyson, and Casey--were such great sports when us girls probably chit-chatted way too much. :)
The Unruh girls (as I will always know them) are so special to me and my family. They are our oldest and dearest friends. Even though we may move all over the country and don't see each other as often as we'd like, we still keep in touch and will always be the best of friends.