Modern Photographers » Children/Babies

Our family photo session- Portnoy Mania

Kellan Studios — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:15:24 +0000

What is the saying, the cobbler’s children have no shoes? Well sadly, this is the truth. The picture taking of our two monkeys is sporadic at best. It is sort of pathetic really. People ask to see pictures of the kids and I sheepishly look away and mumble something about being swamped with wedding photos all the while feeling deeply ashamed. The kids are at such an adorable age. Their emotions run the gamut minute to minute. They say and do the funniest things. Their little bodies have the last few pounds of softness on them and both our kids sport the most amazing gap-toothed smiles only adding to the adorableness. We are thinking of entering them into some whistling contests.

Back in the fall we laid out a plan with our super dooper talented children’s photographer friend, Sara Ernst and her super fly husband Todd, to do a trade out. We did a three part blog series of their awesome shoot back in the fall. Sara was INCREDIBLE at styling them, you must go and check out part 1,2 and 3.

Sara and Todd have become some of our favorite people to hang out with. We laugh ourselves silly and yet have always enjoyed meaty conversations about marriage, family and the Lord. We just love them and can’t say enough about the stellar character of this couple.

We knew she was up for a real challenge with our two gems. Bennett can be fairly cooperative with the camera but Chloe is flat out disinterested in anything having to do with photos. It is beyond frustrating to take photos of them. After 2 years of Bennett being around we still never managed to get one photo of the two of them together. I kid you not. You will see Sara’s brilliance literally emerge through these photographs as she worked her magic and broke through their stubborn disinterest and pulled out some amazing candids and some fabulous posed shots. Enjoy the two greatest things we have ever done.

Not the most enthused about photos being done.

The picture of cooperation.

slightly better

Success

One money shot of both looking and BOTH smiling. It is Portnoy history. I was hoping for one and we got it! Sarah and Cookie the dog on her head were a magical team.

We tried to recreate a picture that Ryan’s brother shot almost three years ago. It is blown up in our house and one of my favorites!

Unfortunately, Chloe managed to be a Class A Poophead and not cooperate. Okay, I’ll admit, it is kinda funny and really adorable.

Because we can and it is glorious.

Time to wrangle them into their next outfit change. As if it wasn’t hot enough.

I’m going to break you into the cuteness a little at a time.

Yes, she is 3.5 and her hair is that amazing. This kid is follicley blessed.

A moment of sharing, this is definitely worth documenting.

I’m obviously unaware of the next photo. This is the major inside joke between us and Sara. She used to have a Facebook profile picture that was sorta squatted down like this. When we were taking their pictures in the fall Ryan kept leaning down like this taking shots to make them laugh and poke fun at Sarah. His four foot long legs look like a praying mantis so somehow along the way of joking the move got coined as “The Pantis”. Now Sara and Todd refer to us as the Pantis’s. There, now you are in the loop, don’t you feel special?

Love this one of Bennett

I have to end with these last two because they make me smile and laugh and thank the Lord I got a girl! She is obsessed with wearing my heels and is amazingly coordinated at wearing them around even on brick!

Sara, I could never do what you do and these were my kids. Your patience, humor and encouragement during the hours we spent together were incredible. You are so insanely dear to us. We love you and Todd so much and look forward to the next double date with you guys. This time, don’t get all dramatic and break your foot again :-)

The Art of Crying

Kellan Studios — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:46:50 +0000

I love my son, I really really do. I could positively sop him up with a biscuit most days. He is so stinking sweet and handsome. From his little round hippo teeth/gap to his adorable smiley eyes. He is full of life and full of passion. HE LOVES to laugh, he LOVES to climb, he LOVES to move 24-7. He does NOT like when you tell him “no”, he does NOT like when you take something away from him, he does NOT like when you don’t give him his way 24-7. There is no guessing Bennett’s mood. Subtlety is not his strong point. Ryan and I joke that he is a special kind of jerk (sorry, we call em like we see em in our family) when the world does not revolve around him. He is a hitter and a thrower and shows an amazing array of emotions. There are days when I want to put a red bow on his head and put him on the curb….but those moments pass quickly and he is back to his affectionate, sweet self. He is a virtual pendulum.

“Recently”, as in about 5 months straight, ALL of Bennett’s teeth have been coming in, including four molars in three weeks. Only parents can appreciate the gravity of the situation. We never had a clue when Chloe got teeth, she was such a chill baby. With Bennett, we as a family, have felt the grief of every millimeter of movement in his mouth. This unending pain has driven Bennett, not to drink, but to his beloved paci (pacifier for the layman) and blankie. Bad timing when he is also learning to talk.

I have been trying so hard to keep the paci tucked away for as much of the day as possible, but there are some days I can’t bear the whining and the begging. Today was one of those days. Unlike a nice, compassionate mother who would heed to his cry for relief and soothing, I pulled the camera out. Join me on the journey will you?

This is Bennett “Shakespeare” Portnoy, what a looker.

This is Bennett happy, putting out the vibe while organizing his cars. So happy, carefree, what could be wrong?

But wait…Bennett just remembered he hasn’t cried in the last five minutes.

But “Curious George” is on and he would have to break away to do his full on tantrum for his paci. Bennett is rocking his “grouper mouth” as Ryan calls it. I am sure you think we are horrible parents for all our nicknames. We do it behind their backs so it is okay. (wink!)

Yup it is worth missing George, my teeth hurt. “PAHHHHHHCI over dere” ( I would like it to be known he was sitting on my legs and I was laying on my back holding the camera up in the air hoping I was in focus….jackpot!)

“PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE!”

“PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!”

“Over DERE!!!!!”

“MAMA (whimpering begins)”

Wait for it

There it is

and here come the real tears

Before you send hate mail, I did put the camera down and give him his paci…but these gems are priceless to look back on! I mean if you knew how many times a day this little routine played out you would actually feel sorry for me.

On a lighter note I do think I should get an award for creating the most ghetto craft ever! Chloe asked if she could be a unicorn like her favorite stuffed animal. Unicorn…right….okay…..construction paper, tape, scissors, how hard can it be?

Kids will wear ANYTHING!!! I could not stop laughing at them and they loved it! I would also like you to know that the elastic on their heads was cut from the fetal monitor straps I kept after labor thinking “This is good elastic, I should keep this.” I consider it tipping my hat to the earth today and living green. HAHA…man I am the farthest thing from green but I did laugh at my “recycling” today.

At least one kid was in a good mood today.

What a goob…love her!

There you go…that is the art of crying by Bennett! Hope you enjoyed spending the morning with us. If you see Bennett sitting on the curb with a bow on his head, now you know what you are getting in to!