The Stickley family is one of the most giving, loving, and amazing families you could ever meet! I have had the pleasure of photographing them for some time now, and they just have an amazing story.

I have known Emilie for about 6 years now, and I was so lucky to be there while she was pregnant with her daughter Nova and they got the call from Vietnam that they could adopt their daughter Juneau from Vietnam. Just after Juneau came home and Nova was born, I was able to capture pictures with everyone on one of the most beautiful beaches of Oahu!

It wasn’t long after that when Mom told me she was pregnant with little Jude, and we prepared to do his newborn photos. He was such an amazing baby to work with—so calm and sweet! He made a great addition to the family.

And then, this past summer, I learned that they were going to pick up the newest addition to the family—as soon as they got the news—and meet sweet baby Justus, from China. When Justus came in September, I just could not wait for him to arrive and for the chance to get the whole new family in front of my camera.

We wanted to capture some “fall-like” goodness for these photos. We don’t have much of a fall here in Hawaii, but we found a grassy field and did our best to capture some golden light.

On my way out the door, I remembered the American flag scarf that had just come in. Since two of the kids are adopted into the USA, I thought it would be a great addition to the shoot. When we took pictures with it, the kids all did their own thing. The girls placed their hands over their hearts, and the boys . . . well, they chose to be boys. 🙂 I hope Mom blows that image up and puts it in the living room! To me, that image speaks volumes—it’s so much more than just a picture with the kids and a flag. I’m really glad I remembered that I had that scarf!

Besides the scarf, I also brought along my crown from TFJ Designs, and the girls just fell in love with it! So, of course, they just had to have their pictures taken with it. They’re so cute!

Thank you so much, Emilie & Cris, for bringing your beautiful family back to see me. I’ve just been thrilled to see you all grow and change and become an even more complete family over the years. I love seeing you each and every time you come to me for family pictures, and I can’t wait for the next session!