Family 2014

We love rain. It may not be for everyone and there are definitely reasons not to enjoy it, not to mention it's catastrophic capabilities, but for the most part we look forward to a rainy day. The forecast mentioned downpour this weekend which is exactly the reason I wanted to take our family pictures on Saturday. An overcast day offers diffused sunlight reducing shadows and making almost any time of day perfect for shooting. I especially love the contrast of green leaves and tree bark after a good soak. The rain came in waves so we ran out the door as soon as it let up but of course we hit another shower while driving to our location. Instead of being frustrated we stopped for lunch on-the-go figuring we'd eat in the car near our location so we could jump out as soon as the rain let up.

We parked and blessed our food and as soon as we said "amen" the rain stopped! This was our chance. 

Another benefit to being out on a rainy day is most people stay inside so we had one of our favorite parks to ourselves. This happens to be the same place Spencer and I took our bridal pictures three years ago. We took our fill of photos and enjoyed the walk back to the car. We weren't out of the parking lot when the rain started up again.  We are blessed! 

This year we kept things simple. Last year I spent a lot of time worrying about outfits and timing and location. This time, however, I decided on Thursday we should try to get a family picture on Saturday. I told Spencer he could wear whatever he wanted and I had a general area in mind for a location but nothing specific. We weren't even sure if we were going to take a "formal" picture this year but Leone has grown so much (she has enough hair for pig tails!) and I love documenting our growth as a family. 

We just went for it, rain and all! 

 I love the shot above: the colors are so rich. Hooray for rain!