I have a large, blended family. Most of the family is spread out across the midwest, I’m the furthest – traveling all the way from Honduras. Getting together for holidays such as Thanksgiving or Christmas can be really difficult so my dad’s side of the family has decided that we will gather together in the summer and spend a long weekend together, at home, with the family. Something so simple has become so special and important to all of us. All of the kids and grand kids cram into Gamma and PawPaw’s house in Indiana, filling the beds, blow up mattresses, cots and couches. There are usually a few (or several) dogs present. As the years pass, the grandkids increase in number. We sit outside on the deck, talk, laugh, watch the kids play in the make-shift pool of the hot-tub we have cooled down for them. They also enjoy the slip n slide. The adults exercise fierce competition in a bad minton tournament. The past few years have also included a one day rental of a bounce house for the backyard… which has proved more fun than Disney World… for all of us 🙂 We grill out, eat lots of food and try not to stress out about anything too much. It’s so simple, but so special. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to photograph these times and capture the memories of us together as a family – the photos often contribute to making the memories we hold even sweeter.
Here’s a ‘highlight reel’ from the first day we were together. It’s a combination of photos and video footage from the GoPro. My brother, Russ, also got a new ‘toy‘ that added some cool aerial video footage!
And a few of my favorite photos are below…
below: My dad. I love this photo of him because I think it captures his personality and how I remember him at home on a Saturday. Casual & happy, relaxing at the kitchen table, enjoying life.
below: My twin brothers chillin’ outside watching all of the action.
below: Calan enjoying the jacuzzi all to himself like a BOSS (sidenote: the water was not hot).
below: Calan, my nephew, makes the most incredible faces and I love to photograph them. I think this one is his ‘ARRRRRRRGHH! I’m a pirate!’ face!
below: Uncle Russ and nephew Griffin enjoying the bounce house!
below: More fabulous faces from Calan.
below: Tattoo time – Calan shows off his tats.
below: Pawpaw and Calan show off their tattoos and their ‘tough guy faces’ and flex their muscles. Uh-mazing.
below: More bounce house fun with the whole Embling family!
below: Sparklers are an annual family tradition. Calan was enjoying waiving his around.
below: Grant with his sparkler – in disbelief that his parents are letting him play with fire.
below: Breakfast in the kitchen. I love this photo because for me it captures my dad and step-mom in their element, joyfully serving the rest of the family. We are a big family and we descend upon their house for a long weekend and we are a lot of work and make a huge mess. But they love every moment of it and they spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking and cleaning up after us!
below: Brothers. Griffin & Calan cleaning up the dominos on the deck. Love these little guys.
below: Alyssa is the oldest of the grandkids and she does an incredible job looking out for the younger ones. At breakfast one morning she was reading a book to Calan and Ellie.
below: The Warnock Family. Ellie, Robbie, Jill & Grant. Robbie is one of my older brothers.
below: Jill & Ellie. Cuties. Ellie is a diva in training.
below: My brother Tyler and his daughter Alyssa – adorable!
below: Brother & sister – Grant & Ellie
below: The Embling Family – Calan, Charles, Lisa & Griffin
below: Cool dudes. Uncle Russ (my brother) and Calan (my nephew)
below: Brothers – Griffin and Calan
below: The Embling/Warnock Family – ever growing (we’re just missing Chad in this photo)
below: I always make the family do a ‘crazy’ photo and this one ends up being my favorite by far!
below: The guys.
below: My dad and me. Love him.
Here is a video from a couple of years ago…
