June | Utah Newborn Photographer

Anyone who knows me knows that I love babies.

I also love my family. 

So, you put the two things together and there are few things in this world that I love more.

This is my cute cousin's baby, June. 

We have long anticipated this baby!

Stephe and McCall didn't find out what they were having, and my entire family was hoping for a girl!

and it was!!

June Cannon

Emily | Utah Portrait Photographer

I love my sister Emily so much. She is my oldest sister, and ever since I moved to Provo, we have grown incredibly close.

This summer, she and her husband moved to North Dakota, and I have missed her like crazy!

She got to come spend a week with me last week, and we got to have a photoshoot.

The lighting was awesome, and I loved how they turned out!

Abby Kate

Today marks the 14th anniversary of both the day Abby Kate entered and left this world.

It was exactly a month before I turned six.

This is how I remember it. My mom may have to correct a few things, but this is my story.

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I don't remember anything about Sarah being born. I only remember her being a super chunky baby.

I do remember when I found out that my mom was expecting another baby. I was finally old enough to understand and get excited about what was going on.

I remember clearly when the day came that my parents were going to find out what we were having. Emily was babysitting us, I think. 

I was playing in the front room when my parents got home, and I could tell they were very upset. My dad told me that I needed to go get Emily and Sam so that we could talk. Sarah was left upstairs to play, but the three of us older kids all sat on the front couch. My parents sat across from us, my dad on the left and my mom on the right. 

I don't remember my mom saying anything. I just remember her crying. I do remember my dad leaning forward with his elbows on his knees with his hands woven together under his chin. 

He said that the ultrasound showed that something was wrong with the baby and that she probably wasn't going to make it. They were going to go back to the hospital to find out for sure. 

I asked what we were having, and they told us that it was going to be a girl.

At that moment, I knew I wanted her name to be Kate. For some reason, I loved that name. 

As soon as they were done talking to us, I ran upstairs to Sarah. She was playing on the toy kitchen, and I knelt down next to her and told her that our sister was going to die. I remember crying, but only when I was alone or with Sarah. I hated people seeing me cry, so I always held it in. I pretended like it wasn't bothering me, almost like it was no big deal. I started crying as I told Sarah.

I cried myself to sleep for the next week and a half.

I remember asking my mom if there was any way that the baby would live, and my mom just shook her head. There was no way she would live.

We had family counsels to decide on the name, and I was very adamant that her name be Kate, and my parents wanted Abby. After a few nights of discussion, Sam brought up the name Abby Kate. It was decided then that was to be her name.

I remember my Grandma coming to babysit us while my parents were in the hospital having Abby. We had no idea how long she would live, so we all had to be ready to go at a moment's notice. 

The call finally came that she was almost here and to come straight to the hospital. On the way, Grandma's phone went off, and it was my dad. Abby was here and had already passed away. They didn't want us kids to see her body while we were so young. 

Grandma turned around and took us home. 

All of us sat on the front porch and watched the sunset. The clouds kept coming and going very quickly. Clay even said that he thought it was Abby's way of saying hello and that she was okay. 

There were a lot of tears that night.

Then, it came time for the funeral. I woke up the morning of the funeral to all of my family there. Someone had toilet papered us, too. Seriously? I remember all of my extended family in their church clothes out on ladders cleaning it up. 

My Aunt did my hair, and then we went outside to take pictures. All morning I fought back my tears. 

We went to the church and for the first time, I got to see her casket. It was so little!

Still, I didn't get to see Abby. 

I don't remember anything that was said at the service. I just remember sitting in the relief society room and fighting back tears harder than I have ever fought in my entire life. I just wanted to go somewhere alone and cry. 

I thought it was cool that we got to ride in a limo over to the cemetery, though. I got to hold her casket all the way to the cemetery.

My Aunt Elizabeth even led us in "I Am a Child of God".

I got to lay a white rose on her casket, too, which has now become a tradition every year on her birthday. A white rose from each of us kids with two red roses from my parents. 

Most of our family went home that day right after the services. 

I don't remember much beyond that, other than we visited her grave every day for months. I would oftentimes take up something and leave it at her grave, whether it was a flower or a ring of mine.

My baby sister was so special to me, and she still is. 

I will get to meet her one day, and I will get to see her grow up.

We are a forever family. 

Miss you, miss you, now we're gonna kiss you. Muah!

Love you forever, Abby Kate.

Fathers & Sons Camp

 I work for BYU Sports Camps.

Part of my job is helping with the camps here [the majority of my job is the office work behind the camps]. 

Anyways, the very first camp that we had of the year was our Fathers and Sons. The camp itself runs Friday-Monday.

The week that the camp started was spent with endless hours of preparations. There was even a night that I worked until 11:00 getting all of the packets ready for the campers. 

After countless phone calls, emails, shopping trips, and hours spent preparing for the camp, it was about to start. Sports Camps were about to kick off!!

The hour came for it to start, and I got to help with check-ins. I got assigned to help with the jerseys, so I got to see all the campers come in! As I heard their names, it was funny because I had been dealing with the names for quite a while, but now, I could put a face to both the name and the voice.

The camp itself was super fun to do, even if it was really busy. I worked until about 10 or 11 every night. 

However, the best part of the entire camp happened on Sunday. 

For part of the camp, we all attended Music and the Spoken Word. 

Now, remember, we had roughly 1,000 participants [boys and their dads] here for this camp. 

After Music and the Spoken Word, we all headed over to the assembly hall for Sacrament Meeting. 

I had been asked to lead the music for the sacrament meeting and for the fireside we would be having that night.

I had also been asked to wear a longer skirt or something that ensured I would be modest because I would be standing in front of everyone. 

Well, when I arrived, I realized that they weren't kidding. I was literally 15 feet above everyone else. 

OH DANG.

Now, I know how to lead, but I have never done it in front of a crowd, nor had I even practiced for this. I mean, who needs to practice to lead?

Well, apparently I did. I was looking through the songs, and the first one was Ye Elders of Israel or something. I hadn't ever heard it before! Nor did I know how to lead it!

I sat next to the organist, and I asked him how to lead it. He explained that I just wave my hand up and down. 

You guys. 

It came time to sing the opening song, so I walked up to the stand, only to discover it barely reached my fingertips, and it was stuck. I couldn't move it any closer to my face. 

Try to picture this. 

I am standing in front of everyone, unable to see the words, unable to lead. I was waving my arm up and down, not to any rhythm or anything. My face was looking straight at the book, too. 

I am pretty sure I looked ridiculous. Inside, I was laughing so hard! Hahaha it took every ounce of me to not burst into laughter in front of everyone. I could feel the heat starting at my toes and move up to my head as my skin turned bright red.

The song seemed to last forever, but finally it ended, and I walked back to my seat anticipating the comments from the organists, but he simply smiled and told me I did a good job. 

In my head, I knew that I didn't do a good job. I did horribly!

The next song wasn't that bad, except when it was almost over, I realized I had been leading it a 3/4 instead of a 4/4. By the end of the sacrament meeting, I finally got the song right. 

Trust me, this story is only beginning. 

People starting commenting like crazy. I had become some famous person at camp, not only because I was one of maybe five girls at this camp with 1000 boys.

I had comments like, "Wow, you look like you really struggled with that first song," or "You had never heard that song before, huh?"

At lunch, all the people by me would whisper, "Hey, that's the girl that led the music!"

Some people told me I did a good job!

I even had someone tell me, "You really struggled with leading. I can't believe they didn't ask me to lead. I even took a class on it at BYU."

Oh heavens.

Even at dinner that night, the comments kept coming. By this point in time, I literally thought it was about the funniest thing that had ever happened. 

Then, that night, we had a fireside, and once again, I led the music. 

This time, I actually did a great job. I knew the songs, and I knew how to lead them. 

As soon as that was over, more people told me good job. 

Seriously, though. 

What a humbling experience!

I still run through it in my head when I need a good laugh. 

"You looked like you were really struggling up there."