MURDOCH FAMILY | FAMILIES

MURDOCH FAMILY | FAMILIES

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Grace, Idaho | Mikenna Atkinson | Southeastern Idaho Photographer  

Our little family moved from Tremonton five years ago in September, which in and of itself just blows my mind. Time. It leaves me speechless. When we moved in, you remember the story, life was crazy, uncertain, and very unfamiliar. (If you’re curious, here’s the post from way back when). We finally moved into A house, but it felt like our lives had been turned upside down. In the middle of the crazy, there was a knock at the door one day. I opened it to find Maili standing on the porch with a plate of beautiful cookies. It was a simple act, but that moment cemented a deep love for Maili and Jim in my heart. I’m sure there are times they wish we didn’t know them (**ahem when they had to plow the driveway for us this past winter**), but they have been so kind to us! Jim checked in on us when we didn’t make it to church, Maili brought dinner after the birth of our last two babies, and they’ve stopped by with treats ‘just because.’ Sometimes those small and simple acts of kindness feel like you’ve been given a million-dollar check. They bring so much joy! I’m sure you can guess how I would feel when they asked about family pictures. Honored and excited!

As a mom, I seem to have one item on my bucket list that reappears each year, ONE good family picture. Just one. Not everyone has to smile, but I just want one where I can see everyone’s eyes. A part of that request would be that we have a good experience. No extra stress, just peace. Maili may have mentioned a similar desire. This of course resulted in a bubble gun, a large star balloon, and my 10-year-old tagging along. In a second when you start to scroll through, I’m going to guess you’ll agree with me when I say it was totally worth it!

Murdoch family, I sure enjoyed your laughter, your gentle teasing, the way you interact with each other. Jim, your acrobatic skills are impressive to say the least and the love you have for your grandbabies is endearing! Maili, you looked beautiful! I love you both + the other 14 versions of you two! Thank you!

-Mikenna
XOXOXOXO

PRESLEIGH + HAYZEN | FAIR STEERS

PRESLEIGH + HAYZEN | FAIR STEERS

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I can’t say I knew a thing about steers. I can’t say I knew a thing about ranching. AND I can’t say I knew a thing about how to do a fair steer showcase session. Jessie knew that, I knew that, and she guided me the whole way. I remember thinking that Presleigh was too small to be directing and leading a steer that weighed 20x more than she did (and probably still does!). This was back in 2019.  

It seems like four short years ago until I start comparing the pictures from that very first time, up to now. I’m grateful to say my shooting style hasn’t changed much, but you know what has changed? Miss Presleigh. She’s no longer that little girl that I have engrained in my memory. No, she’s becoming a beautiful young woman, and gosh I’m so proud of her! She competed in all things rodeo this past year, and even traveled out of state a handful of times to compete. When she’s not on a horse, she’s on a court with a basketball in hand.  I would think her life would slow down in the summer, but no, she keeps the yearly tradition alive of 4-H steers. This girl. I hate that she has to grow up, but I love watching her grow at the same time! 

We talk about growing up, and that had me thinking about the first picture I took of this spunky lil thing! Miss Hayzen, is a spit-fire ball of energy, joy, and grit. She tagged along on that first steer photo shoot, and the grass was taller than she was. It seems like Jess had to carry her at one point and now look at her. Her first year showing a steer, and while you’d think that big animal would just drag her around, she has a surprising amount of determination that seems to speak for itself when she’s in charge. Her oversized teddy bear seems to know who’s boss, and I’d say 8/10 times she pushed him around, he followed her lead. 

These two are showing steers again this year if you haven’t picked up on that up to this point. I’m always amazed at these kids that raise and baby such large animals. If it were up to me, I’d probably pick a chicken. I had a bunny once though! My parents bought it so I’d have a pet. My dad said all his bunnies lived less than a year (probably because his neighbor’s dogs seemed to enjoy rabbit meat…), so that should be a great low-key pet. Well, 6 years later we still had that bunny with pink eyes. I thought she was quite happy, but when my sister let her out of her hutch one day, she never came back. That was the end of my bunny career.  Here I am twenty years later (at least) and now I have kids asking to raise bunnies for the fair. I think we will have to stick to chickens and kittens.   

These girls have been hard at work for months to get to this point. I’m excited for them to be able to share and show their steers with the community at the Caribou County Fair! If you’d like to show them your support for their time and efforts, they’d love to have you! A few dates to keep in mind: 

Beef Show held at the Caribou County Fairgrounds • Thursday, August 3rd, @ 8-10 am

Buyers Brunch • Friday, August 4th, @ 9:30 am • Livestock Auction @ 10 am   

 

In the meantime, I’m proud of you girls! Love you both! 

-Mikenna 

XOXOXOXO

 

EMMELINE | BAPTISM

EMMELINE | BAPTISM

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Grace Idaho  | Southeastern Idaho Photographer | Mikenna Atkinson Photography

  Introduction: If you know my mom, you’ll know that she LOVES family pictures in white shirts and tan pants. Also, her favorite pictures have been those that have ‘water’ in them. Meaning, a river, a lake, a stream, something that provides a water source. Why? The only reason she’s given is it matches her walls regardless of the rest of the decor. Well, she’s not wrong. But I myself don’t like wearing tan pants, maybe it’s the memory of spilling Tampico orange juice + my French dip Au Jus sauce on them during lunch or maybe it was following that up with a trip into the mud puddle, either way, it imprinted an ‘I hate wearing tan pants’ on my soul. On the other hand, I LOVE white dresses. I love to wear them, I love to dress my girls in them, and I especially love the flowy ones. They are angelic, and just seem to bring joy with them! My mom would be so proud of this session, white dresses, water, and a girl who’s made up her mind! 

Do you love white dresses as much as I do? I love big and full white dresses, I love simple yet flowy dresses, let’s face it I just love dresses in general so my heart gets so happy when I get to photograph someone donning one! Miss Emmeline knew what dress she wanted, how the fit should be, and the fine details and searched until they found that perfect one. She picked out two pairs of shoes to compliment, and of course, remembered a matching bracelet and hair wreath. Oh be still my heart, a girl who loves the fine details! I could squeeze these two! In my opinion, all the fine details of an outfit, or even an event make the experience all that much better! Well, this cute face decided to be baptized and of course, baptism photos are a must!

I think the heavens aligned because we had the most beautiful sunlight, it was glowy and soft, it was warm and welcoming it felt so good to start the spring season with such an incredible evening. I think one of my favorite moments came when she was twirling, the light was highlighting her from behind, and the little bugs glow like fireflies around her. Pretty magical if you ask me! This girl has so much personality. She is spunky and kind, she is driven, and loving. She dreams of being a fashion designer and I’ve been told when she has an outfit idea, she and her mom work to make it a reality. I believe a girl with a dream can be such a force for good and determination. Emmy- you looked beautiful. Thank you for your insights, your suggestions, your ‘vision’, and everything about who you are, I’m grateful you and your mama chose me to document such a sweet milestone in your life!

-Mikenna

XOXOXO

TAYLOR + LOLA | MOMMY & ME

TAYLOR + LOLA | MOMMY & ME

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Mikenna Atkinson Photography | Southeastern Idaho Photographer | Grace, Idaho 

 I know they say life is full of regrets, and maybe for some, it is. When I look back on my short 30 years I can only think of a handful and one of those may seem like a drop in the bucket compared to others. That regret is not taking the time to get a ‘nice’ picture of me with each of my babies when they were just new babies. After nine months of carrying those little beans, it just seems fitting to have a nice portrait of Mama and her baby. Sure I have pictures of me with my kids individually, but most are quick snapshots. But I wish I would have taken the time to dress up just a little bit, and even if my baby was wrapped in a swaddle- nothing fancy, I wish I would have captured that simple moment. My baby is now crawling around, standing up, and walking along couches, tables, you name it, he’s even triumphantly climbed his way to the top of our staircase more than once. He’s growing up. That baby will never be this small again and that’s kind of a hard reality for me to swallow. So Mama’s, take the time to take pictures with your babies, regardless of age, it’s time. You will not regret those moments.

This Mama is darling, and her daughter is her sidekick, just two peas in a pod and I absolutely enjoy them! Fun fact, when my parents moved up to Grace, Taylors’ mom, became a sweet friend to my mom. We ended up calling her, ‘Aunt Becky’ for who knows how long! Our mom’s joked that their kids lined up just right and that each of their children had a friend. At the time I lived in Tremonton, and couldn’t imagine having a friend in Grace. Now I laugh because I’m not sure why we put it off for so long, but I’m grateful life has played out the way it has, and this time, our girls are cute little friends! Oh the giggles when they are playing together. I love hearing their imaginations run wild! One day after church we were driving home and I turned left to head down our road. Miss Kenzie yells from the back, “MOM! You turned the wrong way! I NEEEED to go to Lola’s house!” That about sums up how she feels about her friend Lola! Poor Lola, she’s got a firecracker for a friend! 😉  Well, we decided to do a little ‘Mom & Me’ spin this spring. I love the results and what made it even better was having Taylor put it all together for me! Because that’s what friends do right? You think up the idea, and then your friend makes it happen right? Right. I guess I picked the right friend because she put together such a cute setup, I can’t thank her enough!

I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this in the past or not, but Taylor is the owner and creative behind Harland Bloom Events & Rentals. She puts together some dang cute backdrops, very Pinterest-worthy. So if you need a backdrop setup or even something as simple and darling as a balloon arch, she’s your girl! Check out her Instagram for a little peek into what she can do for your next event! But, since you’re here, keep scrolling to see some mommy & me moments that will make your heart swell with cuteness overload!

Thanks again, Taylor! Until next time…

-Mikenna

XOXOXOXO

 

KRISTYN’S CRAFTROOM | BUILDING A BRAND

KRISTYN’S CRAFTROOM | BUILDING A BRAND

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Grace, Idaho | Mikenna Atkinson Photography & Design | Small Business Brands

  Post Intro: Regardless of where we go, my oldest daughter finds a friend, especially at the park. What if adults were like that? What if rather than fear all our flaws we just went out and embraced the other humans walking around this world with us? My dad is one of those humans. You’d be in a grocery store line and he’d have a way to strike up a conversation with someone by saying something sarcastic. I was so embarrassed as a kid, and now I find myself doing it. I have to admit, I love to see people let their walls down and engage in a lighthearted conversation. Have you ever seen ‘You’ve Got Mail,’ it’s a favorite of mine. In one of her emails, Kathleen Kelly says “I like to start my messages to you as if we are the oldest and dearest friends rather than *in my own words* strangers.” If can get to that point in a conversation, then I’m in my happy place! Other times, I feel just as shy as I was in elementary and would rather crawl under a rock and hide than to introduce myself. 

Kristyn and Sheldon moved into our ward (our church congregation), and of course, the case of the shy-crawl-under-a-rock crept in. I was in my comfort zone to drop off a treat, but for some reason, I was having a hard time allowing myself to connect in a genuine way.  I kept thinking about how creative and talented she was. It just seemed like anything I could do for her would seem weak, or thoughtless. Saying that out loud really does sound ridiculous, but I battle that just as much as anyone else.  So, the connection wasn’t feeling sincere. Then a shift happened. I reached out to Kristyn to see if she would like to participate in the boutique we hosted last fall, and she agreed. While there I chatted with her a few times, and then once everything was said and done I felt like I had made a new friend. This time, it was genuine. The next step, getting together for a little ‘brand photoshoot’ seemed to solidify how much I enjoy her thoughts and conversation. She is very talented and has many things she is good at, but just like a normal human, she continues to refine and practice her craft and it really does show.  Let me introduce you to my friend Kristyn so you can love her as much as I do! 

Kristyn is the creator of Kristyn’s Craftroom and to get you started, here are a few things you should probably know about her:

• Kristyn uses just about every art medium you can think of both digitally, and hands-on.

• She has a dog named Koda and a daughter named Chloe

• In her spare time, she enjoys all things crafty (of course) but also loves to be outdoors exploring hiking trails. You can bet she’ll find a flower or two along for a little future inspiration! 

• Kristyn went to school to be a teacher, graduated, and is ready to teach, but let’s face it, crafting is pretty addicting! 😉 She is now a certified craft teacher for her daughter Chloe!

• Rainbows are her jam. Whether she sees the lineup of fabric all color coordinated, or maybe it’s a cute rainbow sticker, rug, you name it, she loves them. You’ll probably figure that out pretty quickly if you check out her Facebook or Instagram. 

• If you’re hungry, stop by her craft room, there’s a good snack or two to satisfy your cravings ;).

• Lastly, she loves to set up at craft shows, boutiques, and markets. So next time you see her, make sure to say hi! But if you need something sooner, she’s got a cute little shop set up at her house too I’m sure she’d love to let you check it out!

This shoot was a fun one. Seeing someone’s brand behind the scenes is always exciting and eye-opening. It’s a good reminder of how much goes into a product or service before it ever hits the market! Head over to her Etsy and see just a snapshot of her creativity including jewelry, stickers, stationary, and packaging! Thank you Kristyn for the stickers, the fantastic pens (ya’ll should get yourself a pack), and being my go-to for all things creative! Also thank you for being patient with me as I learn how to make a new friend ;).

-Mikenna

XOXOXOXO

Kristyn’s Craftroom Etsy Shop