Children - Mikenna Atkinson

THE SPENCER FAMILY | FAMILIES

Grace, Idaho | Family Portraits | Mikenna Atkinson Photography | Southeastern Idaho Photographer

It’s been one of those years. Time seems like it’s gone by faster; there’s more to look back and reflect on. Memories, sounds, places, people, faces, I have difficulty keeping the passing time straight. As I sat and talked with TaNesha, we realized this was the third year in a row that I’d been able to take their family pictures. Three years doesn’t seem like much until I start thumbing through the old files. The girls are growing, Levi is getting older ;), and TaNesha just gets sweeter. I get to watch the girls change; their baby faces turn to little girl faces, and I can’t help but love them. I love their chatty conversations; I love their facial expressions; I love their personalities and independence. Even Gus, the family dog, seems to have put a few years on!

But this week, especially, brought a reality check. The Spencer family and I met up for family pictures. I spent just a moment with them, chatting and enjoying their company. I learned how to put a cowgirl hat on and discovered Miss Berkeley does not like Trident Original gum (it’s too hot). The girls were bubbly as always, just like everything was normal, but three days later, it couldn’t be further from normal.

On Sunday, I learned Miss Berkeley had been taken into surgery at Primary Children’s Hospital due to a brain tumor. Since then, her sweet mama has posted updates on her condition. I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around the whole situation. I’m devastated that this little spunk has to go through something so difficult this early. I’ve known people who have gone through different health-related challenges, and my heart goes out to them, but for some reason, this feels extra personal. My little curly, blonde-haired, blue-eyed buddy needs a few extra prayers. She’s a tough little cookie, but a little more heavenly help is always appreciated!

Berkeley, I sure love your smile; I love watching you grow and take on this world. I love watching you help Aunt Jackie pull weeds and make yummy treats. I love YOU! To the rest of the family, Levi, TaNesha, and AuBree, I love each of you; thank you for allowing me to be a part of your lives, and sorry about all the dirt this year ;)!

-Mikenna

XOXOXOXO

P.S. If you’d like to get updates on Miss Berkeley, there is a Facebook group you can join, and a fundraiser going on to help meet the needs of this cute family.

THE ANDERSON FAMILY | FAMILIES

by mikennaatkinson

Lava Hot Springs, Idaho | Extended Family Portraits | Mikenna Atkinson Photography | Southeastern Idaho Photographer

I’ve been told we visited Lava once or twice when I was a kid, but to be honest, I have no recollection of those adventures. Since moving to Idaho I have visited the Olympic pool about 10 times. Eight of those were for swimming lessons…I know it’s a little pathetic, I promise I will do better…when it’s less crowded…maybe. Although I will say, I actually do love to swim. I’m not a strong swimmer, but I thoroughly enjoy being in the water! Thankfully all the visitors to Lava this summer gave me the opportunity to meet a new family last minute and I’m so grateful I did!

Ashlee messaged me early in the week after an unfortunate/fortunate cancellation by the photographer they had planned on meeting with. But as I mentioned above, it was fortunate for me because I had the fantastic experience of meeting them!

The whole family- all 21 of them decided to meet up and take a little vacation getaway. I loved going on vacation with my cousins, and I still do. Each year we book our campground a YEAR in advance to make sure we can all camp together. I love it! Even booking a year in advance I can’t believe how hard it is to get a whole family together at the same time! On the Warnes side of my family, we have 17 people, and on the Atkinson/Switzer side, we have 19-20 (including our Grammy). Getting everyone together, healthy, happy, and available is always a trick. But I have to say, I love when everyone is together. Memories are made in those moments that I believe end up being ‘core memories’ (if you’re a lover of the movie ‘Inside Out’).

The Anderson crew definitely has a fun group of cousins, from ‘tweens’ to babies, they all seem to get along with one another, and it was cute to see the older girls enjoy being ‘besties.’ These mamas have their hands full with all the busy babies! I can promise you one thing, you will NEVER regret getting a family picture of everyone together. There’s just something magical. There’s stress, there’s outfit coordination, there’s doing everyone’s hair just to turn around and do it again, and change the dirty shirt AGAIN, but when that moment is saved, it’s just special. I can’t really put it into words. That moment in time just melts my heart and I know from that moment on, those babies will continue to grow up, and the adults will continue to age.

Anderson family, especially Ashlee, I know the moment your plans changed it was a bit of a panic, but I’m grateful you were willing to find a backup plan! Thank you for allowing me to meet your big family! Sorry about the mosquitos, and dirty knees (by the time we were done!)! I hope to see you and your cute family again in the future!

-Mikenna
XOXOXOX

MURDOCH FAMILY | FAMILIES

by mikennaatkinson

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

by mikennaatkinson

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.

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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!

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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

by mikennaatkinson

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

by mikennaatkinson

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

OLIVIA | LIFESTYLE NEWBORN

by mikennaatkinson

Grace, Idaho | Lifestyle Newborn Portraits | Southeastern Idaho Photographer

Post Introduction:
There is a whole lot-a joy and celebration happening this past month! We’ve celebrated new babies, graduations, baptisms, birthdays, and everything in between! I sure love Sprummer! Hey, there’s a new word for you, Sprummer! Somedays it’s Spring and others it’s Summer! This Sprummer my sister Megan was finally able to get a miniature version of the baby doll she played with growing up. Her real baby was just over 5 lbs compared to the huge 10lb baby doll, but she has the same dark hair! Miss Olivia one-upped the doll by adding little golden highlights.

It’s funny though, how often we see a new baby and the first reaction is ‘I can’t believe how tiny they are!?’ I call it baby amnesia. Carson came into our family a short nine months ago but seeing him next to his brand new cousin was a good reminder of how fast time is passing right under our noses. Megan and Nick are proud parents. I’m pretty sure if I was a fly on their wall, I’d get to witness the back-and-forth battle over who gets to hold the baby- and no, it wouldn’t only be because the other gets to do the laundry ;). I will say, she was quite peaceful during our little photo session, I think heaven is closer than we think.

Why is it that when I have a baby it feels completely normal, like that’s the next step in life, how could it possibly be any other way, yet when my siblings get married, and have babies of their own, I find myself shocked and wondering where the time has gone? Out of the five Warnes kids, three of us are married, and this year, three of us have our own babies. Yes, I still call my kids my babies- I’m sure I always will! Seriously though, where does the time go, and why does it move so quickly when you’re not looking? I’ll admit, I’m having a hard time updating my memory file. When I think of my siblings, I think of them all with baby teeth, and about a head shorter than me. I think of running around the backyard with Barbies, horses, and of course GI-Joe (Nate wouldn’t be caught dead with a Barbie, so that was the replacement). I think of Megan sitting on the bathroom counter patiently letting me do her hair- it was probably a blessing to everyone that I didn’t do hair as a profession.

There were plenty of moments of arguing, tattle-telling, and pouting, but there are more good memories in their place. One of my favorite things about Megan is her creativity. When I bake for example, I like to make it look like it never happened- I use an ingredient and put it away immediately, and so on, that’s a good idea of how I create- we will call it a sterile creativity ;). When Megan creates you instantly walk into the room and know something fun is happening and want to get your hands dirty right alongside her- especially if taste testing is involved! When we were little Megan and Marina shared a room. I think Mom secretly wished they had been twins. Anyway, their room always seemed to be a creative disaster. Megan would always say that Marina was the reason for it, as all big sisters would say. Well, the time came and they decided they’d better have their own rooms. Megan moved out and almost instantly the room when from having no floor to looking like a spec home bedroom. Meanwhile, Megan’s new room seemed to shrink! From then on, we knew which of the two sisters had been the culprit the whole time. As a hint, it may have been the older one!

I said it before, but Olivia has two incredibly proud parents, but I shouldn’t be surprised. Craig and I lived in Tremonton when my parents moved to Grace but once a month we would make the drive up and visit the rest of the family. On one visit the kids were putting away the dishes and I noticed a well used cookie sheet had a few SUPER clean, I mean sparkling clean, spots on the back that seemed to be in a pattern. As I examined it a bit more, I realized those clean spots said ‘MEGAN.’ Who in the heck would take the time to scrub ‘M-E-G-A-N’ into a cookie sheet!? Come to find out, it was Nick, patient Nick. If he took the time to let Megan know he was thinking about her, can you imagine what he’d be willing to do for his two girls now? I’m excited to see what this new daddy, husband and provider will do for his new family!

Nick & Megan, I’m sure excited for you! Thank you for giving me another niece! I love you both! Meg’s congrats on your first newborn photos as a couple, I mean family photos. 😉

-Mikenna

XOXOXOXO

LOVE DAY MINIS | THEMED MINIS

by mikennaatkinson

It’s always amazed me how kids hear a word or phrase for the first time ever and yet it sticks. Many times this can be a good thing, and others, maybe not so much as a parent, or even a teacher, I’m sure you know exactly what I mean by that! For the phrase, “love day” I have Daniel Tiger from PBSKids to thank for that. From that day on, Valentine’s Day has always been ‘Love Day’ at our house!

My mom always had a way of making each holiday feel special, or at least feel like there was an occasion worth celebrating. She was a classic Pinterest mom before Pinterest was a thing. From pink-colored milk, and fresh homemade heart sugar cookies to heart pancakes, and Pinterest-worthy Valentine’s gifts. She was amazing, and as I look at what my kiddos get, I can’t feel like I’ve jipped them ever so slightly. I’ll admit, I love to decorate the table with red chargers, a nice white dinner plate, and some hearts sprinkled around, but even though you can sense their excitement, I keep finding myself wanting to do more. This year, I did buy some love day decor, a few cute garlands from Loaly, and some wooden hearts and tabletop decor from Crafty Little You. It definitely helped brighten the place up with a little touch of festive, next year I may even add heart-shaped strawberries to the breakfast plate ;).

All ‘normal’ traditions aside, I decided to host mini Valentine sessions, this did it for me. I was so stinking excited for Valentine’s Day to come around, especially after Taylor from Harland Bloom showed up with all the perfect things for our backdrop! I even had Signs by Jodi make me a custom sweatshirt with hearts on it to wear for the big day (and DAYS after), plus as a quick thank you to all the families that joined, cookies by Kalli (Lower 40) wrapped me up some dang cute heart-shaped sugar cookies! The day turned out fantastic! The kids were so full of energy and excitement and I can’t blame them. They may have been allowed to THROW heart confetti, make a mess and giggled all the while! I may have had glitter stuck to the bottom of my feet for a few days, thank goodness for a good broom and vacuum!

For those that missed out, make a note, this WILL be an annual tradition! Those that came, THANK YOU! I’m so grateful you did!

IF you want to be in the know when our mini sessions are, and all good things coming to Mikenna Atkinson Photography, jump on our email list and you will be the first to hear about upcoming sessions! You will also be the first to hear about model calls- which means FREE pictures for you! Thank you for popping by!

-Mikenna

XOXOXOXO