family teng

i first met mei lin around 3 years ago when she joined our ward christmas choir.  at the time she had long black hair that fell in a curtain across her face.  she was quiet but had the most beautiful soprano voice.  i didn't know her, but there was something i liked about her.  i remember thinking that i wished i could get to know her more.  you know how some people you meet and you seem to know and like them already?  well anyways mei lin eventually joined us in the primary presidency and we've been in primary together ever since.  i love the ladies i work with in primary.  this calling has given me some great friends.  and what a friend mei lin has been.  any time my car breaks down, and that is not a rare occasion unfortunately, her and her husband tony are there to help.  i know i'm really blessed to have people like them in my life.  

so one sunday evening in august i met the teng family at iona to take some family shots.  i wanted to take their family picture before their oldest daughter, monica left home to go to school.  please meet my friends the teng family:

 the kids: sabrina, my expert scripture memorizer and little red riding hood twin, monica, smart, vivacious and talented, and joshua that rascal, i just lost him to young men's and i miss him in our primary!

 tony not only cheerfully fixes my car, he also can tell what majong tile it is, by just feeling it with his thumb!  mei lin beautifies our primary with her oragami, makes the best dumplings and eats my shrimp heads for me!

 sorry for cutting off your head tony...

 what a cute family!

i like the look on sabrina's face in this one.

 ok, i would be telling a lie if i didn't admit that these family jumping pics are my favourite of the whole bunch.

 and we end with a few of the beautiful monica.

chapter 3: extraordinary shoultsies.

there was this little toiq building and we wanted to go there, so we did. ben finds the toiqness of it all to be so beneath him and he does not hide the way he feels.  that too, would be beneath him...

 and that is why he must now morph into a ninja robot.  it isn't a choice--it's a duty.

two who are too cool for school.  i know you are secretly very impressed with my internal alliteration skillz. 

heads-- meh.  BOring!

 an exercise in austerities...

across from the toiq was the white and well, we wanted to experience both buildings because we believe that fundamentally all buildings deserve a chance.  far be it from us to infringe of the rights of buildings.

 ben spontaneously picked his girl a wild flower and i was just there to document it, folks.

let's jump!  is there anything better than bethany's hair in this shot?  if there is, i can't think of one.

 the truth is, these two have some sweet jumping moves and i celebrate them.

 i know what you're thinking.  AAAAWSOOOOOME!!!  right?  plus you might think ben's face is hilar because it is.  watch out ben, your wife is fierce!

after so much awesomeness, we sent ben away and had some bethany time.  

 my sister bethany jane is special.  you can see it all over her face can't you?  i can.  she has specialness radiating out of her.  she's beautiful.

 i love her so much.

so then we were done and we were about to go to the car where everyone was waiting for us.  but suddenly i stopped and said "no wait." and i grabbed her scarf and i wrapped it loosely around her head.  it was one of those times where you are not even thinking.  you are just doing.  you just catch something, the wisp of an idea and you don't think about it, you just do it.  i just started shooting and i remember that it was so quiet and the light breeze was like a breath through the scarf-- in and out and we were both there in that moment.  when i was editing these yesterday i wanted to cry a little bit just because i see in her eyes a little bit of her soul and she is so beautiful and precious to me and i see a little bit of her stunning spirit and my heart swells with love for her and gratitude that god gives such good gifts like sisters.  and a part of me almost does not want to share these because it feels too vulnerable and intimate and maybe to you they will just be a girl in a scarf and maybe bethany will see her flaws instead of her beauties and that would be sad to me.  but another part of me hopes you will see what i see.  and besides, when you receive inspiration it's for a reason and this is a light to put on a candlestick not under a bushel... anyways enough talk.  here's the study of a girl and a scarf.

and that's a wrap.