You may be dropping in via Facebook, so you're probably wondering how my twin nieces, Cole, his little brother Wyatt, & a mini horse are related. Here's how.

I met Chelsey nearly 6 years ago at my day job. Chelsey was roughly, give or take, 15 months pregnant with Cole (No lie. Ok, maybe a tad exaggerated), so shortly after I met her, she went on maternity leave. A few short, (sleepless) weeks later, she visited with Cole so we could snuggle, sniff (anyone else love smelling babies?) and smooch all over him. I'll never forget his pudgy cheeks and bold, brown eyes. I've been chasing Cole & those big eyes of his for quite some time now, and more recently, his baby brother Wyatt, whose chubbiness and perfect smile are so adorable that I can't even NOT kiss him. Just scroll down a pinch and peek at his 2 little teeth AND THAT HEAD TILT! See! Kisses.

Wait, let me get back on track. The mini horse. Who has a name. How rude am I? Sorry, Chico!

Now I'm chit-chatting with a mini horse. Excellent.

BEAR WITH ME, Y'ALL. Or just scroll past my aimless, wandering story and lay your eyes on two sets of siblings that, *fair warning*, you'll probably want to hunt down and tickle, just to hear their giggles. I don't blame you.

ANYWAAAAAY, Chico, an 8-year old, white, full-size pony was given to Cole as a present on his 3rd birthday. Yearly, I photograph my nieces around their birthday for my sister to add to the collages of photos hanging in their home. She plans and pulls off the most charming, intricate, Mom-of-the-Year Award winning birthday parties for her sweet twins (yes, Pinterest worthy, folks), so the photos are also used for their invitations. Their 1st birthday? Nursery Rhyme Themed, complete with rhyme-related snacks, like the sweet and sour Peter Piper Pickled Platter. At their 2nd birthday, every adult and child sported her homemade Minnie and Mickey ears. All together now, "MEESKA, MOOSKA, MICKEYYYYY MOUSE!" Due to the girls love for the traveling petting zoo visits at their school, my sister planned their 3rd birthday party at The Gentle Zoo, a fantastic petting zoo, soundtracked by oinking pigs, bird cages labeled with 'I BITE', and horses allowing us to pet their course mane as long as we handed over the entire bucket of feed. It just so happened she would be visiting us here in OKC in time to do their 3 year photos. I'm always day dreaming about my next shoot, my next sun-soaked location, my next client and their kids, wondering if they'll think I'm funny, crossing my fingers they're ticklish just in case my jokes fall flat. So, like always, I jumped into brainstorming mode, imagining where we could do their photos. That's when I thought of Cole! I shot Chelsey a text asking if we could borrow their barn to shoot some rustic-looking photos of my nieces. She's awesome, so of course she said yes! We kept throwing out ideas, and that's when she mentioned Chico. Ummmmmm, YES! 3-year old twins and a mini horse?! Nothing better. Wait, maybe Wyatt's cheeks. And his dimply hands.

DIMPLY HANDS!

SUNKISSED & FREE CHILDREN PHOTOGRAPHY OKC

As soon as we turned down the dirt road, dust kicking up behind us, the girls shrieked with excitement over Chico, who stood proudly, towering his mini-self over Cole. Cole, now 5, scuffed around the barn in his boots, instructing me on proper barn protocol while demonstrating correct hand position to feed Chico (HANDS FLAT!). I was so thankful for Chelsey, her husband, and their sons who generously let us take over their barn for the photo shoot. Chelsey's husband was a huuuuge help as I have ZILCH horse knowledge, so he kept us all safe (the last thing I needed was a horse kick in the head). Obviously, I couldn't resist corralling Cole & Wyatt for a quick mini-shoot as a thank you for letting us borrow the beloved Chico, the barn, the potty for the girls, and refreshing, ice cold water at the end of the evening.

Chelsey and family, thank you again sooooo much! Cole, you're the sweetest for letting us stampede your barn and pose with Chico.

I know my sister holds the photos of her cowgirls dear to her heart...