South Jordan Extended Family | Robbins | Whitney Beth Photography

South Jordan Extended Family | Robbins | Whitney Beth Photography

There’s something sweet about photographing your own family — especially when it’s your husband’s side and everyone (well, almost everyone!) is able to gather in one place. My husband is the youngest of eight kids, and we managed to get all eight of the original Robbins siblings together, along with most of the spouses and a good chunk of the grandkids. It’s a rare and beautiful thing.

We’d been staying at a local Airbnb, just soaking in the time together — laughing, playing games, chasing kids, and sharing meals late into the night. It’s been awhile since we’ve all been under one roof like this, and it honestly just felt like a big warm hug.

We had planned on taking family photos during our stay, but our original location ended up being too muddy from all the spring rain. So in true Robbins fashion, we pivoted last minute and headed to the South Jordan LDS Temple instead. I remembered that the west side had a wide median full of tulips in bloom — and even though it’s mostly surrounded by a parking lot, it worked out perfectly. It was bright, colorful, clean, and easy to get to. Total win.

We hauled over a few chairs, and I set up my tripod and remote control to take the big group photos. It was the best feeling (although a bit like herding cats) standing behind the camera, hitting that shutter, and seeing so many people I love all together in one frame.

The last time we did a family photo like this, I was pregnant with Banks or Fields — it’s been 5 or 6 years since then. Since that day, the Robbins family has grown by more than a few little feet. Seeing all those grandkids running around, hugging cousins, climbing laps — it really drove home just how fast time moves and how important these little frozen moments are.

We were missing one sister-in-law and a few grandkids, but having the rest of the crew together was something special I won’t forget. And now we have the pictures to prove it.