Four months and ten days ago, our world became forever changed.  We had been blessed with this tiny, perfect little miracle that was all our own.  All the tears, the night feedings, the all day feedings, the diaper changes, the tight grasp of his fingers…they were all ours.  Becoming a parent has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, however, it has been so rewarding at the same time.  More on this in a later post.  So I’ll start at the beginning, when our sweet Remington was a newborn, but not before a little of the backstory.  It was Friday afternoon.  I met up with Reggie to run some errands, and we talked about how our due date was fast approaching – only 5 days to go!  It’s so funny to hear opinions on due dates while you’re pregnant – one camp says the first baby is always early, another says they’re always late, very few say they are right one time.  Well, I figured I had a while to wait since I hadn’t made any progress at my last  appointment.  This was fine with me!  Who doesn’t love a little extra time, you know, to get even more ready, to feel extra prepared, to hope the anxiety would pass… As Reggie and I drove around, he casually mentioned that it would be cool if our little guy came the next day, since we didn’t have any plans for the weekend.  I think maybe the little one heard us talking, because that every afternoon we found ourselves checking into the hospital after fighting rush hour traffic.  Fast forward through hours of labor to Saturday, September 15th.  It was time!  We were going to meet our baby boy any minute!  I’ll spare the details of my c-section, which went very smoothly.  We loved our hospital and all the staff was so completely wonderful.  My favorite memory, one that still makes my eyes well up with tears of happiness and awe and wonder…starts with this photo that Reggie took in the operating room:

Being pregnant during my 2012 season was pretty exciting.  Why?  Well, when working with babies, families, and seniors like the ones you’ll see in a minute, it made me all the more excited for the future with my sweet hubby and our very own little one!  I’m so lucky to work with so many fun and wonderful families, who trust me to capture a slice of their lives, and for that, I’m honored and humbled.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for such an amazing peek into your lives by sharing your love and friendship and hearts in front of my lens.  And now for some maternity, newborn, kids, family, and senior portraits – some of my favorite lifestyle portraits from 2012!

I had the honor to meet and document this fabulous family’s newest addition, Henry Joseph.  He was 8 days old for his session, and such an adorable sweetheart!  So cuddly, so warm, and so cute!  His big sister, Alice, is smitten with him, as are his proud parents, Sarah and John.  Welcome to the world, Henry!  Family and friends can view Henry’s online gallery here.

I love capturing families in the comfort of their own cozy environment, where they are free to be themselves and feel totally at ease.  And for these first time parents, I documented a typical, albeit brand new, afternoon at home with their new addition.  I had the sheer joy of meeting sweet baby Harrison, just 15 days old for his session!  His parents, Valerie and Scott, are completely smitten with their little guy, and it’s oh so easy to see why – just wait until you see his handsome face!  Harrison already has two best friends, Levi and Freenie.  I have a ton of favorites, so let’s get right to the images, shall we?  Friends and family can view the entire online gallery here.

This time of year, I count my blessings more often than usual.  For example, I photographed a sweet senior in late summer, as well as another wonderful senior last fall, and they both referred this next adorable family to me!  It’s no wonder I love my job – my amazing clients refer their amazing friends and family to me, and the amazingness keeps on going!  I truly do have the best clients!  Meet Tanner and Katie, and their beyond adorable daughter, Kathryn, who was just shy of 5 months old for our session!  She was all smiles as we started the session out in her colorful nursery before heading to their family’s lovely wooded land!  As the sun set, it quickly turned quite chilly out so we made things happen so little Kathryn wouldn’t freeze!  It was so fun to witness just how much they adore their daughter!  And once you see her bright eyes and smile, I’m sure you will too!  Thank you, Tanner, Katie, and Kathryn, for sharing your evening with me!  Can’t wait to hang out again!  Friends and family can view their online gallery here.  And now for some favorites from the day!