Many of you may know that we had a dog years ago. We found her in 2011, a mere 5 pounds, on the hottest of Sunday summer afternoons at a random sale on the side of the road.  She was the tiniest little thing hiding in the back of a really big kennel.  After leaving the sale, we didn’t even make it a few minutes down the road before turning around to go back to see if she was available. We held her, and that was that!  She rode home on my lap.  Read about Lucy here!  (And here, here, and here!) (Sidenote: Lucy now lives with a dear college friend of mine. Long story short, years ago, she bit Remington’s arm one day, and with having 5 month old Emerson around, plus neighborhood kiddos, we could not allow that to happen again. Saying goodbye to her was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do.  Sharing about this brings me to tears to this day.  It’s something I don’t know that I’ll ever get over.  We loved her, she was a part of our family. We still talk about her and think of her.  The silver lining was knowing how much Lucy’s new owners adored her.  And I’m forever grateful that she went to such a wonderful home.)

I remember when we brought Lucy home, we thought, perhaps quite naively, if we can do this (this being, raise a puppy!) without having a clue what to do, that one day we may be able to take care of a baby!  I know, I know, puppies and babies are not the same, however, there are some parallels to be made!  Now two kiddos later, it’s like I’m starting over!  I feel like we had only one night of puppy crying her in crate.  That house-training didn’t take so long. Reggie reminded me that Lucy did cry more than one night, and that house-training did take awhile.  Fletcher is similar to a newborn baby in some ways, however, from the start he could already walk and run and jump and nip!  Ohhhh those sharp little puppy shark teeth!!!  My hands are healing from the wounds of battle.  Battle, you ask?  Yes, such battles include, but are not limited to the following: Puppy vs Crate, Puppy vs Leash, Puppy vs Dropped Paper Towel, Puppy vs Remington’s Sock On The Floor, Puppy vs Woven Basket of Blankets.  I’m trying my hardest to soak up every second of puppyhood, because he’s growing more every day, just like our boys.  Speaking of the boys, Remington and Emerson have been such wonderful big brothers to little Fletcher!  Chase and Fetch are favorite pastimes in our house right now.  And you can bet that one or all of us are giggling with Fletcher’s antics and lovable silliness!  Like when he carries a toy that is almost bigger than he is and rolls over!  Or when he slides across the kitchen floor chasing after his favorite ball!

Having another dog is something I’ve wished for these past few years, and the timing has never seemed quite right.  I grew up loving our Miniature Schnauzer, Ginger. She was a sweet companion, who loved being brushed and who loved playing outside.  It’s always been a dream of mine for our boys to experience the love and companionship of a dog.  Back in the Spring while quarantined, we happened upon some dog training videos with the cutest little puppy!  I have to admit, I fell hard for this little ball of fur, who happened to be an Irish Doodle.  After some research, I found that there was a breeder just north of us here in Indiana!  I had already researched a similar breed after meeting one years ago on a quick trip to photograph an engagement session in Santa Monica, CA.  Reggie and I had woken up super early due to the time change and jet lag, and set out for an early morning walk in search of coffee.  While we were walking, a man and his fluffy dog approached us.  I asked if I could pet his adorable dog, and the pup laid down on his back for belly rubs, smiling at us the entire time!  I was in heaven!  I asked what kind of dog he had, and learned that it was a Golden Doodle. From then on, I knew that someday, I would love to have such a kind-hearted, happy-go-lucky dog as part of our family!

As we approached Christmas, the timing sort of clicked, and before we knew it, we had the biggest surprise of all for the boys on Christmas morning!  It was so hard to keep this special surprise, and I caught myself so many times in the days before Christmas almost saying, “When we have our puppy, …” or “When we bring the puppy home, …!”  This one particular afternoon Remington even asked me why I was smiling so big.  Of course, I couldn’t divulge why, but it was because minutes earlier we had just been able to FaceTime with the breeder to see our puppy playing and interacting!  We were getting a puppy!!!  We had wrapped up a few dog supplies for Remington and Emerson to open, saying they’d be able to start another business, similar to their fall leaf raking endeavors, only this one could last all year, in any season.  Remington put the pieces together pretty quickly, and once he and Emerson opened a framed photo of teeny tiny soon-to-be-named Fletcher, the happy tears flowed!  It was so fun and so sweet, and, yes, we do have video of the whole thing!  We were going to bring home a puppy within 6 sleeps, and we could hardly wait!  We ventured out to pick up all of the necessary – and some not so necessary, like a green puffer coat! – supplies for our new little four-legged friend!  The night before we were to meet and bring Fletcher home, we couldn’t help but talk about and imagine what he would do, where he would run, what he would play with first, and, most of all, we hoped he would feel at right at home!  I’m happy to report that Fletcher has adjusted very well, and has even been sleeping through the night for the past two weeks!  Each day he seems to have grown overnight!  We just love him so much!

These were taken during Fletcher’s first few days home with us. And for being in a new place, with new people, with a strange black rectangle that goes click click click…Fletcher was a total champ!  I may or may not have had to bribe him with multiple treats while also teaching him to sit, stay, and look at me in a matter of an hour!  Whew!  Did he made me work for these?  Yes!  Was it worth it? Absolutely!   

Oh, Fletcher…I’ll be doing more photos of you again soon to see just how much you’ve grown! He’s been with us for almost a month now!

As luck would have, Fletcher’s cozy bed arrived during our session!  It only took him a few minutes to realize it was just for him!

Meet Fletcher, our silly, lovable Irish Goldendoodle!

 

 

 

 

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!  It has been so wonderful to soak in this magical season with our boys – decorating indoors and out, driving around to see lights, giving gifts to family, baking cookies for Santa, ice skating and so much more!  They have no idea how much they make our days brighter! May your holidays be filled with joy and love and sweet memories!  Merry Christmas, friends!

It’s crazy to believe that 6 years ago today we welcomed our second baby boy into the world!  His due date was Christmas Day, however, like his older brother, he arrived 3 days early!  And we got to bring him home from the hospital on Christmas Day!  Emerson Ray, there are so many things we love and adore about you!  You are compassionate, empathetic, sharing, silly, spunky, loving, always adding joy to our lives each day and to all those who meet you!  You love spending time with your big brother, Remington, your family, your friends, in nature, snuggling, just being together.  What a precious gift you are!  We hope you’re having the best day at kindergarten, we can’t wait to celebrate with you tonight!  Happy 6th Birthday, Little Love!  xoxo, Mommy

The weather was sunny and 50 degrees, so with a little bit of bribery (#reindeercakepops), we ventured out for a super quick mini session!  More from this day soon!

 

Hello, friends!  Over the past few years, Thanksgiving has become one of my favorite holidays! Especially after last year, when everyone stayed home, it will be so great to gather with family again to celebrate! Emerson has been bringing home so many cute papers from kindergarten, all about turkeys, what he would like to have on his plate, turkey drawings, counting turkeys, you name it!  Earlier this week, he brought home a drawing of us saying that he is thankful for his family, and on the other side was a poem along with a painted handprint making a little turkey. I love this kind of keepsake! And Remington brought home a laminated placemat with over 10 things that he was thankful for, including special mention of his little brother!  Proud mama moment right there!!!  And you’d better believe that both will be displayed proudly on our refrigerator!  I know I have so much to be thankful for – like my village of family, friends, and neighbors, my amazing clients who invite to share some of their most important and personal moments, for the freedom and opportunity to do what I love each day, for the established and growing friendships and connections this line of work fosters, for our health, and especially for my sweet boys and my husband, who cheer me on, who share their hopes and dreams, fears and joys, and so many hugs! For all of this and so much more, I am so so grateful!  I would like to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!  May you have a relaxing and wonderful time, surrounded by friends, family, and those you cherish most! May you enjoy sharing a delicious meal with all your favorite dishes, a friendly game of cards, a walk outside, whatever makes you happy.  (I always look forward to pumpkin pie! What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?)  Above all else, I hope your day is filled with hugs, laughter, and making memories together!  And know that I am thankful for you! 

Many thanks to Stefanie Childs for our adorable family portraits!

It’s a beautiful day, friends!  School is out for summer!  Remington flew through 2nd grade with flying colors, with an even more intense love for math and art!  We could not be more proud of him and all that he has accomplished this school year!  And what a year it has been!  We love our elementary school, the teachers and staff, the bus drivers, and everyone who safely guided their students with love, support, encouragement, and joy despite the protocols and changes and masks!  Our neighborhood celebrated a successful year by hosting a water balloon fight – even in the misty weather – complete with adorable summer goody bags, cookies, and popsicles!  It was a blast!  You may have read the title for this post and thought, “Summer Chill…? What does that mean?”  Well, summer is so short, and I want to soak up every ounce of time with my family before BOTH boys go back in August! Remington will be a 3rd grader, and Emerson will hop on the bus as a new kindergartener! 😭While I may not post daily on social or as consistently over the next several weeks, please know I am here!  And I will include some blog posts too, because my editing queue is full of love and sheer gorgeousness from the past few weeks, and I cannot wait to share!  Numerous portrait sessions and weddings are on my jam-packed summer calendar, and I am so, so thankful and honored to be asked to document special times in the lives of my amazing, truly wonderful clients! Especially after the uncertainty and postponements from last year! 💕📸🥰 I’m calling this my Summer Chill! Time to be present. In the moment. Taking in the warm, sunny season and longer days with my loved ones and friends. I wish the same for you too! ☀️✨❤️

Thank you to Stefanie Childs, Julia Wadsworth Makeup Artistry, George Thomas Florist, Blooms & Linen Boutique, Kelly Moore Bag, Nikon USA, & DSW!