One of the bonuses to me being a Documentary Family Photographer is that I get to meet and spend time with some really amazing people. I may sound cheesy, but often times I end up truly feeling that after our session we have bonded and I now have new friends. Before their first session, I already knew and loved Karie. We have spent time together at our get togethers for Mastermind Happy Hour, a group that I co-founded that hosts get togethers and support for small business owners. Meeting Jacob and their son Casimir, and getting to spend time with their family in their home while they interacted and we chatted, just confirmed the amazing energy of ease that Karie brings to our get togethers runs through the whole family. I may have started calling Casimir my new boyfriend because I kinda loved him and as Karie reminded me recently he kept giving me cat eyes. He looks at you lovingly and slowly closes his eyes at you. Cats do this to show you they trust you. If you didn’t know, the secret is out, I am a total cat lady. So of course this instantly added to our ability to bond.

Karie and Jacob, thank you for welcoming me into your family with such ease. I’m excited to watch your babies grow and document the different stages of your life together. XOXOXO

As you may have noticed, during this session they were getting ready to welcome their newest addition into the family. Beautiful Ada is now here and I will soon share the pictures from her session welcoming her into the world and her wonderful family.

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This wonderful family was about to become a family of four.

That time when you know your heart is about to expand with love for this new little addition to your family. A time that is so exciting, but also so bittersweet. Thinking about how it is going to change, how your first little love of your life won’t be your only little love of your life anymore. Wondering how it’s going to affect your first born, will they be okay, will they feel, sad, jealous, confused? Will your connection with this person who first made you a parent be affected? There are so many emotions that come with this time. In the end, we all know that it ends up being wonderful and beautiful, but that doesn’t stop all of those feelings from happening in the moment.

This is such a wonderful time to have a session because as much as I am always emphasizing that you can never get this time back, or your child’s age right now back, in the situation of a second child being born, this really is the last time to photograph your the relationship with you and your first kiddo with them as an only child.

I really am fortunate that all of my clients end up being people who I want to hang out with. Ami and Mike are no exception. I immediately felt welcomed into their home like an old friend. When they mentioned that they didn’t know who was going to stay with Cleo when the baby was born, I felt compelled to offer to help. Mind you, we had never met before this day, so I did hold back and didn’t offer for fear of seeming a like a bit too much. But I’m pretty sure I did still end up mentioning it to them some time later. AND to top off their hospitality, they sent me off after their session with a giant bag of yummy homegrown garden tomatoes. Ami and Mike, you’re two of the good ones. XOXO

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I'm not going to lie, I have loved every session that I have done. Every one. There are always the full range of emotion inducing moments, moments that make me grin, make me cry, and make me crack up, moments that are so relatable. Moments that remind me that I am not the only one dealing with whatever recent hard time Milo might be having. Moments that remind me that I'm not the only one who is having whatever motherhood struggle I am having. Moments that remind me again and again, WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME JOURNEY. We are all having the same struggles and the same wins. That is what is amazing about watching these sessions. Even if you are never going to get one for yourself, watch my slideshows. See all the moments that other parents are having and see yourself in their struggles, but also in their triumphs. When you see that five year old looking up at their mom with so much love, please don't look at that picture and think that maybe they are a better parent than you. Your kids are looking at you like that too! We, the parents, me included, just don't see it during the hustle and bustle of our everyday. So even if you think you are never going to hire me, (but do!) please watch these slideshows and then remember to stop and notice every once in a while how much your kids are adoring you. Even if it's in between their complaining about not having MORE popsicles, as they are eating a popsicle! (What your kids don't do that? Just mine!?) 

I started this off by saying that I love every session, and I do. And I wonder if each new one becomes a new favorite, I'm not sure... But I LOVE this session so much. I loved being with this family and I loved watching them interact and I loved the boys facial expressions. OMG, I love the expressions. And seriously, the youngest, he was eating ice off the floor at one point, no hands. I LOVE what kids will do to get what they want. I love the Erin & Alex's love for each other. I love it all. I usually will say more about the family, but I want to let the pictures tell the story here. 

Omg, you guys, I loved this family and this session. I was so happy going through the images and had the hardest time narrowing down their images for their slideshow because I loved so many of them. The whole family made it easy to be there and for me to become engrossed in capturing their moments. When I first arrived at their house Shay was napping still so I got quite a bit of time with just Leora and Adi. Let me tell you, Adi is awesome. She is full of personality and seriously just a kid you want to hang out with. She is confident, funny, and herself without reservations. Exactly how all of us adults aspire to be!  Shay is a sweet baby boy who is so obviously madly in love with his mama. You can see how at ease and happy he is in her arms. This has been one of the great things for me to witness over and over again. Mamas your kiddos ADORE you, each of you, there is no exception. We (me included) get so caught up in what we are doing that we start to miss how they look at us and look TO us. I am here to give us a record of these moments. It is a purpose I am so happy to fulfill. 

Leora, you have some happy & fun kiddos. It was an honor to witness your family's love and your kiddos joy. Thank you for having me. xoxo

Toward the end of their session Dad came home and we quickly did some relaxed portraits. If you feel like you are really loving the idea of a documentary session, but keep thinking, "but I'd love just a couple of us all together", let me know and we can totally make that happen. Of course my favorites from this are still what some might call the "outtakes." I'm especially loving how mom and dad are looking at each other in the third one. <3

Milo recently turned five. FIVE! I love seeing how he changes as he gets older, how much he surprises us with the things he understands and says. We are in awe of how imaginative, strong, loving, and funny he is. We are those parents who can't believe how cool we think our kid is. But I’ll be honest, five is a BIG KID number and it kind of made me miss my baby a bit. My little guy I wore everywhere and nursed for years the one who wouldn’t sleep unless he was touching me and who totally tried to say I love you back one time when he wasn’t even talking yet. I found myself crying and sad and having so many feelings I didn’t quite know what to do with them.

On the eve of Milo’s birthday, after making his cakes, both blueberry and chocolate, and wrapping his presents, I went up to bed feeling a bit melancholy. Thinking I would watch a show or read a book to take my mind off of how I was feeling, I got into bed. Tim was still downstairs, so I was alone in our room. I ended up just sitting there for a bit, in the spot where five years before I was in labor, where I was at the beginning of my biggest dream coming true (and the beginning of the pain, I’m still real about it). I am a sappy human, if you know me, you know. So I was there, feeling all the feelings.

Every night Milo goes to sleep in his own bed, but ends up crawling into bed with us somewhere between 12am and 4am. It’s something Tim and I welcome him doing for as long as he wants to. He comes into our room all slowly, eyes barely open, if at all, and often grinning. I usually hoist him over my body and he curls up between us and falls right back to sleep. I found myself wishing that Milo were already in bed with me, but it was too early and I didn’t want to go get him and wake him. Plus I do like a little time to myself where he isn't cuddling me so closely you'd swear he was trying to crawl back into my body. At the very moment I was thinking about how much I’d love for him to be there, in he came, earlier than he ever does. He came in in his usual fashion, slowly and sweetly, but instead of wanting me to pick him up and put him in bed next to me, he crawled up and into my lap and fell right back to sleep. It was like he KNEW, he FELT it too. The universe knew exactly what I needed and delivered. It's hard for me to even express how this felt. Exactly five years from the time he was preparing to leave my body and join me and Tim, he sensed what I was feeling, or maybe in his sleep he was feeling the same, I don't know. Whatever the reason, however it happened, he knew. I held my baby, my almost five year old baby for the longest time. I soaked up his smells and basked in the feeling of our connection and how much I love him. Eventually I decided I was ready to go to sleep too and moved him over next to me, but I think otherwise he may have stayed there all night. 

iphone selfie of us on the eve of his birthday. 

I am overdo with sharing this session (and a couple others) with you!! Over spring break we all had some kind of virus that basically kicked our a$$es for two full weeks. I am playing catch up now, which isn't all bad. Being sick sucked, don't get me wrong, but there were some wonderful moments of love and cuddles, and down time that our little family seemed to really need. And the upside to trying to squeeze more work into less time is that it feel good in a way to get more done. And it's so fun to edit through these sessions and see all of your moments. 

It's not always easy finding the harmony that works for each of us, balancing motherhood with working or with caring for ourselves and our other relationships, but it helps me a little to try and find something I appreciate in each thing that happens. I am working on finding my balance, my appreciation. I am working on my limiting beliefs about time and how there never seems to be enough of it. I know rationally that this does not have to be my truth! Figuring out how to change this for myself is a journey and I am loving it. I am a true believer that having children is the best window into who we really are and if we allow it to it will open our eyes to see where we need the most work. Don't worry, I'm still normal, and totally lose my shit first sometimes or start to feel overwhelmed.... I just know it's not where I want to be.

That was totally not on purpose, but I think that is a perfect segway into Ashley's session. Ashley is not only a gorgeous mama with two adorable sons, a very nice husband, and a sweet dog, she is a mama who really seems to roll with the punches and enjoy the little moments. You can totally see that in these images. Make sure you notice when Logan is painting at the kitchen counter. The faces Ashley makes are perfect! There is so much love in this family and Logan is hilarious. I love seeing all of the little things that kids do that seem SO silly, but that we don't think about day to day because they're just always doing them and Logan delivered big time. 

Thank you Ashley because just watching you with the boys was a reminder to me to let the little stuff go, to remain calm, to enjoy our children being children. Your boys are lucky to have you as their mama and will benefit so much from these qualities you bring to parenting them. Thanks for having me and allowing me a peek into your Moments of Motherhood.  xoxoxo 

Watch the slideshow below!