It was so hard to narrow down Hannah's beautiful bridals. We took them at her wedding venue on a less than beautiful day. Hannah is so easy-going that it didn't even matter that it started raining a bit as we were taking pictures. She just went with the flow, and we got some great pictures. I cannot wait to share her wedding day soon, but for now, enjoy some of her gorgeous bridal portraits!
I met Bev several months before their engagement shoot, and I could tell immediately that she was going to be such a joy. She told me a little about she and Gabe, and I could not wait to meet them together. We took engagement photos at the place where Gabe proposed, and also where they will get married in a little over a week!! :) It was such a special place for them.
In just the short time I interacted with them, their love for each other was so obvious. Gabe was so goofy during our session, and you can tell that nobody makes Bev laugh like him! It made them really easy to shoot! :) Bev and Gabe, the countdown is ALMOST over, and I am so excited for your wedding!
I love this couple. They actually got married last month, so I have plenty to update on! I will be blogging their wedding and Ansley's beautiful bridals soon! We took these photos on a beautiful fall day. The best part of the afternoon was that by the time we were done with pictures, Beau comments..."I thought that was going to be awkward, but that was actually really fun!" Score. If I can make the groom feel comfortable, and keep the couple laughing while getting beautiful pictures then I consider it a success! Ansley and Beau, thank y'all for letting me take your engagement photos! It was such a fun afternoon!
It has been such a busy 2016 already, and the end of 2015 was crazy as well. I have gotten so far behind with adding posts to the blog, particularly sharing all of my photography. I still plan to go back and share my other weddings from the fall as well as several engagement and bridal sessions. However, I wanted to share some favorites from my other fall sessions. Ideally, each of these would get their own individual blog post, but alas...life. I am going to try and do better with blogging! :)
It was SO hard to narrow down favorites from this fall! These sessions were so fun! It is exciting to have returning clients, and get to watch families grow and kiddos get bigger! I also had several new clients, and enjoyed meeting them as well! I am so grateful for the sweet families that I get to shoot! It is truly such a blessing!
Tyler and Jessica were married back in October at a friend's property. It was such a beautiful day. I had the privilege to shoot their wedding last minute, and I am so grateful! I remember arriving and in the midst of the chaos, I could tell that all Jessica wanted was to see her groom. Then, I went and met Tyler at the place where their first look would occur, and he was just as excited! It was such a special day, and a party into the night! :) Thank you for letting me celebrate with you all!!
3 A.M. and I hear those little (sometimes loud) cries come through the monitor. I think to myself, wasn't I just up 3 hours ago? I groggily (and sometimes very frustrated) slip to her room, scoop her up, sit in her rocking chair, and nurse her. Some nights are better than others. Some nights I have a good attitude. Some nights I think...."you are almost 6 months old...shouldn't you be sleeping through the night?" BUT....every night, I am thankful. I am thankful for this little life. I am thankful that I get to rock her, that I get to nurse her, and that I have the privilege of loving her.
Motherhood is hard. I didn't even know how hard it would be. It is the most sanctifying and sacrificial thing I have ever done. It is a struggle between trusting your instincts and second guessing most everything you do. But, when I second guess myself I hear the Lord whisper....trust me. Because really, He is the One who knows BEST and can help me the most. He wants me to learn to walk closer with Him, and stop relying on my own abilities. He longs for me to sit with Him, and rest in Him.
The last few days have been hard....really hard. I have done nothing (or so it seems to me) but nurse her and hold her. She has been teething....and we actually can barely see and FEEL her first tooth coming through! So...my house looks like a bomb went off, photography has been put aside, and she has been it! But, I am so thankful. Yesterday was so hard, and I was going into the night with a bad attitude thinking, "this is going to be awful....". I went to take a shower and the Lord just said, "Laura, my grace is sufficient!" over and over to me. At that moment my entire attitude changed. Now...do I want to wake up once, twice, or eight times in the middle of the night? Um. No. But, at that moment, I knew the Lord wanted me to be joyful and remember that His grace is sufficient. I was talking to my mom about it, and she was telling me she remembered those days where it felt like she got nothing accomplished. She said she knew that the Lord was using these times to refine and teach me. I told her that He always is teaching me, but that often I don't see it until the end of the day when I am rocking Evie for the last time. It is hard, because I long to walk well IN THE MIDST of the hard times. I am thankful that His mercies are new EVERY MORNING!
I have learned that motherhood is a lot about expectations, but also about the giving those expectations to the Lord. It is not unusual that I would expect that my baby should sleep well by a certain age. I expect that each night, if I follow the same routines, she will have a similar night. I expect that she will nap well most days. :) There are so many days where I have a list of things I need to get done, but she needs me more. It would be easy to feel defeated, and I have felt that way often. But, I have also learned that it is much easier to not have expectations. It is easier to give my days to the Lord, and to not get upset when things do not go how I expect that they should. Expectations can only cultivate disappointment, frustration, and feelings of self-pity. Those things are not of the Lord. He is showing me that He wants to stretch me. He wants to take those hard moments and make them teachable moments. I don't always respond in the correct way. In fact, there are plenty of days that end in tears. But, His grace is sufficient and His plans are sovereign. He knows my days before I live them. I am learning that it is ok to not get it all done. I am learning it is ok to fall short (and I do!). I am learning to press in closer to Him, and hear His voice. I think He speaks to mama's in a special way....because, let's be honest, I talk to Him a lot during the day.
I am so grateful that I have gotten to watch this baby grow and change and develop the last six months. I have gotten to witness so many milestones from following our voices, smiling, giggling, squealing, rolling, sitting up, and so much more. What a privilege to see how the Lord has allowed her to grow and change. Motherhood is such an honor. She is such a gift. The good FAR outweighs the hard. God is using Evelyn to strip away all of the yuck in my life. He is using her to teach me, stretch me, and help me to stop trying so hard. It is true that the days are long. But, these last six months have truly flown by. I can only pray that I would continue to learn to walk well, and that I would savor every moment I have with her.
My sweet Evelyn, you are a treasure, and I love you to pieces!
It is hard to believe that this is the last day of 2015. I can say that the one word that describes this year is, grateful. I am so grateful to all of my sweet clients who have allowed me to capture moments, both big and small. I am grateful that you have allowed me to watch your babies grow, capture you walking down the aisle, and celebrate all of these moments. It is such a privilege. After shooting 10 weddings (which was my goal!!!) this year and countless sessions in between, I am amazed. I am thankful for each of you! Enjoy a few of my favorites from this year!
I am looking forward to all that 2016 has in store for this little business! :)
Whew....almost 5 months in. Where does the time go? This baby girl is teaching me to slow down. She is teaching me to cherish every moment, because time is going so quickly. I had no idea how fast it would go. She is growing and changing so much. She is rolling all over the place, and starting to try and sit up. She has a happy little personality, and is just so much fun!
There is much about this season that I am so grateful for. Thanksgiving was a sweet time. As I think back to previous holidays where I longed for a baby, I was so thankful to be holding my girl this year. I just sent out Christmas cards, and I can't tell you how overwhelming it is that we have a third family member in that picture with us, after four years of it being just the two of us. It was so sweet to sign those cards, "Brett, Laura, and Evelyn Kittrell". Truly, God's plans are so much better than mine. Waiting for this baby to join our family certainly wasn't in my plans, but I am thankful for how God saw fit to bless us. His timing is perfect.
Image by Kathryn Peters Photography
We are wrapping up her first little sickness, and man....let's not do that again. Seriously....seeing my baby sick is FAR worse than me being sick. I will gladly take it from her next time, although the extra snuggles were welcomed by me. This time made me so grateful that I get to be home with her. Don't get me wrong....it is hard. I have been around babies a lot. I felt that I was fairly prepared for motherhood, but I had no idea how challenging some days would be. Being up in the middle of the night is exhausting, but God always gives me the rest I need (although I pray for more daily), and sustains me to be ready for the next day. I don't always have the best attitude, and certainly don't always look forward to seeing the hour of 3 AM (or 12 AM, or 2 AM, or 5 AM). But, the rewards of this work that I get to do are so great. I have always wanted to have babies and stay home and take care of them. I am living my dream. Again, not that it is always perfect...But I am so grateful for this opportunity.
I have been thinking a lot about how I see a picture of the gospel in motherhood. God has allowed me to see, probably the most evident picture of the gospel through my marriage. But motherhood...... I am seeing the gospel with fresh eyes. Evelyn has really done nothing to deserve my love, but she has it forever and ever. I have done nothing to deserve God's love, but He loves me unconditionally. I am so grateful. In spite of my sin, God chooses to love me. What a gift and a privilege.
I can't believe that it was around this time last year that we were getting ready to announce that we would be becoming a family of three. The year has flown by, and these past few months have been so quick. I feel like I say it over and over, but there is truly no greater gift than this sweet girl. It is the hardest and best thing I have ever done. Somedays I think.....how will I do this when another one comes along....and other days, she makes me want to have 12. :) She is so sweet, and is the best reason for exhaustion, spit up on my clothes, and a messy house. I am so blessed, and so thankful that God has allowed me to be her mommy. I am so grateful for what I am learning, and for God's grace when I make mistakes.
I cannot wait to see what the next months have in store for me. I know we are going to see so many changes and so much growth. Love you sweet Evelyn!
Welcome! I am thrilled to show you the new and improved Laura Kittrell Photography! This website has been in need of a new look, and some new creativity. I worked with the oh so precious, Rachel from Oh Simple Joys. She is amazing, and totally made my vision come to life! She was so easy to work with, dealt with all of my crazy questions, and was quick to make any changes that I needed! I will sing her praises!!
Dear Evelyn, Happy ALMOST three months sweet baby! It is so hard to believe that we have had you for almost 13 weeks. You have grown and changed so much. There is a whole lot that I want to remember about these first thirteen weeks, and hold onto, because I know that soon enough it will seem like forever ago. First of all, thank you for having so much grace with your daddy and I as we have learned how to maneuver these first three months as parents. We clearly have it down now. :) haha. But honestly, you have been such a sweet baby, and helped us figure things out!