I met the Wallis family a couple of years ago. They are in our small group at church, and Brett and I have loved becoming friends with them. Their sweet Luke and our Evelyn are just a couple of months apart. We had a perfect day for our pictures. Aren't they just a beautiful family? They are just so precious, and we are so grateful for their friendship!
We love you guys! Thanks for letting me capture your family in action!
I have known David and Jenna since college. I had the privilege of watching them be friends, date, fall in love, get engaged, and get married! They are so sweet, and it is so fun to see their family grow. Their kiddos are just so precious, and were so cooperative and sweet during our shoot.
Lyle family, thank you for letting me take some photos of you guys! Love y'all!!
When Ansley walked out in her gorgeous gown, I was blown away. I wasn't surprised by any means...she is such a pretty girl, and I knew she would be beautiful no matter what the gown looked like. Everything from the gown and the pink shoes to her monogrammed cathedral veil was so perfect! Her parents and a couple of friends came with her to help, and we laughed so much of the time. This is one loved girl! She was stunning as she twirled and walked and smiled. It was such a perfect day for pictures!
I can't wait to share her wedding day soon, but for now...enjoy some of her gorgeous bridal portraits!
Lawson and Anna are such a sweet couple!! As you can see, Anna is absolutely gorgeous, and the way that Lawson looks at her is so precious. They were such naturals in front of the camera. Honestly, I barely had to pose them.
We started out downtown and ended our session back near Anna's house. I knew when I saw that adorable turquoise bike and that dirt road, it was going to be an awesome end to our session. We had the most gorgeous light towards the end, and I could not be more in love with how these pictures turned out!
Anna and Lawson, I cannot wait for your wedding this fall!!
I could imagine that when you become a mom, whether it is your first or your fifth, it takes a while to catch your breath. You feel like you are in survival mode as you strive to figure out this new rhythm for your family. I am sure that the amount of time when you get out of that newness and start to feel that "I got this" attitude is different from person to person. For me, I felt that we stepped out of the fog and into a groove as a family of three when Evelyn turned six months old. Now, the Lord was so gracious to allow us to have many days in the first six months where we felt good, rested, and normal. The first six months were so sweet, and by no means misery. But, as a whole, I don't think we really "figured it out" (FYI : I use that term very loosely :) ) until about 6 months in.
Now that we are nine months in, we have settled into our routine. Evelyn is more consistent with eating and sleeping. It just feels more comfortable. There are still days where Ev is whiny and doesn't nap well, and it seems like all I do is cry out to the Lord for patience and grace. (Ahem...this week...ahem teeth) Then there are days where she seems angelic, naps well, we go on walks, and I think to myself....this is what I signed up for. :) haha.
But really....I signed up for all of it. I signed up for the smiles, cries, sleepless nights, day to day routine, milestones, the good, and the bad. There are days when it is so challenging. There are days when I climb into bed and think....what did I do today? But y'all....what a privilege to be a mama. What a hard, wonderful, exhausting, sanctifying privilege it is! I just finished reading the book, "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence, and what a gift. The stories of his life and how he learned to just be in and aware of the Lord's presence throughout his days was so good for me to read about. There are days where I go through my routines and feel like it is the same every single day. Wake up, make breakfast, play, nap time, laundry, cleaning, fix lunch, play, nap time, dinner, play, bath, bedtime, repeat.
"The dear brother remarked that we must give ourselves totally to God in both temporal and spiritual affairs. Our only happiness should come from doing God's will, whether it brings us some pain or great pleasure."
Yes! I should be joyful all the time throughout my day because this is the work that God has given me to do!
"The most effective way Brother Lawrence had for communicating with God was to simply do his ordinary work. He did this obediently, out of a pure love of God, purifying it as much as was humanly possible. He believed it was a serious mistake to think of our prayer time as being different from any other. Our actions should unite us with God when we are involved in our daily activities, just as our prayers unite us with Him in our quiet devotion."
This has so helped me. Am I going through my daily routines because it is what I have to do? Do I do my tasks with a grateful and joyful heart? Sometimes....I do. But there are days that I don't. I should be doing my work out of a love for the Lord. Since becoming a mom, I have found myself lifting up prayers more continually throughout my days. Somedays my time with Him looks different than others. But, I have really tried to practice being in His presence and dwelling with Him during my days, and not just for the 30-45 minutes I have with Him in the morning. Because really......I NEED Him all day. I need His grace, and I need to be in communion with Him.
In the last nine months I have watched my baby grow. She is getting so big and more independent. I have shed frustrated tears. I have shed emotional tears about how fast the days are going. I have been confident, and I have doubted myself. I can't even explain how much I have learned. So often I look at this baby growing and think, "this is the sweetest gift that the Lord could ever give me." She is. It doesn't mean it is easy or fun all of the time. But, it is truly one thing God is using in my life to strengthen my faith, draw me closer to Him, reveal so much sin, and sanctify me.
I really do try to savor the time I have with her. I am grateful for the days, even when they are long. I am grateful that I get to see her grow and change. I am thankful for the good and the hard.
Nine months ago, I had no idea the extent to which my life would change.
My Evie girl, I love you dearly. You are such a treasure. It is hard to believe we are almost done with your first year. I plan to savor these last three months of your first year, and truly soak them in. You bring us so much joy! Happy nine months baby girl!
**Photos of our family together by the talented Samantha Vickers Photography**
I shared her gorgeous bridals earlier this week, and I am so excited to share their wedding day. This was one of the most loved couples. Their wedding was beautiful, but the reception....oh my the reception... It was such a fun party. It was as if all of their friends and family had been just as eager for this day as Emily and Andrew were. Honestly, Brett and I left feeling like we were part of the family. Andrew and Emily thanked us over and over again throughout the night, and they were celebrated just as they should have been. We had so much fun!!
Emily and Andrew, thank you for letting us be a small part of your day! We were so grateful!
Austin and Jillian have such a great story. I totally admire them and their relationship. I met up with them around Christmas time when Austin was home visiting. He is stationed in Alaska and is in the Air Force. They had been away from each other for a while, and then after seeing each other for a short time during Christmas, they would be apart until time for the wedding. Man oh man! I totally admire Jillian! That would be so challenging to be away from your fiancé, and it would make me even more eager for the wedding! We had so much fun taking pictures, and they are such a sweet couple! They will both be living in Alaska after their wedding in just over a month....how cool is that? :) Also, I get the privilege to take some bridal portraits for Jillian in a couple of weeks...How gorgeous will those be? Gracious...she is going to be a beautiful bride!!
Austin and Jillian, I cannot wait for your wedding! It will be here so soon!!
You have already seen their engagement photos...and Hannah's bridals. But, their wedding day....it was so beautiful. This couple is so precious. They are seriously the best of friends, and it was the sweetest day. Everything from their first look to their exit was such a dream. Hannah was the most relaxed bride, and she just went with the flow the entire day. They both had the sweetest friends and family stand by their side. It is always such a joy to me when I can see how loved a couple truly is by their friends that are in their wedding party! Congrats TJ and Hannah! I hope these first months of marriage have been wonderful!
I feel like I am typically so blessed to have the sweetest brides that come to me. I had emailed back and forth with Emily several times prior to meeting her, and while we didn't get to do an engagement session, I met her before her wedding to take some gorgeous bridals. Emily is the sweetest! She was so relaxed, and extremely confident. She looked stunning in her bridals, and of course on her wedding day, which I will be sharing soon! :)
I met up with Shelby and Lindsey at a friends house. Bless them....the afternoon was SO cold! It was like 40 degrees and incredibly windy. But, these two were such good sports, and we got the cutest pictures! The property was gorgeous, and the light was so perfect! Shelby and Lindsey are precious, and had so much fun together during our session. I cannot wait for their wedding in the fall!
