Dog Days

When your oldest friend, who you've known well over half your life (and we'll leave to imagination just how many years that might be), asks you to photograph her baby, of course you do it. Especially if that baby is covered in fur. 

Meet Bella.

This beautiful girl is one of the absolute best, sweetest pups I've ever been lucky enough to know. (Her mom and dad happen to be pretty awesome humans too.)

Also, she has an oh-so-cute, bowtie-wearing little brother named Julio.

I'm pretty sure everyone needs a bowtie-wearing chihuahua. I mean, Y'ALL. Can you even handle all the cuteness? 

This shoot was so much fun! And I know, I say that about all of my shoots. And truth is, they are! I have never, ever enjoyed anything as much as I do photography. But photographing dogs... well that's a whole other kind of fun.

I loved trying to capture all of the adorable little details that make them so lovable...

...and their little (ok, not so little) personalities too. 

As you can see, there was lots of love, lots of play...

...even a little side eye...

...and some terribly tender moments too. 

I was so honored to be asked to capture these moments for this sweet family. It was a wonderful experience all the way around.

And seriously, I could do this every day. So who's next?! :D

Wonder Woman

Meet Amy, her husband Paul, and their kids Sarah and Shane. Amy is hands down one of the most amazing people I've ever met. And, with her permission, I'm going to share a bit of her story.

I first met Amy at a New Mom/Breastfeeding Support group I attended after having our second kiddo. After our first was born I struggled endlessly with breastfeeding, and I was determined, come hell or high water, to make it work the second time around. Amy had just had their first child, Sarah. She was struggling with nursing Sarah, and my heart went out to her. I knew how hard it was, feeling like you were failing your child, feeling like the world was watching and judging. I wanted to reach out to her, to help her through it.  Only, as I got to know Amy I realized something: She didn't feel like a failure, and she didn't think about (or I suspect, care) if anyone was watching or judging. She was SO confident. Motherhood seemed so effortless to her. And I was in awe. 

But as I got to know Amy over the weeks and months and years, I got to know more about, and witness, some of their story. And I have never been anything short of amazed.

Amy and Paul began their journey towards a family in 2011.  After three pregnancies that all resulted in miscarriage, they decided to try IVF. After two more pregnancies that led to another two losses they decided to try IVF with an egg donor. On their sixth try they finally had a successful pregnancy, and this little cutie came into their lives.

Feeling like they had finally found the solution, and knowing they wanted to grow their family they decided to try again. They tried two more rounds of IVF with donor eggs, that ended in two more losses. Deciding they were only willing to put themselves through it one more time, they tried again. Amy got pregnant, and while not without complications, at just shy of 32 weeks Shane was born. 

Because he was born so early, and because of his cleft lip and palette, he spent several weeks in the NICU after birth. He's made a few trips to the hospital since, and recently began a series of surgeries to repair his lip and palette. His road has not been an easy one.

But here's the thing. Amy hasn't just survived all of this. She has OWNED it. Every last bit. I have never, ever seen any woman rock motherhood the way Amy does. Through all of it she has been calm, and confident, seeming to never question her own abilities. It's a beautiful thing to watch. 

It probably helps that she also has a pretty rockin' family standing beside her too.  I mean, just look at all the love these guys have for each other...

And for lollipops.  Sarah is REALLY into lollipops.

Amy and Paul have been very open about their journey, always sharing what they can in hopes that it may help others going through similar struggles. Amy is always ready to share resources and offer encouraging words. 

But it's her confidence that I find the most inspiring. I see so many beautiful, wonderful, capable people question themselves, and it's heartbreaking. I wish we all could channel just a bit more of our inner Amy: to believe in ourselves, to own our lives and our decisions and know beyond a doubt that we got this and we're good enough, no matter what comes our way.

Seriously y'all, this woman is a real life super hero. And I can tell you right now that I'm a better mama just for knowing her.  

Celebrating Mamas

So I kicked off the official beginning of my professional photography journey with a few sets of Mommy & Me mini-sessions in celebration of Mother's Day. And how lucky I was to get to spend time with these sweet mamas and their adorable little ones! I mean, seriously, y'all:

I dare you to tell me that it gets any cuter.  I'd never believe it. And even luckier for me, I get to count each of these ladies as friends! They're some amazing people! (But then aren't all moms, really? I like to think it's just part of the package.) 

We smelled some flowers, played with bubbles, and read some stories. There were lots of smiles, laughter, kisses, a good amount of snacks, and although you'd never know it from the photos, even a few tears (surprisingly none were mine.)   

These sessions were a wonderful reminder of why I enjoy photography so much. Because every session is an opportunity to catch something special. A memory to hang on to forever.

All in all it was a fantastic couple of weeks, and I'm grateful to each of these families for letting me spend some time with them and capture such sweet moments. I'm also incredibly grateful for these friendships, for the support and inspiration I get from these ladies, and for all of the other amazing mamas in my life.     

Wishing these, and moms everywhere, a VERY Happy Mother's Day!