I can’t think of a better way to make an entrance into the blogging world again then with this shoot. (For those of you who don’t know, we moved to our first home…and yes,that is a blog post in the works. So needless to say, “house” has consumed my mind and time for over a month, but I am SO glad to be back!)

To say that I am excited to share these pictures with you is the UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR.  You see how I did that? ALL CAPS.  That is so you can feel just an inkling of my excitement!!

I don’t know if you are a Johnny Depp fan, or a Tim Burton fan, but I am a fan of both. I have always thought the idea of an artist having a “muse” is a little strange. But for the first time in my many years as an artist, I get it. Sometimes there is just someone who seems to make your dreams, creations, visions come alive, by well, just being them. I am certain that Johnny Depp is Tim Burton’s muse. And I am starting to think that just maybe this family might be mine.  (Is that an awkward thing to share?  Oooo…I hope not.  What is that you say, no one reads this part any way?  Phew.)  The truth is they just have a knack for making my photography dreams come to life and I am hoping that Lydia wouldn’t mind being referred to as a “goddess that inspires the arts”.

This photo shoot was a little bit of a baby of mine. After browsing Anthropolgie catalogs and stores for clients of mine, it became a fun little dream of mine to do a shoot like this.  There is just something wonderful and romantic and perfectly whimsical to me about bringing living spaces out into God’s living spaces.  I love the dreamy quality of it and longed to try and pull something like that together.  Long dreamed. Lots of coordination to pull it off.  AND birthed into a DREAM COME TRUE with the help of Lydia and James and Ruby.

When I came to Lydia and said, “I have an idea, so you need to hire me to take pictures of you and your family again!!” I wasn’t sure how she would respond to my bold request.  But she was excited!! and that made my excitement spin out of control into utter elation.  And thank God for James and Ruby who were willing to go along for the ride. After much coordinating, me robbing her house of almost all of it’s insides, and a lot of patience and dreaming together, we pulled it off.  And it was all totally worth it. I am over the moon.  I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did!

We started with some photos with Lydia’s parents in the flowers. They were visiting and I was so glad that they got to tag along for a bit! Got to capture the grandparents when you can, and these two were the sweetest grandparents ever!

After that came the vision….

I just love old books.

Soft sunlight.

Quilts that feel like they have a story in every stitch.

Pillows that saw the face of a new marriage and fresh love.

A lampshade where it doesn’t belong.

An old stained glass window that makes the sunlight dance.

Here is the space that I envisioned and the family that just seemed to know how to bring it to life with their love, laughter, and joy.

When the laughter fades, it gives a moment for the love to intensify…

Thank you so much for coming along on this dream with me….

“I just want you to capture who we ACTUALLY ARE.” her voice rang over the phone, and I let out a sigh of relief.  ”That is what I LOVE to do.” I replied.

I have attempted for many years to seem more perfect than I actually am.  But something happened when I had Dayla. I realized that there is joy in just being who you are, messed up, full of little errors, but still “just right” in the eyes of God.

The older I get the more I attempt to leave in the dust my perfectionist ways, and the more I LOVE to surround myself with non-perfectionist types.   I admire them.  And I always seem to let out a sigh of relief when hanging out with them.  My shoulders relax.  I feel at ease. When I got off the phone with Kristin, she seemed to me like one of those let-out-a-sigh-of-relief-just-relax-and-be-yourself kind of people.  I just felt so perfectly comfortable and at ease after talking to her, and I was SO excited to capture her family just as they “actually are”.

Hayden is HILARIOUS.  A performer.  Full of spunk and not a shy bone in his body.  He had me laughing out loud as he showed me all his “tricks”.  He could spin, jump the highest, and most definitely lead his brother with confidence.  A natural born leader.

Jordon is shyer, but by no means a push-over.  He seems as though he will be the silent strong one.  He had no problem following his brother, letting him have the lead, but also was confident in who he was.  He was not lost in his brother’s shadow, just content there. As he pushed his mom’s hair out of her face, and then paused lovingly before he planted a kiss on her cheek, I could see that he is also the gentle, thoughtful one.

Each brother was so different from the other, but each one “just right” in who they were.

I love my job.  I love falling in love with these families and having the challenge of capturing all that is “them” in just a short two hours.  I love meeting new people and feeling like I get to be a part of their family for just a brief time.  I love getting to know guys like Gary who are fighting for us overseas, a guy who sacrifices his family time so we can have ours.

Kristin, Gary, Hayden and Jordan, thank you SO much! I had so much fun laughing with you guys and attempting to capture all the beauty and uniqueness that radiates from your perfect (or should I say, “just right”) family!  Thank you!

Meet Jordan…

Introducing Hayden (look at those eye brows!? AWESOME skill!)

Jordan and Dad. I love the *real* smiles…we caught one!

Brothers on Dads shoulders.

I love being able to capture couples too! This is a game I like to play that I like to call, “Who is better?” I believe we each bring something fun and unique and important to the relationship, so why not recognize it once in a while? I love to see how couples respond. And you can see Gary is a humble guy. Hahaha!

Okay, I LOVE this shot! I have wanted to try this pose for a while, but have been saving it for just the right fun couple. Kristin and Gary totally fit the bill! Fun, right? (And you have to give props to Kristin, cause that takes some ab muscles!)

Kristin told me she wanted green grass and loves bright colors (MEEE TOO!)
That being said, it is no surprise that I LOVE THIS SERIES! AH. And add in two cute little brothers who are the sweetest….. *swoon*


And mama loves her boys!

FAMILY lolllipop time! Bring it. Here is where I told them to hide behind their lollipops and I totally loved that Jordan kept turning his upside down. Couldn’t have planned it better myself.



Lastly, dad and his boys!

I mean, it IS officially summer now, right? I think it is only fitting that Food Friday gets a little time away, a little bit of much needed relaxation.

We are SO BLESSED to share the news with you that we bought our very first home!! The feelings I have when I think of it are pretty indescribable. It is momentous moment, a milestone, an incredible joy. But if we are going to call a spade a spade, it is also a TON of work. A house that we put a offer on a year ago (yes it has been a year of practicing patience and trusting God, as noted here as well), we are now attempting to make into a home to call our own. But two years of an uninhabited house has left us with our hands full. Take out meals have been our friend for the past month, and dirty clothes, paint stained hands and aching backs have been a truth of our days. But I can’t WAIT to show you all that we are doing/done/get to grow our family in!

To get just a small idea, here is a “before” shot of our new house…our new home….

and the back…(yes, those were waist high weeds…)

(Stay tuned for the “after”!)

That all being said, as you can imagine, take out meals from Cotixan and Panda Express, as delicious as they are, don’t make great Food Friday posts. So, as much as I HATE to announce a hiatus for Food Friday, my plate is officially full….and sadly to say, not with food.  We will come back with more meals to share once we fire up that new gas range in our brand spakin’ new home! For now…don’t forget to stop by tomorrow for a dose of the cutest little boys you have ever seen…with dinosaurs…and silly faces galore!

Nothing quite melts my heart like a dad who is willing to snuggle or kiss their little one for the camera. It not only melts my heart, but I also believe that never does a man look so strong as he does when he is not afraid to be soft, affectionate and loving with his children.  I LOVE my job and love every time I have the honor of capturing a “daddy”.

To all my awesome dads and all the dads out there…..Happy Father’s Day!

In celebration, here are just a few of some of my favorite captures of the dads and fatherhood:

[ And of course a quick shout out for my husband!  I was so excited to see who he would be as a father, and he is a better dad to Dayla then I ever could have imagined.  To one of the best dad's I know...to my husband...to the love of my life and one of the greatest blessings God has ever brought into my life...truly my better half.....Happy Father's Day babe!]

Last week Daniel had to fly to Dallas for a couple days for work.  I realized when he was gone that I eat differently, mainly just not as well or gourmet as I do when he is cooking!  HA.  The other thing that I realized is that when he is not home, I eat a lot of my meals standing up in the kitchen.  It is not out of necessity or because I am in a hurry by any means.  I am not sure exactly why I do it, I think I do it because it just feels less lonely.

I wouldn’t recommend this way of eating, eating while standing that is, for as a friend of mine pointed out, we should slow down, appreciate our meals, make it a ritual that is to be blessed and not taken for granted.  Meals should be not just a necessity, but also a time of love, laughter, and blessing.  We should let the food nourish both our bodies and our family time.

But heaven knows, there is a lot of out there who eat some meals standing up in the kitchen.  So this week’s Food Friday is in support for all the people who eat standing up.This is a taco I made from all the little odds and ends in our fridge one night when Daniel was away.  It was pretty gourmet compared to the bowl of oatmeal I usually endure.  And of course, it was eaten standing up.

Today’s Feature: Everything in the Fridge Taco