Long time gone.

Those friends you knew before you grew up.  Those first couple friends when your couple-hood was just beginning.  Those friends who were the first to know when you were expecting your first baby.  Those friends who knew it was crazy to have a baby in college but were crazy right along with you.   Those friends who stood in the blessing circle with you and you stood in their's.  They watched and loved on your first baby while you took your hubby to the ultrasound to find out you were having .... another boy!

Those friends.  Those friends you only see but every two years or so, and only for a few hours.  But you pick right up where you left off and you leave with your heart full to the brim.

This last visit, we stepped right outside their front door and did a quick family pictures session. And then we made our respective eldest offspring babysit the whole clan and we took off for a quick milkshakes-and-fries date night.  And we looked at each other in awe, "Have we really made it this far?!"  We really have and it's really freaking awesome.

Newborn Pictures at Home

The concept is so startling at first.  Do family pictures, or do baby pictures, or wait, both family and newborn pictures, IN MY HOUSE?!

And I get it, I really do.  As moms we think of our homes as our "office".  You know, our job that starts at dawn and doesn't let us go until well after bedtime.  Unless of course you're on the swing-swing shift, which means you're on duty every 2-3 hours, 24-7.  Ick, I think I need a Coke just writing that sentence.

You rarely think of your home as a place for pretty pictures.  It's the place where jam is on the counter, laundry is piled on the couch, and your list of to-do's is a mile long.  Why in the world would we do our family pictures there?

I'll tell you why, because it's actually way easier!  Like so much easier than picking that perfect location, getting everyone ready during the grumpiest hour of the day at the same time, driving 30 minutes and then rushing to beat the setting sun.

At home, whoever's ready first gets to go first.  Mom gets to finish doing her hair because each kid is having a blast showing their new friend their favorite toys.  Is the whole house clean?  Heck no!  Just that one beautiful room with gorgeous light.  Oftentimes it's the master bedroom.  It's the middle of the morning, when everyone's at their happiest point.  The kids actually smile their real smiles, and even Dad is just way more relaxed and chill because he knows he's only moments away from that actual fun thing he does on Saturdays.

And then you see the photos and you realize, you love seeing your favorite blanket in the photos, and that photo of your favorite person on the nightstand.  You really love how your boys are all cuddled around you on your bed and you realize, that's exactly what I want to remember.  Forever and ever.

Photographer Playtime

The BFF and I heard about a photography conference last January.  Three days in a condo by the ocean, with other fun photogs?  Yes please!!  Well our time was....interesting.  But we did meet some really great peeps.

One of my favorites was The Kelly Popejoy.  Not only do I just love saying her name but it became very clear, very quickly that she is just an awesome person.  Very genuine, very kind, smart, creative and all of that in a very different way than I'm used to.  Michelle said it best, "Hanging out with her makes me use my brain differently and I love it!"

Seriously, just check out her blog and IG feed.  It'll tweak your brain.  Especially the Instagram (@popejoys).  The way she captures architecture is the bomb.

So recently she rolled into town for like a minute, and we squeezed in all the fun we could.  And that morning I had a super fun idea.  Paige is one of my fabulous assistants, she's just amazing, like she seriously glows.  And I figured there was a good chance her buddies were the same way.

And they are!!  With one text, she rounded up 5 of the sweetest, prettiest girls I've ever met.  And Michelle and Popejoy and I just PLAYED.  It was fabulous.  Such a fun thing to do before the busy season hits.

Thank you Kelly, for getting my creativity flowing.  And thank you Paige, for being you.

Superhero Sweetness.

I think of teachers as superheros.  Seriously, they do so much with so little, and for so little in return.  My kids lives pretty much revolve around those men and women who spend so much time with them.  And when I think about teachers who also have little ones at home, that they are trying to love and support and encourage....well, my head starts to hurt.  It's just too much!

So when I got the chance to photograph these two superhero-teachers, and their sweet girls, I jumped on it!  Their girls' cute grins and sparkly eyes were just wonderful.  But when Daddy held that adorable baby girl and her whole face just lit up, that's when I just fell in love with family sweetness all over again.

Thank you S family, for allowing me to step in and document these moments.  It was an absolute treat!