i love my children.

i love taking pictures of other people’s children.

i do not, however, always love taking pictures of my own children.

for everyday snapshots, it’s no big deal.

but when i decide i want to really take pictures of them….

those are the days when it’s crazy windy, the waves at the beach are too big, 

and someone falls asleep in the car ride over and wakes up cranky.

i had wanted to take photos of isabella when she turned four last november.

with the holiday craziness, it never happened.

then charlotte turned two in february.

and jackson turned six last week.

in my head it made sense to take all three of them out together.

capture them at ages two, four, and six.

it didn’t quite go how i had in my head.

but then again, when your kids are two, four, and six year old,

does anything?  :)

it was a bit crazy…..

we may have ripped a blanket with our stroller wheel trying to frantically run to the beach by sunset,

it was a good 15 degrees colder than i anticipated,

and each child may have cried at least once.

(but the promise of chocolate cake at home makes everything better)

after all that… i think they turned out pretty great.

much like my little munchkins.

not always easy,

but pretty amazing.

 

today we pray for children and adults everywhere living with autism.

today we pray for jackson.

i wouldn’t change a single thing about my little boy.

but after a hard weekend for him,

i am feeling extra aware of his challenges.

so many things we don’t think twice about 

can turn his little world upside down.

i love every bit of this boy,

but i do hope for his future…

that life won’t always be so hard.

that other children will be drawn to him.

that conversations will be easier.

that he will be able to enjoy new experiences.

today we go blue in celebration of all the amazing people God has created

who just also happen to be autistic.

join us in celebrating them.

in raising awareness.

in showing our support.

and in prayer for the joys and challenges their lives will bring.

jackson,

today we go blue

for you.

oh, macie.

i love your beautiful eyes,

your chunky rolls,

your happy little spirit.

i can’t believe you are six months old already!

you bring joy to everyone you meet.

i love you, precious girl.

i am one proud auntie!

rose is one of those friends you’ve had so long,

you really can’t even remember when you met.

or how you met.

it’s like she’s just always been there.

rose has been a sweet part of our lives for over a decade.

we’ve shared a lot of life together-

camps, church, youth ministry, kiddos…

the bachmans love rose.

(not to mention, rose & i have the same birthday.  i think that automatically makes us kindred spirits)

rose has an incredible heart for ministry,

and has felt God leading her to full-time ministry in costa rica.

she is leaving in the next few months 

and needed photos for her prayer cards.

i was honored when she asked me to do them.

it also meant we got to have her visit for a bit,

which everyone was very excited about!

rose, we just love you

and we are so excited to see how God is going to use you

in costa rica!

and since my kiddos came along,

we had to get a picture with rose.

amazingly, they all decided to cooperate

my life has been pretty awesome lately.

i’ve had the opportunity to photograph several newborns.

the best.

i’m especially loving newborns because of what a significant time it is.

babies grow so fast… in a few weeks their little bodies stretch out and they wake up to the world.

the first week is pretty amazing.

this little guy had me from the moment i set eyes on him.

all decked out in little jeans and a trendy sweater…

baby perfection.

he’s also a super lucky little man-

his mommy & daddy were some of our first friends here in orange county,

and they are top-notch, amazing people.

 he has two of the cutest big sisters on the planet.

this family is going to be busy with three little ones ages three and under!

but if anyone can handle it with grace and a smile (and perfect style), 

it will be them.

baby liam-

born at nine pounds, six ounces

you are a sweet chunk of love.

i adore your chubby cheeks and your kissable lips.

i have no doubt that your future is quite bright, little one.

 

oh, beautiful everly.

i loved getting to meet this sweet baby in the hospital last week,

and was so excited about our newborn shoot together.  

she  wasn’t too sure if she wanted to take pictures at first,

but after some work we finally got her to sleep!

it was worth all the effort-

could she be any more precious?

i look forward to watching you grow, little one!

 

oh, one year olds.

so adorable as they are learning to run around.

their bodies still round and chubby with little rolls.

their teeth still coming in.

their delight at everything around them.

sweet raegan is no exception.

she just turned one in january and is an absolute joy.

she is full of sunny smiles and curiosity at the big world around her.

i had the privilege of photographing raegan & her beautiful parents last fall.

it was exceptionally windy that day, so the poor baby had purple lips after just 20 minutes!

luckily, this time it was a gorgeous 70 degrees on balboa island.

i had such a fun time capturing this adorable little girl.

happy one year, miss raegan!

you are loved, little one.