Last October we had lifestyle photos taken by my dear friend, Lily Glass, and I couldn't be happier with the results. The last time we had a professional portraits taken Caleb was turning one; so we were definitely overdue. I truly understand the importance of hiring a professional to document a growing family. But I also understand all the reasons why one might want to postpone taking them. Sometimes it's something fairly simple, like "my home isn't photo-worthy" or "I want to lose the baby weight first" or "I don't know what to wear" or "I'm not photogenic." Or there could be a deeper reason. We have wanted to grow our family and have experienced too many heartbreaking losses in the process. I think that I was waiting for things to work out for us before we could photograph our family. But last fall I decided that now is the time to document our family's story- during the struggles and the waiting and the hoping. So Lily documented a snippet of our story one morning that included a few of our favorite things- enjoying pancakes together and laughing with our amazing little boy.
When I look at these candid moments I see God's grace and love in our lives. I see how lucky I am to have Brandon and Caleb in my life. I look at these pictures and I see that we are still here together, through all the struggles. Laughing together. Our story isn't over. But even as we look to the future, I am reminded that all we have is today. All we have is each other and a life to live today. And I'm so grateful for that.
I am so grateful for the families that have trusted and supported me along the way in my photography journey. I want to specifically thank the four families that gave their encouragement and permission to share these images in The Bump magazine. I love each one of these portrait sessions and I feel like these images truly show the style and heart of my photography. 
