No Miscellaneous Monday today – there isn’t any random drivel I can spout that tops adding a new member to the family!

Last Thursday started out just like any other; a drive to the gym, a check-in with my sister to find out she wasn’t in labor yet, breakfast, Hubby and I making plans for the day, etc.  Then a call came in that this Thursday would be different.  Katie was being induced and Nephew #2 would be arriving!  Really we shouldn’t have been surprised.  It was her due date, and both of her children now have arrived right on their due dates.

I had the privilege of being at her side when she gave birth to our first nephew, Ethan, a year and a half ago.  I got to do that all over again for the arrival of Elijah Daniel, and of course, document it.  The experience was totally different, but just as wonderful.

Comparisons to his big brother Ethan are inevitable.  And, it’s likely no surprise that when he first arrived we all exclaimed how much he looked just like Ethan.  He really did – so much the same, and yet so much a different person, almost as if he was masquerading as Ethan.   His face has since settled and he has his own distinctive features now – similar, but still his own.  What struck me most, even in those first handful of first minutes, was how distinctly he was already his own person. Eli is a whole different personality for us to get to know.

So far we know he is bigger than his brother, more vocal and far more snuggly.  He loves being wrapped up and warm and cozy.  His entrance was totally different – calm, measured and quiet.  He came just as winter was beginning, whereas Ethan came just as summer was taking hold.

A huge Congratulations to Katie & Jacob!  We couldn’t be more thrilled for you.  Hubby and I are already totally in love with little Eli.  Meeting him has only amplified our own excitement over meeting baby girl in a few months.  I’ve already told Eli all about her, and how they will be good friends.   Welcome to the family Elijah Daniel!

Julie & Tucker’s dog Ellie really caught my heart.  She is old and she is slow.  She has lost some of her original grace and agility.  But she is kind, incredibly sweet, and she looks at you with those sort of old-soul eyes that tug at your heart.  She’s really Tucker’s first love.  Long before there was Julie, there was Ellie.  She’s accepted Julie in their lives, but it is clear that Tucker is her preference.  She’s been there since he was a gangly teenager first learning the dating ropes.  And now she’s got a front row seat as he embarks on marriage.  She’s seen a lot with those kind eyes of hers, and I hope she sees a lot more.

We spent an extra few minutes outside, she and I, while Julie and Tucker got ready for part two of their engagement shoot.  Just a few extra minutes to give her favorite man a little something to treasure, many years from now.  I wanted Tucker to have images that would remind him about the felty sweetness of her ears, the cold nuzzle of her nose, the regal carriage of her posture and that sweet loving look in her eyes.

I don’t post about it often, but I take great joy in continuing the photographic record of my couples’ lives, by photographing not just their weddings, but the years that follow with babies and their families.  I’ve been lucky to continue to capture the lives of several couples this year as they expand their little families to include babies and children.

I often remark that Calie & Erik are part of one of my “favorite” families.  And they really are.  Theirs is one that has been so kind to me, has supported and cheered me and my business on since meeting them all two short years ago.  Every referral they send me is a joy, and I’ve been lucky to continue photographing this brood since Calie & Erik’s wedding, whether in family and baby sessions, or when they are guests at new weddings.

Without further ado….welcome Baby Hudson!  He’s a squishy little ball of sweetness and joy.  Such a perfect combination of Calie & Erik.  Calm with goofy faces to catch you off guard.  Coos contrasted with “I know what I want” attitude.  Just an awesome little newborn.  It was so fun to see Calie and Erik stumble around and feel out the practice of being first-time parents.  It’s a joy and a privilege to witness and record this next step in married life, one I am so honored to be asked to do.

Calie & Erik (and the whole clan) – thanks for continuing to ask me to capture the memories of your lives! It continues to be an honor.

If you are a former wedding client of mine – I will always do my best to accommodate your requests for baby or family photo sessions.  I try to accommodate requests from others as well, but the wedding calendar doesn’t always permit much portrait work.  And, if you are a former wedding client – you get a free disk of high resolution files with your session!

This image I initially overlooked when I shot it has become my current obsession.  Just a sweet little shot of our nephew Ethan, being hoisted into the air by his Dad.  It’s a flash in time, a happy accident.  I’m obsessed with the composition, the expression, the hands, the strength, the chubbiness, the tones, the swirls of hair, the little nose, the whiteness, the blackness, the creaminess.  Really all of it.

If he were my kid, I’d blow it up big on a canvas for his room.  Because compositions like this get better the bigger they are.  Since he isn’t my kid – it’ll be printed pretty big and framed in a simple silver frame for our mantel.