I’ve known Belinda since 8th grade! We both went to Mansfield and now live close to each other! We both struggled with loss and the inability to get pregnant.

Her sweet one is 3 months older than Fitzy. They are beautiful miracles! I am SO thankful we walk this road together!

Those shots make me tear up. Neither of us ever really thought we would be holding babies in our arms – and here they are!

SO SERIOUS!

OH MY WORD!

I LOVE YOU GUYS!

When I was in college – I saw a poster for a Student Activities trip – to the Renaissance Faire. I thought – my dad would LOVE that! I wonder how much it costs. I checked – $5 for me and $10 for my dad. SERIOUSLY?! That covered the fee into the Faire and the bus ride down!

That was 10 years ago! TEN YEARS! We went with the college up until they changed the policy on who could go. Then we made our own trip!

It’s kind of like Christmas for my dad. He saves all year and makes a suit of armor. We watch glass blowing – eat giant turkey legs and soup in a bread bowl – get cinnamon almonds for the trip home – bid at the pirate auction. The first year we went – it was just the two of us. We watched the glass blowing demonstration – they made a pumpkin. I’ve always wanted one and since this year was our anniversary – I got TWO!

We were hesitant about bringing Fitzy – but he did FANTASTIC! He slept a little on the way down and chatted with grandpa. Walked around the park or caught a ride on shoulders. Posed for pictures and roared like the dragon he was! He took a nap in the afternoon and met a little friend who shared her goldfish and some kisses. He slept almost the whole ride home – we tired him out!

Belinda let me borrow her dragon costume!

Make up artist – I am NOT. But it worked – till it got warm anad melted off!

The dragon and the knight he defeated!

It got REALLY warm – so the dragon turned into a pirate!

He was too little to ride the elephant – maybe in a few years!

Fitzy met this little girl on our trek around the park. He loved her.

I love these pictures! It’s just a mango Slush Puppie people!

We switched to the dragon costume I had originally bought because it was a little lighter and I would have felt horrible if he got the one from Belinda all sticky!

On our way out of the Faire – we had SO much fun!

He is TOO big!

The dragon and the knight – friends after all!

I met *K* and her family through our MOPS group! She is so sweet and kind and has some MEGA cute kiddos!

Her family welcomed a little boy in early October and she asked me to capture this moment in time for them!

HOW CUTE ARE THEY!?!?!?

And that chair! I’m having major chair envy lately!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE seeing two older sisters with a little brother – melts my heart and reminds of me and my little sister and brother!

OH MY WORD!

These shots are TOO cute!

We had to get some shots of the little guy!

I love those last shots!

*K* – I had such a great time with you guys! I hope you love your pictures as much as I do!

KT and I met in 2005 – I think. We immediately connected and became really close friends. In 2007 – she lived with us for a semester while attending college at Mansfield. In early 2010 – things got crazy. It doesn’t matter what happened – but we stopped talking. We were both very hurt and angry and confused. I missed her. I missed out on her pregnancy and birth of *O*. I missed her being there while I was pregnant with Fitzy. I had photographed her so many times – just for fun – her engagement to *C* – her wedding. I was sad. We had been such close friends and then nothing but hurt and anger.

I don’t remember exactly how we started talking again. I had some albums of her that I didn’t use anymore and wanted to make sure they were in her hands and not just in my closet collecting dust. I emailed her and asked if she wanted them. We talked about how much we missed our friendship. We said we were sorry. We admitted our wrongs and asked for forgiveness.

We finally met at a park over the summer with our sweet children. Jared and I stayed with them in September and they came down to see us last month.

I’m SO excited to have this friendship back – and equally excited to post these photos!

She is SO cute! Fitzy loves her and they get along so well!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE those shots!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE those ones too! I want that top picture on MY wall!

KT – I LOVE YOU. I am so thankful that we got over ourselves and reconnected.

I’m so excited you were finally in front of my camera again!

At the end of September – we spent the day with our friend Aszur and her family!

She took a few shots of us on their property – thank you Aszur – I LOVE them!

I am so in love with our little family! It’s been a difficult year – and we are so looking forward to moving on and embracing what life has in store for us – even if it’s more rough roads (which seems to be the norm for us).

I love when clients get gift certificates for their family!

Holly gave Megan a gift certificate for her little guy *S* and we finally figured out a time for pictures!

Normally – 3 month olds are the hardest for me to photograph – but this little guy was WONDERFUL!

OH MY HEART!

My parents have a BEAUTIFUL property! This little patch of trees worked perfectly for our session!

Megan – it was GREAT to meet you and cuddle your little guy!

Holly – thanks SO much for giving the gift of photography!

Seventeen. I cannot believe that Fitzy’s been here for 17 months!

I brought Fitzy along on a session – which I don’t like to do – but Jared was along in no time to pick him up!

OH MY HEART! I cannot even deal with the cuteness!

I LOVE that series – so sweet!

One more shot – on my way home from the session with the *B* family that night!

BEAUTIFUL!

Dillan entered the *B* family into the BEAUTIFUL contest earlier this year – and his submission won them a free session!

CRAZY CUTE KIDDOS!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE those shots!

Dillan – thanks SO much for nominating this BEAUTIFUL family!

Michelle & Phil – you guys are AWESOME!

I met with Melvin & Heather for their maternity session in August!

They were gifted a newborn session for their sweet little miracle – which reminds me – GIFT CERTIFICATES ARE A GREAT IDEA!

This chair – I fell in LOVE with this chair! I told them it might come up missing!

Absolute perfection!

You guys are so blessed! I can’t wait to watch your little guy grow!

Today is Thursday – October 11th – your 3rd birthday. I have a dear friend who has a daughter your age. It’s bittersweet. I love watching her and witnessing her growth – but it reminds me of the little boy you would be.

I truly believe that you had your daddy’s eyes – a sea green. You would probably be tall like your little brother. You would love Fitzy. You would be building legos together and reading books. You would love your grandparents and spend all day in the field with gpa Trout or dancing with gma Barden.

I have a picture of you in my head – but sometimes I just like to keep it safe in there instead of describe how you look to me.

You’ve got your hands full in heaven – with a little brother and sister – cousins too. I’ve wondered before if you have birthdays in heaven – but I’d like to think you do.

Today you’ll play with your little friends – maybe run through a sprinkler. You’ll open presents – mostly just cotton candy – since it’s easily made in the clouds. You’ll eat cake and ice cream. It will be a great day!

I’ve been really sad lately. I’ve been really angry. And jealous. Your daddy struggles with anxiety – and it’s been pretty bad lately. I’m trying to help him – but it doesn’t seem to be working. I’m wishing for the year to be over – we lost two more babies this year and it seems like it’s been years since it happened. I take pictures of people that have babies when we should have. It’s hard. I love capturing those moments for them but I can tell you that I cry on the way home. Sometimes even on the way there. It’s funny how time as a whole seems to go SO fast but as a day by day process – it creeps by at an extremely slow pace. We found a house we loved. It didn’t work out. I’ve been so very sad about it. I’ve been so angry with people that were able to move whenever they wanted. I’ve been so jealous. I’m trying to be excited about this house we are in. But when I look around at all that NEEDS to be done – I get sad again. We need to do SO much to this house to make it even remotely what we might want. I see a mountain – that I don’t want to climb. A mountain I never wanted to be standing on in the first place. Maybe it’s because I’m home all day and I just see every little thing that I don’t like. Sticking it’s tongue out at me – teasing me. But I’m having a very hard time accepting that we are here. To stay.

I’ve also had a really hard time trusting. It’s been a really hard year and your daddy and I know that we will get through this rough patch – but the hits keep coming – knocking me down again and again.

I feel like God has forgotten me. Seriously.

Now you have to understand something about me that might surprise you – or not. I have control issues – you know this. But I also have trust issues – because I have control issues. When you think you’re in control – the only person you trust is – yourself.

I don’t trust God – wholeheartedly. THAT might surprise you. I talk about it a lot – that God is in control and He will do what He does. But when I really truly think about it – I don’t completely trust Him. Or maybe it’s better put this way – I don’t trust that He will indeed make it all good.

I just needed to get it all out there – and since you are hanging out in heaven with JC all day – I thought maybe you could cheer me on as I try to embrace a new attitude of trust. I want to be happy in His will – not just wishing I was.

Little Enoch – we miss you terribly down here. I can’t believe that we’ve spent three years without you in our arms. I never knew your face but I see it everyday. I never heard your voice but I hear it now and then. You are loved. You are missed. But for some reason – heaven needed you more than we did.