My friend Johna LOVES camping! Their campground holds a cardboard boat regatta and they invited us to come along!

Fitzy LOVES Macy – they get along so well! They decided to race together in a boat!

Which means that Matt made the boat!

Fitzy LOVED hanging out with Macy and her friends and going around the campground – like a big giant kid!

They decided to name their boat The Macy Fitzgerald – which sounds like a VERY fancy boat name!

Fitzy had said that naming a boat the Titanic would NOT be the best idea!

We called it a night – but you’ll see the BOAT RACE in a few days!

We visit my parents quite often and I rarely take pictures with my REAL camera!

BUT – I decided to take an INSTAGRAM BREAK for the month of July and it’s forced me to actually take REAL pictures of our lives!

I am an artist with a camera in my hands. THAT IS IT!

BUT – Enoch thought my chick was pretty good – mine is on the left! His is on the right – with a little help from me!

And some fruit – again – NOT AN ARTIST WITHOUT A CAMERA!!

This view looks toward the East – sometimes the sunset reflections are just as pretty as the sunset itself!

We had a small fire – we used to have BIG fires – with a few friends!

My parents live in the house that my dad grew up in – we moved here when I was nine.

This picture window holds SO MANY memories!

LOOKING IN & LOOKING OUT!

They want to start a restaurant when they are older – called BARDEN BROTHERS!!

SEVEN! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!

Have I mentioned I love these CRAZY BOYS!

Also – I LOVE my new lens!

Have I mentioned that I love taking your wedding photos? And then when you’re carrying a precious baby? And THEN when that baby is born?

I LOVE photographing all those moments for you!

I photographed Cassie & Erik’s wedding LAST June and their maternity session THIS June – and now – their sweet little boy!

I LOVE this perspective!

THAT SQUISHY FACE!! THE BEST!!

I’ve discovered that most newborns are happiest in the arms of their momma

Hello wedding rings – we meet again!

You see how relaxed he is? MILK COMA!!

MY FAVORITE!!

Cassie & Erik – thank you for asking me into your lives for the BIG moments!

I’ve been photographing Lauren and Dan for SEVEN years – almost EXACTLY! I first met them when they were pregnant with their oldest!

They’ve asked me back into their lives SEVERAL times over the years – but ALWAYS to capture their pregnancies!

I LOVE THAT SHOT! Kids being kids – living that country life!

She’s the baby – but not for long!

BE STILL MY HEART!!

SWEET SISTERS!!

The boy that made her a momma!

ISN’T SHE GORGEOUS!!

THOSE CURLS!!

And because I wanted to see ALL the way back – here’s a photo from each pregnancy!

That’s from her pregnancy with her oldest! SEVEN YEARS AGO!

And that one – pregnant with her curly-headed little girl!

And pregnant with the baby – that will soon be a big sister!

And now – with their second baby boy – their fourth baby!

Lauren & Dan – THANK YOU SO MUCH for asking me into your lives year after year!

I can’t wait to meet your newest addition!

The final installment!

I LOVE that shot – candid GORGEOUS moments!!

Speeches – precious words that make you laugh and cry!

There may have been some tears shed – these kiddos are officially brother and sister – those are always good tears!

Erin’s son was REALLY hoping for some cake smashing!

So – he took matters into his own hands!

They had a GIANT slip & slide set up for the kids – BEST IDEA EVER!!

I LOVE those rings shots!

I loved those big chairs Erin & Noreen had at their head table – SO MUCH that we lugged them out in the field!

SERIOUSLY!!!

Noreen & Erin – thank you SO MUCH for asking me to spend the evening with you!

Erin told me that he really appreciated how I do this whole photography thing – usually he dreads pictures – but it was painless and fun!

ALWAYS a compliment – especially coming from the groom!

And when Noreen saw the few pictures I posted on FACEBOOK she wrote to me and said –

“I love every picture!! Your talent has always been known in photography but to experience it with my husband and I is beyond words. These pictures have captured our love. THANK YOU!”

THANK YOU NOREEN!! I can’t wait to see you guys again for future family photos!

Noreen and her girls!

FIELDS!! GIVE ME ALL THE HAYFIELDS!!

SUCH SWEET MOMENTS!!

SWOON!!

AGAIN – GIVE ME ALL THE FIELDS!!

GORGEOUS!!

MY FAVORITE SHOTS!!

One more post to wrap up this lovely evening!

My grandma lives in an apartment attached to my parents house – which was once her house.

Back when it was her house – we would visit – a lot. And sometimes we would visit her best friend.

Her best friend was Patricia – sadly – she passed away earlier this year.

Patricia has three children – all about the ages of me and my siblings.

Noreen is the youngest of those children – about the age of my brother. My grandma is still in contact with Noreen and they got talking about her upcoming wedding and she had heard I was a photographer. She reached out to me about her small – intimate wedding – wondering if I did packages that were only an hour or two.

The answer – if I am available – ALWAYS – especially on short notice!

The wedding was supposed to take place at their home – but the rain rain rain came down down down the week before and flooded the field – so they moved the venue to the East Smithfield Fire Hall – it’s the tiniest little building in the middle of a beautiful field!

Noreen and her daughter! TWINS!

She wanted to carry her Gram and her mom with her on her wedding day – what a BEAUTIFUL way to carry their memory!

ADORABLE!

ABSOLUTELY LOVE THOSE SHOTS!!

I very rarely get this view during a ceremony – so I took advantage!

His bride – that look on his face!

He couldn’t even contain his excitement! Neither could she!

Stay tuned for the rest of their wedding day!

Five years ago today the world fell out beneath my feet. Beneath OUR feet.

My husband was not himself. He was cocky. Arrogant. Spontaneous. Those are just some of the nicer words I can use to describe what was happening.

Turns out – he was going through a manic breakdown. Through that breakdown – as most of you know – some secrets came to light. Issues in his life and our life together – came to a head.

I was pregnant with Enoch and God had told us that AMAZING things would happen during this pregnancy.

This was NOT amazing – but does amazing mean good and warm and fuzzy or can it also mean terrible BUT great. Things can be terrible & great. Amazing & terrifying.

And I was “alone” with a two-year old boy that missed his daddy and a baby kicking inside my womb.

I say “alone” because our family was beautiful and supportive and our friends were beautiful and supportive. But I was alone in this marriage.

I was crying. Wondering. Praying. Trusting God. Some more crying. Not really hoping – trusting.

AND HERE WE ARE – FIVE YEARS LATER!

TOGETHER. Because we were all together on that fateful day.

We usually celebrate in style. But my FIL is still on the mend from his stem-cell transplant AND yesterday the rain rain rain came down down down. We found some sunshine in the afternoon and took a chilly dip in our favorite pool. The rest of the day was spent playing games – watching cheesy Christmas Hallmark movies & a little bit of Planet Earth II – spending a much better day together than this day five years ago!

Jared – I love you. I love what our marriage has become and look forward to it getting even better as the years continue. I love that you are so transparent with what happened to you and our lives. I love that you love Jesus and your parents and my parents and our families and our friends. I love how you love our boys and I love how you love me. You love me so well.

I’ve been taking photos for Arica and her family for SEVEN YEARS!

These kiddos are 7 and 4 – just like my sweet boys!

I’ve loved watching them grow!

He’s such a good big brother!

SHE IS SO DARLING!

BE STILL MY HEART!

This is the third house they’ve been in since I’ve been photographing their family!

THIS is the property they’ve been WAITING for!

Sometimes – I can’t pick a favorite between the black & white and the color – so I’ll show you both!

MY FAVORITE!!

SO VERY SWEET! MY FAVORITE MOMENTS!

SUCH A DREAMY SPOT – and it’s their backyard!

My favorite shots YET! My favorite session of their family so far! I feel like that happens every year!

Arica – THANK YOU for asking me into your lives year after year! I APPRECIATE YOUR FAMILY SO MUCH!!