Have I mentioned that my dearest best friend is having a baby!? I think I might have!

Aiden couldn’t WAIT to help open ALL the presents!!

HOMEMADE BABY BLANKETS – THE BEST!!

That guy – he kept everybody laughing the entire time!

I am NOT a party planner. It’s NOT my thing! Turns out – it’s NOT Sierra’s thing either!

BUT – WE DID IT!!

MISSY – I CANNOT BELIEVE SHE IS GOING TO BE HERE SOON!!

This is the THIRD year I’ve taken photos for Becca & Macy & their family!

If you haven’t noticed – it’s been a VERY VERY rainy season! The day we scheduled photos – after rearranging the farm chores – it called for LOTS of rain. It rained all morning – BUT – miraculously – in the early afternoon – it stopped!!

We still made sure to get some in the barn – because that’s their life!

COUSINS – I LOVED growing up with cousins!!

The last time I saw this sweetie – she was BRAND NEW!!

Growing up on a farm – they will have the BEST childhood!!

Aren’t they so sweet!!

SWEET SWET SISTERS!!

THANK YOU for asking me to come photograph your ever-growing family! See you in a few months to capture all THREE of your babies!!

6 years ago I met Jessica & Chris to take their engagement photos – and 5 years ago – their wedding photos!

I recently met with them again – in the same place as their engagement & wedding photos – to capture their pregnancy!

Jessica wasn’t sure about keeping our session scheduled. It rained WAY TOO MUCH the second half of the summer and into fall – and the place where we wanted to do pictures was very very soppy & muddy.

We kept the session scheduled and prayed for the rain to stop and a GREAT sky. And I brought my mud boots!

I’M SO HAPPY WE KEPT THE DATE!!

SWOON!!

THAT TREE!!

When you’re waiting to be a momma – time NEVER moves fast enough.

THAT REFLECTION!!

THOSE SHOTS MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE!!

THE PERFECT SKY!!

Jessica & Chris – thank you SO MUCH for asking me back into your lives to capture this MIRACULOUS time!

I’m so excited for you both! I can’t wait to see you with your baby in your arms!

I’ve been taking Autumn’s photos for the past 6 or 7 years! Their engagement – wedding – babies – family – birthday parties – ALL THE THINGS!!

This year – we met at their newly acquired property – which is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!

LOOK AT THAT FACE!!

OH MY HEART!!

BASEBALL BROTHERS!!

And soon – a little sister will make her debut!!

You know what my FAVORITE thing about that picture is? Autumn’s fingertips barely brushing her little boy’s head. THAT MOMENT.

That little glance. THAT MOMENT!

Reaching for his momma’s hand. THAT MOMENT!!

That little baby girl at the edge of the frame! AN HOUR IN THE LIFE OF YOU!!

ISN’T HE DARLING!!

This little guy – he’s gonna be a baseball player when he grows up!

I MEAN – SERIOUSLY! LOOK AT HIM!!

Autumn & Ryan – thank you SO MUCH for asking me into your lives year after year!! I can’t WAIT to see you as a family of FIVE!!

 

AN HOUR IN THE LIFE of your family – it’s my FAVORITE way to photograph!

THAT SMILE!! THOSE CLOSED EYES!! MY FAVORITE SHOT!!

BE STILL MY HEART!! I LOVE THOSE SHOTS!!

It’s absolutely AMAZING that God created a woman’s body to CARRY & NOURISH her child. That’s a living & breathing LIFE inside that womb! MIRACULOUS!

 

Isn’t he ADORABLE! Aren’t they BEAUTIFUL! Angie – I cannot WAIT to meet your new addition next time we meet!

THANK YOU so much for asking me to photography this miraculous time in your lives!

I met Angie through her sister Amanda. I met Amanda because of her friend Arica. And I’m not sure how Arica found out about me – but I think it might have been through Stephanie!

When you tell your friends and family about me. When your friends and family see the pictures of YOUR family. THE BEST REFERRAL SOURCE OUT THERE!

Angie & her little family are waiting to add one more!

He really wasn’t sure of me – but to be fair – it was 9 in the morning on a Saturday!

I LOVE THOSE SHOTS!!

I won him over – in record time!!

I’ll post the rest of their session tomorrow!

I love being part of the family with you WONDERFUL people!

Lauren & Dan asked me to photograph their pregnancy with their oldest YEARS ago – and I’ve been back for ALL the babies after that!

SISTERS – the middle two!

The oldest and the youngest – BROTHERS!!

EVERYONE wanted to hold the baby!

LOVE LOVE LOVE those shots!

That sweet girl – she is NOT the baby anymore!

LOOK AT THAT SWEET BOY – he only has eyes for his momma!

Those sweet babies – VERY RARELY do I get sleepy babies!!

Lauren & Dan – THANK YOU for asking me to capture ALL the moments over the years!!

UGH! He just can’t be GROWN UP already!

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!

“A great marriage doesn’t happen because of the love you had in the beginning but how well you continue building love until the end.”

I know Missy isn’t going to LOVE that I threw these next pictures in for all of you to see – BUT – I SEE REAL JOY & HAPPINESS!!

HAPPINESS THAT OVERFLOWS!!

Missy & Cody – I LOVE YOU GUYS SO VERY MUCH!!

Missy & Cody have been getting family pictures EVERY year for the last several years! It’s one of the things that started our friendship!

I couldn’t wait to do their pictures time time! WITH A BABY ON BOARD!!

I was trying to tell him that his sister would be named Danielle – he was NOT having it!

Nearly every time I see him – he says – BECKY! I LOVE YOU!

Remember my name is NOT Becky! HA! DANIELLE!

MY FAVORITE SHOT!! That sweet baby girl – being born into such BEAUTIFUL GRACE!!

She’s only halfway done cooking – so we’ll do BIG BABY BELLY maternity photos later this fall!

MISSY – do you work out?!

SWOON!! I LOVE THOSE SHOTS!!

I think Missy is a vampire and doesn’t really age! NO WAY she has an 18 year old!

STAY TUNED for the rest!!

I say WE because I feel like it’s “my” baby a little bit too! Actually – I know a few others that might say WE too!

I’m sure you’ve read about my best friend Missy! I met her because of this little page RIGHT HERE! She saw a blog I posted from someone on FACEBOOK and realized we both had great dane puppies!

We got together for a few puppy dates and grew closer through our shared struggle – infertility.

I took their family photos and we talked about how hard it was to be happy for other people that were expecting. Other people that got to hold their babies.

How SO VERY HARD it was to hope.

She would read my blog and call me and SOB! WHY DO I ALWAYS SOB WHEN I READ THIS!

That’s how we became friends. Because I was open and honest and raw and vulnerable.

Missy & Cody needed to use the amazing technical miracle of IVF to conceive. The day after Fitzy was born – Missy stopped in to see me on her way back from the fertility clinic. They were pregnant!

They had several embryos fertilized in the early months of 2011 – and while more than one was implanted – only Aiden stayed. I was ending my miracle pregnancy and she was starting hers!

About 4 years ago they had more embryos implanted – but those babies didn’t stay here on this earth.

Missy & Cody have BEEN THROUGH IT. Not just with infertility and multiple losses but the “normal” stuff life throws at you and even some of the “not-so-normal” stuff.

Missy prayed. I prayed. We prayed. So many people prayed. For their family – for their marriage – for their journey.

Did you know that Jesus is RIGHT THERE? WITH YOU RIGHT NOW? You only have to reach out your hand and your heart and say – YES! PLEASE! HELP ME!

Cody discovered that truth recently – and it TRANSFORMED HIS ENTIRE LIFE!!

I have very rarely been able to WATCH someone be completely transformed because of asking Jesus into their life – AND IT IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!

Grace. Upon grace. UPON SO MUCH GRACE.

Missy & Cody had their last set of embryos in storage and they prayed. Was the time was right – do you stop freezing them? While they are only TINY TEENY little embryos – they are indeed very alive.

So – no. They didn’t stop. They had three implanted earlier this spring.

Missy traveled to Syracuse several times over the course of a few months – and she asked me to come along on one of those trips!

SEVEN WEEKS PREGNANT – and you CAN SEE A HEARTBEAT! YOU CAN HEAR A HEARTBEAT!!

Grabbing a snack via IV! IVF is no walk in the park! Shots. Hormones. SO MANY SHOTS!! Hopes. Disappointment. More shots. Hormones. Exhaustion. Tears. Miles.

Three little babies were implanted and ONE stayed.

This time – Missy has been SO VERY SICK!

And she went and got herself a full-time job and we don’t get to spend nearly as much time together as we used to – but being involved in the details of this baby – MEANS SO MUCH TO ME!

SO VERY VERY SICK – ending up in the ER for fluids. A little bit of a scare in losing this baby. It’s been a dramatic few months!

YESTERDAY “we” found out whether this AMAZING little soul was a boy or a girl!

I went with them to the ultrasound yesterday morning to take some photos!

It’s hard to make out – but that is a profile! 20 weeks old – not even a pound yet. And you can see the 4 chambers of the heart. You can see the arms. The fingers. The legs. The eyes. The little mouth yawning. ALL THE THINGS!

Aiden got his very own picture of his new baby! AND had to keep a secret – ALL DAY!!

LOOK AT THAT FACE! THAT SMILE!

THEY KNOW!! WE KNOW!!

CAN YOU TELL? DO YOU KNOW?

We stopped for brunch on the way home and Aiden helped me in a cute little picture of what his new baby will be!

BUT – the four of us were sworn to secrecy until last night – WHEN EVERYONE WOULD FIND OUT!

SHHHHH!! AIDEN – you can’t tell anyone!! YOU ARE ALMOST DONE KEEPING YOUR SECRET!

IT’S A GIRL!!!

They MIGHT be a little excited!

Missy’s mom might be a little excited!

We ALL might be a little excited!

And we all know that this sweet little girl NEEDS a girl-friend in this group of boys!

SUCH A CELEBRATION OF LIFE & LOVE & SO MUCH GRACE!!

Find your tribe. Keep them close.

Jared snapped that one of Jose – SURPRISED MUCH!?

MISSY – I LOVE YOU SO VERY VERY MUCH! Thank you for asking me to come along on this journey with you! EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!

GRACE UPON GRACE. SO MUCH GRACE UPON GRACE!