A stylish family, a beautiful home, a sweet dog, and a smiley baby boy.  This morning we had it all!  This photo shoot reminds me of why I love to shoot people in their homes-where they live and eat and spend time together.  Not only did their home make for a perfect backdrop to the shoot, but the pup could come and go and the baby boy was close to his favorite toys and comfy bed when he needed.

Enjoy these beautiful images of this stunning family.  Congratulations on a perfect baby boy!

As I went down in the river to pray

Studying about that good ol’ way

And who shall wear the starry crown?

Good Lord show me the way!

O sisters let’s go down

Let’s go down, come on down

O sisters let’s go down

Down in the river to pray

I love this these sweet children.  They are special friends to my own girls, and their parents are all around very rad, hip, and cool, and most importantly, faithful friends of ours.

We went down to the river this evening to this sweet spot in Rock Creek Park.  These children love to play in the river, and I loved being out there with them.  I’ll definitely be taking my own children back to this special spot.  Thanks for sharing it with me!

We’re riding the East Coast heat wave with homemade ice cream, lots of water play, and a joyful song.  Here’s my sweet girl singing her heart out on our porch this afternoon.  I couldn’t step outside; she would have stopped.  I snuck these through the windows.

What song was she singing?  How Great Thou Art.

And yes, my heart was melting.

I went to visit a dear friend (think 1st grade through college together, high school sleepovers together, and seeing Les Miserables in London together-awesome!)  and meet her newborn this past weekend.  And her precious little girl is perfect!  My favorite part of our visit, though, was seeing my friend over-the-moon in love with her perfect daughter, Penny.

The very talented Roseberrys have been our friends for years.  When I was in college dating Alex long distance, they always welcomed me in their home.  When my oldest was born, Stacy listened and helped as we tried to figure out how to be parents.  And whenever we’re traveling to Dallas or Colorado, we check to see if they’ll be there too.

Our paths continue to cross so often, and that’s good thing.

Stacy also designed my logo.  Her eye for design is slick and modern, and I wish she could come help me decorate my home.

It was great seeing you all again, catching up, and playing with your children who are growing up too quickly.  You guys are beautiful!

This sweet mama was one of my first friends when we moved here.  If you’ve ever moved, you know how important first friends can be.  She’s a beautiful friend, inside and out, and she’s as smart and dedicated as can be.  If I can brag on her for just bit, she just received her M.D. and then had her 3rd baby.  She’s amazing!

They are now a family of five.  2 handsome little boys and now 1 princess.

I’m so glad you all are in my life!  I had a wonderful time with you this morning.  Enjoy!

It’s not Halloween, but that doesn’t mean we don’t dress up.  If your children are like mine, we’re in costume almost every day.  We love pretend play of every type.  Before and after we visit the doctor, we play doctor office.  Sometimes we play ballet class.  And we always dress up and play princess.

And on this occasion, we loved being wild forest animals.

Photographers can give you some beautiful photos with wonderful colors, composition, and focus.  And that’s a wonderful thing!  It takes a lot of knowledge and practice to deliver that consistently.

The most important part of the pictures, though, are the people in it.  Sometimes it doesn’t matter if the lighting is too harsh or the background isn’t pretty or the pose is terrible (see photo #1) or there’s a screaming kid in it (see photo #1, again), if the people you love most are in it and it captures them at that time, it can be one of your favorites.

So take lots of photos this summer.  There are a lot of fun opportunities to capture your family and friends in this season.  Don’t be embarrassed to get in there and demand a group shot.  Everyone will be glad that you did.