We met our dear friends in a wooded park by their home yesterday. As always, it was fun, beautiful, and life-giving. I love each of you! It always fills my heart when I spend time with you.

Enjoy!

I really enjoyed my time playing with these two guys today, not to mention hanging out with their sweet mom. They spent the afternoon playing in their yard, and I got to take it all in. The first born just turned 6, had a baseball themed party, and thinks Batman is really cool. The second is freshly one, doesn’t complain about crawling on hot pavement, but isn’t so sure about prickly grass.

They are full of fun movement and play. What a pleasure it is to watch them grow!

Thank you to you all for making my afternoon such a joy!

In parenthood, we have high highs and some low lows. We can go from giggling to crying in no time, from singing joyfully in car to pulling a sister’s hair, from twirling to a song to stopping abruptly and picking our noses. It’s such a ride!

On the the 4th of July, I snapped a sweet picture of a daddy and his daughter about to join the parade on her tricycle. Minutes later, she was crying and he scooped her up under his arm and walked the route. It was cute, although maybe not at the time, and afterwards her mom says to me, “I’m so glad you got that picture. We’ll just remember the happy parts of the day!”

My husband and I are amazed by our daughter’s expressiveness. She was in a theatrical mood this afternoon after the storm and humored me for just a bit.

It’s fun being her mom. I never know what I’m going to get… but whatever it is, it’s always amazing!

These beautiful siblings are amazing. They are new friends to us in DC, and after only being here a few months, they have quickly made friends at school and church. It’s been great and impressive to see them adjust and flourish so beautifully.

I look forward to watching them grow some more! I’m sure you see their faces on my blog in the future . . . they are too fun and gorgeous to photograph!

I got a new lens!  My daughter has her dresses, the other her dolls, Phoebe has pacifiers.  My husband loves a new video game.  For me, it’s camera gear.  I love it!  I often joke that I’m in business just to support my habit.

So I broke out my lens as soon as I could and started asking kids to “look here.”  And here they looked, and then I snapped.  I love their expressions, their personalities, and their eyes.  Oh, their eyes!

I’m currently booking sessions for July and August.  I can’t wait to start shooting family sessions again.  I’ve missed getting out, meeting new people, and helping them make beautiful pictures of their families.

Oh, I love my sweet little baby Phoebe!  She’s usually so sleepy, so I was pleased to catch her with her eyes open today.

Meet my dynamic nephew.  He’s goofy, spunky, and loves all things BOY.  (Boys Rule, Girls Drool! Right?)  In a family of 6 girl cousins and 1 boy, we all find his love for trucks, dinosaurs, and soccer quite refreshing!

This week’s theme at I Heart Faces is “All Boy” as we celebrate Father’s Day this month.  Charlie, you are all boy, and we love every bit of it!

Don’t miss a Family Fun Run in Silver Spring this Saturday.  There will be great people, great fun, great food, great prizes, and great people.  Most of all, though, we’ll be raising money for a meaningful cause– finding a cure for blood cancer.

I’ll be giving away one family photo session to a lucky family.

Check it out!  Spread the word!

Yesterday, Phoebe turned 4 weeks old.

She’s eating, growing, sleeping, and delighting us everyday.

I hold and snuggle her as much as I can.  And I don’t want to forget her early, tiny days.

I’m enjoying my time off with my sweet little baby–cuddling her, watching her, and loving on her.  It’s nice to be able to focus solely on my family, rest, and reorganize my life as a mom of 3.  But one of the best parts is that I get to take a ton of pictures of her and my girls.

I’m experimenting, trying new poses and angles, and editing with different techniques. It’s a creative challenge everyday, and it’s reminding me how much I love to create.

Here’s Phoebe at 3 weeks.  She’s already filling out and changing so much!