“it’s a big deal to have a baby. after you have a baby, you are left with a softly pooched out tummy and aching nether-regions, sore breasts and your entire heart now laying beside you making noises like a kitten. you are weepy and exhausted, gloriously alive and powerful. you are a life-giver and so now you want both a nap and a hearty roast beef dinner for your troubles. your skin is criss-crossed with stretch marks because you don’t participate in co-creation with God without being marked by the experience. you became a mother…”
– sarah bessey
the last time I saw Gabe and Eli was back in 2013 when we spent the afternoon playing at the park. last week they added a sweet baby sister to their family, miss Elizabeth Anne! they didn’t know if they were expecting a brother or sister, but two days before her birthday Gabe had a dream that the baby was a GIRL, and sure enough now here she is!
I walked in the door and could not believe how much the boys have changed in just two short years! this little boy was just a toddler last time I saw him! 
love this portrait of these two best buddies:
Elizabeth is already crazy about her big brothers :) as soon as they came close she reached right for them! 
meredith asked for a few photos of her and elizabeth nursing, and these are some of my favorites from the session. i can only imagine the amount of time each day that they spend in this very position, and i think it’s so sweet when we’re able to document that in a beautiful way:
yep that looks about right to me! quite possibly my favorite photo of the 5 of them ;) 
how precious is she?! i bet meredith was so excited to walk into the girls clothing section and be able to pick up some pink after all these years! :)
if you couldn’t already tell, I was absolutely smitten with elizabeth’s sweet strawberry blonde wispy curls! she had this one curl that formed a perfect little mohawk right in the middle :) 
i am ALL ABOUT letting your kids be themselves during our session. i want the images to always feel true to my clients, and i want to incorporate the things that their days are filled with. as soon as we finished a few family portraits the boys immediately found some of their old halloween costumes, and i thought it represented this stage so perfectly :)
i knew this would be a favorite from the moment i took it. the boys are completely obsessed with dinosaurs; i mean i learned more about dinosaurs from Gabe and Eli in the 3 hours i was at their house than i ever have before! Eli was rocking his dino costume, and as soon as he gave me this look with those big brown eyes my heart melted! 
dinos have to behave themselves, otherwise the police officer will be quick to handcuff them and send ’em to jail! ;)
again with those wispy curls… i couldn’t get enough!
thanks again for having me over for the morning! can’t wait to see you all again soon! happy friday! :)
Oh Jessie, we LOVE these! Thank you so much for capturing so many special moments for our family.