Life is a challenge, but photos help us see and remember the beauty

Our youngest eclipsed 5 months this week and it has been the biggest month-to-month jump of his life and taking portraits of him was a must. Theo’s personality has really blossomed lately. Also, he just started to roll over and his energy is constantly bubbling. We have had a tough 6 months in this house with Cassie receiving treatment for breast cancer and looking ahead to the newborn phase this past November was nerve wracking. We figured certainly two rounds of chemo for a developing baby wouldn’t make this any easier, right? When we named him, we landed on Theodore because it means “Gift of God”. Looking back, I see how naming him this was us casting an expectant prayer to God: “We will love any child you give us Lord, but dang do we have a lot on our plates right now. Some wind in our sails would be really appreciated right about now!”

Oh man….how the Lord has come through on answering that prayer. Theo is a heathy baby that sleeps like a rock and doles out smiles like candy. He’s just always happy and you cannot help but smile when you’re near him! We really couldn’t have received more of a gift in this season of our lives and it calls to mind a verse from a famous John Newton hymn:

Thou art coming to a King,
large petitions with thee bring,
for his grace and pow'r are such,
none can ever ask too much.

Create cherished art with custom family portraits

I think often when we consider getting family photos done, we think, “Beach…Jeans…White Oxfords…Sunset”. To be clear: I’m supportive of any vision folks might have for their family photos. If everyone in their fresh blue and whites is something you’ve always dreamed of hanging on your wall, don’t let me discourage you. My point is that you can do anything your mind can dream up for family photos and it doesn’t need to fit into any one box. Individual portraits of your kiddos (and yourselves!) is a truly special way to invest in family photos.

It was a gloomy day in Bridgeport when I took these photos and decided to roll with it, making the photos more contrasty. This isn’t a typical choice for baby photos, which are usually light and airy. But when paired up with a bubbly baby boy, the darker setting allows everything about Theo to shine through beautifully. On another day, we might have chosen Theo in Cassie’s arms, dressed in light colors in our all-white studio and we would love those shots too. Nevertheless, these shots are headed to a prominent place on our gallery wall, right next to the more light and airy photos of Benji. What do you think you’d like to see your family photos like on your walls?

Whatever you do, prioritize getting family photos!

Life can be challenging and tomorrow is not guaranteed. If there is any wisdom to share from our experience with cancer these past months, it is to prioritize your family. We thought we had a pretty good idea what was coming around the bend. When we realized how much our future was in limbo, I found myself repenting to Cass and Benji for how I hadn’t been cherishing my time with them as the God-given gift it is.

A lot changed, but one thing I immediately noticed was how much I loved this one portrait we have of Benji on our wall (included below). I would look at it and it filled me with such a joy that I hadn’t experienced before, though I saw it every day for the past year. He is such a gift, and it is such a gift that we captured his personality as a zesty three year old in this portrait. All of this to say: get the photos done. They don’t have to be professional shots necessarily, but it sure does make a difference.

Once you have those images, get them printed…Right away! Do not delay at all because you will forget and they will live on your phone way too long. The sooner they are printed, framed, and hung up, the sooner you can enjoy them each and every day. Since this is so important, I’m happy to offer high quality prints that can be sent right to your house. You’ll be able to simply add them to your cart in your online gallery!