ivy | 3 months

I’ve taken a little hiatus from working this Spring.  March is essentially a blur.  The past few months have been focused on my own family and friends.  On a Friday afternoon near the end of February, my sister went into cardiac arrest.  She’s a loving mother of 4 children, ages 12 to under 1, with no prior health issues and it was completely out of the blue.  I spent the next week in Atlanta at my sister’s bedside, hoping and praying that she would survive, and then survive as herself, without brain injury.  It’s a long and miraculous tale, one best told through the journal entries posted to a CaringBridge site established for my sister during the melee to keep everyone up-to-date (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/tracyslatoncrosson).  After two weeks in the hospital, my sister returned home to her beautiful family with the hope of a full recovery.  Her family needed quite a bit of help over the next month as Tracy recovered and worked through cardio, occupational, and speech therapy.  I spent quite a bit of time down in Atlanta in March and April, enjoying time with my sister and her family and helping in any way I could.  Now that we’re 3 months out from her cardiac event, I’m extremely happy to say that my sister is back to normal life with a healthy heart and the sharp-witted humor for which she’s known.  If you’ve come to know Tracy’s story, you’ll know just what a miracle that is.  We are so incredibly thankful.

Just four days before my sister’s cardiac event, she had come to visit with her youngest son and 3-month old daughter.  We did a little lifestyle shoot with baby girl Ivy to mark her 3-month milestone.  My sister didn’t really plan to be in the images—and that was weighing heavy on me those first few days in the hospital when we thought Tracy might not survive, the hundreds of unedited photos still on my computer at the time with no planned frames of mother and daughter—but I am thankful I snuck Tracy into a few.  I’m also very thankful that we have time ahead of us to capture Tracy with her beautiful family.  It is a powerful lesson to us all, though, as Miz Booshay says, to "get in the picture!" (this blog post of hers has always stuck with me, not that I put it into practice much: http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2009/05/snap-out-of-it/).

Happy New Year!

We had a little shindig for New Year’s Eve and I set up a photobooth to help document the fun.  The kids and adults alike had a great time trying out all of the different props and poses.  Here are just a few pics from the night of my little family. 

Happy 2014!  See you in a few months when it warms up a bit!

ivy | charlotte lifestyle newborn photographer

Pure sweetness.  That’s the only way to describe my new niece.  Welcome to the family, Ivy.  We’re so excited that you joined us—a wonderful “blessing” to my sister and her husband who already have three boys, ages 11, 8, and 6.  Just know, Ivy, that we have a very important rule for all kids in the family: you’re not allowed to grow up too fast.  My own 9-year-old daughter, who literally held Ivy for hours upon meeting her, said to me offhand, “Mom, when Ivy’s my age I’ll be going off to college.”  And if I didn’t start sobbing right there…

the b family | charlotte family photographer

One of my absolute favorite families…In fact, one of my family’s absolute favorite families.  My son would seriously let them adopt him if the option presented itself.  Actually, maybe I would, too.  They’re fun, loving, generous, full of energy, and just a joy to be around.  Not to mention gorgeous.  All of that usually makes my job a piece of cake, but when you’re photographing the family of amazing photographer Brooke Brown, well, it’s easy to overthink things.  Lucky for me, the light was beautiful, the setting was lovely, and the smiles were ready—plus, this crew always makes things fun.  Love.this.family.

the l family | charlotte family photographer

This is my third fall photographing this beautiful and fun family.  Three things I can always count on each year: 1) the twins admire big brother so much and want to be as near to him as possible; 2) dad is apparently hilarious behind me; and, 3) I’d better be ready to move—I fondly remember years ago chasing down two crawling babes through the fall leaves to get those perfect shots of smiling faces.  It’s always a kid-lead adventure that by the end of each session we’re honestly not quite sure what the images have captured, but, never fail, we always end up with some of my favorites of the year.  There’s no denying the love and joy this family shares.  And that’s what I hope every family can reveal in front of the camera.  It’s just an extra-added bonus that our session is during my favorite season of the year.  Happy fall!