dc family lifestyle photographer
This family is always LOADS of fun, and I am lucky to call them friends. I first photographed this crew a few months after Birch (the big sis) was welcomed into the world. Now the littlest one - Maeve - is here and they are SO darn cute together. And I can't forget big (puppy) bro Hank, who loves hamming it up for the camera. Thanks for inviting me back, y'all. Time spent with you guys is a real treat!
Today, I am 37 weeks pregnant and let me just start with this: I'm feeling all the feelings. Whenever I prep posts about our little girl, I get so overwhelmed because I have so much to say and can never find the right words. She brings us so much joy, and I'm in constant awe of the person she is becoming. I cherish the time spent one-on-one with her, and I'm feeling more and more nostalgic that we won't be a little family of three ever again (six if you count our pups!). Don't misunderstand: I am beyond thrilled to meet our little boy soon. However, I know it'll be an adjustment period for all of us, and I just hope that it goes as smoothly as possible, especially for our little lady who is used to having our undivided attention. : )
Among the many park trips and wagon rides around the neighborhood, there are highlights galore from her life spanning one year to ~18 months. Here are a few of my favorites:
-We saw an Orioles game (my first time at Camden Yards - gorgeous ballpark!).
-I took her to Butlers Orchard to play in the flower field.
-Over the summer, we frequented the local water park because this child LOVES ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE WATER.
-We visited the local county fair to see animals and show her the rides (still a bit too young to participate!).
-We flew across country to visit Ryan's brother and brother's fiancée, who lived in Carlsbad, CA at the time. Such a fun family trip!
-Even though we're still Atlanta Braves fans, we took her to another Nationals game. ; )
-Brooklyn got to see her cousins (my brother's kids) during a quick visit on their way back home from vacation.
-We visited our alma mater (UNC) and got to see close friends who live in the area.
-Brooklyn's Mimi and Pappy visited from North Carolina for little man's shower.
-We visited the pumpkin patch a couple of times!
-Brooklyn dressed up as the cutest little cow for Halloween.
I have to start with my absolute favorite photo from our family trip to California. We were in the middle of walking around the San Diego Botanic Garden on an extreeemely hot day and stopped to take a break on a bench in the shade. Being the very active and inquisitive toddler she is, Brooklyn rarely looks straight into my lens anymore. I'm usually chasing her to get "the shot." So, this moment is a unique gem.
I have to pour my heart out to my husband here for a minute. Ryan is the most exceptional Dad to Brooklyn, and I treasure the bond they share. During the week, he gets her out of bed every morning, spends quality time with her before he has to go to work and races home (quite literally, I'm afraid) to do her bath routine every evening. I know he's exhausted 99% of the time but he doesn't show it. He cares for her in a way that makes me love him on a whole different level than before. AND he finds the time to rub my swollen, pregnant ankles and give me "time off" when I need it. Needless to say, I love these two with all of my heart and I'm so grateful for the day-to-day happiness they bring me. I thank the universe every day for my good fortune; I struck the family lottery! My heart can only grow with love from this moment forward. Heart eyes emoji.
It's been a whirlwind of a year. I honestly cannot believe 2016 is almost here. Blows my mind, actually. Whenever you have kids, the saying "the days are long and the years are short" certainly rings true. Brooklyn is almost 19 months old and we're officially on baby #2 alert (hence my earlier-than-usual recap post!).
If you remember my recap from 2014, I set some goals for myself for the new year. And a lot of the goals had to do with a shift in re-focusing my business. Let's see how things worked out:
1) Focus more on portrait sessions (versus weddings), because they allow me more flexibility with raising our children. I succeeded in making very intentional decisions this past year about what and who I photographed. Unfortunately, this went hand in hand with having to say "no" to almost every non-local shoot or wedding, but I'm happy because it allowed me more time to be at home with my family. Along with caring for my baby girl full-time, I still managed to shoot five weddings, eight newborn/baby sessions, five family sessions, two engagement sessions and one maternity session. I'm very fortunate to have a mother-in-law nearby who cares for Brooklyn so well AND a husband who supports me and realizes that my photography business is still important in my life.
2) Give my online presence a makeover, including streamlining my sites. I'm almost there with this! I've already consolidated my two previous sites to one portfolio & blog URL via Squarespace, which I'm very happy with. I also switched to a new gallery hosting company called Pixieset that is much more user-friendly and displays photos beautifully. The last thing on my makeover: give my logo a little upgrade!
3) Photograph a live birth. Unfortunately, this still hasn't happened. If you know of someone willing, leave me a note in the comments or e-mail me with suggestions!
4) Do a session pro bono. I failed miserably with this. Time isn't something I have a lot of these days, but I still want to make this a priority for 2016.
5) Run a contest with a free session catered to local clientele. I hosted this at the beginning of last year, and Paige, if you're reading this... I still owe you a session! : )
Even though the season in my life has changed dramatically over the past year+ from seeing myself as primarily a photographer first to now a mama first, I still very much love the moments I spend with my clients. I still get that nervous/giddy/adrenaline-filled feeling right before a session or wedding starts, which shows me that I love and live for photographing people. And I don't think that feeling will ever go away!
Thank you so much to everyone who continues to support my little business. Every comment on social media and my blog puts a huge smile on my face. Cheers to 2015 and all my clients who made it so special! Here is a photo recap (in order!) of every session and wedding from the past year. I look forward to what lies ahead in 2016!
And one last thing: as of today, I am on maternity leave until April. I will still be posting some personal things on the blog in the coming week(s), as long as this little dude en utero stays put. ; )
Brooklyn just turned 18 months old so these are better late than never, right? :) I wanted to post a few photos of Brooklyn's first birthday party last May because it was a big success! The theme was flowers, and we celebrated our little "May flower" at our home. We're so thankful for the family and friends that could make it special for her. (Special shout out to my brother-in-law, Alden, who took photos for us while Brooklyn was opening her presents. We're ever-so-grateful!)
I also wanted to include a few photos of her actual birthday, which was during the week. We took her out to lunch with family and to our neighborhood playground - pretty much a toddler's dream.
Thanks SO much to everyone for the well wishes on our second pregnancy. We're overjoyed and thankful you can share in our happiness!
I think I've finally figured out my new blog — the technical aspects, anyway; formatting and style comes next! Double bonus points that I figured out how to import content from my old blog URL (http://melissatuckblog.com) — at least dating back to August 2010. Hooray for not having to say goodbye to five+ years of blog content! My old blog will be deleted soon. Moving forward, please come to this URL: www.melissatuckphoto.com/blog. ALL of this to say that I will be able to start blogging on a regular basis SOON!
And so I leave you with my full heart in one photo: Brooklyn and the hubs on the beach with the wind blowing through their long locks. : )
melissatuckphoto@gmail.com | 704.689.1262