Lorelei: Newborn // Philadelphia, PA Newborn Photographer

As I prepared to blog this newborn session, I looked back at the time stamp of my last post: October 2017. Wait, what? October 2017?!?!? It's been awhile, folks. Almost a HALF OF A YEAR. Sorry I've been so silent on the Interwebz lately. I took some time off last fall when our third child, Indigo, was born. And then when my husband went back to work, I had every intention of getting back to blogging but life is just super hectic with three kids under three years old (almost four, as our oldest will tell you!). Furthermore, after realizing just how hectic life is with three under three (and sleep-deprived, let's be real honest), I made the decision to not book any weddings for the foreseeable future and to focus on a limited number of weekday portrait sessions. I'm super grateful to my husband for working that daily grind so that we can have meaningful (and fun!) weekends together as a family. And I WILL return (hopefully!) to the wedding scene eventually, but for now, I want to soak up as much family time as I can. After all, they're only little once. : )

Anyway, if you're still with me (bless you)... I'm so excited to share these images with you! I traveled up to the 'burbs of Philly so I could photograph this sweet girl. I've been friends with Stephanie and her family since meeting her sister while studying abroad in college. I'm so privileged to be able to capture their families' milestones. Seems like just yesterday that I photographed her big brother Benjamin. Lorelei (love her name!) was 15 days old for her shoot. I loved her cute little lips and gorgeous smile and ARM ROLLSSSS! Enjoy some of my favorites, y'all!

The Wood Family // Frederick, Maryland Family Photographer

So very happy that I was able to sneak in a last-minute session with this family before our own little one arrives soon. Love hanging with this crew! This is my third time photographing them -- check out our other sessions HERE and HERE. This time I got to meet their newest addition, Kate, who was such a delight. Older sister Lilly kept me on my toes that morning (every parent knows that the two-year-old rules the roost!), but it was fun chasing her around. : ) I hope to continue watching them grow as a family in front of my camera -- such a pleasure!

Maeve: One-Year Session // Washington, DC Family Photographer

Y'all! I'm so behind on blogging right now. I accepted long ago that it's just how things are with two kiddos and one almost here! So, I'll keep this short: looove this family. : ) They bring me so much joy. This is my third session with them! This time, they asked me to do some one-year photos of their second born, Maeve. I'm not sure how it's possible that she's already one, because it seems like I just photographed this family not long ago (but it was last November - crazy how time gets away!). Anyway, I met up with ahhhhhdorable Maeve and her always-awesome parents at Rock Creek Park last month. Love this little girl's inquisitive expressions -- she had me cracking up at times. She's so sweet. Check out some faves!

The Staiger Family // Washington, DC Family 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!

The Russell Family // Baltimore, Maryland Family Photographer

A quick note about something that's been on my mind: people have asked me recently if I'm giving up photography. Absolutely not! But you see...because I now have two gorgeous little ones who basically run my life : ), I have had to scale back considerably on the amount of shooting that I do. I used to photograph 30+ weddings and 20+ sessions a year but being a mommy to our little loves is now most important in my life. I'm lucky enough to have a partner that allows me to stay at home with our kids (I realize that it is a privilege that a lot of families don't have). I will admit (like probably most SAHMs would) that it's hard sometimes having to focus all your energy on the kiddos, but these years are so important and only happen once. So to come back full circle: even though my priorities may have shifted, photography is still a big passion of mine and I plan on shooting as much as I can.

Okay, back to the photos. : ) This is another one of my faaaaavorite families. I have been lucky enough to photograph a lot of milestones for this family: Bernadette and Casey's engagement session and wedding, Harrison's newborn photos, Harrison's one-year photos and now his two-year photos. I LOVE documenting a family as they grow. Since we did this shoot in late October, the Russells have welcomed their newest son, which I will also be sharing later on : ). For this session, we met at Fort McHenry in Baltimore. It was an unseasonably warm day and Harrison was in an extra adorable mood. I just LOVE how he squeezed his mama and showered her with kisses every time I asked him to cuddle with her. Enjoy the love of this family. : )