all the little sweeties | welcoming lawton

Oh man, picking the photos for this blog post filled me with so much longing and happiness. Longing because I got to hold Lawton last week and he is already 5 months old and so changed already from his wrinkly little newborness. This afternoon that I spent with this dear family seems like just days ago (except for the bare feet in grass part), but yet here we are in February with children growing out of pants faster than you can check off the days. Happiness because nothing makes me happier than seeing big families love each other well. And this family makes that top priority. I’ve been photographing them for 10 years and every new soul they bring in does not half or quarter the love, it doubles it.

I basically showed up and started shooting and photographed until everyone was spent. I wanted to get individuals of all the children in their **that stage** wonder. The bruised eye, the reluctant glance, the preteen attention to a just right hairdo…all of it. Not only was that newborn stage flying by so fast we could barely take it in, all of these children are growing every single day. I wanted to capture each child with each parent and got some truly tender shots.

In the end, I just wanted to gather it all up and inhale it like the most beautiful, fragrant bloom.

So immeasurably glad to know this family and to watch all their little sweeties grow.

welcoming lawton | the ledford family

The Ledford family loves babies and that’s a good thing since last year they brought home baby number seven. Seven of the most filled up with love children I’ve ever met. I’ve been honored to be at 3 of these babies’ births but this last one came during covid restrictions and truly wouldn’t have waited for me to make the trip down the mountain anyhow.

Instead, I got to be there right when they arrived home to the breathless crowd of siblings and I just love the movement in the pictures I managed to get. Such love, such tenderness!

I also got to do an in home newborn session with them of which I will post in a separate blog. For now, enjoy these precious photos of one of the most delighted in baby that ever lived.

Welcome Lawton!

welcoming hudson

Hudson.

Longed for. Dreamed of.

Tiny and mighty.

His entrance into the world was anything but the plan.

In the aftermath of an emergency birth and all the complications of a premie baby, the details of the fast fleeting newborn days are often lost.

Although I didn’t get to attend his birth, I had the honor of meeting Hudson and telling the story of those early days, ripe with wonder and glory.