As I was going through my old photos of Sara and Jay's wedding and engagement photos for the previous post, I came across these cute little flowers that stopped me in my tracks. I remember loving brides who went simple and handmade for their weddings. How HAPPY are these colorful blooms?!
Back in my full-time wedding photo days, I got to take pictures of this adorable couple's engagement & their super colorful wedding which was as fun and laid back as they are. Seven years later, they are now incredibly happy parents to a little one-year-old ball of sunshine, Elliot! Somehow, even when the poor babe is teething like crazy, he's so happy and fun to be around.
For their (now annual) family photos, we went back to where we had our first of many photo adventures, Old Town San Diego! It's also the town where I had my first live/work space and where The Sprouting Image was created, so it felt very familiar and wonderful to be back there.
Since my wife and I have started trying to have kids I've been soaking up any and all parenting advice so of course, I asked Sara and Jay lots of questions as we spent the morning together. I so loved these wise words about Elliot and parenting in general from Sara:
“I love watching him discover new things...and seeing how much he really understands. He understands so many words, even though he can’t say them. He can point to 10 body parts! Ok so bragging about him is fun too :)
As people tend to say, being a parent is both the hardest and most wonderful thing in the world. I read somewhere that being a parent makes the emotional lows lower but highs higher. That’s so true. It can be so maddening and frustrating at times but the good times are so so wonderful.”
Enjoy this lovely little family, I sure do! It's SO amazing to see how much this kid has grown since his newborn photos a year ago.
Photo from 7 years ago as a freshly engaged couple on the left...New little family on the right!
In the words of The Bloggess, "click to embiggen!" (the thumbnail images, that is...)
You kidding me with this sweetness??? Baby fever is in full effect, I tell ya!
Cameras and feathers and art supplies, oh my! Fun prep for an awesome 12-year-old's lesson! She learned how to shoot manually and picked it up SO quickly. It's so much fun to see how easy learning is for kids, especially when it's fun!
I spent a wonderful afternoon with two creative kiddos and it was so much fun! We made messy oil pastel art and painted their pretty designs with thick, shiny mod-podge before they photographed their finished pieces. They took turns directing photo shoots and learned about light and composition while testing out a bunch of different cameras. We created, talked, and giggled like crazy-it was incredibly fun for me and the girls had such a great time they asked me to come back again this week! I woke up this morning to the sweetest words from their Mom and I had to share because it nearly made my heart explode:
"Today Mikaela and Naomi had their first photography session with @thesproutingimage. Samaria is absolutely incredible when it comes to doing what she loves! Her passion for art and photography, mixed with her compassion for differences really touched me.
Watching my girls learn and create, they were so inspired, and I truly felt like she opened up a magical wonderland for them. By the end of the session, they were full of giggles and smiles! She's just that kind of happiness that brings out the best in those around her. Summer's still here for another 4 weeks before school starts! Visit www.thesproutingimage.com, you'll be so glad you did!"
MAGICAL WONDERLAND??? I for sure have a few more wrinkles because of how hard this phrase made me smile...but I don't care in the slightest. Here are some photos from our awesome art-filled afternoon!
Mikaela photographing her finished oil pastel/mod-podge creation!
Naomi showing off some of her artwork!
She saw the punny-ness of this situation, adorable.
Here's a photo of the three of us at the end of our fun afternoon!
Thanks to these kiddos and their amazing Mama for the awesome day, and I simply can't wait for our next lesson!
Trying to start a family is scary and exciting. I'm working on staying present while simultaneously allowing myself to be excited about the future. Let's do this, universe- we are ready.
