Archive for August, 2011

I sit here tonight not knowing exactly what to write.   Where do I begin, what do I say, what are the right words?  Well.  I’m not sure I’m going to get an answer to those questions, so I’m just going to write from the heart.  Might get sappy and far to emo for some of you, but that’s just going to have to be okay for now :)

If you’ve followed my blog in the past few weeks, you’ll remember the prayer request I had for my 3 year old niece Hadley.  Well, since then, they received the news that Hadley has Wilms Tumors, a childhood kidney cancer.  I won’t go into details about her story, because you can read all about it here on her site (that her Mommy set up and has done a beautiful job of updating and writing about their journey so far).   In light of the fact that Hads will be undergoing 7ish months of chemo starting on Thursday, and not knowing how she will be feeling day to day, we decided to not wait until the fall as we had originally planned for their family photos, but seize the moment now.

It’s hard to believe by looking at this little blonde, fun, spunky, beautiful, sweet girl that she has something no parent can imagine their child having.   It’s also hard to believe that my brother and his wife are the parents of a child with cancer, but they are.  I go through so many emotions when I think about it too much, but I know and am SO comforted by the fact that they know this too…  that this is God’s plan for Hadley, and through it we will trust and find comfort in Him!   Katrina mentioned somewhere (I think in a blog post) that they are standing back and letting God take the lead – what powerful words those are !!  God is so good, so gracious, and so merciful, and He is the great healer – and we put Hadley in His hands.   It is inspiring and amazing to see their faith in this plan, and also to see the outpouring of love and support and help from their family, friends and church community.  It is SO obvious to see God’s work in this, and how the power of prayer is more than we, as people, can even fathom.  To those reading this, we ask you to please continue to pray for all 5 of them!

It is my prayer that Kyle and Katrina, Mica, Hadley and Lleyton are all granted the peace, strength, courage and faith in Him that they need to begin, endure and complete this journey that was set in their paths.  We pray for all of you constantly, and are here for you always…

and Thank you for allowing me to take these photos and take part in this time of your lives.   I hope they are something you can treasure for many, many years.

Love you guys!

On to the pics.  As you’ll be able to tell, it was impossible for me to whittle down… so be prepared for a huge share!

be still my beating heart.   the love between all three of them is just beautiful.

These 5 sure know how to have fun.  I pulled out the mustaches and there were some good laughs – Mica just couldn’t stop laughing …  it was too cute!  Love that last bottom one where Mica is tickling Kyle, we were trying to get some shots of him and Lleyton, but Mica had other plans :)   And some feet.  Just cause.

Thanks for all of your prayers everyone, and for sharing in their journey with them, and us.   Please visit their site if you haven’t already!

Time is flying.  My baby girl is no longer a newborn, I hardly dare believe or admit it.   She is the sweetest, {generally} happiest little thing,  I can’t get enough.

Things have been slow here on the blog, but we have been lying low(ish) this summer and enjoying having no schedule… lazy mornings, time spent at parks and friends houses, doing a little bit of camping and just being together.   Today, though, was a little rough, lots of sibling fighting and frustration – which gave me my first “I just MIGHT be looking forward to school starting and routine again” thought.   That being said, I’m not ready for summer to be done, and still have a to-do list of fun things to do yet.   I’d love to fit in a couple more evening sessions while the light is still pretty… so please don’t be shy!

Also, on a side note, my sweet 3 year old niece is going through some testing, and having a biopsy tomorrow on some masses found in her kidneys.  Please pray for her, and her parents and siblings, that they will find strength and comfort when they need it, and pray that the doctors will be able to find out what the tumors are and how to treat them.    God’s plan is sovereign, and with that knowledge, we leave our fears and worries with Him.

“Be still and know that I am God.”  Ps 46:10

 

This lovely family was one of the first paid family session I did… 3 years ago!   Hard to believe how time has gone so fast, and how their family has grown up and expanded in those three years :)    They now call Australia their home, but came back for a 6 week vacation this summer… and in the meantime called me up for family shots!  Love it :)

Here are a few from their mini-session last Saturday.  Yay for summer!

Thanks for having me again guys…   also looking forward to seeing your Aussie shoot sometime in the future!!