the gorgeous cribb family…in their own season of change…

to say this family is in for some change would be an understatement.  they’re at a crossroads, really, as each girl is hitting a major milestone…

sarah will graduate from christopher newport university {CNU} this week and will continue on there as a fellow in the fall.  emily will graduate from NOVA {this week as well!}, moving on to virginia tech, and abbey will graduate potomac high school, entering chowan university this fall.  good gracious!!  are you kidding me?  a huge CONGRATULATIONS to these girls!  each one is so unique.  i know if i’m proud, i can’t imagine how mama feels!

ah yes, mom and dad.  how i LOVE them!  i’ve knows karen for years, and she is truly one of my favorite people to see coming my way {from anywhere!}.  she’s so incredibly kind, thoughtful, and generous.  she always has a hug…and she always smells good! :)  she is a personal wealth of information and encouragement to me as ty and i begin to navigate the college years.  and she has such a tender heart.  i know she and neil must have about a thousand different emotions running through them at any given moment right now…pride, joy, and love, which i’m sure must be coupled with tears at times.  not so much of fear or dread, but just genuinely grieving the closing of this chapter in their lives.  as i just talked about change, it seems fitting that this family would fall next here on the blog.  they really are forward-moving.  and i know the next chapter will prove just as beautiful as the last..one filled with hope and awe and wonder…

so cribb family…thank you for the true privilege of capturing this season of change for you.  the closing of one door with the opening of many others…each as distinct as your remarkable girls…

praying that each of you would find exactly what you need in our sweet jesus…may He continue to do more than than you could ask or even imagine.  i cannot wait to hear of all the new adventures…

the knox children…so absolutely beautiful!

when sachiet first contacted me about taking pictures of her children, she said she wasn’t sure if they could all make it.  curious to me until i realized that her first three were years apart from the bottom three…then it made perfect sense!  SO…i cannot begin to tell you how thrilled she was that ALL of her kiddos were going to be in the same picture together.  they all rearranged their schedules and made it.  {it’s been a while!}  and, after we met up at mt. vernon {which i LOVE}, i found out that the kids didn’t even know where they were going…mom told them they were getting their picture taken.  that’s it.  you really would never know that though, because they absolutely rocked it!

after a long drive the baby was really ready for a nap, and keeping him up was NOT optional!  :)  so we just went with it.  passed out baby and all.  LOVE it!  some seriously fun moments capturing these siblings.  but more for me that day was just seeing the utter joy that sachiet felt having all of these precious lives in the same place in order to capture these moments, and i was grateful to have been a part.

sachiet…thank you again for the privilege of sharing these memories with you.  enjoy them, friend!

five “huggs” that i cannot get enough of…

my journey with this family started so many years ago…when we both lived here in the DC area together for the first time.  although, it was the second time we both had been stationed here.  {i know, it’s confusing.  try and keep up!}  and, like our tours in the DC area, as i got to know kris, we realized we really lived parallel lives in SO many ways.  both had husbands who lived and breathed military life.  both have 2 girls, 1 boy, in that order.  super close in age.  both had missionary parents, and we grew up pretty similar.  both had long, curly hair.  people would confuse us all the time!  we even drove the exact same minivan back then!  so, naturally, we were twins! :)  at least, that’s our joke.  and honestly, kris really is my sister in so many ways…

so, as our lives took different directions, we still stayed connected.  not all the time or even often.  but we really could pick up and deepen any time we were together.  and for that i’m so, so very grateful.  after our family returned to this area for the third time about a year and a half ago, the huggins followed a year later.  so SUPER exciting!!

i cannot begin to tell you what a source of strength and constant encouragement kris is to me.  she loves jesus best, joe not far behind :)  and she loves their sweet kiddos to the moon and back.  and i know i can go to kris any time i need anything and she’ll be there.  to listen.  to respond.  to cry and to laugh.  and just to be my friend.  i’m just so, so thankful to be able to hug her neck during this season that we’re together again.  goodness…i love the military.  such a small world full of reunions!

joe, kris, and 3 little “huggs” {okay, 4 if you count jack} ~ y’all were amazing!!  even after the “episode” we…errr…i mean I…had with a little dog doo-doo.  thank you…for being so incredibly gracious.  much love to you all as we look for the next adventure, always just around the bend…

the nelson family…whom i adore…

my most favorite picture from our time together was when i was laughing so hard at THEM laughing that i completely blurred it.  and many more.  because i couldn’t stop laughing with them.  {i DID finally pull it together!}  it really holds dear to me though.  and honestly just captures their pure beauty and love and joy they have.  and so, although it seems a mess, i love it :)  a great family begins with a great marriage.  thank you, john & lisa. i walked away a better person having spent the morning with you…

i know some of you may recognize lisa…she’s now published her first book which you can get a look at HERE.  we did a really fun “author” pictures about a year and a half ago {has it really been that long??}.  and really, at the time, she was exactly what i needed.  encouraging, hopeful for what was to come, affirming…all of that.  and so completely genuine.  and you know what?  *sigh*  she still fits that bill every time i see her.  she just so overflows with the love of God, you can’t help but want to be around her all the time.  and never in a “holier than thou” sort of way.  no, never.  just listening and sharing life…

and so it was with the rest of her family, too.  oh my goodness, we laughed and laughed!  and LOVED every minute.  john was HYSTERICAL…a moment i won’t soon forget when lisa called him on his “eyes darting everywhere” because i told HER where to look, but not him!  oh wow.  and their precious kiddos.  a couple of high schoolers, just as real as they get.  what fun!!  { i mean, who doesn’t love some starbucks??}

john & lisa…thank you again for allowing me in on what it looks like to be part of the nelson family.  i would do it every day if i could get away with it!  y’all keep doing what you’re doing.  following hard after God, loving each other and loving life.  sweet, sweet moments…

the stroms!!  such home-town people, i cannot tell you how much i love this shot of them in our village on post.  our little corner of the world.  at least til the military moves us.  neighbors that have become friends.  and fast too…that’s just the way we roll :)

i can remember the first time i laid eyes on the stroms.  they were unloading their ginormous moving truck last summer.  aubrey and i were walking to the gym, and deborah, ross, and their 3 good-looking boys were sweating like no tomorrow.  all i could think was “are you CRAZY?  i’d never do a ditty move!”  {do-it-yourself move for those of you not in the military}.  BUT…there they were, working hard.  and all together.  we said hello, and you know how you just get a sense of people right away?  yep.  i knew we were gonna be friends.  totally respectful boys, hard-working parents.  and just as generous and kind as you can get…

and it’s been so fun to get to know this family more over the last few months.  deborah is as gourmet cook {and a seamstress, too!}.  probably because she’s got a house full of boys!!  no joke.  and so we reap the benefits of this on a regular basis {often yelling “i hate you!” when she brings things like espresso creme brulee over.  or chocolate banana bread.  or tuxedo cake.  i could go on, but you get the idea.}  ross is a stand-up soldier and loves his wife and boys.  and our kiddos play together all the time.  i just can’t say enough about this family…

stroms, i’m so thankful you made your way to our neck of the woods.  we love having you as neighbors.  and more than that, as friends.  i’m praying y’all would continue to spread the love and warmth you’ve extended to our family…wherever the road continues to lead…

ahhhhh!!!!  the sawyer family.  could not get enough of them…

these photos remind me of why the fall is my favorite…so, so beautiful!  the leaves, the crisp air…it all passes way too fast for me!  especially when i’m already so tired of being COLD this winter…oh my…but i do love the seasons…

add to the beautiful weather a gorgeous family, and you can’t beat it.  oh.my.word.  two precious girls that have their daddy’s red hair…and a mama that has impeccable taste.  so FUN!  these girls are as different as night and day…but so, SO love each other.  just a sweet, sweet afternoon for me to spend with the sawyers.  thank you again, friends…for your time, company, and smiles…