Today’s tidbit: “We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”— E.M. Forster

Taking a short break from SA posts… Do you remember my family shoot with Stephanie, Mark and their twin girls, Charlotte & Reagan? After that shoot in November, I was thrilled to work with the family again earlier this month. I’ve shown Stephanie & Mark a sneak peak image but they haven’t seen anything else, until now!

{shoot location} This shoot was special because it captured the growing family in their beautifully decorated nursery and home.

Sneak peek image:

Be sure to click below to read more and check out more pictures. Enjoy!

Along with St. Patrick’s Day and Holi, yesterday was also a snow day. After a snowy morning I enjoyed a cup of tea while I finished this post, which I can’t wait to share.

{a little background} With all of the shoots I do, I like to give some background into the couple or family. Stephanie was kind enough to share this…

“After struggling to get pregnant with their now 33 month old twins for almost 2 years, I wasn’t sure how long it would take us to get pregnant with what is to be our last baby. So in November 2012, I did all the things they tell you to do to get pregnant, besides the obvious! And to our surprise we got succeeded on the first try. Unfortunately that pregnancy ended in miscarriage which devastated us. It took us a long time to get up the courage to even try again but we made the decision to give it one last go and if it didn’t happen, that was perfectly fine. We would be a happy family of 4 and that was it. Luckily, we got pregnant again on the first try and she’s perfect as can be! Her name will be Natalie Anne and she is due May 8th, which was my due date when my mom was pregnant with me. So we saw that as a good sign that this little girl was meant to be!

Charlotte and Reagan are very eager to meet their new baby sister and tell me almost daily that they dream about her. Mark is such a wonderful father to those two that I am excited to see him with a newborn again and see that special father/daughter bond grow with her like it has with them. I, of course, am over the moon to meet her! It’s such a special feeling to have them grow inside you for 9 LONG months and then to finally get to meet that tiny person!

I am just so excited that we got to capture some fun moments with the whole family for the maternity shoot. These memories will last forever.”

Like Crystal & Sam (remember their family session, part 1 & part 2) who moved a week after their shoot, Stephanie & Mark will be moving to San Diego, CA as well shortly after Natalie is born. I think having the shoot at their VA home in Natalie’s first nursery and where Charlotte & Reagan have grown up made it really special.

Onto the pictures of this beautiful growing family, and of course some detail shots. Enjoy!

Although Stephanie had some ideas for different poses, the girls decided they wanted to do their own thing. It was a challenge but I love the shots because they are so natural and not staged. It’s these, unplanned and unexpected, when you are able to get true expressions, feelings and natural beauty. I love the range, from smiling and looking at each other with such love to all the goofy ones, because it captures their personality and mood! The late morning lighting was gorgeous as well.

Aren’t they just an adorable family?! I was thrilled to work with them again and can’t wait to meet Natalie!