in one of my most favorite spots. You just can't beat it!

When I sat down to think about it, I've known this lovely lady for nearly a decade. In fact, she and I were pregnant with our first sons at the same time. We both had our 2nd sons at about the same time. We both had little girls at about the same time. She is a true lady in every sense of the word and she mothers her children with a grace that I could never emulate but absolutely admire. I'm so glad I finally got the chance to work with her like this and to capture the wonderful connections in her family! (Check out my personal fav from this session!)

When I showed up at their home for baby brother's newborn photo session, his parents rushed me over to their Pinkle Toes photo wall (I love getting to see that in my clients' homes ;-) to show me just how much he looked like his big brother at his newborn session. Oh my word! They were absolutely right! It was unreal!!! We even repeated one of my favorite shots from back then--did you see THIS post?

But then, the more I worked with the little guy, the more I got to see just how different they were, too. Baby brother was much tinier, much sleepier, and was making very different expressions than his big brother did back then. It's going to be really neat to see how these likenesses and differences manifest themselves as the brothers grow up.

P.S Watching the mowers cut down some lovely wildflowers today (boooo!) reminded me of their maternity session. The sunrise that morning and the light fog was just amazing out here:

I love it when we get opportunities like this to do a session in home...to really experience the environment where they brought their first baby home from the hospital after she was born. We also got to go to the nearby park where mom said they used to go before she was even pregnant...and when she was pregnant, they would take long walks and dream about the day they would hold her in their arms. What a gem to have this place frozen in time with these images!

Growing up with my clients is a privilege I cherish. It's like I have the largest extended family on the planet and I get to be there to celebrate the biggest milestones and the happiest moments in so many people's lives. 

This particular session was very special to them and to me. It's marking the time as a family of three, how they've settled in so nicely into parenthood, this little beauty with her joy and spirit, and how--in just a few months--they will add one more to their nest.

The weather was incredible and the light fell perfectly on them no matter where they were. Everywhere we explored, we found beautiful little nooks to help them tell their family story. This gazebo was breathtaking, covered in every inch by jasmine in full bloom. We could smell it before we even turned the corner to spot it. It was like a fairytale unfolding before us.

I had *just* finished watching The Tree of Life a few days before their session. Even if I didn't fully understand the movie, I was completely inspired by the memory-like progression of the film...those little snippets flashing on screen making even the smallest moments seem significant. It greatly influenced my approach to their session and the ones I've had since. I need to watch it again.

And then, as if we needed icing on this cake, we stopped by this wildflower field on our way home for some signature Pinkle Toes Texas wildflower images ;-). Seriously, it was if we could do no wrong this afternoon.

I'm so happy we got to do this session before baby #2 arrives and I'm very much looking forward to see how baby girl up here embraces her new role as Big Sister!