emerson's tea party | generational session

when my close girlfriend barb approached me about capturing her niece's 3 year old birthday party, i was - of, course - down. but, then she told me she wanted to make it a tea party theme with her sister, mom, grandma and emerson's sister. how could i resist that?!

it was a generational celebration where everyone got dressed in their finest "princess" gear for little emmie. with sparkling tiaras, pb&j's, cupcakes and lots of tea, the beautiful ladies cheers'ed to emerson turning 3 years old. she was ecstatic and loved dressing up as her favorite princess (elsa, duh!). emerson got to dance with grandma, sip on some sugary apple juice from her very own teacup and be adored and loved by all of the closest females in her life.

i imagine she will look back at these photos years from now and see just how special this little gathering was. the chance to have a moment with your mom and sister, aunt, grandma and great-grandma all in one place. what a 'happy' birthday, indeed.

a tea party | three generations

let me first start off by saying...this was fun! it was a new type of shoot for me to do, and i definitely want to do more.

morgan was gifted a "generations" session from my sister at her baby shower when she was pregnant with her youngest, kit. however, life got busy! so there was some back and forth on setting a date. when we finally did decide (about a year later!), morgan came up with the idea of having a tea party, which was just perfect. what better way to capture the three generations of females?

with an heirloom tea set, some delicious looking macarons, a bowl of fresh cherries and tea, of course, the hour was spent capturing the interactions of adorable clover and kit with their mom and grandmother.

there is something so special about being able to photograph a session such as this. my hope is that when the girls become older, they can look back on this special day they shared with their mom and grandma and cherish it. some highlights include clovers LOVE for the cherries (i just went had to go out and buy some myself afterwards because she was so convincing of their delicious-ness!), kit's adorable smile after waking up from her nap, and the couch lovin' session at the end. below are my favorites!

flower picking at countryside citrus | vero beach

as a father's day gift, my sister asked for me to take some photos of the boys at a local citrus farm in vero beach. for a couple of weeks in a row, countryside citrus offered guests to stop by and pick fresh flowers from their garden. despite the florida heat, the little guys were such good sports and took in all the buzzing bees, colorful flowers and TRACTORS! the highlight may have been the delicious ice cream they offer - such a summertime treat! here are some favorites!

an adoption story | vero beach

Wednesday, August 10, 2016. | Vero Beach Courthouse.
One curly headed, blue eyed toddler. | Two adoring and hopeful parents to be. 
A judge | Five adoptions | A room full of supportive friends.
Laughter | Tears | Multiple sighs of relief | Congratulations.

The judge began the ceremony expressing her love for this one day of the month in which she signs off on the official adoption of boys and girls of all ages. It is a happy day in the courtroom. The atmosphere is hopeful. The room is packed. A table holds an arrangement of toys for the newly adopted to choose from. One boy who seems 8 or 9 years of age reaches for the trusty football. Another little girl chooses the pretty Barbie. Little Matthew, my subject that day, picks out the plastic cash register with all the intriguing buttons.

This was one of those days where my love for photography met my love for people and their stories. It was touching to be able to witness each of these families walk to the judge, pledge their commitment to raising these kids as their own and walk away after months of hard work – a unit. A fresh start. A new family.

Charlotte expressed to me in our initial conversation what a long journey it has been for her and her husband. I knew that the day was momentous for them and her excitement was evident in her smile so big, it reached her eyes. And it showed in her husband’s embrace to Matthew the moment it became official and friends and family surrounded them with applause. 

From the moment I walked in and saw the adorable, curly-headed Matthew, I knew how Charlotte and her husband fell in love with this little bundle of energy. Through his escapes onto the courtroom floor and wild runs in the hallway, to his sneaky attempts at snagging as many sugar cookies from the table as possible, he had the whole room in laughs. His energy is contagious; his charm undeniable. 

I would like to wish this family a big congratulations and a heartfelt thank you for allowing me to capture their day. What an honor to be a fly on the wall in the courthouse that day.