Puddles, mud and mommy| Ashley and the girls

Happy Monday Friends!  I am so excited to share this post with you today for so many reasons, the first being that I love these girls with all my heart in such a fierce way!  If you know them… you totally understand!  Ashley and her girls are truly incredible with hearts that are filled to the brim with love and adventure!

I have known Ashley for a while now and what started out as a simple family session, turned out to be so much more!  This is what I love about my “job” however, it never feels like a job!  It’s an honor and a blessing for me to capture images for families and even more so… a true gift because just like Ashley and her family, most of my “simple family sessions” always turn out to be life long friends!  That one simple picture day when Waverly was oh so little has brought me a true friendship for life!

When I flew home in September, I brought with me a small hurricane  (nothing like the one that just slammed VB this past weekend)!   Ashley was the first one to jump up and say we don’t care, let’s go out and play no matter wind or rain!  That’s exactly what we did and honestly this is probably one of my most favorite sessions to date!  Ashley and the girls came to pick me up and we drove (through the drizzle and threat of more) to one of my favorite spots in VB!  I asked the girls to wear their Hunter Boots  and something they wouldn’t mind getting muddy!  I have to say, this session is completely magical for me!  I love that the images reflect the story of that evening:  a play date with mommy, jumping in puddles and swimming in the bay!  Stories like these are what our children will remember years from now and I can say that because I have memories exactly like this with my mama!

These moments that we take with our little ones, even the simple and short ones like this session here, truly make a lasting imprint on everyones heart!  These girls might not remember exactly every detail of that adventurous evening because of how young they are;  but Ashley will have these images to show the girls when she tells them of their adventurous and wonderful childhood!

Here are my favorite moments from this incredible evening playing in the puddles!  Go grab yourself a drink because it’s a LONG post!  I just couldn’t narrow it down because every capture tells the story of the night!

Waverly and I… we are on the same page in heart and mind!  I absolutely love going out with her because whatever activity or idea I begin to think might be super fun and absolutely perfect to photograph, Waverly has already gotten there herself! We played together and swam together all the while Ashley and I were able to catch up on life since our move!

This image above of the girls holding hands is one of my favorites because when I left, Avalon was still crawling!  It’s amazing how quickly time flies by and I am so thankful I can still be a part of these girls lives!

We decided we would walk on down to the water’s edge just to see what was going on!  The weather was amazing and despite the “threat” of rain and wind, we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect scene!  Waverly ran straight for the water which is no shock… this girl is a water baby!  Waverly also knows that where she goes, I go and so with camera in hand, we both waded out into the warm water that night barefoot and happy!

This right here… this is everything!  This is how I see childhood! This is how I feel when I’m out capturing memories!  This is how I believe magic begins!  Why can’t we all live as free as Waverly in this moment?!

As the evening started to wind down, I put my camera aside!  I wanted to be able to play with these girls and catch up with them since I had been gone!  I wanted to be able to splash and play and be in the moment just as I ask all my parents!  Ashley caught this for me and I will forever cherish it!  I love my little clients just as much as I love Linc!  I’ve been with these girls for such a long time now and been a part of some truly amazing moments in their lives!  This bond I have with them will always be in my heart!  It’s so much more than just photographer and client… and I can’t quite put it into words!

Thank you Ashley for believing in me and allowing me to be part of your family! Thank you for letting me play with your girls and capture these moments with them that they will remember hopefully forever! You are such an incredible mama!