The Capture Sweet Moments Blog

When baby Natalia arrived on August 29th, more than two weeks early, her mama was not at all surprised. Born 7 lbs, 7 oz and with a head full of thick, dark hair, this girl was ready for the world and she knew it.

And from the smiles, the quiet moments and the contented sighs that I witnessed at her in home newborn session in Washington, D.C., her family was ready for her as well . . .

I have been blessed to call Meredith a friend for a long time, and even though we sometimes go months without catching up with one another, every time we talk, I find out more and more how grateful I am that she is a part of my life. I’ve watched this woman handle both life’s struggles and triumphs with such grace. She shows leadership and intelligence in every interaction. I feel so fortunate that I’ve been able to be a witness to both the hard times and the joy in her life. So when she sent me a message this summer that she was due with a baby girl in September, I was both excited and honored that she asked me to capture some moments of her family before they became a family of 4, plus 2 doggies (who were their first babies).

When I first met Allison and Chris, we were at Friendship Trees for a Christmas tree farm session. It was a chilly morning, and their (almost) 3 year old, Riley, was not enjoying the cold, dew soaked grass. We captured some sweet moments anyway, and I mentioned that for a full session, I really do enjoy doing them at home so that the kids don’t have to be packed into the car to go anywhere and we can move at their pace . . .

Fast forward a few months to this spring, and Allison reached out to me again. She said they were interested in a family session, at their home in Severna Park, and I could not have been more excited to have the opportunity to document her, Chris, Riley and one year old Connor again. And this time, I would get to come to them and play with the kiddos where they feel most at home . . .

When Lauren first reached out to me about documenting her wedding, it was planned to be an Annapolis courthouse wedding. Her family would be waiting to greet the newlyweds outside of the courthouse (as guests were still not permitted inside) and she was hoping to capture some beautiful family photos in downtown Annapolis.

Baby Isla Marie was nice and cozy in mama’s tummy and was not eager to enter this cold Maryland February, and who could blame her! Isla made her debut on Presidents Day, February 15th, 2021 at 12:23pm, a few days after her due date, and weighed in at 7lbs 11oz, measuring 19.25”. As predicted, she is a firecracker just like her mama, giving her mama the side eye as soon as she was placed on her chest. I was so happy to meet her and to see Jen and Will again, to capture in home lifestyle newborn photos at their Pasadena, Maryland home.

Sweet baby Nicholas Destin made his way into the world on February 17th, 2021 at 7:10pm, weighing in at 8lbs 6.4oz, and he could not be more loved. I had the honor of capturing in home lifestyle newborn photos at Nicole and Ryan’s Pasadena, Maryland home and it was truly a joy to witness the love this family had for each other. Big Brother Will welcomed me at the door when I arrived and I enjoyed a tour of the house, including a visit to Will’s room where I got to see his favorite stuffed animals and admire his school artwork that adorned the walls . . .

Jen & Will are an incredibly sweet couple, dedicated to each other, to their work and to this new baby that they are bringing into this world. They met in Monterey, California, in Calculus class while attending Naval Postgraduate School, which they laugh about after being married for 8 years. But as anyone who has lived the military life can tell you, being married for 8 years does not mean being together for that long. There has been a lot of long distance, long drives home for the weekend while living in an RV in Norfolk (for Jen), and just generally making it work the Navy way.

What a year. Whether the year was good or bad or a combination of the two (the most likely scenario), I think one word can describe it for us all, it was certainly memorable. I don’t think I need to recap the world events for anyone. You lived them, you know. But I want to recap my year and reflect back on all of the things that I have to be grateful for . . .

It was such a pleasure to be able to capture so many joy filled moments at Friendship Trees Farm & Christmas Shop in Friendship, Maryland this year. I was overwhelmed by the response when I started offering these this year and truly enjoyed my time with every family that came out.

The highlight of our time together was when we decided to put half of the family members on other’s shoulders. I imagined the kids going up on shoulders but had not imagined that Michael (Bubba) would be putting Bonnie (Bubbie) on his shoulders . . .