I'm so thrilled to start working with the amazing Class of 2021!! Maggie contacted me in the middle of quarantine to ask if I would be able to do her photos when things calmed down and knowing I had sessions like this coming up helped boost my spirits during quarantine when I couldn't shoot.

It's been three years since I've met Maggie and she constantly surprises me with her spirit. She balances grace and femininity with toughness and a great sense of adventure. To look at her, you wouldn't think this girl was athletic, a Ninja Warrior, and was going into an EMT/firefighter program!!

I'm not sure who had more fun with this senior session - Katie or me! I was so excited when she contacted me and told me that water was super important to her! Thankfully, there was a little spot where she could actually get into the water, rather than just having it in the background.

A lot changes in one year!!! That's how long it's been since I've seen this sweet family. The baby is now the middle child and there is a new baby who I just now met at seven months! Her brother was seven months old when I met him! Time flies, for sure!

Newborns are so precious!! I am always so amazed at how tiny and perfect they are. Truly, they are blessings from God and no more so than this little guy.

I am consistently blown away by the amazing people I get to work with!! This family rocked their portrait session! I've known them for years; the oldest girl and I grew up together and we walked alongside them in their adoption journey of their other two. Now, getting to see those girls grow up is such a privilege! One is interested in photography and I've loved giving her tips and encouraging her in this pursuit.

The first person I met was her dad, the grandfather. He was so kind to me throughout the whole day and after meeting him and his wife, I can see where Mrs. G gets her kind personality from. He walked me around the property as I looked for the best spot and we had lovely conversations. After we were done, he walked me to my car! It was the nicest gesture and capped off a lovely session.

I'm a big baseball fan. Well, not necessarily baseball in general, but the Detroit Tigers and my brother's teams. I'm really into everything related to those.

My church is involved with an inner-city church/ministry and this summer, that church got grants to take the kids that come on some field trips. They went to the zoo, Greenfield Village, and a Tigers game. The churches that work with them were asked to provide chaperones to these events.

That's the backstory to how I got to attend a historic event.

I remember when she told me she was pregnant.

It was after church, the week before VBS, and she wanted me to know because it might affect how she was able to help me and the group that week. Her son was barely one.

"He doesn't even drink coffee!"

This in response to my comment on how one of us was a morning person and it wasn't the women. A 6 am session would not have been my idea, but the light is gorgeous and makes it worth the early hour. Other than a few fishermen and a ton of Canadian geese, we had the area all to ourselves. For the beginning of July, it was actually a bit chilly! I was surprised.

It was a zillion degrees outside today.

Okay, I'm exaggerating, but, it was in the 90s with real feels even higher and high humidity. You walked outside and it didn't take long to start sweating. Thank goodness for a breeze!!

I had a family session today. It was an extended family, so there were multiple groupings which can be difficult, moving people in and out, but everyone was fabulous and did a great job! We did the session at the grandmother's house, in her backyard. There really was only one place to position everyone, so thankfully, it was good lighting and a decent background! You make do with what you have and get creative if you have to. The challenges are how you grow.

There was nice shade, so the skin tones were smooth and even and no one had to squint in the sun! Despite the heat, everyone did an amazing job and had great smiles. The three year old blew me away with how patiently he stood and smiled and just did whatever I asked of him! His little brother is only one and was not as willing. He screamed most of the time, but you know what? It's okay. It's okay that the only times he wasn't screaming, he looked super serious. You can't ask too much of a baby. And that is the time of life that this family is in.

One great thing is that I found a tool that I think probably all children photographers will want to adopt.

I need a bubble machine.

That was the only thing that got the baby to calm down, was blowing bubbles. Obviously, I can't blow bubbles myself, so, bubble machine. I'm going to have to look into getting one and taking it with me when I do children sessions.

I'm glad we were able to get this session in, after many back and forth emails and a couple changes in plans. Working with so many people, it can be hard to get everyone together, but we did it and things worked out well.