Summer is always a fun time of the year for many reasons – no snow, no freezing temperatures, swimming pools, the sun, long days. . . It is also the time of year that several dear college friends come “home” to visit. I am always excited when their visit includes a stop at our house.

On this day my friend Brooke was back in Minnesota with her husband and kids. So what do you do when your college friend comes in town? Throw a party of course! Eight adults and ten kids strong, we had a great night of eating, playing and catching up.

While I had them there, I snapped a few family shots. . . The first set is of Brooke and her family:

How did I not realize before how much they look alike?

Next I got to take some shots of our college friends Pete & Karyn and their kids:

Can you tell which kid is more quiet and which is more lively? I think she giggle the entire time!

And finally I caught Amy having a little lovey time with her hubs:

Last night I enjoyed a fun session with a mom I have known for several years. I took pregnancy pictures of her with her first; now it was time to take a couple of her pregnant with her second. She also wanted a shot of her and her daughter and then her daughter alone as she is just about to celebrate her second birthday.

I just loved how her daughter’s hair curled in the humidity. In fact I set up for this amazing shot with the sun framing the back of her head and all the curls when I started feeling this pain on my leg. I ignored it at first, but then there was more and more. I looked down only to see hundreds of ants all over my legs; they were stinging me! I had inadvertently kneeled on their nest while setting up to take the picture. Ahhhhh. . . it was a bit traumatic. Luckily mom and child were unscathed. And seeing the pictures, it was all worth it. Here is a little sneak peek:

I was so excited when spoke to Joy about the possibility of photographing the birth of her first child. It is an amazing experience to be at the birth of a baby. It is one of those few times in our lives that are uncensored, raw and real. And it is simply a miracle – that mom and mom’s body knows that to do. That baby knows what to do. To watch it first hand is breathtaking.

I arrived at the hospital a little earlier in the labor than I knew I should with a first time mom – however I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss it. It was clear that Joy was excited that the day was finally here. She looked great, happy. She wasn’t yet in active labor.

Over the next 15+ hours she would complete dilating, push for several hours, change positions frequently all with the hopes of moving baby down – however he wasn’t budging. By 5am it became clear that the baby needed to come out and it was going to be by cesarean section. It was a tough blow as mom really wanted to avoid this. I also knew that she really wanted pictures of her new baby right after his birth. Now with the c-section, my ability to get her what she wanted was in doubt. I am so grateful to her doula for finding a way for me to be in the O.R. so I could capture Cullen’s arrival.