www.angelporchphotography.com

she is every bit as beautiful on the inside as she is on the out…..

my little pumpkin is quite possibly the most adorable little man EVER! Plus, he yesterday said, MAMA!!!!!! big moment in this little mama’s life!

Our little man is 8 months! hard to believe he has been home two months now. goodness he is the sweetest little man. all smiles. all love. all ours…he now has 6 teeth. we thought they would mess up his sleeping but he sleeps like a champ. still two naps a day and down for the night at 8pm and sleeps all the way through tell 7 or 8 am. could not ask for more! he lovesssss snuggles. prefers to be held all day. quite the observer, stares so deeply into your eyes for long periods of time. it’s like he just wants to study you. i have created a monster with quite the mama’s boy. he hears my voice anywhere in the house and about breaks his neck trying to find where i am. i don’t mind it. most often at home he is in the carrier and i just wear him around the house. people ask us alllll sorts of questions. we take it in stride. we get stopped A LOT to talk about our precious little man. we take the questions as they come and think of it as an opportunity to shed some possibly unknown light on adoption as a whole. we are asked by many how he is adjusting. our answer….LIKE A CHAMP! he has bonded so much quicker than we ever thought possible. he lovessss his daddy. lovessss his sissy. lovessss his snuggy crib. lovesssss meeting and seeing all his family and friends. health wise he is making huge strides as well, up to 16 pounds in 2.5 months. that is quite a jump from the 8.5-9 pounds when my husband arrived in the congo. he has caught up on all his shots and we are now on to mostly dermatologist  appointments for lingering skin bumps. those look like they will just take time more than anything to go away. most likely left over marks from scabies while in the orphanage. we are planning on keeping him home tell the new year and then starting mothers day out once or twice a week so he can interact with other little ones his age. all in all life is GREAT! Seems like he has always been with us. we are so overly blessed to have him home with us after such a long process of ups and downs. he is everything we ever dreamed of and SO MUCH MORE! sometimes i find myself getting sad that he will so soon be one and i quickly catch it and think how LUCKY we are that he will live to see the age of one when so many babies in his country never have that chance. and, that we got him soooo much sooner than we ever dreamed and get to soak him up for more months than we even planned for.

happy 8 months to our son, oaks thomas mathias. we LOVE YOU!

my baby. my little love. off to kindergarten. she is so excited. loves her new backpack. loves her school uniforms even more. we went to back to school night and it was hard even then to hold back the tears. it just does not seem possible. that little girl i just rocked to sleep at night not that long ago was off to school. we could not be happier about where she is going. an amazing school that truly feels like home already. like a family. a place i know she will blossom and her true gifts be valued. even still it is hard to loose her. she is my breakfast buddy. my side kick. loves to come hang out at the studio and play. will i get in a morning workout now, maybe. will i get a little more work in before starting sessions each day, sure. would i trade it all for just one more year to have her snuggled up under my arm in her p.j.’s all morning while i edit.  IN A SECOND.

little sunflower you are magic. i love you to the moon and am proud of you each and every day. you inspire me. watch out for me (really, she does “mama, do you have your wallet” is a phrase she says when we leave daily because she knows i can be forgetful and i love you for exactly who you are. big things are in your future and i hope your first year of school is as amazing as you are. i promise to support you, love you and smother you in kisses each day of your kindergarten year. no one could be prouder of you than your daddy, bubby, and mama.

xoxox sunflower

cannot believe you are five! school age, big girl, FIVE! everyday you grow and learn and amaze me with your little heart! love you to the moon baby girl. keeping this short and sweet because we are out the door to celebrate YOU!

my sweet little sunflower…precious little soul…how I got so lucky to be your mama, i’ll just never know….

no cell service, snowed in with family, it was perfect! auburn had her first experience on the slopes and she loved it! she snow tubed, skied, and had the best time chasing around her cousins. what a wonderful little break before the spring season begins! the mountains of north carolina (asheville) were a perfect little retreat

our adoption journey has been a life changing one without a doubt! we have already learned and loved so much. and, our heart about burst with the first photo of our little man sent our way. he is perfection. those little cheeks and so much hair. we are in love. auburn is over the moon and talks about “baby brother” every day. we can’t share any photos or information until everything clears court and it is looking like spring / fall before we travel to bring him home. each day is a step closer to the little man we so dearly love already. we did some “big sister” shots with auburn as we soak up every second of her as our only baby at home. she is going to make the BEST big sister ever

CELEBRATE ADOPTION!!!!

as the holiday break is here it is so nice to catch my breath and rest my feet from the BUSY BUSY BUSY fall shooting season….it was busier and better than ever this season. saw so many new clients and as always my loyal and loving returning clients. feeling more blessed than i can even put into words….a few BIG things i am thankful for…

-family support. my family truly understands and supports my career and knows the insaneness of the holiday shooting season.

-the health of my family. after so many shoots this fall that involved stories of heartache it made me more than ever appreciate and never take for granted the health of my loves.

-being a FULL TIME photographer…it was years ago now, but seems not that long ago that i was balancing being an art teacher and a photographer. it is so wonderful to devote my time fully to the job i love – and am obsessed with to be honest

-my studio manager, kimm….oh, what a life saver she is. holding down the fort – letting me be in two places at once – she is AMAZING!

-my always wonderful business manager – aka- husband. he is and always will be my everything. and, let me just say that keeping track of all my business stuff is not an easy task. but, he does it with ease and never judging me when i lose those all important receipts, or keys, or weddings rings. love you to the moon babes! makes my heart so full that we share in running this business we so dearly love.

-the new studio! it is cute and pink and full of kiddos and babies all the time. what is not to love?!?! plus, it takes me about 15 second to get to allowing me time in the day to pick up / drop off the baby girl or meet for lunch. all in all it has freed up so much travel time and made me feel so much more connected to my little piece of heaven – my family.

- my little auburn. she tops each and every list and is my entire heart. my constant sunshine. my little lover of life. nothing in my life has ever or ever will bring me the joy she does. she thinks the studio is her playground. she loves the camera. she loves to snuggle. she is soooo excited to be a big sister. she is everything and more.

-our future baby boy. oh, how our hearts ache for you. how we dream of your face and the day you will be in our arms. the day you will be at the table for breakfast. the day is coming. coming so soon. we love you more than you will ever know. i can feel your heart beating inside mine although i have never seen your face. i close my eyes and feel you asleep on my chest. i am so excited to meet you. hug you. watch you walk hand in hand with your big sister. watch you getting a ride on your daddy’ shoulders. soon, sweet boy, soon. we are coming for you soon.

-my clients. you have made all my dreams come true! you share your precious little ones with me. trust me to photograph the most important little loves of your life. important days, moments, memories. I cannot thank you all enough. i treasure each of you and personally thank you for choosing art and soul to capture your memories.

here is hoping everyone has the merriest of holidays! we will see you soon for a new year filled with lots of newborn’s in the studio! we are back in the office on january 3rd and have fun ideas planned for upcoming mini sessions and more. stay tuned

peace and love,

angel

she wanted to be a unicorn…two days later a horse…next day jesse from toy story….you name it, she wanted to be it! but, she made her final decision on the puppy dog. it was too precious! she was SOOOOOO into halloween and could not sit still waiting to head out.  it was our first halloween in our new home and we just LOVE our neighborhood. sooooo many kids on the street and such a beautiful night. i felt like a kid again, gotta love halloween!