Sarah Katherine Shepardson | {Personal Post} | Newborn Photography

I am beyond proud to introduce you to my new niece, Sarah Katherine. 

She is a most precious thing.

She's 8 weeks old in these photos and my older sister, Nicole, is, to say the least, smitten.

Sarah is a little thing with a vacuum suction. She likes her mama's milk!

She is so soft, that mohawk hair like silken feathers between your fingers.

She just started smiling and gave me a big one for our shoot :)

I can't wait to know her more and watch her grow.

I am so proud and excited to be an auntie on my side of the family. 

I am thrilled to be on this journey of motherhood with one of my sisters now.

Finally. We waited a loooong time, and now we have babies just 4 months apart.

On this visit it seemed like worlds apart, but soon enough they'll be doing all the same things...together! 

I love you, Sarah.

Happy BIRTH day. 

This is my gift to you and your mama.

He's here! | Newborn Photography | Los Gatos, CA

January 11, 2012, 10:20pm, Nathan James entered into our world. 

What a gift, such a blessing that I get to be mama to this boy. 

I'm amazed, in awe and so honored.
He's here!

I've spent the last 8 weeks getting to know this mellow little man and witnessing love bloom bigger in all of us. And to think, I was so scared to have boy--scared that I wouldn't be able to love him as much as I love Ava, scared that I wouldn't feel as connected. I had many lessons to learn ahead of me and I've already learned some of them, one of the biggest being that I can't even fathom the miracles that happen in my life. All the greatness that I could imagine doesn't come close to measuring up to the greatness that  some magnificent power in the universe gives me. I'm left in overwhelm with feelings of love and gratitude. And after that I'm reminded to trust.--just trust that it will be good. Many have said they feel Nathan is an old soul and I believe it. A happy old soul :) He smiled when he met Ava. I almost burst into tears. How special. Though this adjustment has been really tough on her, she truly loves him I can see that in her gentleness toward him. She can't pronounce "th" yet, so while we call him Nathan, she calls him "Nafan" and I love that.

Thank you to all that have offered love and support in these past 8 weeks.
Whether it be food, clothes, a visit, a listening ear for the wonderment, or tears during the tougher times, or all the enthusiasm shared, even on Facebook, and for the patience in waiting to hear back from me, none of it has gone unnoticed or unappreciated.
I'm so blessed to be so supported.
Thank you!

 Click the link below and see a short video I put together in bits and pieces before I went to bed each night of highlights from the 1st 4 weeks of his life:

Nathan's Birth

Personal post | A trip to the Farm | Bay Area Family Photography

A warm, sunny afternoon for just me and Ava. 

I took her to Hidden Villa Farm to see the spring animals and soak in the warmth of the sun. 

I love my little feeler, my little thinker.

I love her hair gently blowing in the breeze.

I love that she found a spot in the grass and sat there for 20 minutes talking to herself, feeling the grass, and picking poppy's (I had no idea that is illegal. oops! It'll never happen again. promise.)

And I love her pink "farkly clothes" (sparkly) and that she cries when they aren't clean. 

We have Nana to thank for that :)

And lastly, I love who we ran into as we stood talking to the sheep. Baby Anna, Clare, and their Mom, my friend, Susan, plus Hannah and Emma. It was a nice surprise. 

So glad to spend the day at the farm. 

It was just the way it was meant to be.

(below: Hannah & Emma)