I grew up in the beautiful, rural county of Buckingham, VA. After a handful of years away, I once again find myself living just inside the boundaries of the county and connected to the community of my childhood. Those who live in this "Heart of Virginia" community have a strong connection to their home and firm roots. While much of my work takes me out of the area, I try to maintain my Buckingham roots and find great joy when working within my country community. It brought me great delight to be invited into the home of a former classmate and a longtime friend to photograph her sweet family as they prepare to welcome baby #3.
The expecting couple, Kayli and Nathan, are high school sweethearts and the parents of two fun-filled little boys, Ryder and Brody. Their family is growing next month as baby girl MolliHarper arrives. Although the big brothers comically insist that the baby should be called MargaretHarper, "Molli-" was chosen because Nathan's name would have been "Molly" had he been born a girl. Our photography session was filled with giggles, and snuggles, and spunk. The boys, quite well-mannered, kept me chuckling by referring to me as, "Ma'am" and explaining to me how they needed to get to work at our local Seay Milling (think: farm + tool shop). These blonde haired beauties are country boys through and through and I can't help but smile as I picture them introducing their baby sister to their hens, donkeys, and cow.
I have been fortunate to have known Kayli since primary school and I owe my love of Hanson to her since she and her best friend were the ones to introduce me to my lifetime favorite boy band. It's fun to reminisce about those second-grade days and to see how far life has brought us. Once we were little teeny boppers with a love for long-haired boys (I still have that love ;) ) and now we have teenies of our own.
I had a wonderful time photographing this growing family and witnessing the love of two peers who found each other early in life, yet remain in love and committed to each other. Congratulations, Kayli & Nathan! I'm excited for you to meet your little girl.
