He’s only 11 months old, but you can see toddler Abe and big boy Abe and, dare I say it?, even adolescent Abe in this shot. LOOK AT THIS FACE! He kills me with the cuteness. What’s even cuter than one adorable baby? Two adorable babies! Abe’s twin brother Sam will be featured here soon as well.

This was the amazing image I witnessed around 1:40am this morning. Incredible. More photos to come later.

These images are almost a year late because that’s how things role in the world of foster care. No exposing a child’s face, careful preservation of anonymity as the child is a protected state ward. So there’s a certain joy when one is adopted and we can show her face to the world once more! Adoption was the path to family life for this little girl who I photographed last November as a one week old. Maralee brought her up to my bedroom for a quick photo shoot. I remember having a really bad head cold and feeling overwhelmed with the two little boys who had been placed in our care the previous week, but I knew this was a special moment with a special baby and I shot her one week pictures that night.

Little teeny Carrie. Little girl who is toddling around the house like she owns the place well before her first birthday. Happy girl with the big smile and even bigger eyes. You are loved. You are cherished. God made you and he adores you, little one!

I had grand plans last year of placing all 2013 photoshoot images into a new portfolio to show the public. Yeah, that didn’t happen. A little thing called foster care took over our world last fall and I found myself wrangling very cute, very active little boys instead. I wouldn’t erase our time with them for anything, and certainly not for a new online portfolio. So here you go, friends. Pictures, a year later. Call it a Throwback Thursday if that makes you feel any better. And yes, I know it’s Wednesday.

Without further ado, my longtime friends, the Moreheads. To me they are pretty much family, and it was a great honor to finally photograph them. (Keep viewing through the end for a special bonus treat.)

This last image. Hmmm… what do I say about this last pic? Sometimes when you shoot in more urban settings you might encounter, say, a strange man doing strange things. You will harness all your photographer/self-defense for women/mom/neighborhood watch skills and you might continue to shoot while also organizing an escape plan if things go haywire. Note, in the background of this last image, a man heaving a trash can into the dugout area of the baseball diamond. His crazy raging was followed by an attempted bike ride before he threw himself and the bike to the ground and, evidently, napped. Just another day in family photography, right?

One of the many things I value about my fair city of Lincoln, Nebraska, is the constant movement and collaboration going on in the arts. It was my privilege to photograph Tamara Kaye of Art Planet and her advanced art students from Lancaster Learning Link as they worked with students and families from Elliot Elementary School to create their own Doorway to Hope. Enjoy these images and click on the links above to learn more about these artists!

So proud of my tall, beautiful, sweet 4th grader! She still lets me hold her hand a little. We prayed on the walk to school for blessings on all the students and staff, and then she let go and walked down the hallway to a new classroom. May the Lord bless you and keep you, my Livia Raine! We love you so much.

(I’m drippy with tears this morning after a night waking up with both kids. But some things, like kids growing up and dear friends cheering us on with sidewalk chalk—year after year after year—are worth crying over with happiness. We are blessed.)

School starts in two weeks. I confess I’m not ready to give up the late nights of playing outdoors, the easy mornings of waking up late, the freedom of summer play and summer messes and summer joys. I’m excited for the start of a new school year with new teachers and new classes and new school supplies. The structure will surely be good for us all and I can’t wait to see what Livia learns this year. But summer has a magic all its own, too, and I think I’m a summer girl at heart.

This little one, placed in his adoptive parents’ arms as a newborn discharged from the hospital, was adopted today! He turns two in a few days and, my goodness, this is an amazing birthday present. Happy adoption day to our boy Joe! We love you and your family so much and praise God for the joy you’ve brought to all of our lives. [Photos taken Fall 2013.]