When I started photography, it was solely because I wanted to take pictures of my daughter.  I wanted to document things about her life.  Then, I wanted to be able to offer my friends and family decent pictures of their own families!  I say decent because my photography skills when I started out were “struggling” big time.  I still love to document memories for my family & friends…that will never change!  So a couple weeks ago, I did family pictures for my sister and her gang.

Jenny is my only sister (other than all my sister-in-laws who I DO consider my true sisters!).  We were not that close growing up.  If anything, I saw her as a motherly figure for years.  We are almost 10 years apart so, while I was finishing 5th grade and preparing to be an awkward middle schooler, she was getting married and moving to another state to start a life with this man – her high school sweetheart.  She met the love of her life when she was barely a teenager and they have been together ever since!  Steven came in to my life when I was 4 years old so basically, I don’t know life with out him!  He has been as much of a brother to me as my blood related brother.  He carried me around when “my legs were too tired” and supported me just as much as my other siblings through every stage of life.  Jenny & Steven have been such vital parts of my life forever and I love them dearly!

I remember the day their son was born.  I was only 14 and it was my last week of middle school.  We got the call that we needed to drive down to North Carolina because Jacob was here!  I didn’t know what to expect when it came to becoming an aunt.  I knew I was excited that my sister was about to be a mommy and I knew I liked babies but that was about it.  This boy though…this boy grabbed my heart and squeezed it so tight that I fell instantly in love the moment I saw him.

My whole life I had really only cared about myself.  I didn’t know a thing about love and I didn’t know what it meant to have such an instant connection with someone, but becoming an aunt changed me!  I was meant for it!  I realized what it meant to love someone more than yourself, and to love them in a way that had NOTHING to do with anything they did.  I stayed with my sister & Steven for a little while after Jacob was born and it was the BEST!  I sobbed when I had to leave!  After that, they clearly blessed our family with a few more beautiful children who I love as if they were my own!

Jenny & I never imagined having kids that were close – close as in best friends and close in age.  But we have it! My children adore hers and vise versa! ALL of the cousins in our family (our kids & my brother’s kids) are crazy close and love it each other fiercely.  It so refreshing to see them together and I just love it!

Sorry for giving you the entire back story but it is worth the read!  I love my family and loved getting to take these pictures of them!  They are so sweet, SO silly, and I am lucky to have them!  Despite the fact that my nephew made fun of me majority of this session, but whatever it takes to get a laugh out of them (the struggle of auntie life with a teenager).

 

He has made this same face since he was a toddler, scrunchy nose smile.  He probably hates when I bring it up, but it makes me remember that sweet little boy who use to cuddle with me all the time!  Now, I don’t even come up to his shoulder.

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Caiti