Commence the debate as to whether it’s still summer or not. Summer, the season, came to visit us again yesterday (and I hear it’ll show up in full force today as well), so even though we’re in full swing at school, summer still reigns.

A quick note about photography and motherhood. Sometimes photographers who happen to be mothers get tired of documenting every event. We do this for work and are keenly aware that sometimes you need to put the camera down and simply *live* life, without documentation. And yet, I describe my cameras as being almost like a body part of mine—I want them with me pretty much all the time and feel something less than whole when I don’t have one at my disposal. But yesterday, while the kids were playing outside, I was somewhere between laziness and living in the moment, and had this ridiculous internal dialogue going. This light is wonderful… Look at these little faces… That’s okay, just enjoy it and enjoy chatting with Renae… But the light! Aaaa, the light! And that’s when I got up and shot a few images.

I’d say my efforts were entirely worth it in the end. I love these precious kids and I’m glad to make art from some of their last carefree summertime moments in 2012.

On August 10 a walk/run fundraiser was held for Priya Steiner. It was a beautiful morning at Holmes Lake and I praised God for his healing hand in Priya’s life. It was a joy to participate and to see her friends, family and devoted public gather to support her that morning.

Read more about Priya’s story on her Caring Bridge site, and consider making a tax-exempt donation for her family at West Gate Bank in Lincoln, Nebraska (“Pennies for Priya,” Attn: Scott Faber).

It was hot and it was in the middle of the afternoon. In Nebraska. In July. But my goodness, this large extended family was wonderful. Everyone worked together with sweet spirits and I felt like it was such a privilege to capture a few moment of their family reunion with my camera. More than that, I realized how important it is to get together with loved ones when possible. Cousins together with grandparents who adore them. I noticed Grandpa’s hand holding his grandchildren’s fingers or shoulders or knees in many of the portraits I gathered—and it spoke volumes to me.

Thanks, Tanya Hsu, for sharing your family with me! Many blessings on your upcoming journey.

“We all have to fight the desire to self-protect and hide, but the rewards for opening ourselves up to relationship are big and beautiful.”

A wonderful and personal essay by Maralee Bradley is up at Her View From Home. Take a few minutes to swing by the site and then go visit A Musing Maralee for a bit of additional encouragement.

I’m waking up out of a fog and into another this morning. In what has to be the coolest, mistiest, most autumn-like final days of July I can recall, I awake this morning and relish the quietness of a household on a cloudy Tuesday morning. I pull on socks—socks!—and briefly wonder where my fleece jackets are. Still strongly on my mind and embedded deeply in my heart are the events of last weekend; namely the birth of a wonderful and squeezy baby boy. Lauren had said she’d like to go into labor on Friday and have the baby over the weekend. And she did just that. I joined her and Josh at the hospital at 12:30am Saturday and entered that strange time warp that exists in hospitals. It feels too brief and not accurate really to state that little Judah was born at 5:29pm because somehow the hours between 12:30am and and 5:29pm unfolded themselves into a 300-page novel all it’s own. The clock ticked away as labor worked itself out in Lauren, but how does all the walking and the contractions and the pain and the love fit itself into one small day? How does the start of this new life make sense in terms of minutes and hours? You can see how I’m just now waking up from the fog of this experience; it’s not just the sleeplessness of one night that has affected me. I’m wrapping my mind around this incredible experience and praising God for his inexplicable miracles.

Welcome to the world, little Judah. You are a precious gift indeed. And though you won’t understand this until you’re grown and watching your own children being born, I can tell you one thing for certain: your mom is a rock star.

Another article is up at Her View from Home with words by Maralee Bradley and images by yours truly. Go, read, and be encouraged to embrace your season of life.

Friends, I can’t say enough how valuable it is to have someone snap photos of you and your family at significant points in your life! Today I’m reminded of how quickly our kids grow up—it feels like they grow in an instant sometimes. And while you think you’ll remember how you looked and felt when your kid was a toddler, it’s hard to hang on to a fleeting moment like that.

Pregnancies rush by so fast it seems. Maternity shoots are a special joy and pleasure as they mark one little point in time like no other. Soon enough Josh and Lauren’s baby will be changing their lives, but for now, he or she is nestled within Lauren and growing like crazy. What a special time indeed.

Here are three more images of my dear friend Lauren and her soon-to-be-born little one. I loved doing this session with Jen and Lauren—and I’m thrilled with the final images as well.