December 14, 2012 started out as any ordinary day.  I woke up with my boys as usual, sipped coffee, snuggled and watched cartoons, had our normal morning routine.  I was beyond excited because my twin sister had her 39 week Dr. appointment and was waiting to hear if she would be having her little girl that day or not.  Around 11 am I received the news that my sister was being admitted to the hospital and baby Jarvis would arrive sometime in the near future.  Through many tears of joy and “happy dancing” with Noah I turned the television on to the afternoon news.

The celebration stopped.

I put my boys down for a 2 hour nap and for the 30 minutes I watched CNN it was as if the world stopped.  Completely. Stopped.  I cried, and I couldn’t stop until my boys woke up.

I watched the most horrific scene I had ever seen in my life.  So many questions ran through my mind.  As a parent, my heart physically ached for the families of every child at that school in Connecticut.  I can’t even begin to imagine the pain and sadness those families will go through for the rest of their lives.

The rest of the afternoon was an emotional rollercoaster.  I hugged my boys the. entire. day.  I couldn’t let them go.  In between updating my family on my sister’s labor, I was overcome with emotion of not knowing how to be overjoyed because a precious new life was about to enter this world, and being overcome with sadness for all of the innocent children who were unfairly taken away from this world much too soon.  I asked myself, “Will my children be safe in this world?  What kind of lives will they live with so much hatred and heartache?”

I didn’t turn on the TV the rest of the day.  I couldn’t.  December 14, 2012 was now supposed to be a celebration of new life, not a day of mourning and sadness for me.  I didn’t know how to deal with it.

I ate dinner with my Mom, we talked about all things baby, and said we would not discuss the days tragic events.  We couldn’t.

I went home and tried to sleep at 11p.m.  With no news of my new niece’s birth yet, I tried to sleep thinking she would be born on the the 15^th, not the 14^th, which will always be known for so much death and sadness.

At 12:19 a.m. on December 15^, 2012 I woke up to a text from my brother-in-law with one of the most beautiful photographs I had ever seen.  A sweet little angel- baby Addelyn Caroline Jarvis was born at 11:45 p.m. on December 14, 2012.  I cried.  A lot.  For the first time all day, I cried for the reason that she made December 14, 2012 an amazingly beautiful and bright day for my family.  There will always be sadness around Addy’s birthday- knowing that so many tiny lives were lost, but I also believe that where there is death, there is also new life.  Thank you baby Addy for giving our family another blessing and hope on such a tragic day.  You are truly a blessing in our lives.  We will celebrate your birthday with feelings of joy and thankfulness each year.   I can’t wait to see you grow and watch your parents love you all the days of your life.  Love you dear.  I am beyond excited to snuggle you this afternoon.  Xo.  Auntie Jessie

Meet Thomas.  2 Weeks NEW.  Love Him :). xo.  My niece, Clare,  LOVES being a big sister!

This year I got the opportunity to photograph the Markwell Family once again :).  Thank you Steph and Brian for having me capture your family with my lens!  What a treat!  Aren’t they cute?!

Meet Harrison Parker.

Isn’t he perfect?

A few months ago I photographed Kayleigh & Brian’s maternity session (you can see their session here).  It was a beautiful evening full of lots of smiles, laughs, and talking about all things baby…and boy.  Their newborn session for Mr. Harrison was just as fabulous!

Kayleigh & Brian- Thank you so much for being some of the most kind and genuine people I have ever met.  I’m sure you are already loving parenthood-take it all in because before you know it Mr. Harrison won’t be a little baby anymore! Happy Holidays!  xo.

Dreamy.  I don’t know how else to describe this family session.   Everything about it was dreamy-the light- Miles (the 18 month-old boy)-and his amazing parents.  I had so much fun watching Gretchen and Wade chase their little sweetie around- and that mini skateboard?! I just about died.  FOR CUTE!  Love you guys and thanks again for a great session!  Happy Holidays! xo.

Today one of Noah’s friends from ECFE came over to our house to play for a few hours.  Boy did we have fun!  8 month old Connor played the day away with the big boys too!  Had fun and got this cute image of James-I absolutely LOVE his eyes! xo.

Aren’t they PERFECT?!  xo.  More to come on this sweet family soon!

Meet Alyssa.  Don’t you just love those beautiful green eyes! 🙂  Thanks for a wonderful session and best of luck at school next year! xo.

This past weekend Patrick and I took our boys out to a park near our home.  The mission:  to take photos of our boys together….my hopes were that they would both look at us and smile (haha….can’t believe I actually thought that would happen with a 7 month old and 21 month old.)  The session definitely did not go as planned…but that is what is so great about kids, right?!  They always give you the unexpected- which usually turns out better than the planned outcome in my opinion :).  No smiles from Connor boy, and Noah bear ran ALL OVER THE PLACE, but the photo of them together completely portrays their personalities.  Connor is our little shy guy, and Noah is our funny man.   Love my sweet boys.

Meet Kim & Jeff.  (My twin sister and her wonderful hubby).  They are expecting their first baby- a little girl!  When Kim told me she was pregnant, she texted me a picture of her pregnancy test and asked me if it was positive (you know….those tests are so faintly “+” or “-“).  I immediately cried and called her ASAP.  Several pregnancy tests and a few hours later and we determined-yup-definitely pregnant!  Why did I cry?  Because I am lucky enough to have 2 wonderful boys and be a Mommy- and I am so excited for my sister and her husband to experience parenthood.

Kim and Jeff are both teachers and love kids.  Kim is an awesome auntie to my boys and our other 2 nieces, and Jeff has a way with kids that I would say is not all that common in that many guys.  A few summer’s ago I worked for a summer parks program with Jeff.  We were each in charge of different city parks and had our own group of kids who showed up everyday to have LOADS of fun with us.  Every Wednesday all of the city parks got together and had a field trip together-usually to the pool.  Well….Jeff was ALWAYS the favorite staff by every. single. kid.  I think it was the endless amount of fun and laughter he got out of the kids.  He always knew just what to do to make their day and ensure that their summer was the best ever.  Jeff- you are mean’t to be a Dad- and you will be an awesome one at that!  Kim-thanks for being such a wonderful auntie.  Now it’s your turn to get all of those daily snuggles and “lovies”.  Welcome to the parenthood club Kim & Jeff.  It’s a little messy but TONS of fun!  Addy Caroline-you are the luckiest girl in the world to have these two as your parents.  Love you guys and I can’t wait to meet my new niece.  xo.