I’m way behind on blogging my client sessions (feels like the story of my life right now with 3 little ones!). I have a few moments this afternoon and wanted to share a session I had with a family who I just adore. I met this family almost 2 years ago when I photographed little H as a newborn. All babies are cute (in my opinion) but sometimes you see a baby and you think, “Wow, this is going to be a good looking kid!” Well, I had that thought when I first worked with little H, and he definitely didn’t disappoint. Just check out that blonde hair and those big blue eyes (note to self: keep him away from my daughters!)

The bad news is, this family moved to Texas shortly after our newborn session. The good news is that they come back into town periodically for conferences (and also for me to do their family’s pictures- or so I like to think!). I really enjoyed working with the S family this past fall. We had a great session, and they made my work easy (which is saying a lot since any session with a toddler is usually difficult!). Anyway, enjoy this taste of autumn as we move full steam ahead into spring/summer. More posts to come soon (or at least I hope so, haha).

Just wanted to share a quick picture from our resort in Disney World. I absolutely love flowers, and the gardens at The Wilderness Lodge provided no shortage of lovely plants to admire. Hope you like this purple beauty as much as I do.

I love black and white images. I always have. There is something timeless and classic about a black and white. These images invoke so many questions. Were they from 50 years ago or yesterday? What color was the sky that day or the clothing that was worn? I think black and whites inspire the imagination and lend themselves to dreaming.

So in the name of imagination and dreaming, here are some images from an impromptu session with my 2 year old, Londyn. She is strong-willed, fiesty, and most importantly, a lover of chocolate.

We will be on vacation from 4/11-4-21, and returning all e-mails/phone calls by 4/22. If you are a current client and have an urgent matter please text or call my cell. I look forward to sharing our memories when we return.

I have many fond memories of going to work with my mom on Take Your Daughter to Work Day when I was a child. I liked seeing where she was while I was at school and knowing the types of things she did each day. I also really enjoyed the time we got to spend together, just talking and getting to know each other better. Those are special memories I will never forget.

I have the wonderful blessing of being able to be a work at home mom. I don’t take that for granted one single moment. While I do travel on-location for family and maternity sessions, most of my work is newborn portraiture, and that is done at my in-home studio. Often my children are here with a nanny or relative while my sessions are going on. They might quietly peek down from upstairs or carefully listen from the living room. My 5 year old, Avery, has always been inquisitive about my work. After a session she’ll often say, “Was the baby a boy or a girl? What was his name? Can I see a picture?” and then she’ll “ooh” and “aah” as I upload the images to my computer.

This year, Take Your Daughter to Work Day is on Thursday, April 25. I would love to have Avery join me for a newborn session with a willing family. This means she would be in the studio with us for part of the session, watching what I do, assisting (not handling the baby, but handing me hats, or props), asking questions, and maybe snapping some pictures herself. If you are due in the next few weeks (newborn sessions are best if baby is under 2 weeks old) and would be willing to participate in this session, please contact me as soon as possible so we can line everything up. Again, Avery would be there to observe, but not to handle or touch the baby in any way. In exchange for your help, I’d like to gift you a free session, including a $150 print credit ($250 value). Please pass this on to anyone who may be interested.

Just for fun, here’s an instagram pic of me and my girl.

Little Miss M was so super sweet and I really enjoyed working with her. Funny story about how she ended up in my studio- I was in Target with my girlfriend and we saw a proud Grandma walking with a very new baby. I stopped to ask how old she was, to find out she was only a few days. Upon meeting the mother of the baby, the discussion quickly turned to photography and it turned out mom hadn’t lined up a newborn photographer yet. We exchanged info and a few days later little Miss M was in my studio, ready for her session.

This sweet little boy melted my heart. He came in with a head full of hair and a super sweet disposition. Even though this little guy was number four for his parents, you could tell everyone in the family was enthralled with him. He had two doting older sisters who had to be dubbed his second mamas. There was no shortage of love and affection in this family. Thank you guys for the opportunity to work with you. I really enjoyed Mr. C and his laid back nature.

I stink at blogging. There, I said it. I have grandiose plans for every blog I’ve started and then somehow I fizzle out after a few months. Well, it’s a new year and I have new plans, plans that I plan to stick to (I know, don’t we always plan to stick to our goals? lol). Anyway, while I want to continue to feature my clients (because, after all, that is the purpose of this blog!), I also want to blog about things that interest you, my readers. Good human interest stories, parenting tips, recipes, home decor….the possibilities are endless.

So, with that being said, make sure you subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss any interesting posts. If you have a great story, tip for other parents or anything else you’d like to share, send it to me at Samantha@fireflyphotographyva.com. If I feature you on the blog, you’ll receive a free session!

Now, what’s a post without a pic? Here’s my sweet little man Cruz.

I have a confession to make…I’m in love with another man.

My husband knows, as does everyone else in my life. I simply couldn’t hide it. I met him on September 19, at 5:47 p.m. I would describe it as love at first sight. He looked at me with his big grey eyes, and without a word, I knew my heart was his.

Since then, we’ve spent almost every moment together, getting to know each other. I think everything about him is perfect, and I’m pretty sure he feels the same way about me. He’s gorgeous, sweet, very affectionate, and boy is he a flirt. I think my heart melts every time I look at him

If you don’t believe me, have a look for yourself.

My little man was born at home, weighing 10 lbs and measuring 20.5 inches. For years, I was certain that I was not a boy mom. I already had 2 girls, and I knew all about princesses and dress-ups. How could I understand dirt and peeing in the bushes (ok, so I had a limited view, lol)? All my friends told me “You will love having a boy! Boys adore their mamas!” Sure, I thought, I’ll be fine, but it’s not what I want…

Let me be the first to eat my words. Not only am I fine, but I am head over heels in love. In fact, if we weren’t done having kids I would totally want another boy. So, there it is, I’m a convert. Turns out not only am I a boy mama now, but I’m completely loving it!

There are so many things I could say about the events of the past few days. I plan on posting more in the near future when my emotions aren’t quite so raw (ie. when I won’t end up crying as I type!). I’ve had the most incredible week, and one of the highlights was a baby shower that was thrown for me on Saturday. It was beautiful, it was perfect, it was everything I could have dreamed. I am so touch by all the effort that went into making it a special day. I have so many people to thank, but most importantly, I want to thank my mom. She put her heart and soul into all the details and it truly showed. Don’t just take my word for it, check out the pictures.