Celebrating Rainbows, Crystal Cove Beach Family Photos - Jones Family
I can’t even begin to tell you how meaningful this session was to me. I absolutely loooved meeting up with this sweet family at Crystal Cove State Beach. We had a great time running around and playing together, and sticking our toes in the sand. I think there were two reasons that made this night so special…I’d say the first was the fact that Katie booked a full session instead of a mini. Mini sessions are great, especially when on a budget. But the fast pace nature of it just doesn’t allow for the same connection as a full session does. We caught so many moments of snuggles, play time, and just them.
Now all of this was amplified by the way Katie so thoughtfully filled out her ‘Getting to Know You’ Questionnaire that I send out to all my clients to help introduce me get to the family before meeting up. Katie took it to the next level and really let me in. Reading about their journey to becoming the family they are made me feel so connected to them long before we ever met. It really allowed me to shape and mold their session to capture all that was important to them.
I can’t explain their story better than Katie, so without further adieu, with her permission, I’ll turn the time (and blog) to Katie (and a few of her answers to the questionnaire):
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How many people in your family?Names and Ages are bonus!
6 people: Cameron (38) Katie (35) Joshua (12) Rory (9) William (4) and Lily (5 months)
Tell me your family story!
Cam and I met at BYU--typical story there. We had Joshua after we graduated and moved to LA and thought we got the most gorgeous and perfect baby there ever was. We really struggled through toddler years with him and then had our Rory who was the happiest and most chill baby. We moved to Philadelphia for Cam's MBA and got Joshua's autism diagnosis. It rocked us, but also gave us a whole "village" to help him. We moved to Frisco, TX after business school solely because it has one of the best autism programs in the US. Josh and Rory have thrived here. We tried for a few years to get William here and he finally came as our miracle baby. Fat happy perfection. Then we quickly got pregnant again, with a girl! But at my 18 week appointment there was no heartbeat. We were beyond devastated. Got pregnant again and the same thing happened at my 12 week appointment--no heartbeat. So we all felt like we were circling the drain for a really long time. It was so hard because the doctors couldn't give me a reason why we lost 2 babies so late, and couldn't make any promises that trying a third time would work. But we did. And were terrified the entire 9.5 months of my pregnancy with Lily, and then she was born absolutely furious and absolutely perfect. We still can't believe that she's actually here, a real rainbow baby miracle. Her brothers LOVE her. And as a family we were able to work through some really hard stuff and learn to live with our grief. Cameron is ridiculously photogenic--the dude can't take a bad picture. I, on the other hand, may need some direction lol. Joshua continues to be absolutely gorgeous, and we're working on a natural not forced smile. Rory is our wild card of whether he will be a good sport or not, but both big boys are highly motivated by rewards. Rory especially will be working towards building a lightsaber at disneyland the next week we're in CA. Hilariously, my toddler is the best at taking pictures. He finds the light and gives an adorable smile. We'll probably bring gummies for an immediate positive feedback loop for him. And our gorgeous baby Lily is a little more serious, which is totally fine.
What is your favorite thing about each of your kids?
Joshua has the best natural laugh ever, and combined with his enormous eyes he is just a knockout. Rory is quick witted and hilarious, and HIS natural smile is also my favorite thing. I love absolutely everything about William, but especially his "sad disney prince eyes." I love Lily's chubby cheeks, thighs, and enormous eyes. Her gummy smile is to die for.
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I hope you feel as connected to this amazing family as I have. And can feel all that love of their sweet kiddies in the moments we captured together.
