I always love family photos at Founders Park, but this session was a special one. You see, shortly after we moved to DC, I introduced myself in our squadron Facebook group and shared about my business in the hopes of having the opportunity to serve some fellow Huey families. Kate responded that they had just moved as well and that she loves family photos. They had just taken photos before leaving Japan so she wasn’t looking for any yet, but she’d keep me in mind. Fast forward a few months and our kids connected at a squadron event, so we met in person briefly. Then, a few weeks later, our husbands were on nights together, so we picked up Chick-Fil-A for dinner and let our kids run around at a park. That night was the start of a great friendship.

We started with the normal small talk that military spouses make – where are you from, where have you been stationed, etc. and somehow landed on our college experience. I went to a relatively small Jesuit school in Cincinnati (Let’s Go X!) that people outside the Midwest typically only recognize because of their basketball team… and so did she! I remember texting my husband immediately, “Matt! Kate went to Xavier too!!!” (Turns out Matt and Ben were laughing at us because Ben got a similar text at the same time.) And the rest, as they say, is history!

Sunrise Family Photos at Founders Park

After months of prep, I met Kate, Ben and their four girls shortly after sunrise at Founders Park. It was a crisp fall morning, so I came prepared with fleece blankets and hand warmers. We started with full family photos and then let the girls rotate for individual pictures so they could warm up a bit. Between this structure and the promise of hot chocolate after the session, they did great.

The big girls, Lela, Allie and Nora, were troopers when it was their turn. It didn’t matter if I asked them to smile, twirl, run, or throw leaves, they were up for anything. Finley, on the other hand, was the epitome of an independent two-year-old! She made me work to capture her sweet personality, but she had me laughing the entire time. It was so fun to follow her lead and just observe as she ran around. Who knew that Kate’s lip gloss is all it would take to get her to stand still!? Oh, toddlers…

Thank you, Kate, not only for your friendship, but for being a huge cheerleader of ETP too. It’s such a privilege to have dear friends who support my business and I’m just so grateful for you. Cheers to many more Xavier games and cups of coffee over Crumbl cookies!

The beautiful fall foliage is just about gone for the year, but if you’re interested in some winter fun, let’s get in touch! I would love to make some snowy magic with your fam!

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