Family. Something we are born into. Something we adopt. Something that we create. A movie quote has always stuck with me. The main character is talking to a girl he just met and is discussing what family really means.

‘It’s like you feel homesick for a place that doesn’t even exist. You won’t ever have this feeling again until you create a new idea of home for yourself, you know, for your kids, for the family you start, it’s like a cycle or something. I don’t know, but I miss the idea of it, you know. Maybe that’s all family really is. A group of people that miss the same imaginary place.’

As I grow older, I feel this in my soul. During this engagement season for myself, personally, Jon and I are talking about building our home together. As a family. There is this huge life transition we are about to head down. Together. It is exciting and terrifying. I can only imagine what it will feel like to have little ones and grow our family even more. How real that responsibility and joy of creating Your family really is. The families that I have the honor of photographing. They all went through these huge life transitions. And I get to be a small part of that moment in time for them. It has been one of life’s biggest and most unexpected blessings in my professional career.

The joyful moments when a couple finds each other and decides they want to laugh through life together.

The stop-in-your tracks-how-does-my-baby-look-this-grown-up moment.

The silly moments between siblings.

The quiet moments of a momma comforting her babies.

The momma of three moments.

And mostly importantly, the moments where we all miss the same imaginary place.

Thank you Stephanie and JT for adventuring and running all over together to capture these real life moments.

RachelM