There are some families who weave themselves into your life one milestone at a time, the kind of people who let you witness their beginnings, cheer alongside them as they build a home together, and celebrate the chapters that follow. For me, Lexey and Jeff are exactly that.

I’ve had the joy of photographing them five times now (I know! The unofficial pentafecta winners), starting all the way back with their engagement session.

I met Lexey in middle school, long before either of us knew where life would bring us, and I met Jeff before parenthood was even on the horizon. Watching their story expand year after year has been one of the greatest honors of my work.

What struck me most this time was their son.

The way he lights up when he sees them. The absolute trust in his little hands as he reaches out for theirs. The full-body joy kids only feel when they know they are safe and loved.

I see so many versions of love in my job, but the quiet, everyday tenderness between a child and their parents? It stops me in my tracks.

Sessions like this remind me why family photographs matter so deeply.

Legacy isn’t only the big moments — the wedding days and the celebrations — though those are precious too. Legacy is also the softness of your child’s cheek against yours, the way a growing family fits together, the rituals and rhythms that make your house a home.

It’s the ordinary days that become extraordinary in hindsight.

Being invited back again and again to document this growing legacy is something I don’t take lightly.

Every time I get to photograph these three (almost four!), I’m reminded that preserving a family’s story isn’t about perfection.

It’s about pausing long enough to notice what’s already beautiful: the connection, the devotion, the love that keeps deepening with time.

Lexey and Jeff, thank you for trusting me with your memories for so many years.

I cannot wait to see your family welcome its newest little chapter. Baby B, you’re joining a crew that loves big, laughs often, and shows up for one another in the most meaningful ways.

If you’d like to revisit some of their earlier chapters, here are their past sessions:

• Their engagement session
• Their wedding day
• Their first maternity session

And now, here we are at chapter five… a family waiting with joy, hope, and so much love for the next little heartbeat already on the way!