The Lauers.

This lil guy showed up out of nowhere! After 10 years of no success Beau must have been like, ‘Waaaaait! I’m ready to come down now!’ I see his little soul vigorously waving at God like, “Theres still time! I choose them!!!” God’s like the annoyed mom head tilted, ‘oh nooooow, you’re ready? ::sighhhh:: “Go on then, give them the shock of their life!”

He’s stolen all their love and attention.

Cash is like, “I want you to play ball with me, but I don’t actually want you to touch my ball!”🤣

Beau needed lots of soothing and Mama just stayed so calm (and pretty) the entire time. 👏🏼

How can you even be mad this sad little face?

It’s the grown man outfit for me.

LOVE THIS!

This little Mother Hen! I mean, in no way am I shocked in her maturity and intuitive responses in all situations of need. She’s the best big sis.😍 I don’t think Kate and Jason could have asked for anything more!

This baby aint so little anymore!

You guys are the cutest!

Cash was at the top of the stairs modeling for me while everyone was dispersing in different directions.😍

Jason had to run Elle to soccer so I stuck around and changed the whole mood of the session with Kate. I knew I had gotten some family shots but I wanted to tell the rest of the story. The deep connection these two have as I’m certain he was her saving grace over the last year. She got him naked and fed him which allowed him to finally relax.

He enjoyed his toesies being licked. 😆

Hard light not even bothering those baby blues!😍

There’s that happy boy!! 😍

That shift in session I was talking about… Some of our mutual friends already know this beast of a woman. The rest of you, let me just take a minute and discuss the strength, courage, BRAVERY, this petite lil lady has living inside her. Almost a year to the day I took these images, was the anniversary of the worst day of Kate’s life. Right here at her front door (which was actually replaced) she was shot, nearly dead. Two kids tried to shove their way into her house as she stood her ground and fought back. He held a gun just inchesss from her chest and fired into her left side with the bullet cutting all the way through to the back of her. I could recount the gory details but at the end of the day, she chose to fight for her life, for Elle and Jason and make her way to her phone to call 911. With this, then puppy, by her side, she made it to the hospital. She survived after the ups and downs of a 10 day ICU stay. And here she is one year later, showing her triumph over that space. She’s taking it back, reclaiming it as her own!🙌🏼 Though she still has SO much PTSD and triggers to overcome, she’s championed for one whole yr over her attackers stealing any sense of peace she once felt in her home. (The teenagers were eventually caught and charged with felonious assault and aggravated robbery.)

You’ve done it, Mama. PRAISE is right!!!!

I was like, I just need to take more portraits of you. She’s so gosh darn beautiful and I’m just so proud of her! She up and flipped off that door because while she seems so good on the outside, even just spending this 15min rehashing and holding her ground in this spot, it still hurts and is exhausting. So eff you, to all of it, none of it deserves her energy any longer!

GAH you’re gorgeous.

Love love love this. The light wrapping the folds of Kate’s shirt. 😍 The gentle sweeping of his hair. The safeness he feels in Mama’s arms. 💞 The miracle that is Beau Martin. Kate lost her father (his namesake) not long before pregnant with him and you can’t deny for one second that the ONLY thing her father felt like he could do to heal his baby girls heart from up there, was to send her this miracle. Send her some grace, this hope, this child to heal her broken body, spirit and mind. TEN years, that sibling baby door was so far closed and here it was slammed back open JUST after this tragedy!! How did her fragile body even have the strength to manage a pregnancy?! When our mutual friend told me about this surprise, I literally cried tears of joy for the Lauers. God is so good, even when we have no understanding, there is still His light He will shine down.

I find little irony in the fact today is my sister’s 10 yr angelversary as I sit here writing all this. Life is so delicate and we forget that in our daily hustle. Until tragedy brings us full stop, we truly can’t understand how little importance all the other things in life are. ::vague sweeping gesture:: All of this doesn’t matter. None of it. Especially the mountain of halloween decor/costumes rolling down my steps off the landing and pumpkins turned liquid on my porch🤣 We’re all just here for a short time doing the best we can trying to get our souls to Heaven. I’m so thankful the Lauers have that smell of fresh baby head to inhale at any given time to flood their brains with the peace they deserve. Congratulations on your triumph and rebirth this last year. I pray the burden of anxiety lessens over time and this part of your story will just be a small blip of your past. Much love and strength! Heart, Melanie