Caitlin + Christopher // Raleigh Family Photographer

It was wonderful to reunite with Caitlin and Christopher thirteen years after shooting their wedding in 2011! They look exactly the same somehow so I can only assume that in those thirteen years they were off discovering a secret elixir or something. They now have two wonderful children who are a DELIGHT. The oldest enjoys climbing trees, looking for worms, giving elaborate high fives where she insists on a running start from a great distance away, reading books, carrying around a gem that she named Gemmy, and of course, wearing a gold sequin cape. The gold sequin cape, folks, was the highlight of my year so far. There’s never a time where gold sequins don’t photograph fabulously and she knew it. She’s spunky and full of life and confident and obviously has great taste in capes.

The youngest enjoys all things city planning. He has a passion for Sanitation Engineering, specifically. He enjoys rolling around his custom garbage bin that’s pre-filled with [safe] garbage, and he enjoys picking up sticks at the park and putting them into the sewer grate so that “no one trips.” It looks like he’s having an involved discussion with Pennywise most of the time, but rest assured that he’s just out there doing his job so that when you visit the park later on, you don’t unwittingly step on a stick and suffer a terrible fall. The kids also filled my sweater pockets with Japanese Maple leaves and random pieces of pottery. They’re excellent at finding little treasures. In addition, they have an incredible dog Lylah that’s now my best friend, and they have the best taste in bird wallpaper. I think they’re great and I hope you enjoy this fun little spring session.

Lauren+Jacob+Jane+Oscar // Raleigh Family Photographer

Lauren and Jacob live in a really rad house with a 2 month-ish baby named Oscar and a vivacious 2 year-oldish toddler named Jane. They all share, together, a really great blue fireplace and and several awesome vintage chairs. But most importantly (to me, anyway), they share all of Lauren and Jacob’s meticulously cared for childhood toys. We’re talking everything I loved and used to have as a child, and then some. It was awesome! Plus, they didn’t seem weirded out when I got out my phone and started sending pictures of the toys to family. My old Care Bear purse was there, in ridiculously pristine condition and complete with original tiny change purse that I’m sure I lost about 2 days after receiving it! My old My Pet Monster was there (technically my sister’s BUT MINE IN MY HEART), in almost brand-new like condition, complete with original plastic handcuffs (!!)! And my old, purple Popple was there! It was my dearest childhood toy that I really couldn’t be parted with… but that I also threw in the local lake (then burst into tears and made my dad swim in and retrieve it). Lauren and Jacob also have a lot of Cabbage Patch Kids, which were also, obviously, an 80s-kid favorite.

It made my day to see all this stuff again, and in such great condition! Quite impressive. But even more impressive is that they also have in their possession a vintage Michael Jackson doll that kinda looks like a Ken Doll except it’s Michael Jackson in his American Music Awards circa 1984 outfit, complete with visible white socks. The 100% best thing about this is that Lauren holds up this doll and goes “hee-hee!” and thus has taught Jane to also say, “hee-hee!” when she picks up the doll (definitely click on that link). I don’t think I’ve ever been more impressed and delighted in all my years of photography. Hee-hee!

Anyway – besides their vintage toys, they are also pretty great all on their own. Oscar sleeps a lot because he is a baby, but he does smile charmingly and is quite adorable. Jane took a strong liking to Geoff and wouldn’t go anywhere in the house or outside without him. “Geoff!” she’d say, and then point upstairs. “Geoff!” she’d say, and then point downstairs. There was a lot of ordering him around, but also handing him babydolls. She took a lot of delight into forcing him inside her playhouse and then repeatedly ringing the doorbell like a bad prank situation (Jane is really great). She also likes eating lunch (me too!) and cats (YES!) and when she sees a cat outside makes an immediate beeline for it with squealing delight (THIS IS ALSO ME!). They are a cute-as-a-button-on-a-vintage-Michael-Jackson-American-Music-Awards-jacket family and we’re happy to have photographed them.