I don't even know how to start describing this sweet family....We go back a long ways and spend quite a bit of time together on a regular basis. We consider them "chosen family" since we live away from our given families. They partner with us in our ministry to the teens and their families at our church and give abundantly of their time and energy. We spend most of our Sunday evenings together with said teens and enjoy lots of fun memories. Sara and I are affectionately referred to as Sara squared as we share the same name (and spelling).

They have two PRECIOUS kiddos and I would love it if our son grew up to be like them. These two siblings love each other and are always looking out for the other.

Philip and Sara were two of the people that encouraged us early on as we contemplated adoption and have been cheerleaders all along the journey. We are so thrilled that they are in the process of their own adoption. They needed some images for different aspects of that process so we met up this week to play and make some fun memories.

They will be selling these shirts later this year...but they easily capture their mission.

GO. SEEK. LOVE.

It's so fun to see them all in their matching shirts!


I told you these kids love each other....this was all with little prompting from them!

Of course they have a great example, because Mom and Dad love each other a lot as well!


This little man CRACKS ME UP!!! He was being serious here but he can be as silly as they come too. He has LOTS of great personality and has some moves if you can get him dancing. He's at that great age where his imagination is just exploding and it's entertainment to just listen to them create stories.


PRECIOUS....(Look at them holding hands - MELT MY HEART)


She turned 5 this year even though I tried to tell her she wasn't allowed. She gets a kick out of telling me that she will be 6 next year. She is a reserved, sweet girl that often thinks of others and wants to be helpful. She can be pretty silly herself with her brother when they are playing together though.


A few more family images...





I don't think I can pick a favorite today....I love them all!

Celebrating Adoption

I have been looking forward to meeting this special little guy since January when I saw his picture for the first time when we had dinner with his family only a few days after they saw his sweet face for the first time. We prayed as they waited anxiously to hear about decisions in court and as they rose above lots of obstacles in order to get to their son to bring him home.


We had scheduled this session two other times....once we got rained out and then this precious little one got sick. We hoped that the third time was a charm and besides a little (okay, ALOT) of humidity things worked out perfectly! When we pulled in behind them at the location, I told Mike I might lose it when I met him the first time. He laughed and told me I should get it together so that he didn't think I was some crazy person! :) So as I fought back tears he comes bounding out of the car. I was afraid he might be a little hesitant with new people around but I couldn't have been more wrong. Let's just say he wasn't too shy and warmed up rather quickly! In fact, he rather loved the camera and I loved every minute of it. By the end of the night as I was photographing his mommy and daddy, I looked over my shoulder to see him crawling up my sweet husband.

We enjoyed capturing the essence of being family, loving each other, and having fun together all while having a stinkin good time!

Aren't they all just beautiful?

All the kiddos...love how the little ones have their hands on their cheek just alike. I couldn't have made that happen if I'd tried.


Can't resist another one of the newest family member...


We have loved getting to know this sweet couple and calling them friends! As most couples tell me when I want to get an image of the two of them, they haven't had a image done since their engagement photos.



The rest of the awesome fam....





One more of the kiddos...they really had so much fun playing together!


I love capturing families, but getting a glimpse into a family that has chosen to pursue adoption was extra special! Thank you so much for allowing us to capture your sweet family! We treasure the opportunity.

Can't Resist

I can't resist posting at least one image from our session this evening. I can't wait to share the whole story with you....make sure you check back soon, you don't want to miss this one!

Some Personal News

I shared in a earlier post that I had some exciting personal news to share......and I think I have kept you in suspense long enough....though I'm sure you haven't been holding your breath. *smile*

Our big news is that we are..........

That's right....we are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia!!! We spent a lot of time praying and talking about the direction we wanted our family to take. After much prayerful discernment we agreed this is the direction we feel called. So far we have been in the paper chasing phase and soon we will be in the waiting phase. We hope that we will be able to travel to Ethiopia by the end of 2010 to meet our baby. We are keeping a blog and would be honored to have all of our fabulous clients along for the ride. You can find it here.

We are excited for this new chapter of our story and want to share it with all of our friends! We covet your thoughts and prayers as we raise the necessary funds for an international adoption.

Please don't forget to pass the word about Darling by Design Photography....it's only because of word of mouth that we are introduced to more amazing clients.