With the threat of being rained out and rescheduled, we had no idea if today was going to go the way we had hoped. After lots of praying and just committing it to God, we got a call at 6 am this morning saying they were delivering! What a sigh of relief!!
We all got out of bed bright and early to watch the home be delivered. We don’t get out much?? Haha!!
There were a few spots on our driveway that were very tight and it took quite a bit of maneuvering to get through but they did it with minimal damage. Thank the Lord!!
We are watching them all work hard to get the home set, tied down, and put back together. It’s an exciting time! It should be about 6-8 weeks before we move in. There’s still lots to do!
Phew, we were holding our breath Doggie driver. Haha!! She’s a beauty Our little fam
About two weeks ago, mid April, the pad for our home was completed and we went and closed on the construction loan of the home. The girls got to tour the model home that ours is going to look like for the first time. They loved it!! They have seen pictures and a virtual walk through but we made the choice on the home without them being there so they hadn’t seen it in person yet.
We were asked to take photos of the pad and send them in so that the company delivering the home could see we were ready.
We did our part but the next day we got a heavy downpour and parts of the pad were damaged. We immediately started contacting different ones to make them aware of the damage and to figure out what needed to be done next.
Because of even more rain, the pad repairs were delayed two weeks. We finally had a break in the rain and everything was able to dry out. The pad was repaired and drainage ditches were cut to redirect water from the top of the hill.
We picked up some hay from tractor supply here in Minden, LA to put down around the perimeter of the pad to prevent any further washouts from rain. Funny enough, we haven’t had any rain since. We had a storm that was supposed to come through but it missed us completely. I won’t complain.
As of now, our home is going to be delivered on May 29th. We are praying there will be no issues to cause delays on this part.
After the home is delivered we will have lots of things going on. The septic will be put in, the plumbing work will be done, electrical work, a/c work, inside finish work from flooring to sheetrock and whatever else needs to be done. We might try and sneak in some landscaping during this time as well. This process is estimated to take 8 weeks.
Once this part is completed we will have a final walk through with our contractor to ensure everything is the way we wanted it and if so, we will have the final close and get the keys to our home! This is estimated to be late July/early August.
We can’t wait for the move in and are trusting for no hiccups or issues along the way.
Pad work being done The first go around before damagesClosing on the home construction loan. This will be our kitchen view in a few short months! Sweet gifts from the company we are purchasing the home fromSome of the damagesAnother location of damages Ah, that’s more like it
The next updates will be that our home is here and construction work has begun. I’m excited for that post!! Stay tuned, it won’t be long now!
Babies coming back for their first birthday photos after having their newborn session with me means the world!!
Baker boy was a sweet newborn I photographed last year and I just loved his session. I have since been watching him grow through his mom’s social media posts and I have loved seeing how much he has changed. Then getting to see him again in person. Oh, he is so cute!!
I loved our time together out at Lake Bistineau State Park in North Louisiana and how easy it was to get sweet smiles out of this sweet little man.
My sweet girls in the spring Wisteria
I love the time of where when all the flowers are in bloom. It makes me happy.
We have a large patch of Wisteria on our land in North Louisiana that bursts to life every spring. I make it a point every year to get my girlies out in the flowers for photos. It’s something I just love to do! As they get older and older the images that I have taken every year get more and more precious. There is nothing NOTHING like having your family documented every year. I love looking back over years past and seeing my babies as babies. Boy were those times hard, but now that they are older those times are so very dear.
The Minden Louisiana Chamber of Commerce hosts a gala event for their members every year to celebrate the accomplishments and honor businesses and business men and women who go above and beyond. It was such an honor to photograph this event and meet so many of Minden’s business leaders.
The theme was Arabian nights. Did they not smash it out of the ball park?!? Wow!! It looked amazing! The many hours spent and the amount of effort wasn’t wasted.
So many men and women were celebrated that I couldn’t even begin to name them all but what a honor to get to see them all.
Enjoy the lovely details from such a wonderful evening.
Have you ever prayed for something and it felt like the answer never came? Maybe it wasn’t that the answer didn’t come or isn’t coming, but maybe the timing is different than what we think it will be.
David and I got married 10 years ago. We built on to a very small home and planned to live in that just a few years until we could save up to build something bigger. Lots of unforeseen things happened very quickly and that plan was pushed back for many years. Every time we would feel like we were close again, something else would happen to push it even further. It felt like all the odds were stacked up against us.
We now had two kids and our house was far too small. Only 800 sq ft. We were cramped to say the least.
In 2022, things started changing. The mountain that was before us began to fall, in chunks rather than grains of sand. The mountain was still there but it was getting smaller and smaller.
We were given a promise that more was coming. That things were going to continue to change for the good. We didn’t see anything happen for an entire year, but we believed none the less.
2024 started off like any other year, but it quickly turned into a supernatural year with blessings upon blessings being poured out. Our prayers were getting answered! We, in fact, hadn’t been forgotten.
March of 2024 we signed papers on a beautiful home and we are now in the waiting process for it all to be complete. Next week we officially close on it. The answer didn’t come in the way we thought it would but we are every bit as excited! We are in no way settling or compromising on our dreams. We are living in the very fulfillment of our dreams and it still feels so surreal.
If you are in a season of waiting, I want to encourage you to keep the faith. Don’t give up because of the amount of time it takes. God is not slack concerning his promises. When the time is right, nothing will stop the promises from being fulfilled. We are a testament of that.
I about two months we will be moving in to our new home on our 10 acres of land in North Louisiana. Until then, I wanted to share some images of it for you to see.
As an in home newborn photographer in the Shreveport and surrounding areas, I realize that not everyone wants to have their newborn session in their home.
I pride myself in being able to create natural light looking images with flash when there is not ample natural light yet sometimes it’s just easier on everyone to go somewhere aside from the home.
Shreveport has a great studio that can be rented out by the hour. The natural light is stunning and the beauty that can be created is unlimited.
Raw the studio , a gorgeous studio rental location in Shreveport!
*Not my photo* image of raw the studio
If you’re interested in a newborn session outside of your home, this studio is the perfect option! At booking, just let me know this is the location you wish to use and we will make sure it happens!
Every February, the little town of Minden hosts a four day weekend fundraiser for St Jude’s Children Research Hospital. Every year, they do a phenomenal job of hosting events that bring everyone in the surrounding areas together for a common cause: childhood cancer. It’s such a.l beautiful thing that I have been so happy to be a part of the last three years. I hardly even knew this went on until three years ago because I don’t actually live in Minden. Ever since I found out about this incredible thing the people of Minden do, I have put forth my effort to help the cause. I have donated sessions for the raffle and run in the races that they hold.
This year was no exception. My girls, husband and I loaded up at 7:15 to head to Minden for our 8am race. The girls raced in the fun run and I raced in the 5k. It rained on us most of the time but I didn’t dampen our spirits. We all had a blast!!
Together, the town of Minden raised $2.5 million dollars for the kids of St Jude!! How incredibly amazing is that??
Here’s a recap of the races and here’s to next year!!
Heading out! My girls Dexter cousins ready to race! We tried to get a good pic. Haha!! 5k about to take off! It was raining at the start line. But we brought our smiles First place in her age group! So proud Third place in her age group! Yay Elaine!! They all got plaques Second place in my age group! Proud of us!!
Thank you, Minden, for such a fun and amazing weekend raising money for St. Jude!
2023 was a wonderful year full of beautiful babies I was blessed to photograph. It was a year that fulfilled many dreams and I’m so thankful for each one that trusted me to document such important times in their lives.
I was welcomed into many homes in the North Louisiana areas, including Shreveport, bossier, Haughton, and Minden. I saw countless nurseries and each one was unique and beautiful.
I captured connections between brand new parents and their precious babies and seasoned parents with their last baby. Each one, a treasure.
Here’s a peek into my favorite images from 2023!
Thank you to everyone who invested in beautiful newborn portraits! It was a joy to be there to document this special time!!
To book your in-home newborn session, reach out here
Oh how I love this session! We planned this in home Christmas session before little Jesse was even born. When we finally were able to see the finished product, ahhh!!
I offered these in-home Christmas sessions over the Christmas season (obviously) and can’t wait to bring them back again. They were so fun! I loved seeing the unique way that everyone decorates for the seasons. Christmas is my favorite time of the year and getting to document these lovely littles around the tree was just the best!!
North Louisiana Lifestyle Family and Newborn Photographer 