Pumpkin Picking & Carving // Family Pictures

all photos by fuzebox photography

Family pictures are always beautiful, aren't they? They're these beautiful stills of a family and lives being lived. 

Sure, life may not always include throwing confetti, or walks hand and hand through the woods, or an entire family pumpkin patch day, but they are shots of what we wish and long for life to be. We long to all take off and enjoy a day at a pumpkin patch with family. And we long to have the time and intention to walk hand in hand with our love through a forest in the fall. Whatever said family or couple pictures hold, they're glimpses of what we long for life to look like. And at the very same time they're pictures of what actual life does look like, too. We may not always have the time or the forest or the pumpkin patch to walk through, but we do laugh, make memories and smile with the ones we love, and that's really what the pictures are all about capturing anyway, isn't it?

One of the silver linings to this horrible disease of cancer, is that on that day at the end of May 2015, life lived together and these family moments became intentional and priority.

This day, picking pumpkins, was photographed. But by God's grace and unfailing love towards us, the 17 months we battled Pancreatic Cancer as a family, looked a lot like these photos. Memories made. Memories lived. Life lived. With intention.

 

 When cancer enters the scene, it's like something slaps us in the face and tells us to wake up! Wake up! Live every day like it's the last. Or in my mother's words on a Facebook album she posted with glimpses of these very photos, 2 weeks before she passed away;

"Please always know God has a plan and we have to trust and have faith! And always be joyful and smile. Don't sweat the small stuff it's so unimportant! Please always know God has a plan and we have to trust and have faith! And always be joyful and smile. Don't sweat the small stuff it's so unimportant!"

I'll leave you with that (and with the photos of the rest of our day). With the wise, yet simple, and so very joy-filled words of my beautiful mother.

Thank you for reading and making it through all those photos! I know there's usually tons of pictures around here but these are especially lovely and bless my heart. So, thank you for scrolling through them. Love you guys.

Also, a HUGE thank you to Linda of fuzebox photography. We are forever grateful for these beautiful pictures.

Snow Days in Brooklyn

  

I'm not going to lie. My heart aches a little bit when I see all the gorgeous snow pictures painting Instagram. It may be because I'm from Texas, where it rarely snows and if it does, it never sticks, but snow still holds magic for me. Maybe snows become my unicorn. Magical and fleeting!

When it snows, I see the whole world turn into a wintery snow globe of joy.  So corny, I know. But I can't help it. I love it.

After we had our December trip to New York all planned, I'd check the weather every day, sometimes twice a day. I prayed and prayed, "Please God, let it snow!" The same way, as a little snow deprived Texan girl, I prayed for snow from elementary through college. (I'm not kidding. I did.)  

Shortly after arriving in Brooklyn, at our Air BnB home for the week, as we were unpacking Zachary shouted those magic words to me, "It's snowing!"

We threw on our layers and dashed outside! It was one of the greatest gifts God could have given me on this trip! I was this excited.

 

This snow was even better and more magical than I had experienced before because it draped the stoops of brownstones in Brooklyn. We walked through the snow, with our puffer jackets on, and grabbed coffee on the corner. My heart exploded with nostalgia I never knew of walking on the streets of Brooklyn with a cappuccino in hand. Swoon.

 

How can you not thing of Narnia when seeing a lamp post with specks of snow? Except check out that "greenery." Haha. That patch of grass is no match to Narnia's enchanted forests.

Snow, coffee AND finger nail polish (not chipping). Geesh. Blogger on fleek. ;)

Before I turn every mid-westerner and up off with this mushy love story to snow, I'll stop the touchy feelies and go straight to the facts.

FACT: I just got off a plane that's why I have no make up on and look like I got hit by a bus.

Another FACT: We had to fully stock ourselves on cold weather clothes for this trip because we had none. Thank you Old Navy for your amazing discounts.

Fact: I always, always do jumping pics in this exact pose. Evidence here and here (differs slightly but basically the same) and here. I think that I think it's the most flattering but it's really not. Also, I'm pretty sure those here, here and here links are pretty good " 'before and after' through the years" pictures but not the good kind (weight gain). Boo.

FACT: We LOVE this Air BnB location and stayed there the last time we went to New York, too. I have secret fantasies that we come back to New York every year, always staying here, and watch the city change together.

FACT: Zachary is the cutest but can not stand taking pictures. It always takes several shots before he realizes if he'd just smile, I'd stop taking them. Also, he's much more adult about snow, but he's sweet to always play with me.

There we go! Big smiles!

Obligatory in the snow kissing pic..

FACT: We can never do kissing pics right. They never look good. I always look like my face is being smushed and Zachary always looks awkward. This is probably because he legitametly feels super awkward. hehe.

  How sweet are these Christmas touches? Overall, I'd say that our first 2 hours in New York were one for the books. I couldn't think of a better way to be welcomed back to the City.    Let me hear from you! Are you in love with snow days as much as I am? Or do you think I'm obnoxiously crazy for loving it so much? Comment below!