charlotte is the sweet mama of this family and she told me that being able to do this photo shoot out in the beautiful sunshine was her dream come true! leading up to the shoot, charlotte told me a bit about each special person in her family and i already felt like we were old friends by the time we finally met! so, as i prepared for this post, i was trying to find the words to describe each one of them but i just found that nothing i wrote was nearly as genuine as what she wrote herself. so, here they all are, in the beautiful words of a mother – charlotte’s family according to charlotte… her husband, fred – “sacrifices in ways for our family that melts me and loves me with all of his heart.” and michael, 20 (the oldest of 7) - “loves BIG.” christian, 19 - “selfless. feels deeply.” ethan, 15 – “when no one is looking puts his head on my shoulder.” matthew, 13 – “his smile lights up my day.” seth, 12 – “sees the good in everyone.” lauren, 8 – “sweet like an angel.” & ella, 5 (the baby) – “dances around the house. she sparkles.” and yet, the most beautiful description of all was what charlotte wrote about herself, “i feel passionate about creating home. all I ever wanted to be was a mom. most rewarding, expanding, frustrating, humbling, noble thing I have ever done. i love them with all my heart.” thank you, thank you, thank you charlotte, for sharing your beautiful journey as the very blessed mama of your nest. i am most definitely a better mother for having met you. (photographed at the tierra rejada walnut grove.)
i sure love this kind of session where i can just dive right in with my heart. 
What a gorgeous family for a gorgeous shoot – the sunshine does make it perfect. The sunshine, and the clothes – love the ruffles and mom’s lace!