Wow. This session was so special for me for so many reasons. This was my fourth session with Krissy, and my third session with her and Dave as a family unit. Almost 7 years ago, I did a Mommy and Me session of Krissy and her son Hayden in the Sussex County Sunflower Fields. The session was special for so many reasons, but mainly, it was in honor of Buch- Krissy’s first husband, as their engagement session was in a sunflower field. She wanted to do a shoot of her and their son Hayden in honor of his memory, and it was one of the first photoshoots I ever did! To this day, I love that session so much. I felt like it was the first time I felt confident with my camera, and the emotions in those photos get me every time – the joy of motherhood, the grief of loss, the absence of a father. In ways, that session documented a monumental season of single parenthood for Krissy, and showed the absolute strength that she has as a person, raising her son alone.
Fast forward a few years from that first session, and Krissy met and fell in love with Dave, who quickly became a father figure to Hayden. A few years into their relationship, Krissy and Dave got engaged, and finally married at Bear Brook Valley, where I had the absolute honor of being their wedding and engagement photographer!! The got married in winter 2019 and every single moment of their wedding day was beautifully planned and absolutely spectacular. During the ceremony, Dave actually adopted Hayden as his son, and I guarantee there wasn’t a dry eye in the room!!
Fast forward to now, and all of that back story is what made THIS session so special – Krissy and Dave are happy and AMAZING parents to the newest member of their family – Kenna!!! Kenna is 9 months old, and Krissy reached out to me when she was around 6 months saying that she’d love to do another photoshoot in the Sussex County Sunflower fields with their now family of 4. It was important to her to capture new memories of just her and Hayden (and recreate some of the pictures we took back then) but mostly, we wanted to be able to fill their home with new family photos – the presence of a father figure to both Hayden and Kenna, and a beautiful, loving, and amazing family.
And the hour we spent in that field was pure bliss. The sun was shining perfectly, and I got to spend time with a giggly adorable 9 month old Kenna, and the always entertaining Hayden (I can’t believe how grown up he looks!). We captured so many beautiful memories this session – between the four of them all together, Krissy and Hayden alone, Hayden and Dave alone, Krissy and Kenna, Dave and Kenna, Hayden and Kenna, Krissy and Dave, Hayden alone, and Kenna alone! We got it ALL and every single moment was full of more giggles and smiles that the last.
I absolutely ADORE what we captured and I couldn’t think of a more full circle place to document this families’ memories. To me – this session symbolized hope, love, remembrance, honor, family, parenthood, and growth. It was a celebration of a new chapter and I am so in love with what we captured.
Krissy and Dave – this little family of yours is absolute perfection. I love documenting all these sweet seasons of life for you and can’t wait to watch Kenna and Hayden continue to grow! I love you guys and can’t wait for the next shoot already!!
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