All I wanted to do was sleep when I was pregnant with her and the guilt of having caffeine was legit, as I didn’t want to do anything to “mess this one up”. After losing her older brother, her due date of Christmas Day was a sign to us that God was giving us our miracle. So, when they placed her in a stocking and rolled her into our room, it was a confirmation that we didn’t need anything wrapped under the tree that year…we were completely and overwhelmingly blessed with the greatest gift~going home with our arms full. Without exaggeration, there isn’t a day that goes by when I am not grateful for that gift. Family means everything to Alexia and her willingness to put her family first, her work ethic, determination, drive, her laughter, the way she feels the weight to be a good example, her selflessness, thoughtfulness, loyalty, grace, and dedication, her practical ways, the sister she is, the daughter she is, the friend, niece, and granddaughter she is, her heart, her mind, and everything in between are constant reminders of the beautiful gift God blessed us with in her. Life isn’t always smooth and comes with it’s challenges, but the way she is able to learn and grow from those challenges, is inspiring.

  It’s funny how even when we, as parents, are striving to teach our children, we end up learning even that much more from them. Just her ability to work with horses and how she applies that to life; paralleling it to having patience and grace with those around her, the way she encouraged me to start a photography business by “just doing it”, and the way she guards her heart, but when she chooses to love, she loves with everything in her because she believes better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, are just a few of those lessons I have learned. This may be overkill and she’ll most likely be completely embarrassed by this post, but Birthdays are once a year and this is a milestone one~So, here’s to the woman who has inspired me greatly, who challenges me to be a better version of me daily, and who makes me proud continually. Oh and thanks for putting up with my photo shoot ideas…in ALL types of weather 😉 I thought for fun I would take a stroll down memory lane and give a little behind the scenes description for each shoot. Happy Birthday, Angel!! Oh, and thanks for being our guinea pig 😉

Sister shoot about 4 years ago

Alexia & her Micha a few years ago; I drug her out of bed for an early shoot to catch that untouched snow. I let her wear muck boots under her dress for this one. ha!

Friends of ours allowed us to shoot with their Friesians. The man who worked with the horses was surprised to see how well they took to Alexia. I have to say, I was in awe of how she took control and communicated with them…even in the mud in that gown!

Soooo this was our backyard and when I asked her to shoot this, I got the “Seriously??” look. haha! She did it and yes, barefoot for this one.

I upgraded my camera body and whipped this dress together and asked her to do a more 90’s vibe. She entertained me 😉

Her youngest brother was afraid of the fireworks. As I attempted to capture the firework display, I looked up and found her covering his ears and trying to distract him from the event. When I got the shot, the fireworks made a heart shape. love!

It was cold, but a storm was rolling in, so I begged her and my sister to head to the beach for some crashing waves images. Yes, the waves crashed over them and they were freezing and drenched by the end, but she didn’t complain!

Oh, man. This shoot. Alexia was super sick, but we knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I packed the gown just for this moment~to photograph in White Sands, NM. She TOTALLY sucked it up and walked the dunes cold and sick…and I couldn’t have been more grateful.

and there it is….my long drawn out Birthday Card to my daughter. May this next year be your year filled with the happiness you deserve. Never grow weary in well doing. Make good choices 😉 haha!

xx~Love always, Mom