Happy Friday everyone!

I hope you're enjoying the summer like weather as much as I am! I'm admittedly not crazy about insane heat and humidity, and while I really enjoy fall, it means that winter is next :/ Am I the only one who struggles to enjoy the fullness of fall because I'm too focused on what's to come? My boys though are GIDDY EXCITED about making snow angels though, so there's that ;)

Speaking of looking forward to something, this beautiful mama's sweet lil' bundle has already arrived! You'll need to stay tuned for my blog post on her precious baby but I'm excited to share Tara's maternity session with all of you. She was 38 weeks along when we did her session which is later than I typically photograph maternity portraits (32-34 weeks is ideal) but I'm so glad we got these in before she delivered.

We headed to Walnut Creek Regional Park for Tara's maternity pictures. Her husband and kiddos joined us as the beginning of the session so we could get some family shots out of the way and then get the kiddos home for the rest of the evening. As an Urbandale family and maternity photographer I try to keep kiddos attention spans in mind and aim to work quickly while they're still having fun! You can tell how much these two are excited to meet their new sibling....

The love that Tara and Rob share is undeniable. These two are incredible together and are fantastic parents. It's neat to see how God has blessed their marriage and their family.

As we talked wardrobe for the session, I suggested something 'long and flowy' if she had something like that, otherwise I had a maternity gown she would wear or a maternity maxi dress would be great too. When I saw this gorgeous gown I literally started jumping up and down I was so excited! I knew she would look stunning in it. There's something about a beautiful glowing mama in a flowy gown out in a tall grassy field....

Tara did another quick change into this cute dress for a few more shots on location.

A few days later we did a mini in-home session for a few belly shots and I love how these turned out. She's such a beautiful mama!

Not sure what to do with your maternity photos? You may not want wall portraits of yourself during pregnancy but a photo book is a great way to preserve this amazing time in your life. Your child will love seeing your belly photos knowing that they were in there! Our boys love looking at my maternity albums and pointing to themselves in my tummy.

Are you expecting or know someone who is? Maternity is a beautiful moment to capture, even with the swollen ankles (my toes looked like Lil' Smokies when I was pregnant so I totally get it). I'd love to visit with you about capturing the beginning of your baby's story. Just click below to get in touch!