Baby Emmett and his beautiful family

Love this family. Love the atmosphere when you walk into Courtney and Scott's house. So calm and yet so joyful.

...I'm pretty sure you'll be able to tell that just from the kid's photos.

Emmett was just over a week old here but as you can see is a big boy! I love his chubby little cheeks. (Check them out later in this post when he's wide-eyed and beaming.)

I have a very unique relationship with this family as Courtney's brother, Scott, was one of my best friends in high school and their mom was my English teacher (she and her other daughter showed up at the end of the photo session and I got a chance to catch up - it was SO good to see them). That's the simplest way to put it but they mean so much more to me than school ties.

Scott passed away 8 years ago this August and it rocked my world in a way that's too personal describe. Now that I have also have suffered the death of my own brother last year, I'm starting to see there's a tie that bonds those who've experienced grief and loss.

I know there are many times I say that a family is special to me, and I DO mean it, however, there is a different kind of special with this family. I feel blessed and honored to continue to be part of their lives and to share my gift of photography with them.

Miss you Scott. You are thought of often!