Hopefully this helps explain my pitiful blog presence as of late. October - December was a whirlwind of travels, shoots, and adoption planning!!
We are still out of state awaiting paperwork finalization so that we can take our little miracle home. We are enjoying special bonding time as a family, nestled away in the mountains, blanketed in snow. We are also eagerly awaiting our journey home and finally introducing him to all of his family and friends!
Even as I attempt to write this, I'm overwhelmed with emotion and trying to find the right words to explain just how incredible this all is. And surreal...surely someone will soon tell me this is all just a dream, or a really great chic flick I was casted for! I plan on writing more about this amazing journey in the days and years to come, so for now I'll try to keep it on the shorter end.
Nate and I have been hoping and praying for a child for the five years, and never in our wildest dreams did we imagine the journey would be this special. I'm not going to lie, it's had it's ups and downs, and days when I ever wondered if I'd really be a mom. I still can't believe it, I'm a mom, I have a son, Nate is a dad (an amazing one at that), and we are now a family of three!! I can say, without a doubt, that every tear and bump in the road was all worth finding our son, Ruben. We know that out of all of creation, God has chosen this precious soul to be our child!!
In case you're thinking to yourself, wow, this all happened so fast. Holy cow, did it ever... and now we couldn't imagine it any other way! Here's how it all went down...
Thurs Jan 5: our adoption paperwork is finalized (we are officially able to start applying)
Thurs Jan 5: we submit our profile for the first time to a birth mom
Sun Jan 8: we find out the mom didn’t pick us
Sun Jan 8: the adoption agency tells us about a different baby due Friday (ruben)
Tues Jan 10: we submit our profile for baby ruben
Wed Jan 11: 1pm we learn that the mother picked US!!!!! TEARS OF JOY!!!
Thurs Jan 12: we fly to Utah, meet with the birth mom for dinner (she's AMAZING)!
Fri Jan 13: 2:05pm, baby Ruben is born!! We get to meet him for the first time at 4:30
Sat Jan 14: 3pm, final paperwork is signed, he’s officially ours!!
Sun Jan 15: 1:30pm, we get to take him home from the hospital!!
We can't wait for you all to meet our little man. I still can't believe when I look at this photo, that this is really our son! I'm so used to taking photos for other families...and now we have a little model of our own. A very handsome one at that, if I do say so myself :)
Thank you all for your love, support, prayers, and sharing in our Joy during this very special time for our family. We are so blessed with the most amazing family and friends!!
much love,
Nate, Amanda and Ruben
There’s a new little turtle in our pond…
It's with OVERWHELMING JOY that we announce the birth of our sweet son Ruben Braylan Reynolds!!! He was born on January 13, and weighed in at 7 lb, 10 oz and 19" long. We are over the moon in LOVE!!!
Hopefully this helps explain my pitiful blog presence as of late. October - December was a whirlwind of travels, shoots, and adoption planning!!
We are still out of state awaiting paperwork finalization so that we can take our little miracle home. We are enjoying special bonding time as a family, nestled away in the mountains, blanketed in snow. We are also eagerly awaiting our journey home and finally introducing him to all of his family and friends!
Even as I attempt to write this, I'm overwhelmed with emotion and trying to find the right words to explain just how incredible this all is. And surreal...surely someone will soon tell me this is all just a dream, or a really great chic flick I was casted for! I plan on writing more about this amazing journey in the days and years to come, so for now I'll try to keep it on the shorter end.
Nate and I have been hoping and praying for a child for the five years, and never in our wildest dreams did we imagine the journey would be this special. I'm not going to lie, it's had it's ups and downs, and days when I ever wondered if I'd really be a mom. I still can't believe it, I'm a mom, I have a son, Nate is a dad (an amazing one at that), and we are now a family of three!! I can say, without a doubt, that every tear and bump in the road was all worth finding our son, Ruben. We know that out of all of creation, God has chosen this precious soul to be our child!!
In case you're thinking to yourself, wow, this all happened so fast. Holy cow, did it ever... and now we couldn't imagine it any other way! Here's how it all went down...
Thurs Jan 5: our adoption paperwork is finalized (we are officially able to start applying)
Thurs Jan 5: we submit our profile for the first time to a birth mom
Sun Jan 8: we find out the mom didn’t pick us
Sun Jan 8: the adoption agency tells us about a different baby due Friday (ruben)
Tues Jan 10: we submit our profile for baby ruben
Wed Jan 11: 1pm we learn that the mother picked US!!!!! TEARS OF JOY!!!
Thurs Jan 12: we fly to Utah, meet with the birth mom for dinner (she's AMAZING)!
Fri Jan 13: 2:05pm, baby Ruben is born!! We get to meet him for the first time at 4:30
Sat Jan 14: 3pm, final paperwork is signed, he’s officially ours!!
Sun Jan 15: 1:30pm, we get to take him home from the hospital!!
We can't wait for you all to meet our little man. I still can't believe when I look at this photo, that this is really our son! I'm so used to taking photos for other families...and now we have a little model of our own. A very handsome one at that, if I do say so myself :)
Thank you all for your love, support, prayers, and sharing in our Joy during this very special time for our family. We are so blessed with the most amazing family and friends!!
much love,
Nate, Amanda and Ruben
Hopefully this helps explain my pitiful blog presence as of late. October - December was a whirlwind of travels, shoots, and adoption planning!!
We are still out of state awaiting paperwork finalization so that we can take our little miracle home. We are enjoying special bonding time as a family, nestled away in the mountains, blanketed in snow. We are also eagerly awaiting our journey home and finally introducing him to all of his family and friends!
Even as I attempt to write this, I'm overwhelmed with emotion and trying to find the right words to explain just how incredible this all is. And surreal...surely someone will soon tell me this is all just a dream, or a really great chic flick I was casted for! I plan on writing more about this amazing journey in the days and years to come, so for now I'll try to keep it on the shorter end.
Nate and I have been hoping and praying for a child for the five years, and never in our wildest dreams did we imagine the journey would be this special. I'm not going to lie, it's had it's ups and downs, and days when I ever wondered if I'd really be a mom. I still can't believe it, I'm a mom, I have a son, Nate is a dad (an amazing one at that), and we are now a family of three!! I can say, without a doubt, that every tear and bump in the road was all worth finding our son, Ruben. We know that out of all of creation, God has chosen this precious soul to be our child!!
In case you're thinking to yourself, wow, this all happened so fast. Holy cow, did it ever... and now we couldn't imagine it any other way! Here's how it all went down...
Thurs Jan 5: our adoption paperwork is finalized (we are officially able to start applying)
Thurs Jan 5: we submit our profile for the first time to a birth mom
Sun Jan 8: we find out the mom didn’t pick us
Sun Jan 8: the adoption agency tells us about a different baby due Friday (ruben)
Tues Jan 10: we submit our profile for baby ruben
Wed Jan 11: 1pm we learn that the mother picked US!!!!! TEARS OF JOY!!!
Thurs Jan 12: we fly to Utah, meet with the birth mom for dinner (she's AMAZING)!
Fri Jan 13: 2:05pm, baby Ruben is born!! We get to meet him for the first time at 4:30
Sat Jan 14: 3pm, final paperwork is signed, he’s officially ours!!
Sun Jan 15: 1:30pm, we get to take him home from the hospital!!
We can't wait for you all to meet our little man. I still can't believe when I look at this photo, that this is really our son! I'm so used to taking photos for other families...and now we have a little model of our own. A very handsome one at that, if I do say so myself :)
Thank you all for your love, support, prayers, and sharing in our Joy during this very special time for our family. We are so blessed with the most amazing family and friends!!
much love,
Nate, Amanda and Ruben
- Oh, happy congratulations! I welled up reading your post! We're so thrilled for you all and can't wait to hear more about your beautiful boy Ruben. xo from Maine! J, Emilie and little Will
- Three cheers for little Ruben! Welcome to the world! Nate and Amanda, you are going to be amazing parents. We are so, so happy for you!
- So incredibly happy for your new precious blessing. God is good. I wish you three all the best on this new journey!! Can't wait to meet the little man!
- So Excited for the Tortugas!!! Can't wait to meet your sweet baby!
- I am honored to have gone through many the ups/downs of this journey with you. I still remember the first conversation we had about children (after church at Yats-remember? 5 years ago... ;). At times, it's hard to understand the vision and plan God has for our lives. It's these moments that remind us his plan is always so much greater than our own. The steps (the high ones and the low ones ;) you took to get to today were the building blocks that God used to prepare you for sweet Ruben. God is so very good and has blessed you both with a very special gift. Love the 3 of you so much!
- so happy for you all. may the good blessings continue!
- YAY! :) congrats!!
- Wow...it's good to know God's in control of our lives! Who could write a story better than yours?! I can't wait for you to bring little Rubes home so we can finally meet him!
- Little Ruben has got two wonderful people to guide hime through life. And when y'all drive him crazy, he can come hang out with Uncle RyRy! So happy for your family.
- What an amazing story. You two will bless Ruben's life beyond measure. He is one lucky little guy.
- I am crying with joy and I am overjoyed for the 3 of you! We can't wait to meet him... He sounds pretty special just like his mom and dad. Love you guys!!!
- This post brought tears of joy to my eyes. After so long waiting, you finally have your sweet, sweet child. I couldn't think of two people more deserving of an infant. Or any two who could love him more. xoxo
- Tears of joy over your happiness! Ruben is adorable. And God's perfect timing in your lives to become a family is flawless. Congratulations!!!
- amanda & nate. i'm so very happy for you all! what a whirlwind few days ya'll have had! you're going to be amazing parents... my only word of advice: make sure you laugh everyday. some days are going to be so frustrating & hard. you gotta make yourself laugh- tickle those little baby thighs & know even when it is tough, it's beautiful. and then other days- most days, it's an amazing experience! congratulations!
stephanie and mikey, part due…
And the lovely story continues...
MARRIED!!!
The golden sunset was to die for, and the wedding party wasn't so bad either!
You two have the best smiles!
The room and details were out of this world beautiful!
Italians and Persians know how to party!!
wardrobe change...
- These photos are amazing and the decor is stunning!
- This is absolutely amazing. The shot of the whole bridal party by the pool is incredible. I can't stop looking at it!
- Oh wow. These are amazingly beautiful! Those golden hazy shots by the pool are to die for. How lucky they are to have had the two of you to capture their day!!!
- Whoa. That's all I can say to the ridiculous amazingness of both these posts from your work at this wedding. And though I cringe at the use of this word most times, there really is no better way to describe a wedding like this than epic. Stephanie is a perfect bride. And the way your eye captured and recorded everything from this day—-from her beauty to that venue is proof why you are doing what you were meant to do in this world. Gorgeous!!!!
Stephanie & Mikey, part uno de due
Pelican Hill Resort, Newport Beach, CA. It was easy to see why Pelican HIll was voted the #1 resort in the US by Conde Nast! It was breathtaking, and the perfect backdrop for Stephanie and Mikey's big day!
You probably remember this gorgeous couple from their oh so fun engagement shoot back in the summer. We have been SO BLESSED to work with the amazing Carollo family so many times (six and counting)! They are some of the most loving, generous, down to earth people we've ever known. As many times as we've hung out with Mikey, it was also great getting to know his wonderful friends and family. Stephanie is one of those girls that has dreamed about her wedding for many years. On this day, her dreams came true not only in the form of a wedding, but even more so in the husband of her dreams! Steph and Mikey are an amazing couple that balance each other perfectly! It was such a JOY to capture their incredible day and fabulous love for each other!
Because of the large scope of the day (and endless photo ops), I created two posts for the wedding. Stay tuned for part due (two, that is). A very big congrats to Steph and Mikey...cheers to many, many more lovely days and years ahead!! Much love to you always!
Thank you to all the amazing people that put this lovely event together, it was an honor and joy to work with you all!
Alicia and her team from Details Details made the day flow smoother than we could imagine!
Our lovely (err, handsome) second shooter: Regis Chen
scoping out the progress of the ceremony location...
day shoes, night shoes.
Stephanie has always loved old Hollywood. Her beauty redefines it!
I love the way her mom is looking at her here.
Seeing her dad for the first time, and rejoicing over sunshine!
Love this text from her cousin Angela (who couldn't make it due to a sweet baby on the way).
Steph, you are beautiful inside and out (and it's impossible to take a bad photo of you)!
Lovely girls...
favorite (if i had to pick one)
sisters, sisters (as in the White Christmas variety)
The sun and the fog danced the entire day, breathtaking.
- wow!! what great shots! gorgeous wedding fweg u
- Love them ;-) BT
- I'm speechless and tearing up...I can only imagine what the couple did when they saw the photos. Well done, as always. ;)
- Soooooo gorgeous Manders and Nate!! Breathtaking.....I love every single one!
- Flippin' freakerton these are beautiful! The bride, stunning...the wedding party, beautiful. The venue and details, ridiculous!!! You did an amazing job capturing it all. Gorgeous.
- perfection! :)
- Holy stunning - the bride, the location, the people, the dress, the photography, the everything. Absolutely gorgeous.
- Loved every single picture!!! How wonderfully you captured the beauty of their love and the setting it took place at. Can't wait to see round 2 of pictures! Excellant job, as usual. Mikey and Stephanie won't have a wall big enough to hang their favorites!
kelsey & luke
So excited to share some shots of this fabulous couple with you! Kelsey and Luke are getting married next year and we couldn't be more thrilled to work with them! They are absolutely adorable and oh so fun to boot! When we first met Kelsey somehow we discovered that we both LOVE this little bluegrass band that plays at a local bar here. I knew instantly they were our kind of people :) It was no surprise when we ran into them there last weekend, so fun! Thank you guys for a fabulous afternoon of shooting, we can't wait for your big day (and to hang out soon)! Enjoy the pics!
Endless FUN, these two!
I love me some random found objects.
Only four people know what provoked this laughter.
- I love everything about this shoot.
- Kelsey, I don't know you but I want to be your best friend so I can come over to your house, sneak into your closet and "borrow" that dress -- GORGEOUS :)
- Love it ;-) BT
jessie & nate
Words just can't express the AWESOMENESS of this day! I've known Jessie for a while, and when she told me she was planning a surprise wedding and wanted us to shoot it, I leaped for JOY!! We shot one other surprise wedding, and have been big fans of them ever since. Most of Jessie and Nate's guests thought they were going to an engagement party since the couple had planned on having a civil ceremony down the road. When they were all gathered for a toast to the engaged couple, their friend and officiant said "Nate and Jessie are sorry to inform you that they are calling of their engagement...and having a WEDDING instead!!! The joy on Jessie and Nate's faces and the ROAR of the crowd was priceless!! Needless to say, the party was quite a hit, and Jessie and Nate are nothing less than AWESOME for sure!! Cheers to you both...to love, laughter, and many more fabulous surprises in the years to come!! Thanks so much for letting us capture it all, and for being so awesome of course!
Bo-Mar Farms (Jessie's grandma's beautiful farm), a very lovely wedding venue...check out the HERE for more info!
Unique details everywhere! Jessie is uber creative and made everything you see.
After mingling with guests for a bit, they snuck of and changed into their real attire for the day!
Some sweet getting ready together moments.
The adorable, nervous, excited Jessie. It was about show time.
suspense.
Relief!
Pure JOY!
Jessie's mom made all of the DELISH sweets.
Awesome light + Awesome couple = Awesomeness!
LOVED their portrait time, they are perfect for each other.
Perfection!
- Love the photos, and the idea. You two look amazingly happy. Wishing you the best, Jessie (and Nate)!!!
- What a great idea, and coverage ;-) BT
- I just wanted to let everyone know. I cried as much over the photographs as I did at the wedding! Truly amazing !!
- Wow! These are beautiful photos! So happy for you Jess!!!
- Amazing Pics! Love it!
- Awesome photos!! Beautiful wedding!!!
- that is absolutely perfect. all of it!
- How flipping awesome!!!!
by natanda
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