The Moore Family is now four!

My super photo assistant, Cece, recently had her baby girl! Congrats!!! Baby Emily is so petite and beautiful, just like her mama. I have known Cece since high school and ever since she joined the Eastbrook team, we have gotten closer and closer. Cece is more than my assistant, she has become one of my closest friends. In fact, she is one of the closest friends I have ever had in my life. She teaches me how to be a better person and for that I am forever grateful.

Introducing sweet baby Emily!


There is something so amazing about tiny little toes.

And how baby feet can fit so perfectly in your hands.


Beautiful.

Sweet gal!
So relaxed her her parents arms...


I LOVE this image of Jacob with his baby sister.


The Moore Family is complete!

Cece,

You are amazing and look SO fantastic!!!! Thank you for everything that you are.

Love, Sarah

Jaxon. Pure joy.

My brother and sister-in-law have made the decision to move to Oregon. With them they will take one of our family's greatest blessings: Jaxon. Both sides of our families can talk about Jaxon for hours- and do!!! He lights up ALL of our lives by just being himself. He is creative and sees life in such a pure way.... it's magical. I feel so blessed that during his last couple of days (before starting his journey west) he spent a night at my house. Today after running at the park, chasing a make believe squirrel and laughing so much we got tears in our eyes Jaxon had a very long nap. He woke from his nap and came running down my hallway with great urgency in his voice:

'Auntie, come HERE!'

I jumped up and quickly followed in the direction of his voice, 'what is it Jaxon??'

'Hurry, I have to show you something.'

He led me to the door and pointed upwards. 'Look, look at that sunset.'

'WOW....' I smiled and carried him outside. As we watched he sky he slowly shook his head, 'I just can't believe it.....'

'What can't you believe?'

'This sunset.... it's beautiful.'

I agreed, 'Yes, it is. Thank you for sharing.'

My time spent with Jaxon was like the sunset that he shared with me. Just beautiful. Today, I am not sad about what I'm losing.... I am happy and thankful for everything that we shared. Keep looking up sweet Jaxon...... Oregon sunsets are waiting for you to arrive.

A tattoo from each grandma. Too cute!

We set the self timer for these. Jaxon pressed the shutter and ran as fast as he could to make it just in time to get in the shots. It was so much fun we couldn't stop laughing!

Then Jaxon expressed his desire to hold (and use) Auntie's very expensive camera. I am still in shock that he captured the following images. These are straight out of the camera without any cropping at all.
If I only had time to tell you what he was saying to make me laugh....

Seriously people, isn't he gorgeous?!?! (And totally going to be my future camera assistant.)

Daniel and Brittany, I wish you safe travels and hopes for a journey that fulfills all of your families dreams. Love, Sarah

I am my father's daughter and I wouldn't want it any other way.

This blog post is extremely personal and probably crosses the line of being professional in many ways. However, I truly believe that we all have our own version of life and I know that I am who I am because of my story. It has shaped me into the person I am today and for the most part I really like the person that I am: forgiving, embracing happiness and loving.... and because I bring so much of who I am into my photography, I wanted to share a small piece of my heart.

This image was taken while I was on a 36 mile backpacking trip through the south island of New Zealand. At one point (after climbing for about eight hours by myself) I turned around and looked back at the path I had just climbed. I remember thinking about how, at certain points it hurt so much.... but looking back it was totally worth every step. Then for a moment, I didn't know if I was thinking about the path....

....or my life.

One of my very first memories that I can ever remember is of my dad. I was four years old. He was sitting on our maroon colored couch, his back faced the 80's style crackled mirrored wall that went straight up to the ceiling in our living room. The three bulbed lamp dimly lit the room while the sound of The Beatles danced through the faux wood box speakers. My dad hunched over his 'seed slide' brought a joint up to his lips, sucked in chronic and exhaled, his mouth shaped like an 'O'.... puff, cough.... exhale, breathe. My brother and I stood before dad anticipating the perfectly formed circle of smoke that would float from his lips.... like magic. We would use our index finger and poke it through the middle of the circle that would quickly grow bigger and bigger until all the smoke had dissipated into hazy air. We would jump up and down, 'Do it again dad, again!'


My dad was a drug addict for almost thirty years. It consumed him and shaped our family during my (and my brothers) entire childhood. Growing up we shared laughter.....but mostly anger. We walked on eggshells never knowing if dad was high on the roller coaster or crashing down..... on us. Emotionally. One day, dad had a moment of clarity and made the choice to stop his addiction. He has told me many times, 'once an addict, always an addict.' So, everyday he makes a choice not to go back.


The moment he quit is when, I believe, my dad really started living.


He left himself vulnerable to his 'true friends'.... his family, himself. He had to be openly honest about EVERYTHING and the deep tracks he carved into his family. For many years I used to wish my childhood was something else....something without circles of smoke. I think about how symbolic that simple puff of smoke shaped my life and how my dad chose to break the circle. The patterned cycle of life. To me he is proof that people can change. They have to want it though. The amount of love and pride I have for him is something that cannot be measured.


We all have a story. I wouldn't change mine for anything. Today, I honor my dad and his choice to be drug free. This year marks an entire decade!

My favorite dad......my hero.

Forever changed.

Thank you for making a choice: every. single. day.

Love, your favorite daughter

Adrianna and Arycela. Twinship.

Twins. I have always been extremely fascinated with twins and multiple births. My grandpa was an identical twin and maybe that has something to do with it. I have thought about this a lot growing up and some things that keep playing in my mind about twins is their special bond. They start their life at the same exact time and at the same exact place yet they are very different. They carry an unexplained unity of twinship love that can only be felt.

The moment I met Arycela and Adrianna my heart was joyful. They didn't hold back smiles or personality traits... how perfectly amazing is that? I have been documenting them for over a year now and it's incredible how much their outer beings have changed and at the same time how their sweet bond has stayed very much the same. At the end of their first session with me they fell asleep holding hands.... a powerful moment I will never forget.

Sweet face of Adrianna.

This is joy!

LOVE this one.

Too cute!

Arycela got in her jeep and took off! It was one of the cutest things I have EVER witnessed!!

Love this.

Gorgeous smile.

With twins I believe it's: Double the blessing, twice the amounts of kisses!

Guillen family, I always look forward to seeing your girls! It was been an honor documenting your girls grow and laugh and play and love...... thank you for trusting me to document their twinship. One day, I look forward to wedding bells and more.... BUT that's a long time from now..... like we talked about, cherish each moment. Love, Sarah

Sweet Angelina.

Angelina arrived to her photo shoot with her purse (Mary Poppin's style) fully prepared to share everything in it with me. Inside her purse contained things that she was interested in doing. (Playful items that reminded me of being eight years old and feeling like I was all grown up. Because that's what carrying a purse can do for a girl, as we girls know.) Angelina was perfect in pink from her polka dotted dress to her matching sandals and freshly painted finger nails. She has proper manners, shy giggles and a sweet disposition. I am positive that if her purse would have contained a measuring tape it would have read: 'Angelina, Practically perfect in every way.'

Gorgeous, right?! Seriously WOW.


Precious.

Love it.
LOVE it.
Makes me giggle!
Now this.... is love.

Ann, Thank you for introducing your beautiful daughter to me. The amount of pride and love that you have..... has to be immeasurable. Hugs, Sarah