Last fall I had the opportunity to spend the afternoon with this sweet family at Chautauqua in Boulder. I photographed Ashley and Matt's wedding a few summers ago, and I was thrilled when they contacted me about taking pictures of their 11-month old, Luca. One of the blessings of this job is to be able to capture life is it unfolds over the years. Years. What an honor. I was seven months pregnant when I met up with them, and they were so gracious to me as I wheezed and huffed all over the park. And really, they gave me much more than graciousness. Something magical happened for me during this shoot. Their love for their baby was one of the best doses of reality for me at a time in my pregnancy when I was feeling oh-so-huge and terrified (and the I knew birth was coming). Something changed within me as I watched them simply enjoy their boy. They played with him, laughed with him, encouraged his love of all the cars that drove by (in one  of the photos where Matt is holding him, you can see how much he loves cars) and gave him flowers to hold and smell. Seeing these sweet parents with Luca made me eager to become one myself--more than any other experience of my pregnancy. Truly. What a gift this sweet family gave me.