Rain on the Porch, Pumpkins on the Table
She came over to carve pumpkins, but I had other plans.
“While you’re here,” I said casually, “we’re going to snap a few family photos.”
In just a few short weeks, she starts training for a job out of state, and after that… who knows where life will take her. Her schedule will get busier, her world will get bigger …and for me, that means seeing her a little less. My Mama heart knew this season was coming, but that doesn’t make it any easier. Pride and heartache have a funny way of holding hands. I’m so proud of her… but dang, do my eyes get a little leaky.
She turns 21 in less than a week.
When I was her age, I had just found out I was pregnant with her.
Our lives couldn’t look more different, I was preparing for life with a newborn, and she’s preparing to spread her wings and fly….quite litterally.
And that’s what makes me proud on a whole different level.
She’s proof the cycle has been broken.
When I was her age, I didn’t have the luxury of dreaming this big. I didn’t have a “Plan B” or a safety net. I didn’t have anyone telling me it was okay to take a risk, to go see the world, to try something that no one else in the family had done before. She does. And that right there tells me I must’ve done something right, even if I’ve had a million moments where I’ve wondered if I could’ve done better.
These photos were taken on the front porch because it was raining.
And honestly? I think I love them even more for it.
This porch has seen so many seasons of us, the chalk-covered summers, the scooter races, the front-row seat to growing up. We’ve laughed here, cried here, and shared snacks that were probably meant for dinner. It felt full-circle to sit here again, even just for ten minutes, to freeze time for a second before life pulls us in new directions.
My jacket had a hole in the elbow (you can’t see it), Levi’s shirt was a $3 Goodwill find, and Mallory just happened to have that brown sweater. We didn’t plan it, we didn’t overthink it …we just showed up as we were.
Because it’s never about what you’re wearing.
It’s about who is in it.
One day you’ll look back and realize the blur of ordinary moments was the good stuff. The front porch you thought was too messy, the hair that wasn’t perfectly done, the outfit you didn’t love …that’s what you’ll ache to remember.
So don’t wait for perfect. Don’t wait for “someday.”
Freeze time when it still looks like today, hole in your jacket and all!
Because years from now, when the house is quiet and they’re out chasing their own adventures, these will be the images that remind you …you were there for all of it.
Pumpkins at the end for good measure 🎃
As a family photographer in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, I’ve learned that the most meaningful portraits aren’t taken in perfect locations, they’re made in the places that hold your stories. Whether it’s a messy kitchen, a rainy porch, or your kids piled together on the couch, those are the moments worth remembering. My style of lifestyle photography focuses on real-life family sessions that capture connection, laughter, and love, the kind of images that become little time capsules. Years from now, when the house is quieter and life has shifted, these sentimental family photos will remind you of what this season felt like: the sound of giggles, the warmth of home, and the beauty tucked inside the ordinary.
