Welcome home, Richmond Family!

2+ years since waiting to be matched to their baby. Years of prayers and tears and smiles and photos from afar. 4 months since mom and dad met her in person for the first time. 30+ hours of flights home with a mom, a dad, a 7 year old, and a 1 year old. And finally, welcomed in the midst of tons of love from family and friends, Fasika Louise “Lulu” Richmond is home with her forever family.

Grandparents anxiously awaiting the arrival!

Some of Emma’s classmates with a banner

Just had to leave these in colors with the pink balloons 🙂

You all, I’m about to get real. I just scrolled through the preview of this post, and have tears flowing down my face. I am so overwhelmingly filled with joy at what we’ve seen since first shooting with this beautiful, amazing family. I hesitated to tell the story of how we got involved in the other post, because it is SO not about us. Not even a little. It is about God, and His timing, and His blessings, and about the hearts and faith of this beautiful family. Sarah and Rob keep thanking us for these images, and all we can do is kind of nod, because we have felt so blessed through this experience, that we need to be thanking them.

Ever since I met Sarah in 2010 and heard about the beginning of their adoption story, I’ve felt drawn to them. Every time I’d see her, I’d ask for an update. It was always just on the tip of my tongue to ask if we could photograph them. But I never seemed to be able to blurt it out. I was tired. I was burnt out. I was afraid to offer it, because we aren’t primarily family photographers. But it was always there. A year after it first was put on my mind, I finally worked up the courage, and offered to Sarah to do a family session once they were able to bring Lulu home. She was all for it, and we were excited. But as time drew on, as they waited for their paperwork to all be approved, it was weighing heavy on my heart that I felt like we needed to shoot more. I wanted to take pictures of them preparing for Lulu. But again, some fear held me back. Finally, they were approved, they were leaving in four days, and it was now or never. I messaged Sarah on Facebook, she was all for it, and our “Waiting for Lulu” session happened three days before they left for Ethiopia.

I have rarely, if ever, felt the kind of joy I felt after doing that session. Then we photographed them preparing to leave for the airport the morning of their departure, another enormous blessing. But today…being at the airport, being there and seeing the love and joy on the faces of all their friends and family as they waited. Seeing them walk through the terminal. Seeing Asher drop down from his grandmother’s arms and run to his mother as the whole family collapsed in a giant hug…….I literally have no words.

You guys…this is what it is all about. This is why we do what we do. It is all about love. It is about beautiful stories. It is about being so incredibly blessed beyond words to watch a story unfold, about being transformed by the experience of photographing and capturing forever the joy of a moment. It’s not about the drama of “the industry.” It’s not about us. It’s not about the latest gear. It’s about feeling so alive after getting to witness such love, that you’re literally skipping through the parking garage like a goofball because you can’t contain your joy. It’s about learning to listen to that little voice inside you that says: “This is something you need to do,” and leaning into the fear of failure or rejection to come into an experience that could change you forever.

Sarah and Rob: THANK YOU. Thank you for being such an amazing example of faith. Thank you for allowing us the absolute privilege to photograph your family during this amazing time. And thank you for being such great friends. We love you all, Emma, Asher, and Lulu so much, and cannot wait to watch as they all grow together. Enjoy this time of adjustment together, and know we are always here for you! We love you guys!