Monthly Archives: September 2016

In home family lifestyle photography Brooke Tucker

Happy Friday ya’ll!!  I’m soo excited that it’s Friday and so I can’t honestly think of a better way to start this particular day and this weekend than sharing this incredibly family with ya’ll!  Have you meet the Boyce’s yet?!  More importantly (sorry Ryan) have you met Christina yet?!

If you haven’t, friend… you are missing out!!!  Go now over to her instagram or to her blog and get to know her!  Ok… but first finish reading this because I mean,  you are here!

Christina is a feisty, keepin it real mama who loves to inspire other mamas!  She is a force and someone who many are blessed to connect with and are inspired by every day!  Isn’t it amazing how social media can reach right into our hearts and connect us with people we never would have met otherwise?  Isn’t it amazing how someone so far away can truly just “get us” and lift us up and give us hope?!  Christina does that on a daily basis just by being her self, just by talking about her life with 4 children and trying to keep it all together!

Our stories have real power!  When we can be vulnerable we can do truly miraculous things and Christina and her family are living proof of that!

Please check out her stories.  If you aren’t touched or moved in some way, you will at least get a wonderful belly laugh!

https://www.instagram.com/_christinaboyce/ https://www.instagram.com/_christinaboyce/ https://www.instagram.com/_christinaboyce/

 

We met at the Boyce’s new home in Virginia Beach when I made my trip home at the beginning of the month!  You see, I met Christina a while back when I was starting to branch out and start my journey into the Motherhood Journals.  Christina and I instantly bonded over these brave connection that mothers should have with one another!  We also didn’t realize just how connected we truly were to each other in terms of people we knew, our faith, our outlook on life and so many other funny little coincidences!

Our friendship has continued strong even through this move my family has made and to me that means so much more!

I adore her family and I loved seeing them in this new house!  I love that the Boyce’s embrace life for everything it has to offer!  They absolutely understand this motto of “real is better than perfect”~!  They are a bunch of crazies that come together to form this perfection that is uniquely their own!  Their house is full of wild noise that when it comes together it forms this beautiful cacophony of sweet childhood melody!  If you close your eyes and listen, you can just hear the magic stirring!  You can feel the memories being created and see the neverland dirt being stirred in a swirl of light and twinkling fairy dust!  I just want to breathe it in… along with the pumpkin spice candles and homemade baked goods!

Their house is the house of every child’s perfect dream home!

It’s not just 4 beautiful walls that are beautifully decorated.  It’s a house that has been made into a home with heart!

https://www.instagram.com/_christinaboyce/

We played all morning long and spent most of the time upstairs in Christina and Ryan’s bedroom playing tickle Ireland!  I think the boys had the most fun with that!  I played a lot of peek a boo and floor monster (Ireland likes floor monster the best!)

I always enjoy my time with them and I always have more images that I want to run a roaring laughing commentary on~!  For now… here are some of my favorites, with just a few jokes and commentary!

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Ireland is my soul mate ya’ll!!!

https://www.instagram.com/_christinaboyce/ https://www.instagram.com/_christinaboyce/ https://www.instagram.com/_christinaboyce/

Ok, so this is great!  We decided as adults, to sneak upstairs and try for some couple photos!  It’s so rare that parents take any photos of just themselves after having little ones!

https://www.instagram.com/_christinaboyce/ https://www.instagram.com/_christinaboyce/

But then… Miss sass-a-frass just couldn’t handle that!  If you really do follow Christina, you know that Ireland is always trying to steal her husband!!  It’s a running joke!

https://www.instagram.com/_christinaboyce/ https://www.instagram.com/_christinaboyce/ https://www.instagram.com/_christinaboyce/
And of course, as mama’s that just makes us laugh (but also hurts our hearts a little too) so we have to snuggle! And these are some of my favorite images of the whole day!

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So we popped downstairs to finish up, and I grabbed a pancake! Because I mean… when in Rome! We thought we might be able to sneak in some cute kitchen couple photos… and once again… hahahah

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I love Ryan’s expressions!! They absolutely make the images!

I’m so beyond blessed to call this amazing family friends!  Thank you for allowing me into your home and into your hearts!  Thank you for trusting me with such priceless adventures and memories to capture!

I can’t wait to actually SEE ya’ll again and give you the biggest hugs!

You guys rock!

By the way… at that point, the kids were relaxing and Christina and I decided to head off to Target for a coffee and some grocery shopping (for her, not me, I was on vacation!)  Photography and coffee is just the best.  And Ireland shared a pancake with me so pretty much… BEST. DAY. EVER!

Don’t hate ya’ll!

Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography

Can we just start by talking about how adorable this little one is?!  I mean every time I talk to E’s mama, I’m always talking about how she has the best legs!!  I want to tickle the heck outta them!  And her smile… it’s the BEST ya’ll!  I wish you could hear her laugh too because it’s completely and one hundred percent infectious!  This little girl is a fun size ball of sunshine and sass leaving rays of delight and cheer everywhere she goes!  It’s impossible not to smile or laugh or cheese yourself with glee when your are hanging with her and her mama!

I was blessed to met Casey and little E through mutual friends and really became close with them about a year ago!  I honestly wish I had met them sooner because there are so many similarities between our lives and I feel kind of sad and deprived that I missed out on so many years of wonderful friendship!  What’s amazing about Casey and E is that even though our family moved away, the distance hasn’t mattered!  That’s the type of friendship that you know comes from the heart and truly means something.  It’s those type of friendships that can develop through the miles that let you know how truly amazing people are and how truly blessed you are to have them in your life!

Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography

I met Casey and E at one of our favorite little spots for an evening of puddle jumping!  Casey knew I was coming in town and so scheduling a special time for a mother/daughter session was incredibly important!  We also knew we just wanted to spend some time together as well.  You see… Casey’s husband serves our country and so right now capturing memories and documenting their story and their legacy is beyond important!  It’s truly crucial, for all three of them~

By now, if you have been keeping up with me you on this blog or on instagram, you know that when I traveled home it was during the time that tropical storm Hermine was visiting the beach.  We had a ton of rain and wind so most of our favorite spots were a little soggy!  That was absolutely OK though because most of my friends and little clients know my style and that’s the muddier and the more opportunities to play and have FUN…. the better!  I instructed Casey to bring on the rain boots and an extra change of clothes!

We had a blast splashing in the puddles, playing in the mud and running through the marshy grass!  The sky was stunning and the water was warm as this mother/daughter duo laughed together, ate donuts together and spent a night forgetting about everything else except cuddles!

These are some of my favorites from the night!  Prepare yourself because it was just so hard to choose and narrow it down!  Go grab yourself a coffee, or a coca-cola (depending on the time of day) and scroll as you please!!!

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This one right here…
oh it melts my heart!!!

Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography Virginia Children and Family Outdoor Lifestyle Photography | Brooke Tucker Photography

Love you so much Casey and E! You are both so inspiring for so many people!!

Thank you for always sharing your hearts, your story and your legacy with me~! Thank you for letting me be a part of your adventures!

 

XO

B

It’s afternoon already and I would love to say I had really cool blog post to share with you this beautiful Florida Monday… but I don’t!

It’s Monday… and I woke up with a case OF the Mondays!

Hi Friends… I’m Brooke Tucker and I woke up with with the Monday morning mix-ups, hang-ups, flusters and scrambles!~

I know we have all been there… but admitting it to the world is something we often don’t do, especially if we are running a small business that lives in the eye of social media!

You see this is how it went for us this morning:

We had a terrible storm here last night!  It’s probably the worst one I’ve ever experienced in my life and that’s not really saying much because I’m terrified of thunder in lighting in general.  However, from what I gather from my friends here, this one was pretty awful.  It shook our house.  It rocked me to the core.  It struck a car and I thought it was my car until an hour ago when I told Linc to wait on the porch and I tentatively touched the car at certain points with a stick at first and then my hand waiting to be electrocuted.  Yes.. that really happened and I’m sure some of my neighbors were laughing at me from inside their homes!

All the while this storm was raging and I was shaking in my bed, Linc was snoring peacefully beside me (little you know what!)

We woke up later than usual, so that means that not only did I not sleep well, but I woke up late and that triggered a headache.  Linc complained about the sun, which is hysterical (if you follow me on instagram you can check out my insta-story for a laugh there).

I actually poured beef broth in my coffee thinking it was almond milk AND even took a sip before I realized my mistake!  THAT’s one for the books ya’ll!

BUT aside from all these little “events” which are funny now… I have to give myself some grace!

It’s easy for us as mother’s to beat ourselves up!  It’s easy for us as mother’s to want to hide all these negative bits…. like the fact that this morning Linc was a little more tired and cranky/whiny than usual!  I was more cranky and tired than usual and so those two combined means I had a harder time as a mama this morning than usual.  I lost my patience.  I cringed at all the why questions he likes to ask right now instead of viewing them as a fun opportunity to learn.  I may have snapped after hearing mom for the 100th time.

Instead of beating myself UP like we all do, I decided to embrace this time and give myself a little break!

You see… as a mama and someone who shares my world and my heart on social media (this world and belief that real is better than perfect) I have to believe that ALL of us have these moments.  We just don’t like to share them as much because we fear being judged.  We just don’t share because people would rather follow pretty, happy and cheery.

I too want to follow pretty, happy and cheery!

But here’s the thing friends:  pretty, happy and cheery can sometimes make us feel pretty worried about our lives when we DO have these very real moments!  They makes us feel alone and isolated and guess what ya’ll that is SOO not the case.

These “real” moments happen more often than those perfectly curated ones and so that’s why I share my Monday morning mix-up today!

I want you to know that hey… I have these moments A LOT and guess what… I’m still a freaking awesome mama!

I may be overwhelmed some days… and that’s OK.

I may feel exhausted and tired… and that’s OK.  Motherhood requires so incredibly much from us!  It’s an incredibly big and important job!

I may feel flustered and mixed up sometimes, but that’s why we give ourselves grace!

I may lose my patience sometimes but that doesn’t mean that I’m not an amazing mother for my son!

 

And so you my friend… I want you to remember that no matter what you too are an amazing mother!  Whether it’s one of those perfectly happy and cheery days or it’s one of these days like I’m having today;  as long as you are loving your children… you are still an incredible mama!