2018 was full of change and struggle. When looking back, we might not remember every moment fondly, but there were an abundance of things to celebrate. Here are some of our favorite images, representing some great things in the lives of the Kelloughs.
We kicked off the year with the purchase of our first home. This real life grown up step is still crazy to us, but we’ve used the huge backyard and guest bedroom to host family and friends, creating some great memories.
Maggie had a quiet second birthday (especially compared to the event her first one was) because we were in the process of moving. We still found a way to celebrate with grandma in town, and we won’t forget the way she lit up at her card that played the chicken dance when she opened it up.
A great sunset and Maggie’s good mood combined to make one of our last photos as a family of three really special.
Kristen spent the first four months of this year pregnant, carrying Bear longer than she did Maggie, making the last couple weeks of April especially difficult. We were able to do a proper maternity shoot with him, which we weren’t able to do for Maggie, but the sweetest moment was when Maggie reached up to rub mommy’s tummy.
This is the first Kellough family photo as a foursome. Grandma waited in the hallway before meeting Bear so we could have just a moment to pray together and grab this portrait. Kristen once again made delivering babies look easy, but this was definitely the beginning of a hard season of change bringing him home.
Maggie’s first picture as a big sister. This is the highlight of 2018. Moving from only child to one of a pair is something that truly changed her life, even though she doesn’t really understand it now. With the addition of Bear, we are looking forward to years of family road trips, holidays, bickering, random moments of them being sweet with each other, playing together, and a million other things we can’t begin to imagine.
This year, we got to spend more time with family than we ever have before since getting married. Kristen’s parents are in their 70s, so time with them feels more precious than with others, and this year was a little crazy. Kristen’s mom took two falls that broke her hip, leading to several months of recovery. She’s back to 100% and loves getting down on the floor to play with the kids.
Two weeks after Bear was born we had a family wedding in northeast Texas. Justin got this picture with his parents who divorced when he was two, his brother, Maggie, and Bear. Growing up there was a bit of awkwardness whenever his parents were in the same place at the same time. The grandkids have performed some miracles, bringing his side of the family together in ways he really didn’t think was possible.
Moments like these are why we got into photography. We wanted to be able to grab quality images of moments we want to remember forever. We can’t get over how sweet Maggie looks, and how serious Bear appears to be. He has definitely proven to be a little less smiley than Maggie was when she was his age, but he’s warming up for sure as we close out 2018.
We basically never take a picture without at least one kid these days, but here we are on our 6th anniversary. Every year we are married is another year to be proud of.
Learning how to parent two kids while battling hormone changes, gallbladder issues, high blood pressure, and a smattering of confusing health symptoms made a large chunk of this year tough for Kristen. Summer was insane, but we survived, and moments like these became more frequent as we started to emerge from the woods in October.
With the addition of Bear, we all struggled a bit to adjust to him being around. We had settled into an easy routine as a family of three, and he did all the things newborns do, throwing our lives into a bit of insanity. As we got used to him being around (and when he started sleeping through the night), he became more and more charming every day.
Maggie’s growth and development has really taken off since January 1. At Thanksgiving she was chasing down her cousins 4 and 5 years older than her, carrying on conversations, and pretending to be Super Maggie in a cape made by her great aunt. This year we really saw her interacting with and enjoying family close to her age for the first time.
Christmas was so special this year with the addition of Bear. There’s something about siblings at Christmas that is really precious, so watching them in matching pjs open their stockings (Bear really just kind of held his) was a memory that we want to hold on to, so we’re glad to have this image.