Well, it’s been 2.5 months since I last blogged. I became a blogging advocate years ago and this has probably been my longest hiatus. But I have VERY good reason. 🙂

If you didn’t already know, Brian and I welcomed our third child on January 11th, Miss Natalie Vella. She came in the night, quickly and fairly easily, and has been adored by our household since…especially by her older siblings, Ally and Jack. She has come with her challenges, though. Napping frustrations, needing to be rocked to sleep, and always keeping me guessing at how much she’s going to eat and how much I’m going to need to pump. But thankfully, as she surpasses her third month, we’ve made great strides with her. 

I did forget how much attention a newborn needs, though. When I first decided to take a 3-4 month maternity leave, I was certain I’d still have time to do a fair amount of work. Answer emails (quickly!), get caught up with blog posts, watch some educational webinars…but where does the time in my day go!? We’ve made some recent changes to my weekly routine so I can not only give Natalie more attention, but also the business. I’m officially back into full shooting mode now and will have regular work days again in a month. It’ll be good to get back into the groove of JFP things. 🙂

So other than a new babe, what have we been up to?? Man-to-man to zone defense anyone? Going from two to three kids has taken some figuring and adjusting and circus-managing (ha!), but thankfully Brian is an awesome teammate! I’ve been so grateful for him these past few months and feel confident we’ll stand strong this year. We have a “stay cation” planned for this summer, we’ve been eating more crock pot and freezer meals, he’s been doing more of the grocery shopping and ironing, and we’re so looking forward to the warm months ahead! Maybe a garden and a deck??

I recently spoke at a photography retreat in Morgantown, WV and shared healthy business practices with new and aspiring photographers (thanks, Ashton Kelley!). There were some practices that I learned and implemented in the early years of JFP and there were some that I’m actually still working on as a 7-year old photog. For example, I’ve been investing in my business through online education and also in my clients with some custom, standout mail. I’ve been lining up second shooters for my weddings and working on balancing my life-work calendar. I photographed my first elopement (see pictures below) and have another one scheduled for June (looking forward to maybe making this a new part of JFP). I’ve also been working on a secret design piece with Bella Carta Boutique and cannot wait to release it this spring! Needless to say, this maternity leave has been busy. 

So that’s a little chunk of my life and my hiatus over the past few months. Weddings officially start on May 28th and I’m already booking into July for portrait sessions. I’ve, or we’ve, been busy, and it looks like we’ll be busy for a while. But a good busy, right? 🙂 Thank you all for being patient during my leave and for understanding my limited calendar. I’m excited for what’s ahead! (Like 70 degree weather in Garrett County, MD this weekend!!!)