in our families, every time one of eileen’s siblings or mine adds another “pup to the litter,” so to speak, our gift of choice to them is a newborn photo session! we’ve done quite a few now, and i can tell you, it’s a labor of love. newborn sessions are the hardest! imagine sitting on your knees for four to six hours, hunched over a leaking oozing baby while you swelter under heaters and pray they will keep this little bundle of joy from turning into a 100-decibel alarm system!

well, at least this time around, faith and favor (our precious nieces and inaanaks — godchildren in filipino culture) made the process painless. first of all, they’re four years old; so neither of them pooped or peed on us. a big plus! also, they’re a two-for-one deal; twins means we knock out two photo sessions at once! their giggles and antics absolutely filled eileen and me to overflowing with joy! it was such a treat for us to goof off and bond with them during the making of these images, especially because their mom and dad, sarah and jonathan, have been working on attachment and establishing clear parental roles, which means this naturally affectionate uncle has had to keep a small distance for a while.. not an easy thing for me to do. i mean, just take a look at these girls and you’ll understand. you just wanna squeeze ’em, don’t you!?

if you haven’t already seen it, you won’t want to miss their homecoming movie — the moment they finally arrived home from uganda to be with their sweet family. and if you want more of their story, visit sarah’s blog. (lot of good humor there, too. i love how often people want to know where fair-skinned sarah adopted rory, her biological but “filipino-inspired” baby.) and finally, if you’re thinking you’d really like your growing family to resemble the kind of redemptive and unconditional love you see here, have you considered adoption? it isn’t for everyone. and it certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. but God knows there are some amazing children who need it to be for someone. give us a shout out if you’re nearby and looking for more adoption-related resources or community support. we’d love to talk with you and see even more families experience the fullness of heart.. heck, even the aching of heart.. that accompany such a miracle.

we love you, pascual clan. so when’s our next play date?