Six kids.
Six!
Sedelle, Adaline, Thea, Willa, Margo, and the lone boy of the bunch, Bellamy. Their ages range from 11 all the way down to 2, and somehow, every time I see Leah and Neil, they are calm, collected, and completely unfazed by the beautiful whirlwind that comes with raising six children.
A child hops out of the van without shoes? No big deal. Sedelle helps the younger girls put on a little makeup before their photos? We’ll start with individuals while Leah works her magic. Bellamy needs to be wrangled into a photo with all five of his sisters? Neil has that handled. “Belly” doesn’t stand a chance! 😂
That’s what I love about photographing this family. There is a lot happening, but there is also so much joy.
This session was especially meaningful because Leah and Neil included two very important members of their family’s story: Ms. Emily and Ms. Anna, the sisters who have tag-teamed as the kids’ nannies for years. The kids absolutely love them, and it was so sweet to watch them get their own photos together. These two women were home with all of the girls when Bellamy was born, so they’ve truly been part of his life from the very beginning. And Bellamy made sure everyone knew exactly how he feels about his favorite nannies with plenty of kisses! That boy may be the only son, but he’s definitely got the ladies wrapped around his finger.
And then there are Leah and Neil.
In their photos together, you can see something I think is easy to lose in the whirlwind of raising six children: they haven’t lost sight of each other.
Neil is Leah’s biggest cheerleader. After Bellamy was born, Leah started running, and when Neil gets home, he knows that sending her out the door for a run gives her time to move her body, clear her head, and have a little time that’s just hers. And when the kids are along for the ride, they have their own system—older kids riding ahead on bikes and circling back to check on Mom, Sedelle running a warm-up mile with her, and babies coming along for the stroller ride cool down.
It’s such a great picture of what partnership can look like in a busy season of life. Not perfection. Not having everything figured out. Just knowing the person beside you well enough to recognize what they need and helping make space for it.
Leah and Neil were made for this family.
They have dug into the beautiful, messy, hilarious work of raising six kids with a cup that always seems to be more than half full. Honestly? It might be overflowing.
And that abundance was exactly what I wanted to remember from this family session. Not just six beautiful kids, but the people who love them, the people who help care for them, the relationships that have grown alongside them, and the parents who are right in the middle of it all—still cheering each other on. With Bellamy walking his own path and letting us know when he’s done with photos…
I’m so thankful I got to document this season for you, Leah and Neil. Your family is an absolute joy, and I hope these photographs always remind you just how full this chapter really is.
