my child, my childhood, the sunset, my heart

last weekend, we were so incredibly honored to have my sweet and ridiculously talented friend, montgomery lee, come out to the farm and shoot some aaaamazing photos of maddalena with casey! we all had such a blast playing in the sunset together, and the images she captured... oh my goodness, they are straight from my dreams!
i have been absolutely in love with montgomery's photography since the day she decided to pick up a camera and share her talent. i can't even tell you how. many. times. i've melted into a puddle over all the little moments she's captured so perfectly of her own beautiful baby girl, who is just 6 months older than maddalena, with her childhood, love-of-her-life horse, who is in her twenties like casey is! and gosh, it's just really, really special to relate to someone on that level, too. we have talked so much about how beautiful and bittersweet and utterly mind-blowing it is to see your baby, your future, your everything... there with little eyes adoring and tiny hands reaching out to stroke your childhood, your first love, your horse who taught you so much. it's a feeling like no other... one i'm constantly trying to define and capture, and something i am so endlessly grateful for.

horses truly have a way of shaping your soul... of teaching you, growing you, and making you who you are. funnily enough, i think a very similar thing begins to continue that growth once you meet your very own perfect little person, a new life that you give your everything to as they change your every day with the joy and responsibility that motherhood brings... and so, it never ceases to amaze me when i see my precious maddalena's innocent fingers entangled in casey's mane or gripping one of my old brushes, so blissfully unaware of all that she's really holding. casey's 27 years are all shiny and new to her, and she absolutely adores him. that's something i'll never tire of! and it's a love that they both deserve.
to be honest, i haven't really, actually cried over too much in kind of a long while (weirdly!!), but later that night, i got a little text from an excited ms. montgomery lee containing a handful of sneak peek photos of my baby girl and my horsey in the glow of the setting sun... and before i knew it, i was completely in tears looking at them, tears just streaming down my face as i took in the detail and beauty and emotion captured not only of that day... but of my past and my future all at once. the soul in casey's eye, the love and sweat in the scratches on his nameplate, the youth in maddalena's baby curls... these little things are huge to me, and i never want to forget them.

sweet, sweet montgomery! these are photos that i am so excited to cherish and gaze at for years and years to come. (and ohh, i keep forgetting that i haven't even seen most of them yet! send tissues!!) thank you so much for lending your warmth, love, and talent to help me preserve the gentle spirit of my older horse and the ready sparkle of my baby girl. i know you saw what i see as you looked through your lens, and that is just really something wonderful. i loved spending time catching up, too, and i am preeetty sure my whole family was just ready to keep you! :) thank you, thank you x's a million, and see you soon!