The A. Family | Maternity Fall Session in Fairfax, Va

It's a generally cloudy Fall day in October today, and the leaves are for the most part, more colorful than they are all green. Yesterday was Indigenous People's Day, and Ale and I dedicated our day 'off' from work and our usual Monday chores to enjoy the (now officially, on my watch) Fall weather. We visited NorthSide Social in Arlington and shared a warm cup of hot chocolate. We reflected on the last time we spent some time like this - in a coffee shop, outdoors, with people around us, in public. Our consensus was, 'it must have been about 2 years ago.' We sat, un-rushed, sipping on our hot chocolate, taking in the Fall air. As we were wrapping up, we were sharing our gratitude for the time spent, and how peaceful the moment had felt, and both agreed: "we should do this more often".

It seems that recently, almost anything that doesn't involve being home in our PJs and ordering takeout feels like an activity that 'hasn't happened since what must be 2 years ago'. I feel both hopeful and excited to be slowly coming back to activities we enjoyed pre-pandemic, and for sharing with friends and loved ones we haven't seen very much of (or at all!) in what feels like 10 years, but 'must be about 1.5-2 years ago'.

One 'normal' thing we did last year in October was celebrate the soon to be arrival of our nephew, Charlie with some maternity photos. This was the only Fall photo session I held last year, and remember how wonderful it felt to do something I had been doing, pretty consistently for the last few years even in the midst of the pandemic. Most importantly, it was a blessing to capture photos for the Aguayo Family before Charlie's birth in the following 2 months. It's unbelievable that they will once again be in front of my camera this weekend - as Charlie's first birthday quickly approaches! So, here are some photos from the only Fall session of 2020: the Aguayo Family (Haley, Jose, baby Charlie, and Simba)!

Here's to a hopeful return to all the pre-pandemic activities, to smiles and laughter, to warm times spent with loves ones, and to being grateful for all the people, places, and things this pandemic has given us a deeper appreciation for.

Also, friendly reminder to reach out to your local photographer for Fall photos ASAP! These upcoming weeks are bound to be the best time for photos with beautiful colors and avoiding very cold weather, AND you can use them for your Holiday cards as well!

Happy Fall-ing!

G.