Sunday morning was attempt #2 at holding my Layla Grace Mini Session Fundraiser! Last week we got rained out! I was afraid the weather was going to be much of the same, since we have been having so much rain lately… but we woke up Sunday morning to glorious sunshine! I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day for the Layla Grace mini sessions! You might remember this adorable little girl on my blog last year! She’s such a lil cutie!! I could seriously photograph her all day! Her mama is super talented too and makes me the most ADORABLE newborn hats!! I love her!!Enjoy your sneak peeks, “G” family!! (More sneak peeks of my Layla Grace mini sessions tomorrow – featuring the “K” family twins!)
Easter weekend, I had the honor of photographing a remarkable 21 year old girl, with an incredible life story. It’s a story that touches depths of one’s soul, because it involves a tough subject – abortion. It’s incredibly difficult for me to wrap my mind around the reality that abortions, and more specifically late term abortions, occur every day. Right now, a pregnant mother somewhere in this world will make her decision to end her baby’s life today. I heard on the news the other day that a recent scientific study concluded that fetuses in their 2nd trimester of life cannot feel pain. I remember listening to that and immediately wanting to run into the bathroom to puke.
Meet Claire. She is a miracle. She is a twin abortion SURVIVOR. Claire’s biological mom became pregnant with her at the age of 13. Her mother took her to an abortion clinic where she had a surgical abortion. A few weeks later she realized she was still pregnant so she found an out-of-state late-term abortion clinic to do a second abortion. At the clinic they told her she had been pregnant with twins..ONE WAS ABORTED; ONE SURVIVED. They said it was too late to do a second abortion…Claire was born 2 weeks later. Claire was born 2.5 months early. She weighed 3 lbs 2 oz, she was on life support, her hips were dislocated and her feet were turned in…all because of the abortion.
Claire’s story is an true testimony of God’s amazing grace. She was adopted into a loving Christian family when she was 2.5 months old. I could go on and on about her amazing parents that I’ve been blessed to know. Jeremiah 1:5 says “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart” – this scripture is true for all unborn babies but in light of Claire’s story, it speaks to the miracle and the great purpose for her life.
Claire’s mission in life is to save unborn babies from abortion. To share her story. To shine her light. Did you know abortions are scheduled twice a month at Planned Parenthood? Two days a month. I learned this from Claire’s twitter because I checked it the week after Easter and she said that Tuesday was “abortion day”. And she would be outside the clinic praying for those mothers who were on the schedule that day. I checked back later that evening and she had a ray of hope, one baby saved that day. One baby. Just like Claire.
How can you help?
Join her Facebook Fan page – http://www.facebook.com/#!/ClaireCulwell
Her Website is – http://www.claireculwell.com
Her Twitter is – http://www.twitter.com/claireculwell
Life is a miracle. Claire’s life is miraculous!
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Wow…sitting here now with chills & tears… What an amazing story & a true miracle that she is alive today!! Thank you for sharing…I will be checking out Claire’s website now!
Holy crap that gave me chills!!! What an amazing story!!!!! Gorgeous pictures!
Her story made me cry! What a gorgeous girl with an amazing story. You captured her beautifully!
oh my gosh.
what a beautiful miracle claire is!!!!
thank you for sharing her story with us.
i am emailing this post out.
“for you created my inmost being.
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
psalm 139:13
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Wow! What a story! Beautiful images as well!
Both mom and baby are just beautiful!
Such a touching story! Beautiful photos!
Thank you for sharing this…gives me goosebumps! What a beautiful, amazing story. God is amazing and can overcome all!!
Awesome, awesome story. Thanks for sharing. She’s beautiful!
I am speechless! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing story. You are so right… It is stories like these that show how amazing his Grace is! I am sending my friends/family to this if that’s ok as I think everyone needs to hear this incredible story. Beautiful pictures of her and that sweet precious baby!
Gorgeous images and what an amazing story. I have never heard of one twin surviving an abortion. Amazing!
Beautiful story
What an amazing story. What a gorgeous baby!
What an amazing women! Thank you for sharing that story, it’s very touching! Beautiful work too
Omgosh…that story made me tear up…she’s so vibrant and beautiful and to think she nearly wasn’t given the chance at life.
And the photos are just wonderful, such rich vibrant colour and great clarity. Just beautiful
What an amazing and touching story! And such a gorgeous girl. I love that she is working so hard to stop abortion from happening. I’m sure the Lord is pleased with her!
What an amazing story! I have been checking your blog for a while now and I just think you have been blessed with such amazing talent!! Thank you so much for sharing!! God Bless!
Warren and I both could not even read the blog because our eyes were filled with tears! We are so grateful for our precious, beautiful daughter that the Lord gave us in Claire!! Thank you so MUCH for how your captured her beauty and your amazing pictures of the precious life of a newborn!! We are amazed at what HE has done and how HE is using her life to touch others!!!
we are in awe…..
Claire,
I did not know this story…..I’m truly amazed by how God works…..He saved you so you could do His work. God bless you!!!!!
She is GORGEOUS and what an AMAZING story! Thank you for sharing it!!!
this is so amazing and touching…I see God’s handiwork in all these lives.SO glad for LC’s life and all her heart to share her story. I love the Culwells.
Pure miracle…in every, single way. What an amazing story…it truly brought tears to my eyes.
Amazing and beautiful!!!!!!! Thank you for sharing!!!!
Wow. You are beautiful Lauren Claire inside and out!!
Awesome work. I typically locate particularly terrific posts here on your blog site.
[...] Read PART OF MY STORY written by my photographer and see her beautiful pictures she donated for my to my website [...]
Ohh my! Nicely capture. I love the baby photos and now I can’t think of anything but having my own baby next year.. Aja to that. I will surely go and capture nice moments like this.
Back today with more sneak peeks of sweet boys in bluebonnets! My sincere apologies on the long wait for your sneak peeks! I’m catching up!!
And some sneaks peeks of my favorite little 6 yr old soccer star…
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Lovely shots!!!
Back for another daily fix of adorable babies in bluebonnets! This time, 2 of 4 families from last week’s spring mini sessions! My apologies to them for having to wait a week for their sneak peeks! I’ll be sharing the next 2 families tomorrow! Now off to bed to hopefully sleep off my larangitis that has taken my voice away.
And the “W” family’s sneak peeks!
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These are gorgeous! LOVE the location the last shot is stunning!
what sweet images!
What beautiful families, great job!
Oh my goodness. I am so jealous of your location!! Beautiful!!! LOVE the last shot. What a sweet face!
what a gorgeous family and a awesome location, love the colors!
These are beautiful! I love that field of flowers! What a great setting you selected!
What a gorgeous location. These are all just lovely!
Wow..this is an amazing location!!! The kids are adorable as well. I love your processing and I am so jealous of the location!
Oh my…love every one of these. The lighting is beautiful! I wish we had bluebonnets here in RI, I have never seen anything like this…just amazing work!
Beautiful! I never tire of looking at adorable children in the blue bonnets!
So pretty. What a gorgeous location.
What a great location. Can we clone it and plop it down around the corner from me? Beautiful families, and I love the third from the end.
I got to hold and photograph this precious baby girl last week! She was a very alert baby for being under 7 days old! Not wanting to miss a moment of her newborn session! hehe. We managed to get her to sleep for short lengths of time, enough to capture these sweet moments…Enjoy your sneak peek!!
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Beautiful little girl, what sweet images! I LOVE that yawn and the eye contact, wow!
These are precious! I love the expressions you captured and your lighting is perfect!
love her little grin!
Precious
Oh my gosh, I love these! I love the yawning shot and the feet shot. So cute!
Love the yawn! What a cutie! Nice job!
Love the yawn shot! Sooo sweet!
These are adorable. Great job!
she is adorable, love that little yawn!!
sweet sweet babe. her family will be so glad to have these!
What a sweetie! Look at that yawn! So precious!
Oh the yawn! Perfect!
Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! That yawning picture is worth it’s weight in gold! WOW!
These are all awesome but the yawning one is so precious. . . sigh. Your photos made me want another one.
J’adore votre travail!
Vous avez un très bon style et vos photos sont sublimes.
J’aimerai tant avoir votre talent!
Très bonne continuation Elle.
Back today with the adorable Jones quintuplets at almost 15 months old, stars of the recent television special “Quintuplet Surprise” on TLC! We recently met at my favorite wildflower field for a mini session with the quints in the famous Texas bluebonnets! We did the session in record time too – one hour! I absolutely adore these babies!!They are all walking and starting to talk too! So much fun!!
Big kudos to the 3 wonderful girls who came along to help with the babies! Enjoy the sneak peeks!!!
Miss B
Miss B
Mr. J
Miss L
Miss R
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Beautiful job, Elle!! Sure wish we had those bluebonnets in Washington!
Wow! These are fantastic – the field is gorgeous and amazing to get five babies sitting and looking for a shot! What a gem!
I am in AWE…and that is it. I don’t know what else to say! ♥
These are gorgeous!!! What cute kiddos.
-Shellie
The pictures turned out so beautiful! I was a “helper” during the photo session so I know it wasn’t easy to get all of these They make me smile!! Great job Elle!!!
That’s a perfect place for them, and you shot them brilliantly. They are so cute.
Oh my goodness those babies are adorable! I am amazed at how you got that first shot!
I love how these are bursting with colour! Adorable babies, and a perfect setting for their portraits, too.
My oh my – aren’t they ADORABLE!!! Love these! Maybe a trip to Austin is in store for me – I can’t get my kids in the blue bonnets if my life depended on it – and if anyone is up for the challenge you are – You handled these quints and proved these GORGEOUS photos! I can see canvas’ of these on my walls if they were my kiddos – just adorable!!!
So precious!
oh my gosh they are so darn cute! Great location! Love the colors!
These are so beautiful. I cannot believe that that first shot either. I don’t know how you got them all together like that. I can’t even get my kids to do that and there is only two of them.
These babies are so cute, and sweet! And Eliot, such a sweet girl.. love her! I love their show, so cute!! I love these pictures… great job! <3 You are so blessed Ethan and Casey!
Omg! Look at Brooklyn’s face! So Cute! ( Brooklyn is the first )
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beautiful job hun!!!!! i was honored to be a part of this as well and have to thank you for having such a sweet and giving heart!
These are beautiful! Lucky you to have so much green grass and flowers already! She is such a cutie.
-Shellie
What a cutie! Great images!
These are gorgeous! Love the playfulness you captured!
What a sweet little girl. I just love the peekaboo action you caught. What a beautiful location too.
love all the color in these and all the wonderful expressions you captured,adorable!
How cute she is! I just love your location! WOW!
She is a doll and the location is amazing! Love all of these!!
Beautiful! I just LOVE the field of wildflowers!! A perfect spot for these sessions!