5 years old | des moines family photographer

My nephew turned 5 in June! I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. I can remember coming home to surprise my sister for Nolan's 1st birthday party like it was yesterday (back when I lived in Tennessee). I was just a few months pregnant myself with my first child. I walked into my sisters home through her garage door and snuck into the kitchen while she had her back to me. She continued to stand there prepping the food, talking with my sisters. Finally Beth asked a question and I answered.... She still did not turn around!! So I continued to talk, she finally turned around and almost dropped the food. One of the best surprises ever!

This visit was very special to me and for a number of reasons.

#1. Finally getting to see my family! I wasn't able to come home to visit a whole lot and that always made me sad. I am VERY close with my family. I have 1 brother and 4 sisters. We are all very very close.

#2. I got to spend time with my nephew who was turning 1! I missed out on a lot of his first year.

#3. I was overwhelmed with joy thinking about the day I was going to start celebrating birthdays with my little one!

Fast forward 4 years and here is a sweet, smart, goofball of a kid who turned 5!

raph