It has been quite a while since we have posted anything substantial to our website, unfortunately. We have, however had good reason for not doing so. His name is Sylas Jax!! Our beautiful son was born on June 4, 2015 and we as a newly minted family of five could not be happier. If you follow either of us personally on Instagram or Facebook, you’ve already come to know him a little bit as Rebecca & I tend to post more frequently there (search #sylasjax). We felt that it would be appropriate to explain our prolonged silence here and to introduce this fantastic little man we have come to know in the last 6 months.

After finding out we were no longer going to be the just the four of us, we immediately began to make plans for a huge family trip. We were able to spend about 5 weeks in and around the Florida Keys with our two older sons, Finlay and Peyton…a time none of us will soon forget.

Upon our return to snowy NY, we hibernated and reminisced heavily until the warmer weather finally broke through. Once it did, we tried to take advantage of it for our own milestone. I’m so happy Rebecca let me photograph her in our back yard! I may be biased, but she is absolutely GORGEOUS just shy of full term pregnant!

…and she makes some handsome little men!

Shortly after we had taken these photos, Rebecca began having contractions along multiple false labors. We started feeling like the “Boy who cried Wolf” with our family members! The real labor was intense, long and torturous for Rebecca. She was expecting a somewhat easy birth as this was child #3, but we were told that after 7 years, a woman’s body “forgets” how to do this. GREAT!!!

We were both so thankful that Rebecca’s younger sister Megan was there for every moment, including taking photos whenever I wasn’t able to do so.

We chose to have our baby at Columbia Memorial Hospital right here in Hudson, NY. Every prenatal visit we had solidly convinced us this was the right decision. We were so pleased with every moment of care given! Our nurses were extremely caring and attentive, with just the right amount of freedom for Rebecca to labor as she felt she needed to. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

When the time came, we really wanted our older boys in the room to see their younger brother immediately. This photo taken by Megan at the moment Sylas took his first breath is my all-time favorite photo of me and my sons.

It turns out that the little man was not so little after all! 9 lbs. 13 oz. & 21.75″ long.

The following day we we fortunate enough to have our friend and fellow photographer Nicole Wagner join us in the hospital room right before discharge to capture these moments. Thank you!!

Player 3 has entered the game:

Sylas Jax personality has exploded from day one. He’s extremely curious, alert, has a hilarious sense of humor (especially when he’s watching his older brother’s shenanigans).

…and for the last couple of months, HE DOES NOT SLEEP AT NIGHT!

That last part is where our inability to shake overwhelming exhaustion most of the time, and the energy to keep up with blog posts has really come into play. That trend ends today!

We had a tremendously busy and rewarding wedding and portrait season despite spending massive amounts of time with our expanding family. We have a lot of inspiring stories to tell and we plan on sharing them! Rebecca and I will both be posting as much as possible in our “off-season” to honor all of the wonderful people we were able to capture in 2015.

We are so incredibly blessed to have this little man in our lives! Sylas, you will keep your parents young (at heart), you will keep your brothers responsible and compassionate, and will forever be a tremendous addition to our family. We love you so much!!!