wharton family | washington d.c.

Sunday morning welcomed the East Coast with gorgeous winter light + frosty grass. I headed out with Tabitha to the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington D.C. to meet her good friends, Jennifer, Adam, + their adorable little girl, Bebe, which holds a special place in their hearts. They visit nearly every Sunday to run, walk the dogs, and let Bebe explore the grounds. That day, it was stunning covered in the morning frost, which made for such a lovely location for a Christmas session. 

Jennifer + Adam were so sweet and welcoming! They are high school sweethearts who met Tabitha when Jennifer was at UNC Asheville + Adam was at UNC (Go Heels!). When they found out they were having Bebe, Tabitha made a beautiful piece of art for her nursery. I feel like I've known Jennifer + Adam for years, even though I just met them this past Sunday! They warmly welcomed us to their cozy home after their session, where Bebe + I got to play some more!

Thank you, Jennifer, Adam + Bebe for letting me capture your sweet portraits! Merry Christmas!

santo niño cemetery | duval county, t.x.

On Christmas Day, we drove out to our family's cemetery, Santo Niño, in Duval County to wish my grandpa a merry Christmas. The cemetery is now a Texas Historical Landmark and was established in June of 1908. My grandma, who should be a docent, told us stories of our ancestors up to my great great great grandparents. This humble cemetery has so much history in it and is the resting place to veterans, ranchers, and educators to name a few professions. My grandma is an avid genealogist and has traced parts of our family back to the year 608 with names and dates and is currently in the 500s with her tracing of another branch of the family (yes, that far back...1500 years ago!).

She told stories of our family's history, how my great grandma got grazed by a rifle at the ranch, how my grandmother and sisters spent her summers at her family ranch in San Diego, Texas, how her family survived the Texas City explosion in 1947, and how my great grandmother moved her family to Kingsville to run a boarding house so they would have the money and the opportunity to go to school at Texas A & I (now Texas A&M Kingsville). I suggested my grandma start recording all her stories as they are so full of Texas and Mexican American history. Hopefully we can make this a reality in the coming years!

Our family cemetery was recently deemed a Texas Historical Landmark and we are raising money to post the sign and have a dedication ceremony (it's that official, y'all). If you're interested in donating, contact me and I'll pass you along to the right people.

Prospero Año Nuevo!