Stephanie Ascari Photography

Oh my…. where shall I start? Today was a day as a “mom” that I will not soon forget. I received an invitation on Monday from my youngest son Tucker to please join him for high tea on Friday morning at his pre-school. The sweet little invitation mentioned tea, fruit and cucumber sandwiches all to be served by him. I love his preschool and I especially love his teacher Ms Sharon for all that she has taught him(she is forever doing fun science projects with them) but this… this was just too much. Letting a room full of 3 year olds serve tea…. wild horses couldn’t have kept me away. When I walked in to that room this morning, I have to confess, I started to cry. The scene below was more then I was prepared for. My sweet little boy had dressed himself and asked his daddy to “help” with his hair this morning so I knew how cute he was going to be but again, not quite prepared for my little guy to be standing there waiting to pull my chair out for me.

As I looked at all the love and attention that was put into the planning and execution of this very beautiful event I immediately shot a few more shots and put down my camera so that I could be right there in the moment with my sweet little Tucker. He chose the fruit that I would enjoy, he poured my tea and most importantly, he kissed my cheeks so much I am certain you can still see his sticky little lips marks on my cheeks. Thank you Ms Sharon. Today was so special. And most importantly, thank you Tucker. I love being your mommy more than you could ever know!
xoxo

It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged but I thought there would be no better family to jump back in with than the “B” Family. Bethany and I have our paths cross in several places… MOST importantly we share the same hair stylist. Ironically, that’s not how we met. We have Facebook to thank for that revelation! ANYWAY, Bethany is the mom to three fabulous kiddos, she’s a blogger, she knows a thing or two about photography and among many many other talents and gifts, she can throw a fabulous Halloween Party! (which I was also luck enough to photograph) Because she is so fab… I was a little stressed (but happy!) when she asked me to photograph her family. There are so many from our session that I absolutely love, but these are my favs…

Thank you Bethany for trusting me to capture the love of your big beautiful family. All of you are a treasure!

Hugs!
S

Oh Sadie! You have gotten so big… so fast! This sweet little girl has a smile that makes you melt and she uses it frequently. She also is showing signs of having her momma’s amazing sense of style! We took advantage of the dog days of summer here in DC and decided to take advantage of the pool!! Enjoy!

Hugs!

I love Old Town Alexandria. It’s one of the few places I never get tired of and I always stumble upon something new! This engagement session with Amanda and RJ was no exception! Thanks to this very fun couple for a very full evening! I am beyond excited to shoot their October wedding!

Hugs!
Stephanie

I woke up this morning very early and incredibly thankful. Thankful to God for the abundance of blessings in my life. The good health of my and Matt’s parents. Healthy and wildly happy little boys. A husband who is crazy in love with me and the wild little boys. The list goes on. So why so thankful? Every Memorial Day since 2005 my mind drifts to a family from Ohio who lost their very young son to the war in Iraq. I had the greatest honor of photographing that young marine’s burial at Arlington Cemetary and that family remains in my thoughts and prayers to this very day. The image that haunts me is the uniformed younger brother kneeling at his brother’s grave. Powerful and sobering. A young life so full of things to come, cut so tragically short. And of course, the lives of a father, a mother and a brother that were forever changed. He reminds me of how fragile life is, what true sacrifice really entails, and that the very freedoms I enjoy daily come at a cost to many. I am so thankful to all of the young men and women who put themselves in danger so that my sweet little boys will grow up in a world that is a better and safer place than the day before. And to those who love those service members, thank you. Your sacrifice is just as great. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Hugs!

Just want to wish the happiest of days to my dad today. He is 71 years young. I feel so lucky to have him as my dad. He is my biggest cheerleader, my daily 10 and 2 phone calls and always ready with a smile and hug when I walk thru his door!
The life lessons he has taught me are endless and yet as I sit here and reflect on what have been the most precious, I think unconditional love, and generosity top the list. Because of him, our garbage men (all 6 of them) receive a water and soda “because they work so hard” and because “Poppy gives 1 to his garbage man” every Thursday! Hard to say no to that. Especially when you see the smiles on my little guys’ faces. Similar to that of their Poppy.
Happy Birthday Dad! The world is a better place because you are in it and I am certainly a better person because of you!

For all of you momma’s out there… you know where I’m going with this! Baby “M” turned 1! Her very proud mommy and daddy could hardly believe it! You could tell by the clutching of their hands and the sweet happy tears in their eyes!
I get to photograph some great parties and this one was no exception! Happy Birthday Baby “M”! May your life always be full of the love that surrounded you on this day!
Hugs!
Stephanie

In late March I witnessed and photographed the joining of these two sweet souls… They forever touched my heart for reasons known by all who know them. Thank you Erin and Stephen for allowing me to be part of your family for the day and making me a friend for life. I appreciate the enormous sacrifice the two of you are about to make and Stephen I will daily pray for your safety while you are deployed. Promise!

The adorable “Miss S” made her debut into the world and on this blog about 3 months ago…. she’s back and she is cuter then ever!
Nothing is more humbling than when someone asks you to document the first year of their child’s life. As so many parents know, they change every day and while it’s thrilling and exciting there is also a little tug on your heart knowing that they are growing up! To document this is not only a privalage to me, but also a small gift. I feel so blessed to be able watch these babies grow. As you are about to see, “Miss S” is full of style just like her momma… Hugs!

Miss Sadie…. 13 days old. Yes, she is as sweet as she can be and I instantly fell in love with her!

Joseph and Terri… Congratulations on receiving the greatest gift we are given in this life! Hugs!