Today is our Reilly’s 12th birthday!!  And breaking news in the past few hours…the 14th grand baby on the Hays side of our family is going to share a birthday with his cousin.  Such a fun day!  To my brother-in-law and sister-in-law today–treasure every moment, as it will go by in the blink of an eye and before you know it, you too will have a 12-year old.  The past 12 years have in ways felt like minutes, but in others like an entire lifetime.  We have been blessed with two amazing and completely different daughters.  Reilly, our firstborn, is so smart, determined, and always mature beyond her years.  A perfect student and competitive gymnast, Reilly is always up for the next challenge; she definitely keeps us on our toes!  Take these portraits, for example; a few nights ago, she informed us she wanted a photo shoot the next day.  She immediately started tearing apart her bedroom, choosing outfits.  At that particular moment I wasn’t exactly in the mood to style her session, and will admit, I wasn’t into it at the moment.  Morning came and she had clearly not lost momentum, as she plugged in the curling iron and sat on the stool in the kitchen, beckoning me to curl her hair for her photo shoot.  I curled and sent her and James and their way to the studio (I have learned from experience that things go much smoother if I stay home for these sessions!)  I have to admit, I was very pleasantly surprised when James started showing me the images.  These images represent more than just my 12-year old daughter; they represent our daughter becoming an independent young woman.  Looking back, I’m glad I wasn’t “into it” that day, because had I been, these images may have reflected too much of me and not enough of Reilly.  Happy birthday Reilly!  We love you!!