Goodness, I posted recently that lately I have felt overwhelmed by the goodness and kindness of others in my life. God is good! It’s incredibly true.

In July, I had the opportunity to sign up for another Happy Togs shootout – remember the June shootout I participated in earlier this summer? Well, I LOVE these ladies, their mission, and their giving hearts, so I knew this was something I wanted to jump on. But, this shootout, it was so much more. You see, this shootout was one in which all the proceeds were donated to the The Kelley Family Love Story for the adoption of a little girl to complete their family.

On their adoption site, the family shared… “We believe that adoption is God sharing His love for the birth parents, their child and for us. Adoption is a way for God to weave our families together, and for us to grow our family; it is a means of bringing home a daughter whom we have dreamt about for the past 10 years.” Read their story here.

As you can tell from reading their beautiful story and journey, adoption is near and dear to the Kelley family’s heart, and I was honored to play a small part and to be able to meet Stephanie and her husband Wes at the shootout. Stephanie and Wes stood alongside one another at the start of the shootout and their hearts were overwhelmingly full of thanks, love, and kindness toward the group of 20 photographers. I’m not sure that there was a dry eye in the group!

Looking back on these photos (oh, and another fabulous photog + her family were the models), I am in love with the photos and the emotion captured within, but what means the world to me is that these photos play into a greater cause of completing a family.

Here is a handful of my favorites from this meaningful, powerful shootout!