When It Rains It Pours | LeBlanc Newborn
We all hope that in times of need, that we won't feel alone. That we will feel loved, cared for, and that the friends and family in our lives will be there to help see us through. The Leblanc story is truly an inspirational one, and it warms my heart and brings tears to my eyes to know that they were cared for when they needed it the most, and that at times it was from the people they expected it from the least. People they hardly knew rallied around them to help them adjust to a very unexpected turn of events.
After 6 years of marriage, the birth of their two boys, and the expectation of a third, they never imagined that the summer of 2017 would look anything like it did. They moved into their lovely home back in 2015 when they first arrived in Houston, and life was moving steadily along. They had spent a very special Friday night celebrating and announcing that Joseph and Kasie were expecting with their third child to their friends and family. Little did they know that come Saturday night, Hurricane Harvey would be causing the flood water levels to rise in their neighborhood. Moving what furniture, food, and sentimental belongings that they could upstairs, in attempt to keep them safe and dry, they went to sleep that night only to be woken up to a phone call the following morning from their neighbor saying that she had water coming into her house. The good news is, that phone call allowed them time to move their cars to safety, as the neighbor's house sits a bit lower than their's. The water rose quickly, 3 feet in roughly 30 minutes!! Thankfully, Joseph was able to carry their two boys to safety after the water receded a bit.
Kasie was 12 weeks pregnant at the time.
You would think that the events and destruction of Hurricane Harvey to their home would be the only source of anxiety in their world, but after moving their lives into a temporary home provided by their very gracious friends, they faced a number of difficulties over the course of the next four months. The flu was passed around between Kasie and her two boys, which was hard to avoid in the two bedroom condo that they were staying in. They had a visit from the fire department due to a threat of an electrical fire at their temporary home, which thankfully was resolved without any damage. Then, just as the end of their displacement was in sight, they discovered that there was a leak from their neighbor's townhome which caused some flooding in their home as well as the need to tear out the newly installed sheetrock of their shared wall to figure out where the leak was coming from. The only upside to the timing of this was that their new flooring hadn't been installed yet, thank the Lord!!
When I asked Kasie what it was that got them through everything they faced throughout it all, she made it very clear that their faith in God, and all of the incredible people He placed in their path was what helped ease the burden. The people who they hardly knew as well as their friends and family that were providing them with meals, doing laundry, cleaning their temporary home, offering furniture, gutting their home, caring for their babies, and, the most important of all, praying for them...
These were the things that kept them going and truly revealed the hand of God working things out in their lives throughout it all.
Kasie admits that it's still difficult for her to put her own feelings into words, and that even after almost 7 months, the experience and emotions are still very fresh in her mind and heart. But this family of her's sure does know how to face disaster head on. Their family unit is strong, with Joseph working hard to make sure they still lived and loved life through it all, with their boys powering through and adapting like most children do with their wonderful resiliency, and Kasie being the incredible momma and wife that she is in caring for her family, it's easy to see how they had each other's backs throughout those incredibly difficult 4 months!
The level of care and attention I witnessed during their session was so evident. I'm so thankful that I was introduced to such a beautiful God-seeking, and loving family! I was so happy to have spent time with them, hearing their stories, and witnessing first hand the love that they have for one another, as well as welcoming Baby Asher into the mix. Seeing everyone care for him, love on him and watch over him was just so wonderful! Especially his big brothers! Weston and Jonah simply could not get enough of their new baby brother! He is one very loved and cherished little man, and incredibly blessed to be apart of the LeBlanc family. Their session had so many very real, very true to life moments(as you'll see near the end of the blog. Seriously, you don't want to miss it!!). I have so many favorite photos of this sweet family. So let's start scrolling down, shall we??
There's not much that's better in this world than a freshly bathed tiny newborn baby. I so loved how the entire family helped to get little Asher clean.
This family knows how to play, smile, and truly enjoy each other's company. The laughter was so contagious, as I'm sure you can imagine.
As you can see, I wasn't the only one who found this moment between Momma and baby photo worthy. Big brother Weston is an aspiring photographer, if I've ever seen one ;)
Despite the start of their story being stormy, the weather on our day together could not have been more perfect! We just had to move outside and enjoy it for a little while. Isn't it amazing how children can find so much joy in something as simple as a stick?
We all head inside after some fun playtime, but not before Weston and Jonah found the perfect place to stash their stick so that they could find it easily the next time they came out to play!
As I said before, the level of adoration for sweet Asher was overwhelming in the best possible way. They ensured he had a toy if he cried, covered him with a blanket if he was cold, and even helped Momma with the nursing and burping. It was something so precious and special and warms my heart any time I look back over these photos.
And then the two older brothers were... well... brothers. What's an afternoon without a little tiff between siblings, right??
The making up part, was my favorite, and they quickly returned to being best buddies all over again. Another wonderful example of the resilience of children.
Trials will come and go in this life. But when the storms clear and the flood waters recede, that's when the beauty is revealed. There's no denying that was the case for the LeBlanc family. Not only did they see God provide them with the hands and feet of Jesus in those who surrounded them to help them get through all that they experienced, and all of the incredible beauty in that, but in the end they got their own special rainbow to show them even further the faithfulness of God!
"Whoever does not know God hidden in
suffering does not know God at all."
-Martin Luther
Thank you to Joseph and Kasie for allowing me to spend the afternoon with their family, and photograph such a special time for them. I'm so grateful to have played a role in providing you a way to look back and remember when...
Until next time...
Keep it real,
Nikki Gould
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