Aloha Elijah

 Look at this little Prince. This is Elijah James Koamalu Bryan, the first born son of our dear friend Jonah and his beautiful wife Sara. Jonah is one of the most genuine, gentle yet vibrant, caring with a touch of crazy guys you'll ever meet. We met Jonah our first year of college when he and Josh lived in the same dorm and it didn't take long for a friendship to form between him and Josh. After college, Jonah lived with my parents for a summer while he transitioned into grad school in Seattle and so solidified his place as "family" to us. I love having friends like that - ones you get to walk through a multitude of life's seasons with.

One thing about Jonah is that he was one of those guys who was comfortable with being single. What that really means is that he frustrated just about every single girl he came in contact with in college. They fell in love with all his wonderful qualities and he fell in love with life's great adventures (swimming, rock climbing, mountaineering, surfing, barefoot running...we've seen Jonah go through a lot of different hobbies over the years) none of which seemed to really include a female companion. Until he met this beauty, Sara.

I was so intrigued to meet Sara for the first time, curious to find out what kind of woman could finally captivate Jonah. She is strong, bold, caring, quick to laugh, equally genuine and perfectly matched for Jonah. She has this amazing ability to love Jonah in a way that does not try to limit him but rather embraces him for all that he is - crazy hobbies and eating habits in all. They are the kind of couple whose love is inspiring to watch for they so beautifully allow one another to fully be who God has created them to be.

So all of that to say, I was delighted and honored to take some pictures of their sweet boy and their newly expanded family a few weeks ago.

Little Elijah you are one blessed boy and I am so excited to see what adventures lie ahead of you in the years to come. May you grow to be a boy whose vibrant love for God transcends all that you do.