Venice Canals Portrait Session

When she was only 4 years old, she would make up songs and perform them in costumes with a choreographed dance number for her family. And now, 15 years later, she released her own song on Apple Music and Spotify!

Who is this mystery star? You guessed it—my little sister, Lydia!

When I was 5 years old, my brother, Alex, and I found out we were going to have another sibling. We both told our mom we hoped we were getting a little sister. You can imagine how thrilled we were to be right!

I remember getting to school late on the day Lydia was born after meeting her in the hospital. I burst into my Kindergarten class and proudly announced that I had a baby sister!

Growing up, it was evident that Lydia and I could not be more different. She was always the bubbly, cheerful, giggly one, gifted in music and acting, while I was much more serious and competitive and focused on sports. And honestly, with 6 years between us, there were days I thought of her as my annoying little sister. She always followed me around when I had friends over, wanting to hang out with the ‘older girls,’ and she liked sneaking into my room to play with my stuff.

But now, that baby sister has grown up to be one of my best friends and I realize how blessed I am to have her. Now that she’s in college, we don’t get to spend as much time together as I would like. So during her last week home, we asked her if she would like to go on a sunrise adventure with us in Venice! We had a so much fun exploring the canals and funky art walls before enjoying a delicious breakfast at The Butcher’s Daughter.

Lydia, Beau and I are so thankful for you! And it has been so fun to watch you grow in your faith, especially since you went off to Baylor. You have such a heart for service, and we know the Lord is going to use you in powerful ways for His Kingdom, whether that’s here at home or in Ethiopia someday! Thanks for waking up at the crack of dawn with us to explore Venice. We had a blast!