A Family Pact

03/01/2024

As you can probably tell, I’ve been away from my business account for some time. Since losing my son, I Haven’t felt the pull to return to photography. At first, I thought I was no longer capable of doing photography after putting my camera down for over a year. ⁣
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Attending a photography workshop hosted by my dear friend Shannon proved to me that I was capable of making magic. But the grief I felt still had its grasp on me. I wasn’t ready. I couldn’t put my all into my photography. Feeling a lack of creative inspiration, I took a hiatus from photography and pursued other creative ventures. ⁣
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This page felt like a capsule of the person I was once; the woman before loss gripped her. It felt untainted, a chapter of my life teetering between completion or preservation. ⁣
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Now, I am revitalized. Years have passed, and new perspectives are met with clarity. The birth of my second son has assured me that this chapter is not quite over. Although I am not as reverent in sharing my art, it does not diminish its power. I am the keeper of memories; it is ingrained in my soul to cherish the moments that only come once. ⁣
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So, I hope you will join me as I stumble forward into the unknown. ⁣
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📸 Vanessa Mendez Photography

01/04/2023

I didn't pick up my camera for over a year. It feels like a lifetime ago. For the last year, taking photos reminded me of the images I would have captured of my son, that died before birth. Photography has been a gift in so many ways, and I was reminded of that again. ⁣⁣
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I remember what it felt like to capture the moments so dear to me, to document my family through their growth. It took searching for photos of our family and seeing an empty 2022 folder on my hard drive to realize that I didn't want to miss out on documenting their lives. I hope 2023 will be a year of redemption, and I'll make up for lost time. Here's to finding joy in photography again! ⁣⁣
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01/26/2022

✨LAITH'S BIRTH⁣ STORY✨
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I haven't posted on here for a long time. Losing our son Laith has taken a toll on our family. I have shared bits of our journey on my personal Instagram page () but haven't been able to find a way to show up on our business page. ⁣
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I miss being creative and finding ways to share A Family Pact with you. But it's been challenging to find inspiration and keep showing up when our world has fallen apart. I'm not sure how to show up for our community when I feel like I'm barely surviving. But I will do my best to continue sharing our authentic and honest story. It is the best that I can do at this moment in time. ⁣
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That said, I am sharing Laith's birth story with you. It was challenging to write but healing for me. I never thought this would be our road, but here we are. Moving forward, I will be sharing our journey of loss and grief, as well as healing. We have been given a new perspective on life and what our business and passions mean to us. You will witness our despair, growth, hope, and resilience. Just as Laith's death has profoundly changed us, this page may also change. I hope you will continue to follow us on this new path traveled. ⁣

This is a stillbirth story, and it deserves telling because stillbirth is still.birth.

06/21/2021

Looking at these kids, you'd think that they came out of the womb and started hiking the woods, but the reality couldn't be farther from the truth. When we began traveling as a family, the kids complained and groaned at every turn. ⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

"My feet hurt. ⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
"It's hot."⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
"There are too many bugs."⁣

It took time, but the kids slowly got comfortable being outdoors and learned how to manage some of the uncomfortable aspects. We're embracing that spirit again as we enter our first Texas summer. Temperatures are rising, and the bugs (as in scorpions) are coming out 😰 🦂

01/14/2021

Wow, our little girl isn't so little anymore 😭 I can't believe she is nine years old! Suhaila is growing to be such a kind, honest, and strong young lady. She's smart beyond her years and holds so much love in her heart. She knows just what to do when you're feeling down. We're so blessed to be her parents.

01/06/2021

Having kids does something strange to time; it speeds it up. In the blink of an eye, my baby girl went from a newborn to a five-year-old. How does that happen?

What a fantastic reminder to slow down and soak up as much time as possible. So happy we captured so many moments we wanted to remember for life ❤️

12/31/2020

It's launch day!!! 🥳 ⁣
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Three months ago, I started using , and one of my annual goals was to launch our new website by the New Year. Great Scott, I've done it! ⁣
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A ton of blood, sweat, and tears have gone into revamping our website, working on it some nights until 2 am because that was the only time I had at the end of the day. Please go check it out, let me know what you think, provide feedback (but go easy 😅). ⁣
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12/25/2020

Although we don't celebrate Christmas, we hope you’re enjoying the day with loved ones or peacefully alone. We hope you’re making memories and capturing them in a million photos. Us? We’re spending the day cozied up on the couch with a family movie and of course, eating lots of delicious foods! How are you spending the holiday?

12/21/2020

Welcome the two newest members to the Family Pact 😉 Meet Willow (Terrier/Blue heeler mix) and Bonnie (Dalmatian)!!! ⁣
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Suhaila has been begging us for a puppy for years. Each time she asked, we'd respond with all the reasons it wasn't a good time, mainly because we didn't have space. Suhaila worked hard to prove she was responsible enough to care for her puppy, and once we moved to our house, we didn't have much of an excuse not to get one.⁣
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So we started looking for our newest family member. Suhaila fell in love with Willow, but before that, Woody fell in love with Bonnie. Of course, we couldn't say no to either of them and brought them both into our family. Happy Winter Solstice folks! ❄️