Megan + Brad

A Full-Circle Homecoming | The Cook Family Session

Some sessions feel like more than just photos. They feel like home—like the weaving back together of community, story, and seasons that only God could have orchestrated.

Megan and Brad are one of my legacy CK Photo couples. I photographed their wedding in 2019, and I still remember being on the dance floor with them—arms around my husband, college friends filling the dance floor. It was one of those rare moments where time stands still and you realize, this is a little slice of Heaven. Their wedding became a little hinge point for us—shortly after, we started attending the same church location they were part of, and our circles grew deeper, even as life changed around us.

When Jack arrived in 2021, I loved watching their little family take shape. Not long after, Brad—who had been teaching music north of the metro—took a leap and accepted a new position in Mount Pleasant. They moved two hours away, and even though we were so sad to see them go, we cheered them on as they followed where they felt called.

Then came Lizzie, and then… a new kind of season.

This summer, Megan’s dad passed away unexpectedly. Amid their grief, Brad was offered a music position at Des Moines Christian High School—the kind of opportunity he had been hoping for years earlier. Their move back to the metro wasn’t planned the way anyone expected. But it was timed perfectly.

We can see it so clearly now: God’s hand in every pivot. Every delay. Every open and closed door. His timing isn’t early or late. It’s exactly right. And His goodness hasn’t changed one bit.

Lizzie has faced some health challenges this year, but she’s thriving. You’d never know what she’s been through—she’s running everywhere, full of energy and joy. Jack is growing right alongside her. Watching them as siblings, seeing Megan and Brad parenting in such unity and love, was such a gift to witness through my lens.

We photographed this session at Des Moines Christian— in the park behind the school, and right out front. It felt right to honor this new chapter, this new home base, and the fresh beginning it represents.