happy birthday.

Yesterday was Kinsley's first birthday. After an emotional night on the 16th as I realized she was actually turning one, the day was a fun celebration. Xander started singing Happy Birthday to her first thing in the morning and kept it up throughout the day. She dove into her cake with enthusiasm I previously thought must be staged for photos (since Xander didn't want any first birthday cake at all) and made a big mess of herself. Seeing the fun she was having Xander than dove into his cake and I ended up washing 2 chocolate covered kids in the sink since I didn't even want to try to get them upstairs to the tub. Presents were opened. The #1 candle was extinguished. There was a lot of clapping which is currently Kinsley's go to way to say 'hey I like this'. And even though I can't begin to grasp how she is one already the day was a success.
I promise pictures were taken. I was so excited to share the adorable grins and chocolate covered baby goodness with everyone. Unfortunately when I logged on last night to do so my computer, which has been limping along, said no. No negotiations. No pleading. Just plain no. So the top priority tonight is ordering a shiny new upgrade.
Happy Birthday Kinsley. Pictures coming soon.

from both of us.

Happy Mother's Day...from both of us. I love the sound of that. This was the first 'from the both of us' card I have received. It made me smile, as did the careful 'x' Xander signed on the inside and the squiggly line Kinsley drew that ended up in equal part on her leg. It also made me realize that this time last year my card was from the one of us. I was still pregnant and Kinsley did not even have a name yet. Here we are a year later and my whole life has been shaken up, dumped out and put back together into something more amazing then I could have ever imagined. More chaotic then I thought I could handle. More love than I knew I could feel. More wonderful. More crazy. More perfect. Because 2 is more than 1. Better than 1. And today, as with everyday, I am thankful to be their mom. To hear "I love you bigger than the milks away (milky way)." To get wide open mouth kisses on my cheek with the 'smack' sound on a 5 second delay. To cuddle them and love them and watch them grow. To try to remember every moment as they pass by on fast forward. Happy Mother's Day to all of you who are walking this road with me. To all of you who are looking back from the finish line and to all of you who are taking your position at the start.

my purple giraffe.

I have a purple giraffe. It is unfortunate I am the only one who can see him as he is quite amusing. Sometimes he jumps into shoots with kids (usually kids in the 6-10 range) and changes the entire atmosphere of the session. The well practiced cheese becomes honest grins and the tension dissolves when my purple giraffe sits down right next to you and starts chewing on your dress. Seriously. He's right there. You don't see him?

And then sometimes the instinctive cheese grin is a little harder to let go of. Sometimes a kid is holding onto their fake smile a little tighter. Sometimes you have to catch them off guard. Sometimes you have to fall off a porch. Seriously. I noticed earlier in the day that Ellena was laughing SO hard when I almost fell into a fountain (really almost fell in) so I put it in my memory and later when the fake cheese made its inevitable come back I pulled it out. I set up this serious look at your hands shot and then backed up and backed up and AHHH! You got it. I fell off the porch. Opps. But I love the second one even more than the first.




And that is part of why I love shooting kids. Every session is different not just because the child is different. And the setting. And the shots. But because the entire atmosphere of every kids shoot is unique. It is individual, like them. And sometimes you have to really look for the purple giraffe. But when you find it....

ellena

Last weekend I spent an afternoon with Ellena. This happy little girl reminded me how fun it is to twirl like a ballerina just because you are wearing a pretty dress, to blow dandelions and to lean close to smell the flowers. To live in the moment and to love every moment you are living in. Top that with a warm sunny day and a pretty bow and you have a guarantee of a great afternoon.





A special bracelet from Grandma...













Thanks Ellen and Ellena for spending your afternoon with me!

spring

3 weeks ago we awoke to sunny skies and singing birds. The forecast mentioned mid-60's and we were thrilled. Plans were made and a picnic lunch was packed. Spring was here! An hour later standing at the base of the trail at Hanging Rock we were left wondering...spring?



Needless to say, it was not the start of spring that I expected. This weekend it was again in the mid-60's. The sun was shining and the days were gorgeous. My crocus has bloomed and I now feel comfortable saying welcome spring.

get hitched for haiti

Elly's Photography is helping raise money for Haiti through Doctors Without Borders with Get Hitched for Haiti. Not only is Elly offering great prizes - including a free wedding photography package - it is so easy to enter. Just donate at least $15.00 directly to Doctors Without Borders and email her your receipt to be entered. Great cause. Great prize. What are you waiting for?
Want more details - click here for the full information.
Deadline is 2/28/10 so take a minute and do this now - time is running out.

puzzle piece hands.

I forgot my lunch today, which is only relevant in that I ended up grabbing a fast food sandwich instead. Sitting in the booth I noticed an elderly couple at a table across the row. They were sitting together on the same side of the table like a pair of dating teenagers. Smiling at each other. Sharing their meals with weathered hands linked together on the table between them. Laughing at their conversation. Perhaps at a new snippet about something that happened just this morning but I'd imagine after a lifetime together it is just as likely a story they have laughed at together a thousand times.

You could see they were in love.

You could see they were happy.

You could see they would rather sit together on the same side of that wobbly table than be anywhere else apart.

I wanted my camera. I wanted to capture the joy on their faces and the love in their eyes. I wanted to zoom in on their aged hands so comfortably linked together like the pieces of a perfect puzzle. I wanted to hear the stories about all the joy and sadness and work those hands had been through together. I thought about my friend Sarah's recent post about the camera in her head and, not for the first time, I longed for the camera in my head. But alas, they finished their meal and I still was without a camera. On shaky legs she stood from the table. In a move as natural as breathing, he steadied her with his hand under her arm and they shuffled together towards the door.

I do not know their names. I do not know their story. But I thank them. For reminding me today that all the day-to-day living is what brings us from "I do" to sharing a million cups of coffee at a wobbly table in a fast food restaurant. For reminding me that even after "I do" it is important to choose to sit on the same side of the table and to look at each other with eyes that leave no doubt of your love for one another. I thank them for reminding me that sharing all the work and joy and sadness of life is what makes those hands fit together so perfectly.

I am really glad that I forgot my lunch.