Fall season. It’s both a sprint & a distance run. All the shoots, the editing…all leaving my sweet clients drumming their fingers thinking, “where are my pictures!?”

I want to thank you all being patient & for loving me despite my tardiness.

A little sneak peek for the H. family who is all home under the weather. What a joy it was to meet you all & spend some time together. Hope you are all on the mend soon!

xoxo

A few years ago, I joined a homeschooling group near the city so that my kids could take some art & music classes. I didn’t know anyone in the group but I did know I was very different from the other moms there. The other ladies were full on hippie chicks. Patchouli. Flowing skirts. Make up free & sandal clad feet, these mamas were lovely & sweet. We all had homeschooling in common, as well as homebirthing & parenting choices, but I  was pretty certain they did not share my love of clothing, my passion for lipgloss or my insatiable desire for Taco Bell….

Until I saw M. walk into the room. No sandals. No flowy skirt. She was dressed & glossed &  I knew she was my other half in the group. I was so happy to meet her.

Long after the group stopped meeting, we remained friends. Sharing our lives over the phone lines & getting together when a new baby arrived & photos were needed. She is the most positive & strong little mama I have ever known. 4 boys in tow with one more baby on the way, it is always a good day when I get to spend it with her clan.

This summer has been like no other for me. There was a lot of driving to family parties, dance camps, & day trips. There was a lot of work. And on the other side of that, lack of beach & sun & relaxation. My head was in the clouds but it was mostly rain up there.

So many nights I sit here proofing & vow to update my blog with sessions or with family photos & it never seems to happen….I don’t know why really except that all these summer days flying by have left me with a lump in my throat.

Yesterday I got to meet an incredible family that left me feeling in love. Five kids, one seriously gorgeous mama & one funny dad to boot. It was hotter than…well…you know where but later last night when I started opening images to look at,  all that sweat was worth it.

Just one for now & more to follow soon!

Last week my one & only son turned 7.

I always say that each year brings different things for children. The pants they had to wear at 3 give way to dresses at 4. The child who hated carrots at 2 cannot stop eating them at 3. The kid who hated to read at 7 finds her way to Lemony Snickett & stays up all night reading by 8. It’s amazing really.

6 was an agony for Henry. He was afraid & anxious. Night terrors rocked him from sleep & into the comforts of our bed. Anxiety troubled him. If we parked in a 15 minute parking slot, he had to make sure we were back in the car before the 15 minutes were up. He hates to break the rules. Mildly scary shows would haunt him for days & he had to give up on karate class after sitting in the lobby & crying for all of the 5 classes we tried to attend.

It was hard to watch. Maybe this was just him at 6 I thought….maybe this will pass & he can be free from all of this. I would joke with my husband that I had a secret countdown to his 7th birthday. I was hopeful.

And, I was right. As he rounded 7 he began to rest. He stopped (mostly) coming into our bed. He would announce in the morning that he was not afraid anymore & that he had had only good dreams. He played spring baseball & although he cried at the first practice, he went on to amaze me with his confidence & joy at playing. He rode a gigantic rollercoaster that even his big sister was to afraid to get on.

On his big day, he got a motorcycle. A real live gas powered motorcycle. And the best part of that day was watching him don his adult sized M helmut (HA!), his protective gear & take off flying.

I am happy to say goodbye to 6. A  hard year that burdened his soul & tugged always at my heart.

Hello 7! You’re looking good.

I have already done age 11 with my oldest so it doesn’t jar me like before. 11 is nice.

Sophia was born when my oldest was only 18 months old. She was 10 days overdue & I was so very ready for her to just be born already. I had no idea that she was in fact, a she. I had hoped & prayed for another girl so that Anna could have a sister. I imagined it would be a fun thing to have two little ladies so close together. Her labor was textbook & although I was initially scared of going through the  pain of birth again, I soon caught my stride & was a real champ at breathing & getting through those contractions. Like with Anna, I had a midwife attended homebirth. I spent most of my time sitting in the bathtub & zoning out a little when I could manage it. I had pushed for hours with Anna but Sophia came out in just 4 pushes. She came out easily & has remained a laid back, easy going girl ever since.

She had tiny black curls all over her head & her skin was very dark. She seemed to be exotic & we thought maybe those Italian genes had overcome the Irish ones & the reddish hair & freckles of her fair skinned sister. What better name than Sophia for such a gorgeous dark haired child? 11 years later she is as blond, blue eyed & freckled as she can be…

Sophia (aka Fifi, Sophia, Fia, Fluffy) was an easy baby. She slept for me. She napped for me. She nursed well & she took her place sitting next to the throne of Queen Anna. Anna pretty much directed her play, her work, her speech & most everything else right from the start & Sophia didn’t seem to mind one bit.

“Anna. Please stop telling Fifi what to say all the time when you are playing house. Let her be her own girl & say what she would like!”

(Sophia, taking her thumb from her mouth), “It’s OK. I don’t care.”

Ah my little Sophia…always with a little blond bob, hair matted up in the back…always with food on her face NO MATTER WHAT & in the warmer months, always naked in the yard no matter how many times I dressed her. Whenever Christmas would roll around, I would ask what she wanted to get & she would always say, “whatever Santa is making for the kids is fine with me”. While Anna jumped into whatever situation lay in front her of her, Sophia always sat back, took it all in & then decided her next move.

She is at heart, her fathers child. She has gorgeous long lean limbs like him. She is quite literally good at just about everything she does (my hubby is irritatingly good at everything….seriously.) She has his quiet spirit & wonderful way of making everyone she meets fall in love with her. She is amazing with her little brother & sister. She is always at the ready to lend me a hand when I am cleaning out a closet or putting the groceries away. She is my go to kid when something is lost~she will find whatever it is, everytime.

She is mad funny & can lip synch a song in a way that leaves me doubled over in laughter & begging her to do it one more time for me. She shares my love of all things girlie & is my stylist each morning as we decide which piece of jewelry to wear, which shoe goes best with what or if I should go curly or straight.

I adore my girl.  She is more tricky than my other children because unlike the other three, she does not wear her heart on her sleeve. Her sorrows need to be coaxed out~her joys are more reserved. Sometimes I have to catch my breath when I look at her~her beauty still catches me off guard sometimes & I sit and marvel at her. To say I have been blessed to have her as my own would be an understatement & other words fail me.

She is quite simply, more than I ever could have hoped for.

I have been neglectful of posting new stuff & I am not sure why. I think of things to post. I take a gazillion  photos & then…..well….then, nothing much happens.

Life is dishing up a heck of a lot of fun for me lately. A lot of work & a lot of play & a lot of good stuff in between.  I know there are still 2 or 3 people who read this blog & like to look at new photos from time to time so for those dedicated family members  fans, here is something fun I worked on this spring.

Photographing beautiful little people in gorgeous little clothes. I shot many, many days for a NY based kids catalog & website. It was loads of fun & I even got to drag my baby Grace along since she was a sample size this season. 

I had a SUPER Mini Session event at Monkey Busines last month & really need to share those images as well but for now I leave you with lovely ladies making pretty pictures:)

I am always torn on this one. Photographing people you have never met is scary. You have to connect with them & get to know them on a level that will allow you to capture them as they are. It’s an intimate thing & a sometimes daunting task. Photographing people you know & love is a differernt kind if anxiety. It is I guess, a tall order. You don’t want to disappoint. You hope they like they way you see them & you want to capture them in the best way because hey, you want them to keep liking you.

I have known the O family for longer than my husband. I met her when she had just a little toddler girl & she walked into the office where I worked. Over the years we forged a bond she & I. She made my wedding dress, we had babies together, we hung out at the pool with the kids….she taught me how to make Cuban black beans & I made her laugh on the porch while we drank a beer & pondered the difficulties of marriage & motherhood.

We had hard times when we disagreed over the paths we took. We cried. Alot. And all these many years later, we are still standing. Still laughing & still holding each other up when we need it. Still pondering & climbing back up from the valleys when we fall. 

When she asked if I might photograph her family, I was thrilled. It seemed a fitting time to capture this little clan & the love they share. We had a lot of fun spending an hour or so together…..I hope she still likes me:)

Wow. I am such a slacker. I mean to write something or share something…it enters into my head & then just as soon as it arrives it is gone again. I am finally surrendering to the chaos & the unexpected. Once you lower your standards & expectations, the days go much more smoothly!

I think the key to being a happy Mom is this; for each new baby you have, let something go. After #1 I stopped experimenting in the kitchen. I was nursing or napping all the time it seemed so I stuck to the basics & donated all those weird cookbooks I had collected to the library book sale. #2 brought the end of ever being caught up on laundry (unless my mom took pity on me & came over to help). #3 brought the end of running the vacuum on any sort of a regular basis. Unless there are smashed up chips all over the floor or an entire container of pink glitter, it ain’t happening. #4 brought complete & utter defeat. It had to. I had to be humbled & realize that I am no longer in control & I don’t have to be.

At a newborn session last week, I was reminded of how things change with each new addition. My client K is ON THE BALL! She has a beautiful home & gorgeous boys. She & I always share some laughs & some frank and honest talk about being moms & wives. I just love her honesty & her wit & hope that she will remember to let something go now that she is mom to 2.

She will definately need more time to soak up all this cuteness.

You can send email to my regular account but I cannot reply to you. Go figure! Until I can get it fixed I set up a temporary account with Yahoo. There may be delays but I will get back to you as soon as I can.

It creeps up on us.

Today I took a long drive north to see the M. Family. The whole way there twere gray & I was convinced that it would be cool & dreary forever.

Winter is a slower time for me since I prefer shooting outside. This was the kick off to spring sessions & I had to gather all my scattered gear, clean off all my lenses & check & recheck my bag to make sure I had everything I would need. I got lost of course. Despite advances with simple things like Mapquest or more complicated things like my phone which has a navigation system (and a strange confusion of left & right), I had to call. (I always have to call….)

But I made it! I got there to meet Little K. & his pretty mama right on time. (Big brother & sister joined us later) I made a HUGE impression on K. I overheard him tell mom that he “didn’t like Stacey”. Amateur. You all know my Gracie hits way below the belt on a daily basis. I simply statement of dislike cannot disuade me.

And really, I think he was lying.

Thanks lovely people! You made some sunshine on me today & were worth that drive!