Category Archives: Personal

By now, you may know that my sister, Beth, her husband, Mark, and their two little ones (my adorable twin nephews!), moved to England last summer for a 2-year stint. I miss them all more than I imagined. The time difference is harder than it looks on paper and the video chats with two kids on each side make for some choppy discussions. BUT, we were lucky enough to be able to go visit them last month – all of us: my husband, me, and our two girls. And we had a blast. The jet lag was easier than it should have been, the cousins picked up right where they left off, and we were all left with some amazing memories that will last a lifetime.

I’ll share a bunch of photos from the week below with a bit of narration, but for those who are interested in seeing an expanded selection, you can view this slideshow:

 

My sweet nephews, O and H, love dressing up. And they love Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Put these two facts together and you get the answer to this question: what is their favorite dress up costume? You’ll see this theme throughout our visit.

Here’s our first day – a leisurely morning, a visit to their awesome local park, and an unusual shoulder nap for our sweet Lucy.

Our second day we traveled into London to visit the Sea Life London Aquarium and to take in a few of the sights.

Walking around London was a bit surreal for me as I spent a semester there in college. So much was familiar, but there was a good number of new sights as well. Strange to revisit a place where I was a college student with my whole family.

Let’s hear your roar!

My lovely sister, her boys (who were celebrating a birthday that day!), and my “little one.” (Lucy was asleep in the stroller at this point.)

Sub in Mark for Annabeth:

Lucy wakes up from her nap and gets her turn with the lions.

The gang, striking a pose.

Cousin love!

The following day we got to celebrate the twins’ birthday, pirate style, complete with pirate ship cakes, a treasure hunt, and pirate costumes for all.

Post-party, the girls got to explore the beautiful fields and paths behind their home.

Oh, and here I am! Photo credit: my darling husband.

Day 4 was beautiful, absolutely beautiful! We went to the Princess Diana Memorial Park in Hyde Park and the kids had a blast with all sorts of different contraptions.

After the park we walked around the grounds, got some ice cream, and reveled in the beautiful weather, the good company, and all the cuteness before us.

Yes, that is my husband hanging from a tree.

Our last day we went to the world’s oldest model village in Bekonscot. The kids had never felt so big! It was really unique and interesting.

We ended the day at the playground at Bekonscot. Smiles abound.

So much fun. So much love. There were tears when we left and there will be tears when I see them again. Love you guys. Thanks for everything, Beth and Mark. xo

And now for something completely personal & cathartic – a small tribute to my mom on her birthday. She would have been 60-something today (I’ll keep her exact age private; a woman never reveals her age, right?).

I lost my dear mom to cancer 4 1/2 years ago in May, 2009. That October, I became a mom to my oldest daughter, Annabeth; she would have been my mom’s very first grandchild.

There are days, most days, when I wonder how she did it with four children; I have moments when I struggle with two. There are days when I, with intention, try to emulate her – her silliness, her kindness, her creativity (she was always good with crafts), her dedication to her children, and her selflessness. There are days when I try to talk to my girls about their grandmother and show them the memory book my sister made for them. Some days it feels as if this all happened 10 years ago; and then there are the days when I find it hard to believe that it happened at all. And every day, every single day, I stop and wish I could sit down with her to talk to her about what it was like for her when we were little and ask her advice. Above all, I want a mom hug – you know, the kind that moms give: a full-on, warm embrace that makes you feel like everything will be OK no matter what. She was good at those. No, wait, she was the best at those.

Two weeks before she passed, I had asked some friends (thanks, Marlon and Amber!), to come take some photos of my mother with my three sisters and me, along with our husbands. She had a great day that day, only to be followed by a sharp turn for the worse not even 24 hours later. The images from that day touch my heart in a way that I cannot explain. They are invaluable. They are part of the inspiration for what I do.

When I think about my mother, some of those images are the first to pop into my head. Not only because they are the most recent ones, but because we knew as we were taking them that they would likely be our last family photos with her. Those moments were genuine, living in the moment, let’s-be-ourselves-because-we-have-each-other moments. We were loving and silly (my Mom was always good at silly). We were present. It was a good day.

And for good measure, here are a handful that are some of my favorites from the way back machine (some more way back than others).

~~~

I miss you, Mom. Every. Single. Day. I hope you are proud of me going after this dream. You always told me, “do what you love and success will follow.” I am heeding your advice, feeling finally like I am doing what I am meant to do – being a mom and pursuing this passion of mine. You would love all 5 of your grandchildren, Mom; they are amazing, parenthood is amazing. Here’s to you. xo

OK, so that’s a bit dramatic, I know, but my oldest daughter started preschool this month for the first time and it made me feel a bit nostalgic. She only goes two mornings a week, but it’s the start of a long journey of school days and our morning routine on these days looks and feels very different than it did before. It made me feel old, having a kid who goes to “school,” and then I looked at her. She’s growing. So. Incredibly. Fast. I swear she was just screaming her little head off yesterday, breaking out of her swaddle, and wanting nothing to do with her crib/bassinet/swing/bouncy seat. Now, she can hold onto me with all four long limbs for a “monkey hug” – where I can let go and she still hangs on. We share the same tube of toothpaste. She wears a little backpack where she keeps a family photo and tissues, “just in case I sneeze, Mama.” And her latest stroke of genius – “Mama, I have a plan. When we get to school, you can just come around to my side of the car, help me out, then you can go back to your side, get back in, and I’ll just go into school all by myself.” Fat chance, my friend. Here’s to you, little one, on this new adventure. I love you all the way to China, Mexico, Pluto, California, England — and back. Mwah!

Yes, she’s raising the roof. It’s preschool orientation day, after all. Wouldn’t you?

She found her name, “all over the classroom, even in the sandbox!”

Proud girl. Proud mama.

To mark the occasion of this new chapter, I thought I would share some personal pics of both my girls from the summer. It involved my sister’s wedding, a lot of beach time, cousin time, and a mini-shoot with matching dresses (couldn’t help myself!). Below are some highlights. If you want the whole gallery, click here (password: Summer2013). I hope you enjoy.

Also, a big thank you to all of my AMAZING clients this summer, both new and old, for many happy sessions, new memories, and belly laughs. I am so grateful. Last but certainly not least, a loud shout out goes to my husband, without whose support this would all still be a pipe dream. The girls and I are incredibly lucky, baby.