The Everett Arboretum...

Yesterday after Steve was done with work we dressed the kids up and took them to the Arboretum for pictures and fresh air. Lily hasn't really had many chances to run free yet and boy did she run! She was a free bird the whole time we were there. She got muddy and wet and dirty. The best part was watching both Lily and Morgan run around together. It was almost surreal. I know I see it in the house, but outside watching them explore together was a completely new experience. Life is good.

FYI:  If you click on a picture it will open a larger version of it for your viewing pleasure.

I did two versions of this image. I think it looks better with the vintage light above, but it's a hard call.

The Arboretum put in these beautiful concrete, pebble paths. I want them in my yard! 

It took a lot to get this shot. Steve likes to call it cat herding. It's almost impossible to get a 1 year old and a 2 year old for that matter to pose for the camera. So I take what I can get. I love her hat!

This is the official cat herding picture. We tried and tried to get them to sit on these steps together, but it just wasn't going to happen. =)

I love this photo. Lily gets so excited when Morgan comes running after her. She starts squealing in pure joy.

This is the only shot I could get of the two of them sort of looking my way. Morgan was obsessed with this fountain. He kept getting rocks and putting them in the water.

Of course Lily had to go investigate and see what he was up to. She is his devoted sidekick. I wonder how long that will last?

The Calm Before the Storm

9/25

Here we wait in between execution and event, a moment, an instant, a single deep breath.

Outside there’s a hurricane well on its way, it is likely this will be the only quiet moment today

A full night of cleaning and cooking and prep, completely exhausted and we haven’t started yet

All this effort for a party she’ll never remember, to celebrate one to another September

This memory of consciousness isn’t the only thing, and she knows without knowing the joy that love brings

Photo: Melissa

Poem: Steve

Monday morning...

It was a long morning starting around 4am. So Morgan was not in a great mood and decided to test me alllll morning. =/

Lily is a little monster. She is into everything and fearlessly climbs anything she so desires. She is a total sweetheart though.

Afternoon Lullaby

9/16

Skin on skin on glass on sky, lazy late summer lullaby

Dappled sunlight halos skin, bright eyes seek the world within

Tiny body twists and shakes in fruitless efforts to stay awake

So here we lay and time moves slow, but growing up is letting go

Soon this will be forgotten past, like sets of footprints on sun warmed glass.

Photograph: Melissa

Poem: Steve

Photoshoots

I have been busy taking photos lately and wanted to post a partial set from a shoot with my friend's son, Seven (who happens to be eleven, hehehe). I took some chances and they paid off big time. I am thrilled with the results and can't wait to go out again because I learned alot from my mistakes and my successes.

This one above is my favorite. I realized later that there are exactly seven birds above Seven's head. =)

Baby F

Baby F, originally uploaded by WaxPhoto.

This past Wednesday I did my very first official newborn shoot. My friends Renee and Eric just had a little girl and she was 10 days old the day of the shoot. She is only 5 lbs and 13 oz. so she is unbelievably small and precious. I couldn't have asked for a better baby too. She slept for a couple hours giving me plenty of time to get some great photos. Eric and Renee are such good loving and doting parents; she is a very lucky girl. Hopefully I will get to go back and do another shoot since I didn't have time to take all the shots I was after. I really want them to have a good well rounded collection of newborn shots to cherish and that document this special time in their lives as new parents. It goes so fast and in even just 6 months they will be able to look back and be in awe of how fast these little people change.

This is just a sneak peek from the shoot. I will post the whole set once I am done editing.