So fun being able to photograph a family through so many different stages. I photographed their wedding, being pregnant and now photos of them with their sweet 1yr old. The topics of conversation at each of our shoots changes as well...this time it was all poop and sleeping schedules....AND I was loving every second of it!
You are such a great family. Thank you for letting me capture this sweet time for you.
I had such a fun time shooting Joy and her family for Bugaboo.
We ventured around LA for a couple days and I was able to shoot a scrumptious toddler and an amazingly beautiful product. Is there any denying Bugaboo makes the best strollers? OR that Joy and Bob make the best toddlers?
It was so great meeting the Bugaboo team and The Cho Family. Here's to hoping there are more shoots with both of them in my future.
These are some of my favorites shots but if you haven't already, check out Joy's post. It's a good one.
xxoo.
Newborn perfection right there folks.
The hair, the lips, the awe struck parents.
Love this sweet family and am excited to photograph them again in a couple weeks!!!
I don't know if it's the fact that their kids are just about the same age as mine, but when I photograph this family I feel so sentimental. And emotional...like I am looking at the exact same stage my family is in and I can deeply relate. And the personalities of our kids are so similar too. Holland is fun and vivacious. She loves to interact and shine her amazing personality all over the place. And Rowan (only a month older than my Fairbanks) you will fall madly in love with. This little survivor has already got through two open heart surgeries. He is the epitome of sweetness, love, and acceptance. It is impossible to not want to kiss and squeeze him constantly.
I just feel like I have so much in common with them, except, I have no idea what it must be like to spend the first months of your child's life in hospitals and in and out of surgeries. Watching them go through this as a family has been so awe inspiring. They have so much peace and trust with the cards they have been dealt. I only hope that if I ever have to support my family through something similar I will be able to power through like they have.
It's hard to understand what all the question marks they have must feel like, but there is one piece that I do understand...that I do share with them. The knowledge that every day is a gift. Being a mother, to me, feels like constantly being on the brink of life and death. That may sound morbid but I don’t mean it to be. Being in this place feels so close to something unworldly. Something near perfect. Something sacred and awfully close to another side.
Giving birth is the one time when I feel like I am in between those two worlds. In those powerful moments before that babe is in your arms, you have to get as close to the other side as possible, reaching out..reaching as far as you can from your side until you feel a little hand clasp your own. Then it’s your job to keep that little hand alive. Saying it’s overwhelming is an understatement.
Saying everyday is a gift doesn’t mean I think it’s “easy”. I am tired, barely dressed, out of style, under-groomed. I have aged. My body looks different. My worries and the thoughts that occupy my mind aren’t small. But I have focus. Focus that others can’t necessarily know or see. I know my job. I know my responsibility. I made my choice. They are mine and I can say without wavering, everyday I have with them is a gift.
This is what KC and I have in common. We both have little hands we get to love and care for.
I loving sharing this motherhood and parenthood journey with so many others. I love how connected and understood it helps me feel.
I value so much the opportunity I have to step inside someone's life as a photographer and create keepsake’s of this journey for them. I am so touched at the value my clients place on the love they share for each other and wanting to remember it.
This world is full of magnificent people and I get to raise two of them...and photograph the rest.
Half a year has already passed with you. 6 months.
For some reason 6 months seems like the time when I have to let your newborness go.
You aren’t making that hard to do with all the moving you’re doing.
Yep, you crawl.
Yes, I am proud of you...but there is a part of me that wishes you would just be helpless a little while longer.
Also, baby proofing is stressful.
Now that you can move everything could be a choking hazard and a potential surface for bonks.
With this new found freedom, sister has taken it as her cue to get physical. It’s like she knows you can handle it and wrestle hugs you any chance she gets.
Warms my heart she loves having a buddy.
Today at storytime at the library we swear she was a little proud showing you off. She keep hugging and kissing you and trying to move you back closer to us when you would crawl away. She is your keeper. She loves you so.
So you crawl. Kind of can’t get over it.
You sit too but are still tipsy.
It’s fun to see things you want and to watch you go for them. Over pillows, other toys..you know what you want and can get there fast.
You also have pulled yourself to standing! 6 months old and you stand holding onto stuff.
You have super human baby strength.
Favorite toys seem to be anything Nova may want to play with (shocker), empty cardboard film boxes, plastic (you’re not allowed), our feet, shoes and little plastic babies. I love watching you suck on their heads like you are a giant.
You also want to eat. I am trying not to let you, but it’s hard since you try to grab everything.
BFing is just so much easier..and less messy. Sigh.
So far you have tried banana (your first food!), avocado, mango, applesauce, carrots and the other day you were pounding the peach and mango soft serves from our favorite vegan place in Laguna Beach. “More! More!”, your eyes said.
Even in your most tired or most cranky moments, if I look at you you’ll smile.
You are not much of a cuddler unless you are drinking or sleeping. Constantly giving us the arm-bar wanting to face out and see what all the fuss is about.
You will walk around cheek to cheek with me. Love.
Lots of talking...or I should say grunting. You are such a little bear cub.
After our Utah trip we headed up to Big Sur for a wedding I was shooting. You adjusted so well to all the different sleeping arrangements.
The funniest part is us still dragging your swing everywhere for you to sleep in.
Any day you are going to grow out of that thing. The seat belt is getting tighter and tighter.
You still sleep most of the night on me, in my arms or next to me. Love having you close to me all night long.
You search around for my hand when you are eating and grasp onto my finger. TIGHT. Everytime you eat you do this now. Wanting to hold my hand. I die.
You are proudly wearing 6 month sized clothes and looking mighty handsome in whatever you have on.
Sister calls you baby brother and buddy most of the time. I probably call you sweet boy the majority of the time and I think dad calls you buddy a lot...but I can’t be sure.
You don’t like wind, especially cold wind--freaked us out at Pfeiffer Beach a couple weeks ago hyperventilating in the cool beach wind.
You are such a light. Smiling your squinty smile at anyone who cares to look.
I can’t look at you enough or kiss you enough or tell you I love you enough.
My favorite is waking up next to you. After a long night of teething and eating and getting comfortable...you start waking up before you even open your eyes. You stretch, rub your eyes (like crazy), grunt and then slowly, so slowly open your sleepy eyes. When our eyes meet, you smile. You aren’t surprised to see me inches from your face. I can tell you expect it. Like if I wasn’t there you would wonder, but having me there is what makes sense. Then we wake up together, smiling some more, talking and me kissing your neck while giving you my mama bear grunt.
For the last few months we have this thing were I help you throw your arms around my neck while I say, “hug hug hug hug hug!”, with one of your cheeks against mine, and then we switch and do the other side. You smile your big open mouth slobbery smile. Your eyes shining.
Loving you and caring for you is such a blessing.
I just love you so much,
Mom
September is turning out to be one of my favorite months of the whole year. This was the 2nd September in a row I had the pleasure of shooting a wedding in this glorious location.
What I found particularly magical about Kelly and James's destination wedding is the fact that neither had ever been to Big Sur before their wedding weekend. Based on the advice of friends they choose the location....and just happened to choose one of the most beautiful places in the whole world. It probably doesn't hurt that they both have amazing taste. This decision just confirms that.
Drunk off the beauty of my bride and the redwoods and the infectious laugh and smile of James, I filled up my 4hrs of shooting in what felt like 30mins.
The festivities took place at the gorgeous Ventana Inn, in which Range Rovers drove us from location to location..including the redwood grove which was on site. **dream location**
Thank you for adding me to your intimate gathering. It was a really, really great afternoon.
(Interested in having me shoot your wedding? Email me for more information at info@rachelthurston.com)
It all started on their wedding day and now I am hoping we make this a yearly ritual. Photographing this family is magic.
Their sweet girl smiled if I even looked at her. One year olds are the best. Photographing them brought back sweet memories of when it was just the three of us, Grant, me and Nova. I am so grateful there are photographs to help us celebrate and remember all of the different stages of our lives.
Couldn't love these three more. Pretty light follows them wherever they go.
(look how many great shots you can get in just a 30min shoot!!)
One of the best perks about my career is that it allows me a reason to reconnect with friends.
Amber was one of my closest friends in high school. I remember the first time I saw her in middle school...I thought she was the prettiest, coolest girl at Indian Hills. I also thought there was no way she would ever want to be friends with me (It's hard being 13). Turns out she did want to be my friend! We danced together from middle school through high school and since our dance schedules started early in the morning to sometimes late at night, we spent a lot of time with each other.
After high school, our paths went different ways and we lost touch a little...but I am happy to say I have been able to photograph her family a few times and being around her feels exactly the same. She is still the prettiest, coolest girl I know. Just love her and her sweet demeanor.
I have to rub my eyes and look again when viewing these images because she looks exactly the same except she has 5 boys hanging off of her. So amazing to see the families my friends create.
This was just one of my 30min shoots and I wish I could have caught up for hours. Next time I am in Midway Amber, I am calling you up! xxoo
I was so excited to hear that these two trying to adopt. In the limited interaction I have had with them, I can honestly say, any children they add to their family will be some of the luckiest kids on earth.
Cami has one of the most calming energies. She makes you believe she has it under control and you trust her. I can't think of better qualities for a future mother to have. And Brian is a total sweetheart. You can tell a lot about a man by the way he interacts with his other during a photoshoot. Lots of love in that home.
I was so happy these two wanted to do a little 3omin shoot to get some updated images for their adoption website.
As of now you can read more about their journey here: http://camiandbrian.tumblr.com/
Can't wait to see what the future holds. xxoo
Oh my. I love you so much.
If someone just looks at you, you smile.
Your smile is pure joy.
Your needs are so simple and your intentions are so pure.
Holding you is free therapy.
Just holding you makes everything so much better than whatever it was like before I was holding you.
I know that all of this time I get to hold and love on you will change. I know you won’t fall to sleep on me forever...so I am really trying to savor it. Every once in a while after you fall asleep eating with me, I will lift up the blanket to look at your sleeping feet, crossed at the ankles, your chubby hand, spread across my chest. Your full belly, moving in and out with you breathing against skin.
I know my memory will fade but I can read this and remember that for those few seconds that I adored you while you slept, loving you was all that mattered.
You are moving so so much.
You can get wherever you want by pushing up to your hands and knees and then propelling yourself forward. Your dad and I like to joke that we are breeding a race of super humans.
You like to lounge on your side and be propped in sitting position between my legs.
You are a major jumper like your sister. Constant jumping from sun up til sun down.
Unless you are eating or sleeping what’s the point of being held like a baby?
You are a big boy now and prefer to be treated like one.
You are so great at grasping everything and exploring with your mouth.
Your favorite position is hands clasped together in prayer position, in your mouth. While your eyes twinkle with the excitement at being able to gnaw on your fingers.
Carrying you around in the carrier is starting to wear me out a little. So funny! Your sister was so much lighter than you I never noticed...but you are a bit heftier. I love it.
I love your weight and how it feels to hold you.
You are way interested in food, so we have let you try banana and pineapple. You are kind of obsessed. I feel bad, but I don’t want to really start feeding you solids yet. Want you to stay a baby.
You grew out of your Puj tub in the sink so we have started bathing you with Nova. It is kind of chaotic with all the soap and slippery skin but you are all smiles.
I think since you are starting to move more, sister is getting a little more physical with you and likes to roll you to where she wants you to be.
Sometimes she loves hard with big squeezes that never end and gritted teeth through which she is baby talking to you.
We stay close by to make sure her wrestling stays “fun”...and I have admit it is kind of awesome to see you two “playing” with eachother. So glad you have each other.
The cutest thing EVER: If she is jumping on the bed and one of us holds you and jumps you facing her, you laugh everytime. Then you both do bums and she wants us to drop you on top of her chest like you are getting her. We do this over and over until my arms are burning from keeping you in mid air for so long.
I am willing to bet there is NO sound better than a baby laugh. Anyone care to challenge that?
I want to shoot more videos of you, more still photos, more shots of your sister and you together. More shots of us together, more images of the whole family. Truth be told I wish there was a way to have a still frame of every second of everyday. It is so hard to edit what moments I want to photograph and what moments I just need to remember. Feels like torture.
I love being your mom so much I don’t want to forget what your face looks like when you wake up..or when you fall asleep, or when sister gets really loud or when I tickle you and your face turns into sunshine.
Both, you and your sister, have the best faces.
We are still holding on to the swing. You sleep most naps in it and start your night in it.
Sometimes you sleep short diddys during the day in our bed but swing is king. Kind of scared of what happens when you outgrow it..which is in our near future.
Love sleeping with you, I do. But the last month I have been more tired because you are up more. Every night from about 2:30-3:30am you usually have to poop (Sorry TMI) and it keeps you up. Usually you are happy enough, not crying but just can’t get comfortable. Poor dude. Poor Mom. But I know it will change again by the time I blink.
We went on your first road trip this last week to Utah. You were a champ.
Traveling with little ones is a lot of work but so worth it to have you all with me. I always prefer you close enough that I can kiss.
You are wearing 6-9mos clothes and we just moved you up to size 3 diapers. After 4 nights in a row of you blowing out of diapers we were like “duh”!
If you wake up crying, which you do on occasion, you cough a lot while we are picking you up. Not sure that you really have to cough seems like a bit of dramatics and I eat it up.
You also LOVE touching and grabbing faces.
The other night I was feeding you to sleep and after your belly was full but you were still awake, I just laid you next to me and I sang to you while you cooed at me while looking in my eyes and touching my cheek. I was so in love.
You also like to talk while you eat sometimes too. You will stay latched on but babble about something and then go on eating. Just so you know I am always listening.
Sister has started asking “What does Ba-ga-ga mean?” When you make a sound that sounds similar. “What does that mean?”. I guess we are all listening.
We pretty much live on pins and needles for you and everything you give to us. We are like starving island survivors and you are our coconut water.
I could stare at you and Nova all day long watching your every moves and be content for a very long time. Saying I am intrigued is an understatement.
Can hardly believe you are almost halfway through your first year.
What can I do better? What can I give you more of? I am sure my shortcomings are more about me and less about you. I have a feeling you are pretty happy with me. You don’t have the expectations that I do of myself. You want to be loved. Check. Done. 100 and a million percent. You want to be fed and need some help sleeping. Done. I live for my kids to be full and well rested. I am grateful you start little with such simple needs so I can have time to develop into what you need me to be.
I am learning and you are happy letting me. And for that I am grateful.
You are so forgiving, so perfect in your forgiveness and your ability to move on. I would say perfect, actually. Can a baby be flawed? It’s amazing. You can’t make mistakes. It is so inspiring to watch and be surrounded by such innocence, love and pure acceptance.
Wow. I am so blessed to have you as mine. I promise to never take that for granted.
My buddy, banksy bear, noodle, sweet boy. 5 months is my favorite so far.
Forever yours,
Mom
The ceremony took place at the Newport Beach Temple and then we took a little time at Little Corona. The reception was at the beautiful home of the brides parents, in Yorba Linda. This was a wedding day on my home turf. Work days close to home are the best work days.
Umm..can we say stone cold fox? T Cody is stoked to be waking up to that face for the next 60yrs.
Beautiful couple and fun! Both! Felt like I was hanging with two old friends.
And thank you for the passion fruit juice syrup for the lemonade. I really appreciated it.
Such a great wedding day. I couldn't be happier for both of them. Thank you for letting me be there.
To my sassy, spirited, opinionated, loud, sweet, funny, smiley, FULL OF LOVE girl.
You are my everything.
I want to do whatever I can to make the next 6 months of you being 2 as amazing for you as I can.
Your mind is a wonder.
I totally get all the talk about how crucial the first 5yrs are as far as development.
You are learning at a rate I never knew was possible.
You repeat everything we say to you with a question mark on the end...wanting to know what it means and then logging it in your mind.
Sponge sponge sponge. You are a sponge.
I feel SO grateful that I get to spend as much time as I do with you so I can help you learn and recognize your interests and talents so I can help direct you towards them.
You are super into emotions and talking about them and understanding them. You’re my mini me.
You are brilliant at communicating how you feel even if you are still getting the hang of the difference between sad and hungry. Lets face it, I’m 34 and am still trying to understand the distinction.
You also love music and movement. You remember melodies surprisingly well and can’t help but move if music is on.
Just yesterday at your swim lesson you were dancing in the water to the music they were playing. Your teacher was all smiles.
I know you would love a creative dance class or a singing performance group. I am tempted to buy you tap shoes right now.
You are a charmer. It’s hard not to smile when you are around. You are a bright bright light and people are drawn to you.
Secretly your dad and I both hope you will choose us when you need comfort. You are big but not so big that you won’t still ask to be picked up and lay your head on our shoulder as your dramatic 2yr old tears melt into the sleeve of my shirt. Most of the time that sleeve gets a side of snot as well.
Make-believe is a world you live in about half the time. You love role playing. Anything can be a mommy or a baby. I take the toy cow and you take the toy dinosaur and we re enact stories we have had in our real life. Playdates in the park, swim lessons, bedtime, grocery shopping, going to the beach.
You use this tool to have really great independent play as well. I hear you chatting away in your room (when you are suppose to be napping) putting animals to bed, singing songs, creating a world of fun and curiosity.
Naps are slowly decreasing but we still have a “rest time”...after which you always want a frozen snack. You run to the freezer and pull it open with a couple tugs and dig around for a homemade popsicle, frozen strawberry, frozen pineapple...the other day you yelled what sounded like “tauget!!!” and ran to the freezer. I thought you got super excited about Target but as you pulled the chocolate coconut ice cream out of the freezer I realized you were yelling out “chocolate!!”. That’s my girl.
After you have your frozen treat you want to eat it outside, stripped down nude. You very politely take off your diaper and then ask me if its ok to go inside and throw it in the trash. “dirty die-pee in trash, mama?” Then your naked little tush runs it inside to the bathroom trash can. Your chosen place for all dirty diapers.
In the last six months something huge happened...you became a big sister!!!!!
I have talked about it in what I have written for your brother or what I post on instagram...but you have been a fantastic sister.
You love him and play with him and notice him and share with him. It seriously feels like you were just waiting for him and once he was here it was super normal for you.
I’m so grateful you have each other.
You love showing him what you can do and he watches you with his eyes lit up. You are a superhero to him.
You have started swim lessons and are doing so well and really enjoying them. You talk about Mr. Nathan and Miss Christina non-stop and sometimes make me pretend that I am “mama Christina” your swim teacher and then we do make believe swimming on our bellies on the ground.
You jump in the water, can roll to your back and can float for a few seconds. You are kicking your legs and getting the hang of moving through the water. You are so happy being in the water. You don’t like staying still on your back but just because you want to swim and move and play. Yesterday you were floating on your back with your pink goggles on, smiling. I was smiling too.
It’s fun to see you try something new, like these lessons, with a little bit of uncertainty of the unknown and then blossom with confidence that you faced your fears and can do it. This is big kid life lesson stuff and you are handling it with so much courage. You have no idea how proud I am of you for trying so hard.
You want to do, or least try to do, everything on your own. Testing your own capabilities and exerting your independence. It is so nice to know you are doing exactly what you should be doing. Experimenting with boundaries and emotions and skills. It must be such an overwhelming time in your life and I am so honored to be at your side supporting you through it.
You talk now. You can say anything you want to say. I need to record some videos so you can hear yourself.
Here are some favorite phrases of yours:
“I don’t know about that...” (talking about anything she might feel unsure about or not want to do, swim lessons, meeting up with friends…)
“Puew yewe!” (Stinky or strong smells!)
“Thanks for putting my hair in a bun mom”.
“Are you sad or happy?” (If there are ever tears)
“Feel better now?” (Usually after she kisses us if she sees a physical or emotional owie)
“Lets watch a show...just a short show mom.”
“What’s that mean?” (Here we are at Seal Beach Boulevard…”Boulevard? What’s that mean?”
“Time for breakfast!”
“I don’t wanna take nap. I not tired.”
“I don’t feel so well. My tummy hurts.” (Love make-believing sick time, due to a Yo Gabba Gabba episode)
“I love you forever mom.”
“You’re my best friend.”
“You were at a photoshoot?”
“No working mom. Stay here.”
“You’re baby mama. Time to grow up!!” (While you laugh and I fake cry because I am a baby and don’t want to grow up)
“Baby brother only drinks breastmilk. Not cow milk like big kids.”
“I want mom..I want dad..I want mom...DAD!!!!!!” (basically wanting whatever the other choice is)
“Oh, thank you mom!”
“You’re welcome mom”
“Know that, mom?”
“Yeah mom.” (Said about 50 times a day, in response to whenever either of us says “Oh, really?”)
“Cheerios and milk.” (whenever you are sad or tired)
“No more snuggling mom”
“It disappeared” (sometimes you bust out big words I didn’t even know you knew)
“I’m trying to tell you something.”
“actually…” (filler while you think of what you want to say)
“Baby brother, I’m your big sister!”
"That's so funny."
“Just girls.” (when you want to be alone with me)
“I want some alone time” (Something we taught you to say instead of “go away”. Love to hear you express you need some time to yourself. Don’t we all?)
“Your name is Rachel and daddy’s name is Grant”..brother’s name is Fairbanks!!”
“Story about peter pan and wendy and john and michael and captain hook and tinkerbell.”
Songs you hum or sing….
“Think of all the joy you’ll find when you leave the world behind…”
“I love you so much, just wanted you to know…”
“I love you, I love you I’ll sing it to the skies. I love you I love you as I look into your eyes…”
“Families can be together forever…”
“Close your eyes it’s time to sleep..”
I sing a lot of what I say to you throughout the day and like to make up a lot of songs while we do stuff, like brush our teeth, make dinner, soothe to sleep...so it’s no wonder you are starting to do the same. You always have a little tune coming out of your mouth as you play. Just pleasantly humming or singing to yourself. My happy girl.
Also if I am wrestling with you and you want to be released I trained you to say “ I love you mom. You’re so pretty”, before I will let you go. It’s fun.
You love reading. You want to read books all day long. Your favorites ones lately are Berenstain Bear books. You love the practical life stories. I did too when I was little. No more TV, The Bears Go To Camp and Sick days are some of your favorites.
You also love reading Knuffle Bunny, Go Dogs Go and so many more.
There’s a book called Fish Out of Water where the fish is fed too much and it grows bigger and bigger. At mealtime you like to say “just eat so much and not much more”. Adorable.
Never enough books to read.
I have so much I want to remember!! I want to write every single detail down! So hard to recap when every day and every minute something life changing is happening.
That’s the best kept secret of raising little babies and kids...life changing things are happening all the time even if the days seems to be spent changing diapers and fixing meals. You just have to learn to recognize them.
What I want more than anything is for your to have a fun, joyous childhood. I feel like I can help you do that by giving you a schedule...making sure your belly gets full and your eyes get rest. I feel like I can also help you do that by helping you giggle at least once a day, smiling whenever you enter the room, talking about and planning fun activities for us to do as a family. Helping you be happy also means helping you understand it’s normal to feel sad and to be able to express that to me. Taking life’s rough moments and working through them until we are smiling and laughing again. It is such a joy to do all of that with you and for you.
I refuse to curate your life. My job is to help you be you. Not my version of you. Not the world’s version of you...but you. Your best self.
I refuse to “style” our life to look like something that is popular or trendy. I do like pretty things and hope to gather them into our home and life but not all pretty things are tangible. Sometimes the prettiest days look like a tornado blew through our house but our eyes are twinkling. Eyes that twinkle are pretty much my end goal for our family. I want to help fill our family with happiness and contentment. Appreciation for the little things and meaningful, connected moments.
The days I really connect with you or dad or Fairbanks are my best days. And even though it’s a fight at times, I promise you to always try my hardest to be present.
I can’t stop this growing up thing. I find that if I can take a few second everyday to look at you and stop what I am doing to focus on the way my heart feels when I watch you, it helps me be brave. I have to let each moment pass and wait with bated breath for the next.
Watching you grow up is like watching a miracle.
If I think too much about my job to keep you safe or the fragility that your life has..I tailspin to a not so good place. I don’t know how I would ever go on without you next to me.
I’m not sure I deserve everything that you give me but I feel so much gratitude for the gift of being your mother.
My pickle, noodle, nunus, sweet pea…”Mom, my name is Nova”..............My Nova.
If you can’t tell by reading this, you being two years old has been magic.
Three squeezes,
Mom
A bright, sunny wedding day.
Two young bucks in love and family and friends cheering them on.
Sometimes I am surprised at how relatively close I can be to LA and find myself in a rural neighborhood. Overgrown trees and homes that have really been "lived" in. And by lived in I mean, that large family group...they were raised in this home. So amazing. I can't wait to have a bigger and bigger and bigger family.
And I can't talk about a wedding without talking about dessert. This one served Thrifty ice cream. Chocolate malted crunch for the win.
Big thanks to Stacy and Dave for trusting me with encapsulating these memories.
This family has been vacationing at this beach house for over 40yrs. If I remember correctly their grandparents built it? I imagine they have many memories of little feet covered in sand, watching sun after sun set, long naps after hours of being in the sun. Maybe early morning dips in the sea while the world looks misty....I don't know. I'm only guessing. I'm pretty sure it would be hard to put into words what this place must mean to their family. Sometimes photos do a better job.
So honored to spend a couple hours documenting them together in this magic place.
A sweet little shoot we did at my home before this baby arrives.
There is so much energy and at the same time calm..right before a baby is born. Shooting pregnant women and getting to talk about how amazing it is to be a parent, makes for some of my favorite photoshoots.
Before shooting this wedding I never really thought of St George as a small town..but it totally is..and in the best way possible. Everyone acted liked they knew each other (even if it wasn't true) and it felt amazingly wholesome and comfortable in a way that only a small town can make you feel.
Danielle and Dillion were so fun to shoot. They ventured into the redrock wilderness..past tumbleweeds and sand to get some photos in the most amazing light. They glowed.
And then there was shaved iced. Not snow cones..shaved ice which I thought was the perfect touch to go with their sweet small town celebration. If you live near a Hokulia Shave Ice, eat there.
I could shoot weddings like this one every week for the rest of my life.
Thank you Danielle and Dillion for a beautiful day. xxoo.
(shot with the contax 645 and Canon EOS3 with portra 160 and 400)
As I type this you are blissfully sleeping in your swing.
I fed you to sleep and once you were really out..watched you sleep on me. Not wanting to move you, not wanting to wake you...not wanting to ever move from that spot with you.
We shopped at Costco tonight and I wore you in the beco. You gazed at me the entire time with eyes that wonder at the magnificent creature I am. When you are 16yrs old and reading this, it’s true. You once had eyes for only me.
You giggle and coo constantly. Even amidst tears if I look at you the right way or speak to you sing songy you will give me a husky little giggle and a big slobbery, gummy grin.
I love that your eyes turn into slits when you smile.
When you smile every part of you reaches outward. Your eyes, mouth, arms..like you are trying to share your happiness with everyone. It works.
I watch you with so much admiration.
You are learning so much!
You are getting so good at grasping onto things with your hands. Toys and my hair are your number one favorite things to grab.
You also like to clutch my shirt while you feed. Kind of like you are saying, “ You’re not going anywhere lady”.
I’m not.
Ever.
I made up a little song for you one evening while we were spending time together before your bedtime. I can’t remember the tune but the words were, “I love you so much. I just wanted you to know. I never will leave you. I’ll go wherever you go. I love you more than one. I love you more than two. You can count forever and it would still be too few.”
Cheesy. But I am. All ooey gooey over you.
You roll all over the place and I swear you are almost sitting up.
Today you were draped over me on your stomach and pulled yourself up to your knees.
Super baby.
You are freakishly strong for a 4 month old.
You balance on Dads hands like it ain’t no thing and when we walk with you while holding your arms you move your little feet like you are trying to walk. It’s crazy.
You are a really amazing sleeper.
You are creating your own schedule and I am starting to get the hang of it.
Usually you take a nap about an hour after you wake up and then a long afternoon nap the same time your sister naps (love you for that). Then a little dinner time snooze and bedtime happens around 7:30.
At nights you sleep your first stretch for about 5hrs strait and then we sleep/eat for the rest of the night.
I can’t begin to describe how much I love snuggling with you at nights.
I am finding that you don’t need to eat as much at nights but in my sleeping stupor if you wake up I try to latch you on but if you aren’t hungry you aren’t hungry. You want to just fall asleep without eating? Whose child are you?
You also sometimes prefer to lull yourself to sleep ON YOUR OWN. Nova needed a lot of loving care to fall asleep but I think with your heftier size you sleep a little more soundly. But the truth is I am sometimes sad when you don’t need to be rocked to sleep. I love helping my babies be comfortable. It’s my job.
I still wear you in the moby on occasion but you are loving the beco carrier right now.
We haven’t had a double stroller yet but on occasion we have taken rides with you strapped into the BOB and your sister rides on the front step. You are excited so you kick your little legs into sister’s back. She calls back to you “Be nice. Don’t kick me baby brother”. We have to explain to her that you are just excited to be riding with her. Love kicks we like to call them.
When you are a little fragile and sad..maybe you just woke up Nova likes to growl in your face. I try to lovingly explain that you might not be in the mood for growling but before I can put an end to it, your sad little face looks at me llike “mom is this really happening”? Yes, buddy it is.
Nova will sometimes point out, “look mom, I’m holding his hand because I love him. He’s my best friend”.
Today at lunch she said, “He has two names, Fairbanks and baby brother”.
You love watching your wild older sister run circles around all of us.
We busted out the jumper/play seat that you seem to like for 10mins at a time.
Teething!
Poor baby. I don’t remember Nova teething this early.
You have good teething days and bad ones...but the one thing we can always count on is DROOL.
You are a drool monster. I bought little cotton bibs from Ikea when Nova was born but she never used them. You go through at least 2 a day.
Your hair is going light. Your dark newborn hair is at the bottom and blond little hairs are growing in.
I find myself calling you bubba a lot. Baby brother, noodle, doo doo and “my sweet baby”.
You still have lots of rolls and I hope they stay around for as long as possible.
This last month I have found myself thinking a lot about “good” babies. People always ask, “Is he a good baby”? I think what they mean is, “Is he an easy baby”....but it bothers me a little. ALL babies are good. They are good by nature. Even if a kid makes a mistake or a bad decision I believe they are still “good”. If one of my babies cries strait for a year, that wouldn’t make them bad. Just sad, or sick or uncomfortable.
You don’t cry, hardly ever. But just so people know I will always say my kids are good, because they are.
Fairbanks, you are my little love. I couldn’t be happier to call you mine.
xxoo-
Mom
These two dragged their Chicago crew to Park City Utah for one of the most beautiful destination weddings I have ever photographed.
"Dragged" probably isn't the right word since it kind of felt like we were in mountain heaven. Greens, blues, sparkly light and a gorgeous barn transformed into a party haven.
How great is Chelsea's flower crown? I just think it paired perfectly with her adorable face and infectious smile.
Thank you thank you for flying me out to come celebrate with you two!
Ceremony location- Blue Sky Ranch, Wanship UT
Getting ready location- Waldorf Astoria, Park City UT
Wedding Planner- Soiree Productions
Catering- High West
Hair/Makeup- Enizio
Florist- Artisan Bloom
While Reagan and I were driving on our way to this shoot, we had a really great conversation. We chatted about how different our mothering experiences are compared to each others and some mutual friends we have. The environments we get to mother in and the ways we get to mother are all different but they thing that amazed us was despite the differences we all had intrinsic similarities. We were all 100% devoted and in love with our babies. We all worried about whether we were doing it right. We all wanted more time. We all deep deep deep down felt a connection that was now ours forever. It looks different from the outside but feels the same on the inside.
I only had 30mins to shoot these two and wish I had been able to stay for the entire day. I admire both of them so much.
Reagan is my all time favorite hairstylist and the world famous blogger behind Hairdresser On Fire. I found her blog years ago and was pretty smitten. Despite how much I wear my hair in a bun I am kind of into hair. I think when you have as much hair as I do and it's naturally curly you have no choice but to care. I loved they way she talked about hair. I contacted her about giving me a cut while I was in NY on work and found out we know a ton of mutual people. My love deepened. Then I found out she was a mother. I saw behind the scenes as she worked full time and took care of Piper. My jaw was on the floor. This woman was amazing.
Piper is one lucky duck to have her as a mom. And I am positive Reagan counts her lucky stars everyday for her sweet girl. There is just something about a mother and her daughter...and I think these images show a glimpse of that.
Thanks for letting me peak inside your world, you two. Wish I could give that Pip a squeeze and a kiss on the weekly. xxoo