Almost a year ago exactly, I met this mommy when she attended my lifestyle photography workshop in Toronto, Canada. She didn’t even live in Canada…she was from Minnesota. But just a short time after that workshop, she learned she would be moving to Seattle, WA. We decided to get together when I was there to do another workshop this summer. It was so surreal because as I was messaging her regarding our photo session location in Seattle, I noticed the last texts we had were from a year ago talking about our visit to Niagara Falls! I mean, how crazy is that???
What a JOY to experience this incredible beach in Seattle with their family! The views at Discovery Park are simply incredible and if the traffic/parking wasn’t such a beast, I would probably go there every night to watch the sunset behind the lighthouse. And these little doll babies! They have such a wonderful sense of adventure and explored every nook and cranny we could find at the beach that night. Don’t miss this image not pictured.
You might notice a pretty gnarly strawberry on baby girl up there. Man…she took quite the tumble and I was worried that was going to be the end of our session right then and there. But she sucked it up (for a little bit) and let us finish the night out working in some of the most romantic, perfect, lovely dresses EVER! And then, Jennifer happened to notice me looking longingly at the sunset, that dress, and my little girl and SO graciously told me I could borrow the dress for a couple of shots with Amry (here’s one with my iphone). It might seem like such a simple thing, but I think only a fellow photographer like her would truly understand that kind of longing and read my mind before I even knew to ask. Thank you for that, my friend. That will go down as one of my favorite memories from the trip.
And so now, back in Austin, I gotta say I quite enjoyed proofing this photo session because not only did I get to revisit this family, but I also got to relive one of the many awe-inspiring sunsets we experienced this summer on the west coast.
Austin kids photography
Austin Kids Photographer
I just did a quick search for old posts about her and I had to stop looking through them lest I force myself into the rabbit hole of nostalgia and melancholy. She started Kindergarten this week. Her first year of school. This is not a new thing to many parents. It’s not even a new thing to me. I’ve been there, done that. But this time, it was different. This is my baby. My baby isn’t a baby. This is not something my heart is willing to accept. And as if to add insult to injury, she lost her very first tooth the day after we did this photo session. And to further rub salt in my wounds, she is happy. How dare she????? No tears. No, “Mommy…I miss you! Stay with me!” Nope. I’m old news. My poor little mommy heart was not made to handle all of this “growing up” business. I am not properly equipped. It has been admittedly difficult for me to accept this week. Don’t even get me started on when any one of my kids decides to leave the next in just a few short summers. But I’m still proud. I’m still joyful. I still feel blessed beyond words that I am one of the lucky few that actually gets to experience these bittersweet gems in life. So I’ll quit my whining. For now 😉
I’m going to be completely honest here: the only reason I did the makeover was to help me carry through the emotional task of taking that crib down. That’s it. That’s the last reminder of our baby days. I remember shopping for that crib with my mom. I remember the excitement (and confusion and fear) Virgil and I felt the first time we put that crib together. It seemed like such a foreign object in this house built for two. I remember our puppy dog spent that first night under the crib…she would not come out. I remember my hubby getting projectile poo’ed on while changing a diaper in that crib. I remember how my little Logi Bear used to look in the summer time in just a saggy diaper and rosy red cheeks waking up from a nap in that crib. I remember how excited I was to finally get to put pink sheets on that crib and how Amry would gaze up at her bee mobile until she finally drifted off to sleep.
That crib has been in our house for 7 years. Almost a decade. My mom and sister helped me take it down. I’m glad they were there. I’m also pretty sure my sis didn’t see me well up when she asked if we could store it for her to use one day. It would be an honor.
And so while the crib is put away until I get a new niece or nephew someday, my little girl is enjoying her “new pink room” as she calls it. She was so excited to explore all the new things…she was especially intrigued by the dress up trunk at the foot of her bed (hence the leotard and tutu). It brings me such joy to see her so comfortable in the very room that she was born in. Comfortable enough not to ask where her crib was even if I was kind of hoping she would.
Earlier this week, I was blessed enough to get to spend a little time in the morning snuggling with each of my three in their beds. It’s so funny how each experience was so wonderful, but so different. Amry smelled like warm milk, rosy cheeks, breathy voice, hair parted just enough so I could barely see her eyes. She likes to snuggle. Tristan was wiggly and squirmy and busy and so excited to talk about his day ahead. He still likes to snuggle, though, and it made me sad to realize he won’t much longer. Logi Bear was still in hibernation, he is is own heater. He never woke up, but he let me cuddle up close…breathing deeply, resting so soundly. I fell back asleep next to him.
I cannot imagine my life any other way. These three keep me grounded and purposeful. They make me giggle each day. Their thoughtful Valentine’s Day cards they made while they were away made me cry. I can’t believe I turned into *that* mom. But I’m thankful for my sweet little Valentines and also of course my big, handsome Valentine who makes it possible for us to live this dream.
Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours!
There were two other dresses on my list, but Amry was only willing to do one more that day:
I LOVE this dress so and I can’t wait until Spring when she can wear it regularly.
But I think the computer gods were smiling down on me (or perhaps it’s because I *just* went through an external hard drive failure this summer), because we’ve been able to recover from this one pretty well. I’ve become a pro at backing up (all of my client pics are safe) and the guys at Apple were very helpful, too (for once, I’m glad I bought the extended warranty).
Two things kept me in check during this little crisis:
#1 My kids. Evidently, the world doesn’t stop for them when Mommy is having panic attacks. Amry was so sweet to serve me up some delicious tea yesterday. I love that she loves to pretend.
#2 Our first full-fledged, actual, real-life family photo session (that I almost considered canceling in light of my meltdown) with Bonnie — or as Amry likes to call her, Miss Bunny Rabbit. I *reaaaaaallly* didn’t think it was wise to continue with the session as planned, but something told me that I needed it. I’m so glad we did. I’m so glad I had a good excuse to step away from my smoking computer and just be with my family for a while. And I met a new friend in the process. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the images from our evening and I’m very thankful that she helped me (unknowingly) through quite a trying time.
I was very proud of this year’s holiday card for several reasons:
1. I honestly didn’t think it was going to happen. I’ve had this concept in my mind (and Amry’s dress in my hands) since this summer, but when the busy holiday season actually hit, I just couldn’t imagine finding the time to take the pictures and then create and send cards. But with the help of my AWESOME husband and our new Pinkle Toes Office Manager (my mom!), somehow, we got cards mailed out.
2. I knew I was going to have to use my new lighting techniques I learned this summer and honestly, I was very skeerd that I wouldn’t be able to make it work.
3. It was cold. And my kids were NOT happy about taking these pics. In fact, most of the images from that night looked like this:
4. And most importantly, it served as a visual reminder of my goal to TRAVEL more starting in 2011. We’re ready to explore…to see the world…or at least give it a good start. This is why we homeschool and I know I want the kids to experience these places and not just see them on TV. We’re going to start small by hitting a few places in the U.S. and see how it goes, but I’m very hopeful we can make it happen. I’m VERY excited about 2011!
But for now, I think we’ll take a little break and hunker down at home to enjoy this Christmas. Thank you to everyone for a wonderful 2010 and I wish you the most magical, wonderful, special, and love-filled holiday season ever!
Much love,
Michele
The bow Amry is wearing can be found here, but unfortunately, it can no longer be found in my home since my little angel tossed it out of the shopping cart the very next day after taking these pics.
Speaking of etsy, what do we think about this chair slipcover? Cool or gaudy?