Treasure the moments and don't forget them. Time passes. Memories fade. Photography is forever.

...and often time we don't take the time to look back.

i am feeling nostalgic. perhaps the motivation is the two glasses of red wine i recently enjoyed. but i am more inclined to believe i am feeling this way because of a tv show i had tivoed and watched earlier this evening.

the show, called 'parenthood' had a part that really touched me. it was during a tender moment between a dad and his daughter. they were spending some time together on a saturday morning. the dad had been feeling a bit lost in his life and feeling like work and schedules had taken over his world a bit too much. he was missing the person he was that had seemingly gotten lost in his world of responsibilities as a father, a husband, a brother, an uncle and all of the roles that consumed his little chunk of free time.

as the father and daughter sat down following a bike ride, the father had thanked his daughter for spending time with him on a busy saturday when she surely had something more fun to do. right on cue she got a text from her boyfriend. the dad looked down and said to her : "go and be 15. have fun." she hugged him and thanked him for understanding. he watched as she walked away. and i felt the power of that emotion (probably more so because of the red wine) but also because time passing by has really been on my mind lately.

my oldest son turns 6 in a few weeks. just like everyone else--i can remember his birth like it was just yesterday. the moments are forever frozen in my mind and keep playing back in slow motion. and now i look at my son--so independent. his strong and noble character already firmly formed. he is almost 4 feet tall. size 13 shoes and a mini replica of his father.

my baby hardly needs me any more. and as the years continue to grow away from me i know that will be the norm. i ache for the past. i ache for the days when he was mine. even though the days were long-i miss being so needed and so unconditionally loved.

so i did a photo shoot for these young parents, darcy and ryan, and this all seemed to come full circle. i photographed them during their 8th month of pregnancy. i photographed their son as a newborn, a 6 month old and now a one year old at his birthday party.

i treasure that they treasure photography as a chance to taste life twice. savor every morsel darcy and ryan.

it
goes
by
so
fast.

soon it will be me lost in the passage to time. lost in the pending and inevitable identity crisis. nostolgic for past simple days where my boys were all mine. it will be me asking for a special date with my sons amidst text messages and much more exciting plans. it will be me sitting reflective as i watch my sons run off to start their own lives.

thanks for trusting me to capture ryder's moments darcy and ryan. and thanks for treasuring the unique ability photography as to allow us to taste life's sweet moments over and over again. so we never forget.

Cici, Christian and Makenzie: 3 families, 3 journeys...

cici and her mom jenny enjoying the early spring day at the park
http://colofisch.blogspot.com/




a group of friends sharing a common journey with grace and love


pam and makenzie
http://www.makenziesmiracle.org/2009/03/my-journey-to-healing.html


shauna and christian
http://christiansjourneyblogction.blogspot.com/2010/03/design-your-own-eco-friendly-trash-sack.html


makenzie and her amazing smile. (that smile stayed with me long after our photoshoot together)












penny, cici and jenny. penny and cici are identical twins



when i think of heroes i don't think of presidents, sports figures or musicians, heroes to me are people in the trenches fighting everyday battles with determination and grace. i think of ordinary people with extraordinary circumstances. today i think of these three families that i recently had the chance to spend time with.

cici & jenny, pam & makenzie and shauna & christian.

i think of how strong they are. i think of just how hard they fight and how hard their little ones fight. i think of the courage and love that surround the kids, the moms, and everyone in the families who pull together and fight everyday.

life is not predictable nor it is something to take for granted. but i do believe all of us will be tested within our lifetimes. some of us now and some later. for now...these kids are facing some major challenges. but the love that these mothers have for their kids is so strong that it can be felt as a power surrounding them. in fact, jenny's family adopted the simple philosophy as their theme: "accept the gift as if it were one you had chosen".

i had the honor of spending some time with these families and photographing them. i left my session with them feeling so happy to know them, so happy to see what grace it. so happy to learn how strong the bond of love it. and to see just how much we can accomplish when love surrounds and supports us through our struggles.

this is a group of fabulous mothers, fabulous kiddos and fabulous families. it is WELL worth your time to spend some time learning about their stories and contributing to their causes.

thank you for taking the time to follow their journey. please consider donating to the auctions and fundraisers for these families. it will be time and money well well well spent.

and thank you shauna, jenny and pam for showing us something we ALL need to learn sooner rather than later: grace under pressure.

lily, and family...

this picture went to my all-time top 5 on my website withing a day of posting it!












those sweet neck kisses...
































lily stole the show in this family portrait session. her smiles, and frowns, and those sunglasses! i loved watching this family interact and the obvious love that they shared. that love was quite palpable.

i didn't have to pose them at all...i captured them just being themselves. just how it is supposed to be.

it's very exciting to work with families who value that the simple moments and natural smiles are what the days of our lives are all about. and that today is a day to be treasured and documented.

mom and dad had a sweet chemistry. at times dad would just bend down and kiss his lovely wife on the neck. and that kiss would produce the fullest and most robust smile from his beautiful wife. and her dimples--they speak for themselves.

i loved meeting this family and left our session with a smile on my face. their fun energy stayed with me well into the night. and my face displayed a frozen smile the entire time i was editing the images.

i
love
my
job.