Missing this

I haven't been back a week yet, and I am already missing the pleasant quiet mild Northwest beaches. It could be that I am sweltering in this NYC heat, or that now I have to face my responsibilities and actually do things.
Surely there is city summer fun to have around here.
Maybe next week...

Baby boom

They just keep on coming in my family.
This is my new niece, less than a week old. Can you believe it? She's a big girl (born 10 lbs 13 oz) and every bit of her is so lovable. I'm so glad I've been able to stay in Seattle long enough to spend some time with her in these early days.

Any more?
Bring 'em on!

~•~

On the other coast

I will be spending the next week of my life here, at Cannon Beach.
Have a happy Fourth of July!

~•~

As if she didn't know...

how pretty she looks when she poses for me like this and insists I take her picture.


Even when I don't have my camera on me (I know it's a shame but it's a pain to schlep 3 kids and tons of miscellaneous gear around the city), Hannah often asks me to take her picture.
"But I don't have my camera."
"That's okay," she says. "Just pretend."
So we have pretend photo sessions on our walks.
She's even better at those, but alas, I have no proof ;)

~•~

More mommy moments on the bed

I love it when she takes a nap. Ahh...

And this to add to the other day. Hannah is always so excited to see Claire, no matter how much time she spends with her.


Gotta love it, yes?

Mere moments...

...make memories to hold.

 I know Hannah will not remember these moments as well as I do. That's why I'm glad I can capture at least a glimpse of the magic that exists between these two.

~•~

My Claire Lady, today

Our baby is so easy to love, as are most babies, but our baby is our baby, our Claire Lady.

Ah, my little sweetness!

~•~

A very real dream

I had a dream last night where I had to explain, defend, excuse myself as to why I haven't been blogging very much. It was a stressful dream, but I'm laughing about it now. How funny that I am subconsciously so concerned about my lack of blog posts!

My dream reflects my reality-- I have not been blogging for various reasons, one big reason being that something is wrong with my camera. Arg!
Error 99, the only unspecified error in my Canon manual. Of course.

Anyway, I'm still shooting. It's hard though with a baby on my front 99% of the time. How do you mothers of three with babies still manage to photograph so much??? I need lessons.

Since this is a photo blog, here is one from Saturday of my contemplative two-year-old girl.


Hopefully, I'll have more to post soon, for those two of you that are still reading ;)

~•~

When my husband gets to play

I appreciate that my husband spends so much time making us happy.
I appreciate that he always prefers to be with us.
I also appreciate that he takes the rare opportunity to play like a teenager on a four-wheeler in the mud.

He makes grit look so charming.

Big-eyes Jane

That's what my oldest used to call Jane when she was a baby. Hannah was only eighteen months at the time but even then, she was cognizant of the pronounced feature of her baby sister.



As much as I look at her, I am always amazed at what's looking back. The other night, I compared Jane's eyes to an adult's eyes, my husband's. Everything about them are surprisingly larger. I don't know where they came from! Super-human orbs, she has!

~•~

Lila Opal Hirst, Part 2

I've put off posting these images I shot of my Grandmother while I was in Utah a few weeks ago because I just didn't know what to say about them. Truth be told, visiting her was very difficult for me. She has aged so much since I saw her last August and much much more since November 2007. How she has changed.
It was hard to see how little she can take care of herself and how her language has declined due to strokes. She fights to speak. I know it is hard for her. So hard. I can see the struggle in her. Knowing that she feels somewhat helpless made my visit such a poignant experience.

But...
I was so glad to have seen her. I had to show her my children and especially her newest great granddaughter, her 45th great grandchild. I wanted to be able to tell my girl that she met her, was held by her.



I wanted my other girls to see her again and maybe they'll remember, maybe not, but someday they will know her by the legacy she has left behind. Jane will know why they share the same middle name...







Even though holding a conversation with her was futile, I didn't want to leave. I wanted to keep her company, to have her company. I knew she wanted that too. I wanted to have my girls soak up as much as they could of her and place her in their memory. I wanted to search for what I knew to be her and bring it out of her. But this was her... now, and I love her, every bit.
In the end, it was the restlessness of young ones that got me up and out the door. I left feeling happy and sad but very grateful for family.
I hope I get to see her again soon.

~•~

My ballerina

My little not-so-willing-to-get-a-photo dancer on her last day of dance class.
She looks way too old to me!

~•~

With an eye made quiet by the power of harmony, and the deep power of joy, we see into the life of things.
~William Wordsworth


Just another favorite of my nephew. That baby loves his hand in his mouth!

~•~

Still learning

My kids teach me how very often a bad day can dissolve with the simple act of biting into a cupcake.

I need a cupcake.

Wedding details- Sanibel Island, Florida

Did I mention that I am not a wedding photographer?
That said, here are just a few details from the wedding I attended last weekend. I really didn't photograph as much as I would have liked- I couldn't take the heat. It was a beautiful wedding though.