The Beginning of Summer (2012)

A little over two months ago I posted about my daughter turning nine. As if that milestone was not enough to swallow, she has just finished third grade and is officially heading into the fourth grade. A rather large transition, one that I hope will be smooth. Until we reach that stepping stone, summer is here to wrap us in warm sunny days and happy memories of outdoor adventures. Already we have visited the Squam Lakes Science Center, hiked a few local littles, enjoyed dinner outside, spent and afternoon on the boat (all inclusive of fishing lessons with yours truly), went out for ice cream (and agreed it counted as dinner), and have almost finished the book we are reading (Ida B.). There is so much ahead of us we can barely contain our excitement. We are looking forward to more visits to the Science Center, more hikes, a trip to Canobie with our fellow Girl Scouts, Christmas in July (injury and incident free - we hope!), more boating and fishing, day trips, and watching our plants grow. For now, it is nice to stop and capture Emma at this point, and of course, we will have to do it again at the end of the summer to see how it has changed her (well, her, us, and our relationship....). Happy summer everyone!

 

Siblings: Gavin and Gabby | VT Child Photographer

These two kiddos hold a very special place in my heart, they are our niece and nephew. We don't get to see them as often as we'd like, but we all try to get together as often as we can so we don't miss too much growing up! We happened to be together over the holiday weekend for a family wedding (which will be blogged very soon!), so I took advantage of the time together and the extra gear and did some summer portraits. ♥ these kids!

See you guys soon! Miss you tons!

Happy Ninth Birthday to my Daughter

It's hard to believe she will be nine in just a few days (I would have posted on her birthday, but I just could not wait!). And, like every other parent, I just cannot believe how fast she has grown up on me! There are just way to many memories. From her first few days (which included me moving into my first apartment of my own, just Emma and myself.....) to where we are today.... a happy family of three with crazy chaotic schedules and a shared addiction to technology (video games for them, all things on the computer for me). Looking back I see not only how much she has grown up, but how much I have as well. Many of you might know that I started out as a brand new mom at the very young age of twenty. I had no clue what I was doing, but I was determined to do it with no help, until she started crying. Then I relied on my own mother to assure me that no matter what, I was still doing a pretty good job. Here we are nine years later and I am still relying on that same assurance from my own mother that I have not ruined Emma's life yet (though, Emma has made the claim several times in the past year that I have, or at least ruined her day....).

 As it seems, so much has happened over the years, but moments like these just stick out in my head..... Changing my very first diaper ever.... yes, it was Emma's. Bringing her home from the hospital. And having her meet Bronson (who was insanely jealous, but learned to share me....) Being so tired that after I dressed her when she was only a few days old it was very clear that I put both legs into one pant leg. Poor Emma..... Throwing caution to the wind and leaving her with her very loving uncle who was brave enough to watch her while I ran to the store to pick up diapers because I suddenly realized we were out.... or so I thought ;) Watching her spit up as my brother held her like and airplane over his own head..... if I wasn't laughing so hard I may have felt the need to vomit myself..... Taking her with me to work at J & M and then never finding a sitter for her (best 7 years.... can't thank them enough for allowing me to be with her every day even though I was not a stay at home mother....) Her first words, steps, and stair climb...... Getting out of the shower to find that she had learned how to open the refrigerator (with the lock on it) and had discovered what fun lies in a carton of eggs. The day she met Aaron.... and her sand filled shorts. A day he says he will never EVER forget. Her first day of kindergarten (a day of highs and lows for me........ I was so that mom that was crying..... I don't even think I went to work that day.....). Kindergarten graduation. Her first entrance into an art show. Crying on the last day of first grade (her, and then me). Singing the Emma song to her every night for almost a year. The many times she has taken care of me when I have been sick (which is usually because she was sick first, but still...) Her true laugh.... And very recently..... her log-roll style tumble into the trench in our field. Though she wasn't injured (which I so would have broken something if I had been the one to fall) she admitted that was her most embarrassing moment ever. Swooping in to make her feel better I shared MANY stories of my own "oops" moments that surely topped that one. No, I'm not going to share those here ;) Happy birthay Emma! Thanks for all the fantastic memories you have taken part in over the past nine years. I am looking forward to so many more!

My Mom

Cannot believe she let me do this. I recall countless photos of my mother scowling or covering her face (and everyone wonders where I get it from.....). I love that I was able to take some nice photos of my mother. My parents are both very important to me (so Dad, if you are reading this, you are next). It means a lot that I can have some nice recent photos of them to put up in our house (whenever we decide to take the plunge and buy one that is....). I should just tape one over the caller ID display on my phone though...... ;)

Anyway, I thought I would share my two favorites with all of you so you could meet the wonderful lady who is my mother, friend, babysitter, crisis call center, and keeper of the washing machine. I just can't say enough good things about her....

Senior Portraits Class of 2012

This fall I spent a lot of time building my portfolio and trying new things. An opportunity came across my plate to shoot some senior portraits and I was eager to take it. Having little time to get them in and having spent the summer doing no research on seniors, I was a bit nervous, but knew I had to make it work.

With the short time frame we headed down to the Ashland town beach and were lucky enough to have the weather cooperate. Kay was so easy to work. I can't thank her and her mother enough for this wonderful opportunity!



Through the fence.....


Love this one, she's just so pretty....

A few on the bridge...

Family Portraits | Squam Lake, NH Photographer

This past autumn I had the pleasure of photographing my Girl Scout co-leader and her family. I must say, those kids are 100% replicas of their parents. Mom and daughter even sound just like each other... of course, mom is missing that slight hint of attitude that we all remember having at one point :)

Though it was a rather dark day, we lucked out enough to miss the rain. The first part of the session was spent around Squam Lake followed by a few personal shots of the kids at home.




I remember almost nine years ago when this pretty teen was just a little girl hanging out at my baby shower. Crazy.


Then we moved on to their home to take a few shots of this crazy guy in his element...


Of course, kitty found his way into the photos as well ;)

Lastly, we did a few shots with the dirt bikes to send along as thank yous to his racing sponsors. This kid sure can zip right around!


Thank you so much for a fun afternoon!

Large Group - 50th Anniversay - Bristol, NH Photographer

Very fun, easy, fast large group session done on Newfound Lake to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of a former BFD Chief and his beautiful bride. What an honor it was for me to photograph the former chief of the department my husband calls home 48+ hours each week. Their daughter (who's adorable little family I have had the pleasure of photographing at the end of the summer) along with her siblings coordinated the photo session and of course, a celebration. Congratulations on 50 years of marriage to the wonderful couple!