wrestling, legos and a squirmy baby

in

Lots of times when I leave a family I leave smiling. And I smile all the way home. Love is something that you can't act out.

It's in the smile as you pick up your baby. It's in the 100th airplane ride given and in the game of memory you play.

It's in the legos you play with and the wrestling and the meals and the things you do over and over and over as a parent.

And you keep doing it over and over because it's love.

And each day is similar in it's own very special way.

Thanks Renos, for having me in your home.  You are a kicka** family.

******Also check Clinton's work out here. It's pretty amazing.

Oliver

in

I photographed a home birth-but after the baby was born. It was thrilling.

And it was peaceful.

The air was thick with happiness and love.

And in  the quiet of the morning they all got to know baby Oliver.

There is nothing more joyous than welcoming a baby into the world.

lauren and andy

in

Lauren and Andy are expecting their first baby this month. Such an exciting time wondering about all the unknowns. They wanted me to come in and document what their life looked like prior to baby. Lazy weekend mornings with their dog, cooking breakfast and taking walks.

washington 2014

in

A trip to Washington where none of us came back the people we once were. we took Washington by the horns.

we were in 4 airplanes, 2 hour traffic jams, a ferry, and a smoking boat. we slept in 2 hotels, an rv, a cottage and a house. we ran down airport aisles carrying kids and carseats and suitcases while pushing a stroller with flat tires then being told the door shut 10 minutes ago. we ate crab and drank beer like it was our job. we laughed and embraced friends who treated us like family. we waded through seaweed and explored a nature that was new to us. we stared up at the tall trees, we took outdoor showers.

and like a summer love, I can't stop thinking about it all.

Washington, you have my heart.

Nothin' is as it has been And I miss your face like hell And I guess it's just as well But I miss your face like hell-The Head and the Heart

 

off we go into the wild blue yonder

in

My aunt and uncle own a little cabin tucked away in the Appalachian Mountains. You have to take lots of curvy roads that dip up and down through valleys then pop you back up to the top of the mountains to get there. It's gray with a fantastic wooden screen door and a tin roof. It sits on a green hill and the sun shines down in air so crisp it makes you feel like a kid again.

We went there a few weeks ago and got lost in all of it's magic.

We fished with water up to our waist and floated on big black inner tubes. We spent hours trying to catch the minnows with our hands in the clear river water and swam with our old dog who was suddenly a puppy again.  We built fires and set marshmallows on fire. We did somersaults down hills and chased butterflies. We wore our cleanest dirty clothes over and over. We listened as the banjo made it's way out to the mountains and came back to us.

We played in the river until the setting sun sent us home. We chased our moon shadows and the fireflies that gave us light shows.

The days were full and the nights were quiet.

The world stopped for 8 days and gave us time to enjoy it.