So Long, Sweet Summer . . .

. . . I stumbled upon you and gratefully basked in your rays . . .

Summer will always be my favorite season and when you live full time near the shore, September is definitely still a part of summer.  Now, being just a few days short of October and being pestered by a few little someones about getting our pumpkins out, I’m coming to grips with the fact that fall is here and the summer of 2018 is, in fact, over.  It has never pained me more to return to school than it has this year.  It’s probably because my boys are older and more capable of taking care of themselves and not be walking danger magnets wherever they go.  They can make their own snacks and pack their own bags for the beach and I can breathe a little easier knowing they’re fairly capable swimmers, still needing a watchful eye, but simple enough for one adult to handle and not feel the need to hyperventilate every few minutes.  

Every summer seems shorter and shorter, this one in particular since we spent a good part of August on a wild adventure through Iceland, Germany, and Poland (more on that in a future post!).  I really wasn’t ready to give up the last warm sunny weekends of 2018 to soccer and baseball, but since it’s rained for what feels like the last 30 days straight, I guess that wasn’t happening anyway.  Like all summers, 2018 left us feeling warm with amazing memories and wanting to hold onto it just a little bit longer.  #summerforever  (All photos were taken on Long Beach Island, New Jersey)

So long sweet summer, I fell into you, now you’re gracefully falling away. -Dashboard Confessional

Posted in Documentary Family Session, Family Photography, Family travel, Motherhood, NJ Shore, Parenthood, South Jersey, SummerTags:

Ice Cream Social: A Summer Day in the Life with the S Family

Eighteen summers. There was an article floating around this summer posted to many moms’ Facebook pages that reminded moms and dads that the summers we have with our children don’t last forever. Inside of that, there’s something magical in those first summers of parenthood, seeing the excitement in the eyes of your child who is truly experiencing summer for the first time. And for parents, it’s an excuse to blow bubbles, build sandcastles, run barefoot through the grass, bringing back the best parts of our own childhood. Can you imagine what it felt like to see a butterfly for the first time? Or the taste of your very own ice cream cone? I do now, because I got to do it all over again with my boys. You forget how childhood has it’s own brand of magic, in the simplest of ways. I remember packing lunches for the beach with my then two-year-old and thinking, “wow, I forgot how good a peanut butter and jelly tastes!” It tastes like childhood.

So I was beyond excited to join this adorable family on their trip to Royal Crown ice cream shop in Hammonton, NJ. We may only have 18 summers with out kids, but there’s only a few of them when a boy can proudly wear chocolate ice cream all over his face and still be cute. This boy has that covered. He loves bubbles and Octonauts, but I think he loves ice cream (and his mom and dad!) most of all.

Posted in Documentary Family Session, Documentary photography, Family, Family Photography, Motherhood, NJ Shore, Parenthood, South Jersey, Summer

A Saturday in the Life with the J Family

There are some people in this world that have a sparkle about them, whose joy is infectious. And that is this mom, to a “T.” Watching her with her family, I can’t help but notice how loving and encouraging she is to her two sons, teaching them to explore the world without too many boundaries and much less screen time. For this reason alone, she is serious #momgoals. Lots of reading, playing, and exploring the outdoors for these two boys who love nature. The oldest son and his dad built an AMAZING greenhouse full of the most beautiful orchids you could possibly imagine. When I look at the photos of their son and all of the plants inside the greenhouse, I can remember how it smelled, like rich earth and alive with flowers. Some experiences you can’t quite describe and these plants are just beyond gorgeous. The work and care that went into their project has been a special experience between a boy, his dad, and the beauty of the earth. The love between this family of four is so precious and they just love being together. On this beautiful day, as the sun was almost setting, they all hopped on the tire swing together, and laughed their heads off. I’d say, that’s a great way to end the day.

Posted in Documentary Family Session, Documentary photography, Family, Family Photography, Motherhood, Parenthood, South Jersey

Wedding Day: An Intimate Celebration

True confession: weddings make me cry. Not because of a sappy love story (for the most part), but because it’s hard to watch a mom look at her beautiful daughter on her wedding day with awe, love, and tears in her eyes and not feel a little emotional over that powerful reaction. Two people being surrounded by family and friends with whom they share a rich history and deep connection, about to start something even greater together, is an honor to witness.

I was truly grateful to be a part of Chris and Juliana’s wedding celebration, an intimate gathering of their closest family and friends. There was a lot of love in that celebration for both of them, and people came from near and far to see them start this new life together. Sometimes, the people you meet along your journey are the ones who become a sort of family in their own way, and because Juliana is originally from Brazil, this couldn’t be more true for her. And even though some of her family couldn’t be present physically, they were there in spirit . . . and FaceTime (thank goodness for modern technology!). The joy and happiness that Chris and Juliana shared on this day with their family and friends truly shines in their images. Wishing a lifetime of happy memories to this beautiful couple!

Posted in Documentary photography, Family Photography, South Jersey, Wedding

A Morning in the Life with a Mom and her Girls

The photography world has connected me with so many amazing people, many of whom I’ve never actually met in real life, yet I feel like I know them through following their lives with their families. Some of them even live just a few miles from me, never having met up other than on our respective online meeting places. So I “met” Nicole (of Nicole Gilligan Photography) years ago, but I never actually met her in living, breathing life. I actually saw her from afar in the grocery store a few years ago, and then one of my boys was throwing a mega tantrum and I was too embarrassed to say “hello.” So the first time I met her for real, in the living flesh, was the day of our documentary session. And two minutes into meeting her, we realized that our husbands already know each other. In actual, real life, not just on Instagram. It just goes to show that we’re all connected, somehow (and that my husband gets out of the house way more than I do!).

The morning we met was a few days after one of our spring snow storms, from the spring that never grew out of winter. It was a bright, sunny, gorgeous day, and the light in this home was just beautiful. I fell in love with everything about this family, especially these amazing little girls. The littlest with her lovely curls (just like her mama’s) and her sweet voice just melted my heart when I saw her offer her mama the last bit of her cookie. And her older sister, whose twirls and songs filled the morning and her many outfit changes probably filled the hamper. They both love books (Shel Silverstein, one of my favorites!), and Frozen, and drawing . . . I was even lucky enough to be gifted some original artwork to take home with me. And on this beautiful day, we all hoped this was the last snow pile we’ll see for a long time!

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