Then and Now - July '06 and July '10

I love these "Then and Now" posts. Jake in July 2006 and Alex in 2010, looking quite similar. The funny thing I've noticed in looking back is that Jake had significantly more hair at this point than Alex has. The poor girl is destined to be bald until the age of two, just like her dear old mother was.

5 Months Old

So I dropped my camera the other day. My good one. My really, really good one. On the way out the door. To a photo shoot. And after that, a wedding. And the next day? Another wedding. Dropped it hard. On a wood floor. I wish I had good news. I wish Jake didn't hear the word that came out of my mouth after it happened (it was some serious restraint too, let me tell you). Luckily, I have backup equipment, which got me through the two commitments I had that day. The upside to all of this? This slobbery little face, just days after turning five months old, which was captured with my old backup camera. Thank God for my backup. And for this little girl.













P.S. - If anyone can let me know the color of Alex's eyes, I would be forever grateful. Because I don't have a clue. It's different every time I stare into them. And I'm still not sure what color it is.

Hard at work

Despite being dressed in nothing but a diaper ("business casual") and being put in her activity center backwards (silly mommy!), Alex got right down to business on a recent morning.

4 Years Old, 4 Months Old

The view around here pretty much goes like these these days: 4 year old Jake, rocking out in our playroom with his Lego microphone stand....

...and 4 month old Alex, shoving anything she can in her adorable slobbery mouth.

I've certainly got my hands full with a 4 year old, a 4 month old, and 4 more weddings left to photograph this season. I wish I had about 4 more hours in every day, and 4 more arms. Heck, I wish I had 4 clones of myself doing 4 loads of laundry, buying the 4 things I forgot to pick up at the grocery store, answering 4 emails, editing 4 photo sessions, vaccuming 4 rooms, interviewing 4 babysitters, watering 4 half-dead hydrangea plants, picking up 4 toys off the floor, changing 4 little diapers, putting together 4 wedding albums, and checking off 4 other things on my to-do lists. But I have a feeling that's not going to happen. So for now, our little family of 4 needs to enjoy this summer, which will be over b4 we know it.

4th of July 2010

This is another one of my crazy-long posts, but I want to be able to re-live the memories of these wonderful 4th of July celebrations forever.

Every year since I have known Ralph, we have travelled to his grandparent's home in Mamaroneck New York to watch the fireworks from their backyard. The trip has gotten shorter over the years, from Alexandria VA (a five hour drive or a one-hour flight), then from Newark DE (2.5 hour drive), and now a 15 min drive through local roads.

For starters, the view from Ralph's grandparents backyard is absolutely unbelievable. The long backyard ends at the water, and just across the small inlet is Harbor Island Park, where they set off the fireworks. Ralph's grandparents have both passed away in the last few years, his grandfather in 2005 and his grandmother just this past Thanksgiving, but the tradition has lived on. I'm not sure how many more years we'll get to watch fireworks from this extraordinary vantage point, so I figured now was the time to bring along my camera to record the memories.

Alex may not remember what it was like to celebrate the 4th of July at Mema Peggy and Papa Paul's house, but hopefully Jake inherited his father's extraordinary memory and will be able to keep this with him as he grows up.


Aunt Barb with her favorite (and only) great-niece:


Patriotic cupcakes (yum!)


The view from the upstairs porch


I really love the long shadows and the warm tones in this one. I could photograph this time of day all day long. Except that's impossible. ;)


My two favorite boys :)


Keegan is the cutest thing on earth.






Ellie, Jen and Peter head toward the dock


A passing sailboat


View of the house from the dock


Patriotic from head to toe :)


The kids, many of them second and third cousins, all had so much fun playing together


Kai, Keegan's big brother by exactly a year to the day, is also the cutest thing on earth.


Alexis, in full-on model mode :)


Matthew was so cute too - copying the pose that Alexis was making :)


Sweaty faux hawk


With Geedah


Geedah and Peepa got her this incredibly cute, incredibly patriotic outfit :)


With Peepa


With Papa Ralph


Another 20 years and eight months, baby girl.


Mamaroneck at dusk, shot from the dock




Firecracker...


...firecracker...


...BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!


Jake watches the fireworks from Ralph's lap. He wasn't a big fan:


My dad took this great shot of our little family of four:


A sign of the times - not sure why, but I really like this image. I love shooting at night with no flash, the available light looks so cool.


Ralph and Aunt Joanne after the party has wound down.


I hope we'll always get to watch the fireworks from this backyard, but I know that may not always be the case. What I do know is that any other location never be able to compete with the great memories of 4th of July at Mema and Papa's house.

I hope he always...

I hope Jake always loves his little sister, and is as sweet to her, as he is right now. He loves on her a little too much sometimes ("Jake, please, give her some space"), but I remember what it was like to love my little baby brother that much. I remember the first days of my kindergarten class, after Danny had been born that August, and missing him so much and hardly being able to stand not being at home to see him. Of course, once I did get home I would pinch his cheeks to see if he would cry, and then say, "What's a matter baby?" - as if I didn't know why the baby was suddenly crying. (Sorry mom). That was the first sign that I was a pretty rotten sister for quite a few years. Sorry baby bruzzer. I love you lots and I always will.

I hope Jake feels the protective feelings I had (still have) for my brother. I could make fun of my brother all day long, but God forbid someone else say even the slightest critical word toward him. The two fistfights I have ever had in my entire life were because another kid in the neighborhood said something mean about my brother. I didn't care if the perpetrator was older or bigger than me. You don't make fun of my baby brother, unless you want your butt kicked by me. I'm pretty sure after that, the neighborhood kids knew not to say anything bad about my baby brother. At least not when I was around. Now my baby brother is 6' 5" and can fight his own battles, but I still feel protective of him. The brother/sister relationship is not always a smooth one, but I know the love is always there.

Danny and I have a very unique way of showing our love to each other, but I think he knows I would still beat up any kid who said a bad word about him. Actually, knowing Danny and I, we would just make fun of the person who dared talk bad of us. And we would continue to make fun of them until it became a sport. Humor became our weapon of choice, and we have developed thick skin to each other's jabs and barbs. My brother is hilarious. Often inappropriately so. If you can't laugh in our family, you're going to be miserable.

I hope Jake and Alex grow up close, remain close, and I hope they are protective of each other as Danny and I were. I hope they create their own funny memories. I hope they don't get too angry at each other when they become obnoxious teenagers. I hope they treat each other with love and respect, always, even when they are frustrated with each other. I hope they spend time together when it's not "cool" to do so. I hope they realize how fortunate they are to have each other.

Happy Family

We have yet to get that perfect family of four photograph. I think I may need to hire a professional (aka one of my awesome photographer friends) to get a decent pic of the four of us. For now, I'm liking this montage of us with the kids from when we went out to dinner a week or two ago: