The Colantuno Family

Earlier this fall, I spent a full day taking pictures of my life for a project I was a part of...and because it was my first year participating, I was assured that I would look back on the images and appreciate the glimpse it gave into who I was "back then." If I'm honest, I'm not convinced that my photos of putting on my makeup or going to Panera for dinner will ever tug on my heartstrings - my life these days can be fairly mundane. Today, I am not far enough removed from the ordeal to be able to feel nostalgic about those memories, yet I believe in the premise of the project and can't help but think of it when I look at these pictures of the Colantuno family.

We spent an afternoon walking in the park near their house and playing on Matthew's favorite playground. The only thing out of the ordinary about our afternoon was the camera that followed them. What you see in the pictures is an accurate snapshot of who they are and how they interact with each other...lots of love, big head-thrown-back laughs, bear hugs, spontaneous kisses, and boundless child-like energy. When I look at these pictures, I undoubtedly see a happy family. 

Although Nicole and Tom are, by nature, kind and joyful people, life has thrown some challenges into having a "normal" family existence. Matthew was born with end stage renal disease as a result of Posterior Urethral Valves (PUV), meaning that he needed a kidney transplant from the day he came into the world, and spent the first three months of his life in the NICU with ventilators and surgery being scary parts of daily life during that time. Tom selflessly donated a kidney to Matthew when Matthew was eighteen months old, and thankfully Matthew's body accepted it and he is thriving. Their beautiful journey of now over three years is chronicled on Nicole's blog, Our Life with the Boy, and is so filled with hope and courage that I shed more than a few tears bawled my eyes out when I read it at home after our photo session. 

I was especially touched by one recent post where Nicole mentioned that she tells Matthew that he will live a life that is happy, healthy, and long...in that order. So much of their life as a family has been focused on taking one thing at a time and following medical procedures, so the order of things is important. I hope that in these pictures they see that happy and healthy are here. During this moment in time, their family was full of love and laughter...and joy at celebrating life together.

Nicole and Tom, I don't think your family will ever be "normal" because you all are extraordinary. Matthew and Stella are surrounded by strength, compassion, and friendship, among so many other wonderful qualities, and the daily effort that you have given to make life so full for them has not been for nothing. They are beautiful, intelligent, sweet-as-can-be kids, and they are most certainly mirrors of the unconditional love they receive from their parents. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me a glimpse into these beautiful moments of your lives.

Stella just might be Matthew's favorite person in the whole wide world. He just adores her and she feels the same way about him. She plays with him and talks for him - she is a wonderful big sister.

A slight departure from traditional portraits, I loved this shot of Matthew that was taken through the grid on the floor of the playground equipment. Just for something a little different...

The curly slide provided endless amounts of fun...both going down and then walking back up.

And because this is the week of giving thanks, I just want to say that I am thankful for family. For my brand new husband and in-law family, for my been-through-it-all family, for my friends who have become family and clients who feel like family. I know that everybody says that they're thankful for family, but spending this time with the Colantuno's has been a reminder of just how important it is to celebrate those who love us and fight for us from the day we come into the world. We don't say thanks as often as we should, so at some point during the week, remember to tell these special people how much they mean to you!

Happy Thanksgiving...we have a lot to be thankful for!

The Lemon Family!

As we walked through the park near her house taking pictures, Jen asked me if I do a lot of family portraits.

Being more candid than I probably should have been, I answered that I do them on occasion, but truthfully, they are the hardest. I think back on that now and do a mental face-palm - who says that when they're photographing a family??? We joked about how it's easy to get photos of happy people at weddings and that adults are able to listen to instructions.

But the thing is...her family was not at all hard to photograph, and I'm not just saying that. They are seasoned pros at having their pictures taken - Jen and John tell me that their holiday card is epic (and now I'm dying to see)! Jen was so well prepared with fun props for the girls (she is a woman after my own heart, being the fabulous Etsy shopper that she is) and very aware of the light and how important that one factor would be to making great pictures. Seriously, y'all...that's a photographer's dream! Even Hannah, who's eight-going-on-eighteen, had a ton of energy and fun poses already thought out. The Lemons were truly up for anything and I am head over heels in love with how vibrant, lively, and lovely their family pictures turned out.

But I'm pretty sure I fell in love with their family before I saw their pictures - I think it happened the moment Hannah met me at the front door in a ruffled, sparkly skirt. That's when I knew I found my dream clients!

The girls' rooms take me back to my imaginary bedrooms from childhood...I would have fainted if mine had been so fabulous! Jen is amazing when it comes to decorating and her girls love hanging out in their own special spaces. Quinn loves to have tea with her toys...I dare you not to awwww.

It looked like clouds were rolling in, so we high-tailed it over to the park shortly after I arrived, and fortunately were greeted with a beautiful early-fall afternoon.

So another thing that makes Jen awesome - she has started a tradition with her girls where they take a picture of their feet every year. I LOVE this! Someday when their feet are all the same size, they will look back on their yearly foot picture and smile at how the years have gone by. Such a unique way of marking the time!

Among the props in Jen's magic Trader Joe's bag (I mean really, could we shop in any more of the same places?!) were these adorbable hats...the girls wear them with such sass!

Then came out the giant lollipops. Originally we were going for the pops covering their faces, but they ended up being too tempting...

And just too stinking cute...

I love this picture of Hannah and her dad. I guess I get a little bit sentimental about these kinds of things...but they are so close and I hope she'll treasure this forever.

The girls...

Even though Quinn would rather run and play than sit still to have her picture taken, there were a few quiet moments that she was kind enough to let me capture!

Probably one of my favorites of Hannah - she is such a free spirit!

We had to sneak in a few Mommy and Daddy pics...

Laughing at something one of the kids did...

Of course, everyone needs a good picture of their family walking off into the sunset...

The reward for making it through the session...eating one of the gigantic lollipops. That made everything worth it!

I loved capturing Hannah and Quinn and Jen and John - and I seriously cannot wait to see your Christmas card (add that to the 10,192,859 reasons I'm excited for the holidays this year)!

xoxoxo...A

Colorful cuties: Jana + Math's Beautiful Family!

I'm pretty sure Jana was the first friend I made in first grade Sunday School.

That feels like hundreds of years ago.

We're not really that old, of course, but it's crazy to think that we've been friends since we were kids and now Jana has a husband and (the cutest!) kids of her own. They are the sweetest family...while it is exhausting having two little ones, there is nothing in the world they enjoy more than spending time with each other.

Something else Jana and I had in common...we went to the same summer camp, and both spent a week with a camp counselor we all knew as Mr. Eric. Everyone wanted him to be their counselor because he was the most fun and was definitely dreamy.  And he made up the best camp songs, usually to well known tunes like the superman theme song and soda jingles...which we would belt loudly at the top of our lungs on the way to activities. Anyway, after we were too old to be campers, Jana spent her summers at the camp being a counselor (an awesome one at that!)...and met Mr. Eric's younger brother, Math. They became fast friends...until it turned into something more. Math, like his older brother, has a quirky sense of humor that is endearing and funny at the same time. Fast forward a few more years, and Jana and Math had their wedding reception at the same camp where they first met that one fateful summer. Not too long after, Lily and Jack made them a family of four.

Lily is now almost two (tomorrow!) and Jack is almost six months. She loves her little brother...and has definitely inherited her parents' sense of adventure!

Lily and Jack have the best smiles...and playing with them puts bigger smiles on Mom and Dad's faces!

Lily only slowed down once the entire time I was with them...and it was an unusual hole in the wall that made her pause to think about what it might be for.

As we were leaving the row, Lily pulled us into an adorable store filled with shoes and fun clothes and a fabulous egg chair. She's only two and she already has great taste...and a thing for shoes.

Jana and Math - thank you for letting me come along on one of your many adventures! Playing with your family reminded me how fun it is to be a kid. And happy 2nd Birthday Lily!