Posts Tagged ‘Kids’
Family Photography: David & Susan Faith
This is an especially special post for me because I absolutely adore the people and the story behind it. OK, so take a look at David and it’s pretty clear that he’s adorable:
Yeah, I told ya’.
What’s not readily apparent is that David was born with a large ventricular septal defect and a patent ductus arteriosus–congenital heart defects that kept his blood from circulating properly and, thus, kept his body from getting the oxygen it needed. This was keeping him from growing the way he ought to. Fortunately, at the end of October, David went down to the Medical University of South Carolina where they were able to surgically repair the problems with his heart. This little guy was bathed in a lot of prayer and, as you can see, he’s coming along quite nicely now.
While recovering from his surgery, David wasn’t able to go out in public, and as I followed his story I kept wanting to see better pictures of him, so I got in touch with his mom, Melissa, a friend of mine from back when I was in high school, and asked if she’d like Wendy and I to get some pictures of David and his big sister, Susan Faith. She liked the idea, and so here are the photos!
This is Susan Faith with her mom. She has the cutest little nose!
Susan Faith and her dad.
Boys + bonnets = unhappiness
Finally, I thought I’d close with a shot of what David’s parents call his “zipper”, the scar from the surgery that has allowed him to grow and develop those adorable rolls you see over the top of his diaper.
To learn more about David’s story and the wonderful people at MUSC who helped to make it one with a very happy ending, I suggest you check out his Caring Bridge site. His mom also has a new blog about children, books, and children’s books called Growing Up Reading. (Susan Faith taught herself to read before she was twenty-one months old, so I’d say Melissa is someone’s advice you might want to consider when it comes to children’s literacy.)
Wendy and I are so thankful to have gotten to play a tiny part in David’s story and we look forward to seeing the wonderful young man he’s going to become.
Thanks for hanging out with us for this week of blogging! There are some cool photos in the pipeline and two shoots coming up this month we’re really excited about, so check back soon!
Christmas in Maryland
We have delayed far too long in posting pics from our Christmas visit to Maryland. After waiting out one of this year’s infamous snow storms, J.P. and I finally made it to the home of my big sis, bro-in-law, and favorite kids. Get ready for the cuteness!
Meet Ethan. Ethan loves to read and play, and he insists on giving you a full tour of the toy box as soon as you walk through the door.
I love this next picture Loren took of Ethan watching J.P. juggle some blocks. At the time, I was helping my mom prepare for our family photo. Just look at those bright eyes and that smile!
Here he is opening up some cardboard blocks that took the adults about half an hour to assemble (actually, I’m not sure how long it took us, but those blocks are not coming apart again for some time… too many little cardboard teeth).
Ethan wasn’t as excited about the shark poncho we picked out as he was the blocks, books and puzzles. I can’t blame the kid, but I sure am glad we got this picture out of it.
This is Brooke, Ethan’s beautiful baby sister. She is sweet and sociable and thinks Ethan is the funniest thing around. Brooke’s laugh alone is enough to make my day (this is what I’m talking about).
Here’s Poppy snoozing with little Brooke…
…and Pop holding Brooke after her nap.
Ethan is a wonderful big brother who will frequently bring his little sis toys to hold and even try to make sure she’s present for story time. But even the best older siblings will sometimes compete for attention…
The trip was awesome! Mainly, we lounged around, played with the kids, hung out with Betsy and Loren, and ate their food. My mom and dad were there, too, so we had some bonus family time consisting of caroling, continued eating, and of course a family photo shoot.
Betsy and Loren are amazing parents and, honestly, first class human beings. They are family and friends we continue to look up to.
Currently, Loren, Betsy, Ethan and Brooke are reunited after Loren’s recent trip to help out in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. You can view some of his pictures from the trip here. Welcome home, Loren! We love you!
Baby Pictures: Sophia
The last time we saw Sophia was in Wendy’s maternity session when she was rounder and not nearly as expressive.
Now Sophia has joined us on the outside and is busy growing, eating, and generally being adorable. Her mom got in touch with us about taking some baby photos of her and we were more than happy to oblige.
Like I said, significantly more expressive.
Sophia is very fond of her changing table. Wendy (my Wendy) and I were very fond of the green wall as a background!
We decided to spend a little time outside since it was a gorgeous, warm, South Carolina November day.
Even Sophia’s canine siblings hung out with us for the shoot.
Then, since the sun was starting to set, we went inside for a few more pictures.
One more change, during which Sophia tried to eat her mom’s ring.
Speaking of eating, I believe the technical term for what’s going on in this next picture is “Nom, nom, nom.”
Now that’s just cute. I don’t care who you are.
We had a great time spending the afternoon with Wendy, Anthony, and Sophia. Apart from just being delightful to hang out with, Anthony shared his recipe for white beans and leeks with me and they were delicious. So, cute baby, cool parents, and yummy soup all add up to a pretty fantastic day. Thanks, guys!
Lake Eden Arts Festival
LEAF is an annual festival that takes place in Black Mountain, NC in the fall. Lunch Money played there this year, and I got to come along for the ride… and the entire soul soothing experience. :) If you’re not yet familiar with Lunch Money, you need to be. The band: Molly Ledford, Jay Barry, and J.P. (my J.P.). Molly writes the songs, which have a playful yet cerebral quality. Her lyrics always throw me back to my own childhood. This is music that adults love just as much as kids!
The band rocked out both Saturday and Sunday afternoon, and an audience bundled in coats, mittens and hats couldn’t help but move with the beat.
During the Lunch Money show, Lucy kept shooting me these adorable smiles and then trying to hide behind Henry’s head. Finally, I pulled out the camera and caught her!
Henry, Lucy and I got to spend some quality time together while the band was setting up and breaking down. We had faces painted and heads adorned in balloon hats. We also visited the dress-up tent to try on masks, swords, feather boas and sparkly fairy wings. Henry was thoroughly enthralled with the instrument petting zoo, and Lucy was delighted to skip through the kid market. Bubbles and bonbons seemed to be floating everywhere. There was plenty around to keep a kid happy all day.
LEAF was a wonderful time to experience art, nature, good food and great music. It was, however, freezing cold. Fortunately, our next post (three posts in a week!) contains the perfect solution to chilliness. If you’ve ever wanted to stay warm without raising your heating bill or longed to join a cult, the next post is for you!
Baby Pictures: Isaiah
Meet Isaiah. His beautiful mother Kim appeared on the blog about four months ago when Isaiah was just a bump in her belly. Now he’s here! And let me tell you, this little one is a serious cutie. Get ready. Here he is…
…getting a sneak kiss attack from Mom.
Isaiah’s hands and feet are so small and perfect. They won’t be this tiny for long, though. He’s growing so fast! J.P. was amazed at how much he had plumped up since the first time they met two weeks or so prior to this shoot.
Here’s J.P.’s shot.
And here’s mine from two weeks later.
Here are a few more.
And finally, here is Isaiah with his favorite buddy Mr. Giraffe. Isaiah held his own for a long time during this staring contest.
We had a great time hanging out with Kim, Matt and Isaiah! Check back later this week for some rockin’ shots from the Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF) and a debonair pug in black tie attire.
Me Ra Koh Confidence Workshop: Washington, D.C.
A couple of weekends ago I had the pleasure of attending an amazing women’s photography workshop by day and visiting Betsy, Loren, Ethan and Brooke by night. It was such an incredible time – even the trip home!
For those of you who don’t know about Me Ra Koh, you need to check out her blog! Me Ra and her awesome husband Brian do stunning work that will leave you smitten and speechless. Being quite a fan myself, I was so, SO excited to get to participate in their (appropriately named) Confidence Workshop for women in D.C.. It was great to get to meet them, learn from them, hear their stories, and laugh and cry with the other amazing women who traveled from near and far for this experience of a lifetime!
Here’s Me Ra demonstrating for us with some kids. Watching her engage the models was a valuable lesson by itself!
Here’s Brian talking to us about light metering. There were some fun demonstration photos involved. :)
We ladies had plenty of opportunities to try out what we had learned! Kudos to the models who cheerfully endured swarms of women wielding lenses!
Let me say that my dad was the best!
He was already in D.C. visiting Betsy, Loren and the kids, and offered to stay a few more days to chauffeur me downtown and back Saturday and Sunday. Thank you, Dad (and thank you Mom for doing without him for a few more days)!
The first day, our models were beautiful mothers and their beautiful babies. Here are a few of my favorite shots.
I just loved how this baby squealed when her mom came in for another kiss!!
The second day, three wonderful families let us crowd around them with our cameras.
Of course, this trip was all the more exciting due to the most recent addition to our family! Welcome to the world Brooke! Each evening after the workshop, I was so pumped that I couldn’t help but take some pictures of my precious new niece Brooke and adorable nephew Ethan. These kids have my heart! Betsy and Loren, I just don’t know how you two handle this much cuteness on a regular basis.
Here’s Brooke dreaming sweetly…
and Ethan playing with dad.
He was all about these new boots.
It was so hard to leave!
When I thought the trip was almost over and couldn’t get any better, I had this heart-melting experience in the Washington airport on the way home. Having just returned to the gate after getting some food, I noticed a mother with her two children waiting eagerly for dad to get off the plane (I later learned he was returning from Iraq). Sure enough, he came walking through the gate, dressed in uniform and locking eyes immediately with his wife. The family came together in a powerful moment that hit me so hard, I nearly started crying as their energy spread from where they stood and held each other to everyone who was blessed to catch a glimpse of them. When I showed this next photo to J.P., we were struck by the strength and sacrifices made by military families. Monica, thank you so much! Here they are.
Finally, I made it home to my beloved husband who encourages me in so many ways. Without a doubt, I left the Confidence Workshop with increased knowledge, vision and excitement, and J.P. has done nothing but help to keep the passion going!
Lollapalooza 2009: Day 1
Lollapalooza 2009 was a three-day music festival held August 7-9 in Chicago’s Grant Park. Lunch Money got to be a part of this extravaganza of awesomeness, playing two shows on the Kidzapalooza stage. What follows is a brief photographic journey through our first day, with posts for days 2 and 3 to come.
We (maybe I should say Jay) drove into Chicago at around 12:30am on Friday morning.
Chicago’s finest came out to greet the crowd.
Although Lollapalooza is pretty much packed with music fans of every age, Kidzapalooza aims at a decidedly younger (and more adorable) demographic.
Yeah, I know. I’m pushing into Cute Overload territory.
That’s Henry rocking out as he plays his part in “HEY! YOU’RE A ROCK STAR!”, a short interactive play put on by The Cool Table, a Chicago improv comedy troupe. Henry was the guitarist in “Sponge Blue Square Blue”, the greatest rock band the world has ever known.
The little guy above didn’t have a role in “HEY! YOU’RE A ROCK STAR!”, but he played his part by watching from the sidelines and having excellent hair.
Meanwhile, the child below practiced for a life of indie rock shows by looking vaguely put-upon by the whole affair.
In addition to the adorableness, though, there was also awesome kids music to be heard.
There was Frances England, who I got to meet for the first time (she’s awesome!):
…and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo always gets the crowd on its feet…
At the end of the day, Lunch Money played, and it was every bit as warm and toasty as it looks.
But fortunately Lucy figured out the key to a good first day at Lollapalooza–a good umbrella.
By the time we finished playing at the end of day 1, we were all pretty worn out, so that’s about it for pictures from that day. Come back soon, though, for pictures from the second and third days of Lollapalooza, including more kiddie cuteness and even a band or two.
Tamy’s Grandbabies
I know, I know, I promised pictures of six adorable kids almost two weeks ago. Well, I’m finally following through. Sorry to keep you waiting.
These are some photos of the youngest generation of one of the coolest families I’ve ever known. I grew up with the kids and now they’ve gone and had kids of their own. Their mom asked Wendy and me to get some family photos of the lot of them, and I can’t say no to Tamy. The result was an absolute blast, but it definitely increased my respect for my buddy Rebekah and other photographers who are especially adept at kids and families. Did you know, for instance, that infants will not necessarily look at the camera when you ask them to? I mean, what are these kids thinking? They’re grandmother is paying good money for these pictures and they’re more interested in the dog than they are in looking good in their family portrait.
I blame television.
All kidding aside, bask in the adorableness that is Tamy’s family. First off, the twins.
Can you guess which is the boy and which is the girl?
(Insert Dora the Explorer pause)
You’re right! Was it the haircuts that gave it away?
This little guy wanted to show his cousin some affection. After all, doesn’t everybody love a kiss?
Admittedly, this may have been excessive.
Even he seems to agree.
(Chalk it up to a life lesson, kid.)
Do you think this photo presages their future relationship?
Argh! Can’t make…snarky…comment…baby feet…too…cute!
While we were shooting, Tamy quoted these lyrics from the musical Annie to me and I thought they’d go nicely here:
Some women are dripping with diamonds,
Some women are dripping with pearls.
Lucky me! Lucky me!
Look at what I’m dripping with:
Little girls!
Zuleika: Maternity
Zuleika, a friend and colleague of Wendy, is, along with her husband Jose, expecting her second child…right about now, actually. Jose, Zulieka, and their son Maxi came over to document Zuleika’s pregnancy and get a couple of family photos. Here are a few of our favorites:
The affection between Jose and Zuleika was apparent, as was the love they have for their coming daughter.
I know this next shot may be a little cliche, but I don’t care, dogonnit! I like it!
Ladies, if you are thinking about having maternity photos made, may I please humbly suggest a pink tiara? Don’t get me wrong, you have to have the mom-chops to pull it off, but I don’t think there’s any question about that with Zuleika.
Initially, Maxi was absolutely sure that he wanted nothing to do with this whole photography thing. Eventually, though, and after a few minutes of my (awful) juggling, Maxi agreed to get into the frame with his mom. He may not like the camera, but the camera likes him.
You can’t see them, but Maxi is holding my juggling beanbags in this photo. Does it look to you like he’s daring me to come and get them?
This looks like one proud mama to me.
Come back tomorrow as TEN (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING continues with…well, I’m not entirely sure how to tease you with this one. Let’s put it this way: pink taffeta and a swimming pool are involved.
Our Spring Trip to Maryland
Wendy and I began our spring break on Friday! This is doubly cool because both Wendy’s birthday and our anniversary fall on this week. We spent some time talking about what we’d like to do, opting for something both fairly economical, but also unequivocally awesome. The conclusion?
Visit Ethan. (Oh yeah, and Loren and Betsy.)
Just before leaving for the trip I bought the Sigma 10-20mm wide angle lens, so I couldn’t help trying it out. (Okay, I actually kept it on the camera almost the entire trip.) I really like this lens, but it’s not really designed for portraits, as you can see above.
Betsy and Loren suggested that we take Ethan to an amazing local park that has everything from outdoor percussion instruments to a pirate ship to a climbing wall. Ethan–not quite ready for the climbing wall. Loren, however, flexed his simian side.
While Loren monkeyed around, Ethan found a bridge that swayed and jiggled while he walked on it, and walk on it he did. I’m going to guess that he crossed that bridge thirty to fifty times while we were at the park. Even getting him to go down the slide involved some pretty intense persuasion.
Finally, Wendy had to put Ethan on her back and run so fast that the sheer excitement of the ride distracted Ethan from the awesomeness of the bridge which he was leaving behind.
The next day, given all the museum choices available to us in DC, we opted to visit the one featured in a mildly entertaining Ben Stiller movie.
While there, I learned a few things about the Museum of Natural History:
- -One-year-olds would rather watch a video of a fish eating a worm than see the BONES OF ACTUAL DINOSAURS
- -The lighting in the Museum of Natural History was not engineered with photographers in mind
- -The insect exhibit is sponsored by Orkin.
Given that I was once a ten-year-old boy, you can probably guess what my favorite part of the trip was. (Special thanks to Loren for holding the flash for me while I took these pictures.)
Visiting with Ethan
This weekend Wendy and I went down to her parents’ house to visit with Wendy’s sister and our nephew Ethan. This is one dangerously cute kid, so photographic opportunities abounded.
We took Ethan to the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry down in Charleston where kids can shop in a pint-sized Publix for vegetables, meats, flowers, and just about everything else you’d find in a grocery store. I found it pretty funny that the Publix brand items cost less than their name-brand counterparts–teach them to bargain hunt young!
Ethan, as you can see, chooses his plastic vegetables carefully.
Yes, they have shopping carts for small-fries.
Ethan was awesome. With kids his age, it seems you have to watch them pretty closely to make sure they obey the social contract–you know, don’t steal items from other kids’ carts and the like. Not Ethan, though; he was helping other kids with their lists by dropping healthy snacks into their carts. Way to be helpful!
On top of that, Ethan didn’t go straight for the various sweets or cake mixes (which is a good thing because of his wheat allergy). Rather, he seemed genuinely excited about fruits and vegetables. His enthusiasm for this tomato was, however, a little excessive. 
(Dude, you must buy the food before you taste it!)
After such an exciting day, of course Ethan wanted to share the story of his adventures. Unfortunately, he doesn’t yet speak English (we’re not quite sure what he does speak, but he does so passionately) and while adept at pressing buttons on phones, he doesn’t seem to do so systematically. Still, you can’t blame a guy for trying. 
Finally, after a long day, it’s time for a bath. Like just about everything else, Ethan enjoys baths. 
Rock on, buddy.
