i start to tear up around the Rockland/Rockport town line on Route 17 now. i will be fine until i hit that point, and as soon as i drive by Chickawaukie Lake (otherwise known as Chicki Stretch, also known as the place I have easily gotten about $2,000 worth of speeding tickets in my 14 years of driving) water will stream down my face and i instantly feel excited, happy, and even nervous that i am within arms reach of home. i don’t even have to see anyone i know and no one has to stop and talk to me on the street, but just being there is a pair of flannel footy pj’s for my soul.

the last time i traveled on the ferry to Vinalhaven, an tiny island community off the coast of my hometown in Maine, i was so young that both my hands fit inside just one of my grandmothers. she was wearing her good coat with hard, brass buttons…i buried my dirty blond head into her lap and tried not to think about the rise and fall of the boat. and even on the way to meet baby Finn a few weeks ago, i was surprised at  just how much this ferry moved with several cars, several people, a few dogs, a rabbit, and a dump truck filled with loam. it cut through the fog, and at the end of the 45 minute ride, lobster buoys and boats and seals sitting on the grey rocks appears almost as if by magic.

Sarah grew up on Vinalhaven, and her and her husband Chad had planned to have their sweet little babe right there in the same house as she and her sister were born. Finn had a different idea, and was born 3 weeks early on the mainland…a 45 minute ferry ride, away. in labor. on a boat, sick, getting ready to have a baby…for almost an hour. Sarah’s island life and her incredible gift of writing, is probably what made her a strong candidate for the NPR Baby Project, and she was chosen as only 1 of 9 expectant mothers across the WHOLE country to chronicle their stories of birth and the first few weeks of motherhood.  despite the fact that Finn did enter this world in a hospital on the mainland, actually getting to the hospital was an adventure that few of us have to worry or even think about.

we photographed Finn in the same house Sarah was born in….just that thought gives me tingles. i have to say, i have done a lot of sessions with babies, but this one just felt like home to my heart.

i have to say that i am not the only one who is sad to see the NPR’s Baby Project come to an end. i have so enjoyed reading Sarah’s blog and i am just praying that she will keep an online journal so i can still read her amazing words. click here to check out all of her entries….{click}.

{NPR Photograph Feature}

daily mantra: i feel we are all islands in a common sea…anne.lindbergh

daily mantra: the question is not what you look at, but what you see…{HDT}

i met up with some of my favorite families this month and over the next week will be sharing a few of those sessions. i met Brady and Nate (cutie patootie twins) last year, and they were a bit on the shy side. it is funny what a year can do, because the second we were together, they were impressing me with their latest looks and tricks and sharing their fun adventures. being a mom to girls, i feel like i miss out on this bursting action sequence that boys seem to have constantly and i think sometimes kids will put on a good smile for mom and pose together, but these two are natural little loves at heart, and it is so great to see the connection that they so clearly share with each other.

daily mantra: dreams come in a size too big so we can grow into them….{unknown}

there is nothing more special than getting to watch one of your best friends in the whole wide world get married. okay, there is one thing more special…getting to photograph that day too! Heather and i met as pregnant, first time (crazy) mom’s. we had a lot in common…both going to school for psychology, both were working full time, both of us were due at the same time, and both of us were having baby girls. we talked baby names and mutual pregnancy complaints and diagnosed each other with every mental disorder in the book to fill the time while we waited for our little ones to arrive…and when they finally did, the bond only became tighter. (my water broke in Heather’s new car, with leather seats…that really is a step up from friends if you ask me). and she was even there at both Mikki AND Katie’s births (for entertainment…the girl makes me laugh, what can i say.)

i guess if i had to share my best friend with anyone, it would be Josh…

and to see just how happy he makes her and her amazing kids fills my heart up to the tippy top with love for them both.

the heavy downpours during the day moved the wedding inside, but as you can see, it didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits.

{heather.and.josh}

“what advise would you give this couple?” the dj asked Grandma Dupuis and Grandpa Dupuis. (married 60 years)

“oh, just keep on truckin’”….said Grandma smiling and triumphant after the anniversary dance.

Grandpa chimed in…”follow the truck.”

….

pretty much the best advise….ever.

“look for beauty in the space between….” {unknown}

i grew up as an only child, but i have no less than 1,223 first cousins (slight exaggeration, but i have a TON….i bet its over 50), and getting together with them is like a scene out of the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, only we arn’t Greek. so when i see families come together for a session, it always feels perfect. most of you will recognize the older little sweetie as my 2 year in a row Cover Girl, Emery. and her darling little cousin is the lovely and joyful baby Nora. we all met up at one of my favorite locations in the whole world…Gilsland Farm in Falmouth, and the weather could not have been more perfect. many people have inquired on the blog if i have an affiliation with the Audubon, and i don’t, but whenever i get a chance to share this beautiful park with a family, i do. it is filled with trails, rare birds and flowers, bunnies, bees, turtles,  activities for kids, fat ground hogs, and some pretty tame turkeys has we found out on this session. (turkeys are very big up close….did you know that?) and best, its free.