the world is alive, blinking and clicking, winking at us slyly, inviting us to get up and dance to the music that’s been playing since the beginning of time, if you bend all the way down and put your ear to the ground and listen for it….{shauna.niequist}

melt. what is better than an evening at the beach? spending an evening at the beach with my stunning August couple, Jillian and Jason, who drove all the way up from the Boston area to take a chance on this beach location in Maine. the day was tucked between a full week of rain and cold weather…with another set to come this week. well,  we both got lucky. warm, gooey sun, and such fun and amazing people to photograph….heaven!

soooo….things have been busyyyyyy……

my sleep deprived self cant really remember what i have done in the last 6 weeks, but i can tell you that there is proof i was actually here.

i am posting 5 FACTS on FRIDAY  for the next few months so i can actually document, physically, my semi-consciousness:

fact 1: i know for SURE i shot a wedding two weeks after giving birth, and you know what? that was insane, but it went great!

fact 2: sleep deprivation and feeding/changing/changing again/rocking/shhh-ing the baby…. has cut out a lot of time sucking internet activities… except PINTEREST….

fact 3: i can’t wait for Maine summer days filled with THIS:

fact 4: i had to stop breast feeding William because of a very, very bad infection. after exclusively formula feeding my two girls, i was really enjoying this aspect of new motherhood and i still get sad about it every night (aren’t nights the worst for thinking thoughts?!) while i am fixing him a bottle. in the end, i knew i did all i could to breastfeed, but i still feel a great loss.

fact 5: THIS makes all of fact 4 okay:

I have been infinitely blessed this year in many ways. . . the birth of my sweet boy, the health and happiness of my family, and the continued growth and success of my little business. . . I have so much joy I  literally feel like I walk around in a bubble of warm hugs.

So, I am having a sale…and there is more to this sale than just an ordinary ticket price, so keep reading:

Session Cost: $499

Includes the following:

A custom portrait session for 2-3 hours.

A full set of digital files, in FULL resolution, that includes all of the fully edited photographs in your session with full printing rights and suggestions on where to print for the best results. Also includes a custom cd and case. (regular price $900)

1 {24 x 30} canvas OR 2 { 16 x 24 } canvases {regular price $600}

 Beautiful, luxury wrapped canvas:

Did I mention I feel blessed this year? I do.

So this year, 15% of all family session fees will be donated strait to Good Shepard Food Bank, helping families right here in Maine!

 Further Session Details: Because of my busy schedule this year and with the addition of our little one, I will not be traveling this year for family sessions. Sessions will take place in the Rumford area only. (I promise, the drive WILL be worth it). Your session even includes the shipping of products to your door…this is an all inclusive session fee! A deposit of $100 is due at the time of booking. The remaining amount ($399) is due at the time of the session. The deposit is non refundable. Rain dates will be suggested at the time of booking just in case the weather is less than favorable. I am more than happy to offer payment plans, as long as the total amount is paid in full at the time of the session. I will not be offering any other sessions lower than this price this year…these are the only available dates until 2013.

This year I will not be conducting the traditional newborn, maternity, or couple/engagement sessions (outside of my weddings clients). My goal is to photograph the family as one interconnected, complete entity from this juncture moving forward.

The following dates are available for children/family sessions:

May 6

May 27

June 9

June 10

June 16

June 17

August 26

October 20

October 21

i had to share my reality. i think so many people concentrate too heavily on what ISN’T real in newborn photography. this is what is real. mom’s call or text me heavyhearted at 10pm on the day before their sessions telling me how tired they are, how their house is messy, how the baby scratched him/herself, how they don’t think they look good in any of their clothing, how they aren’t feeling anything they expected to feel…at all…about being a new mom…

‘you are perfect. don’t worry. i will be there at 9:30′…i say.

this is my house. this is baby #3 (you would think i would have this whole housewife/photographer/mom/maid thing down, right? nope).

this is MY newborn.

i had good intentions of photographing him in LOTS of hats. LOTS of blankets.

he HATES hats. (i can’t blame him…he has great hair)

he likes ONE blanket (i bought it 3 week before his birth for $15…after spending close to $300 on other, prettier blankets)

his crib…he hates it. i hate it too. its huge.

i am still wearing my maternity yoga pants right now…this very minute. my ‘fat jeans’ fit, but they are tight even though i have lost all but 10 lbs of my 45lb maternity weight gain.

i shaved………………a while ago………….a WHILE ago.

i have cooked like ONE meal in two weeks….i love to cook so this is a big deal.

i cried watching The Office last night…at 12am (or was it it 2am? i can’t remember…it wasn’t even sad.)

this is my reality. its Wednesday (i think). 16 days later. i love it.

….and i didn’t ever have time to do anything again.

this is the first day i have actually sat down in front of my computer in about a week. a whole week. before having the baby i barely moved away from it….couldn’t live WITHOUT it. these days, correspondence is via iPhone or iPad or telepathic or even hand written letter, all from the couch or the bed, or the kitchen…baby swaddled in the crook of my arm, controlling the iPad from the counter, phone up to one ear, pacifier in MY mouth because it keeps falling out of his mouth and onto the floor.

i think back to the transition from 1 child to 2. that was tough. that was…insanity.

going from 2 children to 3 is…easier. you are already crazy, you have accepted the crazy, you may have embraced it even. sure, it frustrates you that it has taken 3 days to fold one basket of clothing, or that the beds haven’t been made for 2 weeks, or that the emails are piling up in your inbox and you know that the only time you have to respond is between the 3 and 5am breast feeding session…but you move on, oblivious to the fact that you may or may not have changed your shirt for the past 48 hours, or when the last time you even got a chance to go to the bathroom.

William is a snuggle bug. i love that. he smiles…all the time. he laughs when he pees on me (obviously this is VERY funny to him…not so much to me). he is a grunter but not really a crier unless he is REALLY hungry or really wet…is rarely quiet even when he sleeps. he dreams big. i stare it him for hours, hoping not to miss a moment of his newness. he is strong, and beautiful and perfect and life affirming. (i am pretty sleep deprived so maybe this is the haze of exhaustion taking over), but i am truly the happiest i have ever been…

ever…

in my whole life.

i love paper. i always have.

i love pictures. and babies. and pictures of babies. and pictures of babies on fancy cards that feel like fabric to the touch.

these came in this morning and i cannot help but share. these custom created announcements are FREE as part of my baby plan. my printer has upped the artsy on the shape and cuts and it allows for such creative, unique designing that really showcases the photographs so beautifully.

good thing they always send a couple of extra so i can keep one too.

for more information on the baby plan please click  here.

February will be our last month as “us”. “us” meaning just the 2 of you, meaning ‘just us girls’, meaning the tight family of 4 that we have been for almost 6 years. it is the last month of uninterrupted nights, the last month where we don’t have to worry about 2-4 hour feeding schedules and nap times, and diaper changes. in March, we will become a family of 5. this unexpected, unplanned addition of your little brother will make our house seem smaller, our car  too cramped, our lives more hectic, our sleep less slept, our laundry pile significantly larger (how can that even be??), and our hearts….infinitely bigger.

i worry as a mom. i worry that our little pact of ‘the Burse Girls Club’ might disconnect some…after all, we have all done a lot of growing up together over the last (gulp) 9 years. hard to say who has grown up more….i think it might be me. i told myself from the beginning of my pregnancy that we (or i) would be ready for him when he came, but i must have been fooling myself. have i learned nothing as a mother?  you are never really ready for anything as a parent.

you just fake it with love and hope you won’t need to call in mental health reinforcements, or an ambulance in the end.

i wasn’t ready for 2, but after a year of ‘adjustment’ (adjustment = failing miserably, falling flat on my face more than i care to admit even to myself, and giving up on sanity in general) i felt more fortunate every day to have the two most loving little girls. you guys have made me appear to others like i knew what i was doing with this whole parenting thing. when…..i don’t. at all.not even a little.

i just got lucky.

so, with all this worry, i decided to take on a project for a month to capture “us” as we are now. just the every day stuff mostly…’come as you are’ style. because i know “us” will change with William’s arrival.

for the better. for the crazier. but it will change.

love always my darlings,

in this very digital age, it feels so good so give something real, something beautiful, and something you can actually hold in your hand as a document of your momentous, yet very short day (just a day…does it seem fair that a wedding is just ONE day after all of the planning and love that goes into it!).

these boxes, wrapped in fine linens or imported silk,  remind me of my grandmother’s paper mache box that was tucked in the back shelf of her closet. it was filled with her most treasured mementos. wedding photographs, dress lace, a curl of my fathers black baby hair in a time stained envelope, my grandfather’s World War II medals….handkerchiefs. i would go through them with my little fingers….and she would smile as she told the story of each one.

and another goody came in today….and i keep taking back out of the box to look at it….

i just LOVE this storyboard I designed for Natacha and Chris (and their sweet pup). printed on linen based Fuji paper, backed with a sturdy core, and then finished with a protective spray,  this 16 x 24 print will last for 100 years (or more!).

this was in Rachel’s parents room. i bet they pass it 100 times a day. in the bathroom next to it, one of my favorite noises. friends, bridesmaids, and bride getting ready in an organized chaos of hair spray, mascara, toe nail polish, and face powder. laughter. i found this quote to be quite fitting of a home so full of it.

Rachel’s mom made her dress…and with it hanging in the living room all I could do was stand in front of it in awe. I see plenty of pretty dresses, but somehow a handmade dress always feels more perfect. More, I feel like I should run home and learn to sew before the girls grow up so I can make theirs too. She also painted the stairwell purple to match Rachel’s wedding colors and I couldn’t help but showcase that in the shoe shot.

She wouldn’t let her walk down the isle without it being just right….

Can I just say a special thank you to the wedding party. This wedding was a very chilly day on December 10th, and in this race against the sun setting we had planned out every pose by the second. I could not have done this without an incredible group. Despite not getting above 25 degrees, with the addition of a vicious wind probably making it feel even colder, I have to say that this is one of my favorite times of year to photograph.

our 35 + emails regarding step by step, minute by minute posing, paid off…huge.

and then it was time for the fun…

Rachel quote: “Dan loves to dance…get lots of shots of him dancing.” No prob.

And so it comes to an end. The very last wedding of 2011. I have to say, this has been one crazy, beautiful, and blessed season. Being pregnant has certainly added an interesting dynamic to the whole endeavor, but I am so thankful baby William (due in mid March) and my ever growing belly were more of a welcome sight than one of “Oh my God, I can’t believe your photographer is pregnant”, thing… which I said to myself…countless times in fact…as I was driving off to photograph another wedding.

Love and Warm Wishes to all of my Beautiful Couples!!!

i thought i would end the year off with a post showing what i love to do more than anything. and i can’t think of a better bride to conclude my blogging for 2011. Kate and Jason’s wedding day was simply the best way to end my regular wedding season….the colors were vibrant, the temperature was perfect, and their family and friends made the day so warm and so inviting for all.

Kate’s sister, Madeline,  is an amazing, amazing make up artist. How lucky can a girl get!

The ceremony was at the gorgeous Red Barn on Overlook Farm. I have never seen a venue cater to a couple more elegantly, and they location is STUNNING.

I couldn’t have asked for a more fun wedding party….

Kate and Jason

The Reception:

some of my favorite bouquet shots EVER…love the girls in the background.

Kate is a ballerina (could you already tell?), so the reception was FILLED with amazing dancers and people not shy at all about showing their skills. Even the moms got in on the fun.

daily mantra:

i no longer believed in the idea of soul mates, or love at first sight. but i was beginning to believe that a very few times in your life, if you were lucky, you might meet someone who was exactly right for you. Not because he was perfect, or because you were, but because your combined flaws were arranged in a way that allowed two separate beings to hinge together.