1. You are a hero for your kids. You are. You’re a go-the-distance, fight-the-dragon, face-the-challenges hero for your kids. Taking a beating makes that more true. Not less.

2. We all struggle. Every parent. Everywhere. We all second-guess ourselves. And we all want to quit sometimes. Hold the good times close, and when things are tough, remember, “this, too, shall pass.”

3. Finding the funny may not save your soul, but it will save your sanity. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Either way, look for the humor and embrace the crazy. Laughter is a lifeline.

4. Every day, you will feel like you have mishandled something. Like you’ve been impatient. Like you’ve misjudged. Like you’ve been too harsh. Like you’ve been too lenient. You may be right. Apologize if you need to and then, whatever. Seriously. Just whatever. Let it go.

5. The crazy, the crying, the cuddles. The screaming, the sacred, the scared. The minutes, the magic, the mess. It’s all part of it. And it’s all worth it.

6. Family is the best. Even when it’s not perfect. And it’s never perfect. Ever.

7. At the end of organization, at the end of patience, at the end of perfection, we die to ourselves. And then love rises from the ashes. It sucks. And then it gets better. And then it sucks again. Still, love rises.

8. You will never regret parenting. Except for the teeny, tiny tons of times when you secretly wonder if you maybe regret it just a little. But, overall, never. And overall is what counts in the end.

9. Parenting is like climbing the big mountain. Look for the base camp. That’s where you rest, meet other climbers, take in oxygen and acclimatize. Base camp is what makes summiting possible.

10. You are not alone in this strange, vast, parenting ocean. Even in the dark of night. You are not alone. You’re not.

11. Kids know the way to magical and they’ll give you a free pass to come along. Breathe in the magic as long as you can, because that same kid is going to poop his pants in just a minute.

12. There’s a very fine line between enjoying the chaos and barely surviving. Actually, there’s no line at all. It’s all mixed up together. That “fine line” thing is a lie.

13. If you pay attention, kids will teach you how to laugh loudly, how to love deeply and how to live fully. They will also ruin all your stuff.

14. Any number of kids is a lot of kids.

15. Look for joy. You’ll find it in the middle of the busy. Or under the ridiculous. Or hanging from the overwhelmed in its underpants. Joy’s like that. It’s in the middle of everything. It’s completely unpredictable. And it will surprise you when you’re not expecting it. Like vomit and diarrhea, except good.

16. You will fall apart and do it all wrong. Forgive yourself. Ask your kids to forgive you. Set an example of resilient fallibility. Set an example of practicing the art of love — both loving yourself and loving others. No one does this parenting gig right the first time. Or the last time. Or the times in between. Showing your kids how to keep going after getting it wrong is a wonderful gift to give them.

17. Kids are difficult, gross, confusing and awesome. So are you.

18. Parenting will bring you face-to-face with yourself. It may be terrifying. It may break you. But it will also rebuild you, and you will be stronger than you ever thought possible.

19. Balance is a myth. Parenting isn’t a tight-rope walk; it’s a dance. Strive for rhythm instead of balance, and trust yourself to move to the ever-changing beat.

20. Yes, you will have days where you wonder where the hell the capable and organized you went. Yes, you will sit on the floor of the main aisle at Target by the check-out area with a child who is thrashing, screaming and calling you names. Yes, you will have to tell your child that the dog is not a napkin and to put down the urinal cake. If you do not do all those things literally, then you will do them figuratively. And yes, you will also hold that child and rock back and forth and tell him you love him and tell him he’s safe and tell him you’re not leaving even though he will someday leave you. This is parenting. It is tragic and triumphant. Messy and magical. Sacred and spectacular. And it is, always, fiercely worthwhile. {huffingtonpost.com}

Melt….I love babies!

Willow Grace arrived on March 15th at 1:50am. I was due to be induced at 7am…she decided to come completely on her own. We have been truly blessed with her…and this last week has been a blur of sleeplessness and bliss.

I will be on maternity leave until April 8th. Emails will be answered, although I admit that I have barely been able to sit at the computer for more than 5 minutes at a time, so it may be slow.. I request their be no text requests from clients at this time…I care barely remember my own last name, and yesterday I forgot to shave one of my legs after shaving the other. I have hopes that some brain function will return soon. Hahaha

Thank you for all of the well wishes and support, and thank you for letting my family enjoy this blessed time.

xoxox, Amanda

The new gift cards just arrived, and I am IN LOVE with these custom made goodies! I am a self admitted paper nut, but the thick feel to these is so luxurious I find myself picking them up again and again.  A gift card is a perfect gift to give any new mommy to be who will want to photograph those precious moments in their little bundle’s first year. (Thank you Addy and Emma for your perfect newborn sweetness! (session.here) )

classy and fabulous…..CoCo

i found myself quoting that to the girls a couple of days ago out of the blue. Mikayla agreed 100%. Katie said she would rather just be fabulous. i take what i can get. but these little girls, on the other hand, were both, and i couldn’t help but share this session on the blog today.

one thing i love about photographing kids, is that they always give you what is real. that may not be a smiling expression. it may be pensive…it may be filled with emotion. that is just the good stuff. eventually, little ones will warm up to the camera and give the smiles, but the initial stuff is what is meaningful and honest. when new photographers message me and ask for advise on shooting children, i always say…capture them as they are. you don’t need a prop. you don’t need a ridiculous bow or a funny hat (although those can be fun too!)….they will give you all you need.

sugar and spice….and all that great stuff!

The inn was really a lovely backdrop for a warm, intimate feeling wedding.

Weddings are stressful…and this isn’t the first time I have seen this familiar pink bottle. When in doubt, skip the champagne and go right for the Pepto.

Anna and Matt chose to do a first look, which was wonderful considering the short amount of light we had available to us that day.

the.ceremony

The bridal party was such a great mix of friends and family that were SO much fun.

Anna and Matt:

photographer note: before this wedding, I purchased the new Canon 5D Mark III. Hands down, this camera saved the day with its high iso capabilities when getting ready took an hour longer than expected. These pictures were taken in near pitch black.

The Reception:

I rarely get a chance to eat the cake, but this prego mama was not about to turn down one of these cupcakes. They were JUST as yummy as they were beautiful.

With such a fun wedding party, the dancing was bound to be good!

The best gift you can give your photographer, is time…

I am still convinced my grandmother was the original Emily Post, so I have the manners of any proper play room princess. It is impolite to keep your guests waiting too long at your reception while you take photographs, and not only that, after the months of planning and stress, you want to be able to enjoy your reception. I want that too.

I love these photographs of Christa and Nick taken back in July. We discussed timing for months. In the end, we decided to sneak away during a lull in the reception. Both of them were able to greet their guests, have their dinner, and then we were all more relaxed for these sunset shots on the beach.  We had captured their wedding party and group shots earlier in the day, so we were free to breathe and work on every pose in privacy. It wasn’t too rushed, and it was more intimate.

It is so liberating to hear my couples say that great photographs are on the top of their priority list. I encourage clients to make a MUST have list of photographs that include not only details and family and friends, but poses and ideas for couple shots as well. There is a wealth of online knowledge (it is overwhelming, really)…feel free to send me links and pictures, Pinterest pins, texts and tweets. The more communication you have with me (or with any photographer) the better.

Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second….Marc.Riboud

I am still playing catch up with blogging some of my favorite fall sessions. These of Noah and his mom and dad are just some of my favorites ever!

This chair came in handy! Boys have such an incredible amount of energy, and I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t have one of my own now. I just adore how loving this little man is…but it doesn’t surprise me. I have been photographing Caroline and Nate since they were  engaged.

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