Good thing I can juggle or there would be mini-crises all around me! To keep chaos to a minimum, I thought you may appreciate an update on my summer schedule and availability, as well as my maternity leave dates. As of this morning, I have one July session available (weekday only) and four August openings. In addition, I have limited slots for mini-sessions (for up to two people, in-studio only) in both months. As of September, I will be taking maternity leave. There is a *slim* chance I will take a few mini sessions, but at this time am planning on a break (I’ll be 8-months along). I won’t be returning to work until sometime in 2011 (month TBD).

If you have been considering a session, or have emailed for additional information, please complete the official contact form on the blog or email a request to book a session directly soon! Your date isn’t reserved until your session fee is received and they will be scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Meeting adjourned.

Now, on to fun stuff.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes I’ve been nesting a bit–purging bulky furniture, streamlining our possessions, organizing and working to make our house feel even more like home in the midst of a nomadic lifestyle. Here are a few goodies I have on the way to decorate our hybrid nursery/guest room, as well as add a little whimsy to our living spaces. Most of this collection is from CB2.com (I adore that store) — along with a sprinkle of ebay/overstock.com!

-Abacus, wall hanging for the nursery

-Skyline Bedding for guest bed

-Mobile for nursery

-Recycled “Edition” art print for our living room

-Hopscotch rug for entryway

-Eames-style rocker for living room

-Montessori Imagination print for Liam’s room

Communication with my husband on his aircraft carrier can be spotty. We don’t have the luxury of Skype (video conferencing) because their internet connection is basically the speed of dial-up service from 10 years ago. Phone contact is virtually non-existent too, unless they are in port (very rarely). Still, you won’t catch us complaining. When I think about my mother-in-law who got by on telegrams and sporadic letters that took weeks or months to arrive 30 years ago, I am so very grateful for the daily contact that a simple email can provide. There’s something intimate too, about writing to your spouse again. We dated long-distance for the first year of our relationship — and the letters we sent are still something I treasure. There’s something that flows differently in writing for me — with emotions stripped and text laid bare. It’s easier to pour out feelings, secrets and admiration…the written word is powerful and connective. We are SO blessed to have it available each day.

One of the best parts of our daily email is for my son Liam. He receives short videos from daddy, but I encourage him to write as well, and so we do. He just dictates what he wants to say and I type (often furiously if you’ve met him and know how fast he talks). I love that his letters are gushing with love–and show how his young, four-year-old mind is coming to grips with the separation from the person that probably means the most to him in his whole world. I don’t coach him and I don’t censor him, so what he says is just what daddy gets. And, he always adds his own typed “message” at the end along with his name. They bring joy to us, and an occasional tear–but more than anything, a sense of closeness. So while daddy is out of sight, he is never, ever out of our hearts. Especially Liam’s.

Letters to Daddy – from Liam

—————————————–

Hi Daddy

Please come back in another day. I can’t wait to see you — and I like Scooby Doo. And chicalay (ed: chik fil a) is so fun. And I love still my daddy and I can’t wait to see him. Can’t wait to pick him up. And I love you so much.

I was good at school. We made surfborads and people, but miss susan is going to stick people surf on our surfboards. I brought your Navy coin for show and tell.They liked it.

I did bob the builder mazes with mommy and painted them.

I was good at the pizza place. I ate cheese pizza. Then we went to a different playground at the beach. I just surfed on the surfboard and went down the fire pole and played with all my friends.

I love you. goodnight daddy.

wlllgjujnjbghuihncjb tb         jhijtyjhikjh         hkoh ukuokjk
h                     klhklk               7u

liam (he typed that by himself)

—————————————–

Daddy

When are you going to come back? Daddy I love you so much. Can you help me to feel better? My daddy is so good. I just went to church and the store and came back home.

Liam

—————————————–

Dear Daddy

Please come home. And dear daddy I love you so much. Dear daddy thank you for going on a ship and maybe it’s two or four more days or maybe five. And daddy I love you. And great grandma is still good. And my daddy is working for so long. Let’s sing one more song, “thanks for doing our help….duh duh duh”

Daddy I went to two parties today, the swimming pool, then miss Patricia’s. I swam, jumped of the diving board and slide. There was music and I danced.

At Mrs. Patricia’s we had food and friends. We found a turtle in the yard.

Please send me another video.

I love you
Liam

gdewasddxxxxvgggy4tfy
hgty78965555444444456667888889

Hi Daddy-
I love you so much and I love you. Mrs Sonia came to my pool today — and I love Mrs Sonia. And I still love you daddy. Whenever you come back I will be happy. And I love you forever and I miss you sooo much. And daddy, please wait to get home and wrestle with me every day when you come back home. And I love you and my daddy is so good. And I pray forever and I love my daddy, and mommy and finn and I love all you guys. And I love you daddy for all the days you give me. And I can’t wait for you to get home because I don’t know when you will come home. And I will wait for you because we are marking off the days. If you give me presents then I will be so happy, and I love you daddy for the rest of the day. And I can’t wait for you to get home. And daddy fly off the ship for a long time before you get home. Now we are going to watch a bedtime story (eta: Mike recorded bedtime stories on video before he left).

Liam
zwavcrthloi

I had bigger plans for this blog post, but after a long day of fun in the sun (and heat) with my 4- and 1-year-old, my body is exhausted. I am five months pregnant and on most days, almost don’t notice! It’s the honeymoon phase…I adore the second trimester. Today, however, being a single, preggers mama has caught up with me and I will likely turn off this computer, grab a tall glass of water and collapse into my bed in just a few moments.

My husband, Mike, deployed a little over a week ago on the USS Truman. He’ll be gone for seven months and my boys already miss him with heavy hearts. We are blessed in so many ways though; not the least of which is that this is his first deployment since we had children. There is more on our day-to-day to come, along with family photos we took before he left — images I wanted, no *needed*, to capture for my children so that they have a daily reminder of their daddy and how much he loves them.

For tonight, I will share a few snapshots I took in the hour before he left. They are not works of art, but more like works of heart. Holding a camera in that final hour was the last thing I wanted to be doing when really, I just wanted to hold my husband and my babies and never let go. But the moments were too important not to record somehow. We all needed something that showed we said goodbye and that now we wait: for my husband, who I admire more than any man on earth, for our daddy, who we love so much that it overflows from all of us, and our very own personal hero, who knows what is ahead, but has gone to meet it with a prayerful and servant’s heart.

One of my main goals for the next year is to archive my *own* family photos. I have drives full (backed up of course!), but haven’t assembled them into albums. It’s time I created a tangible archive of my own personal memories — so many are simply snapshots and not works of art. So many of these are my favorites. They are also a good reminder to keep shooting and savor ordinary moments. Moments when hair is tangled, when the light isn’t good, when we’re just being us.

A few of my family lounging in our bed last year…

You are 18 months old this week. Time is whizzing by, but for now you are my snuggler, my feisty one and my baby (for just a bit longer). How I adore you sweet Muffin.

xoxo,
mama

xoxo,

S.

XOXOXO
Stephanie

First, you must know that I’m a lover of words and stories at heart. These days, I prefer to use a camera to share them.

My hope:

Is that my sessions are filled with lucky shots that are no accident;
That I am not merely an observer, but a narrator;
and a craftsman that is masterful at fostering conditions that allow for real moments to unfold.

Anyone with an eye for composition and light can document life as it happens. I firmly believe it takes something more to dig beneath the surface–to evolve into a photographer who is not just a picture taker, but a picture maker.

There is a moment of extraordinary that can be extracted from every 10 minutes of ordinary. Capturing it is not about point of view, equipment or framing. Instead, it stems from connection: connection to who the photographer is as an artist, and most importantly, connection to the people being photographed.

What does love look like? Exhilaration? Exasperation? How did she gently twist your hair around her fingers when she was three? And, what did it feel like the day you first held his tiny hands in yours?

I aspire for my photographs help to tell the stories. Theirs. Mine. Yours too…

Our first two days were consumed by travel…and the kids held up surprisingly well. 25 hours after leaving Virginia Beach, we arrived at our hotel in Stuttgart, Germany. The next day we drove through Germany, Austria and Slovenia, finally arriving in Zagreb, Croatia around 11:30 PM.

Some of our closest friends are living here for a bit and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit them. There’s something magical about Europe — and even moreso visiting here with a photographer’s eyes. I lived in London in my early twenties and have visited a few tiems since. This trip is different though — I am a mother now. A photographer too. Everywhere I look is a photograph. I see so much more, feel so differently.

One of my favorite excerpts by Truman Capote sums this up well:

“It was right that I had gone to Europe, if only because I could look again with wonder. Past certain ages or certain wisdoms it is very difficult to look with wonder; it is best done when one is a child; after that, and if you are lucky, you will find a bridge of childhood and walk across it. Going to Europe was like that. It was a bridge of childhood, one that led over the seas and through the forests straight into my imagination’s earliest landscapes. One way or another I had gone to a good many places, from Mexico to Maine, and then to think I had to go all the way to Europe to go back to my hometown, my fire and room where stories and legends seemed always to live beyond the limits of our town. And that is where the legends were: in the harp, the castle, the rustling of the swans.”

So here I am – enjoying God’s creation, wonderful friends, my family of four, exotic food and delicious wine. Seeing anew and doing it with the best company I can imagine. It’s late now — and we’re still jet lagged a bit since the time is six hours ahead of the States. But, I leave you with these snapshots taken with my iphone. I’m taking photos with my pro gear too — but I enjoy the immediacy of these and their nostalgic feel. The low-pressure “point and shoot” style of capturing a moment. It seems a bit fitting for this journey.

arrival in ramstein, germany (they have an AMAZING family room at the USO)

the alps (as seen from the autoban)

chasing pigeons in zagreb

homemade meals in the evening

bestie nicole (+ finn + blythe)

saying goodbye is never easy, even when we know it’s coming. since we’re a military family, it comes all too often. we’ve lived in four states in the past two years– california, rhode island, florida and now to virginia (where we started). every farewell is difficult. we never get used to it. no one ever does.

this move is particularly bittersweet because our second son was born here, in my hometown, surrounded by family. our kids got to know their aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and great-grandparents. it was a special time, especially since we never imagined we’d have the opportunity to live near either of our families–at least for ten more years.

the sweet part is that we are returning to a phenomenal group of friends in virginia and an extraordinary church. it’s a familiar place that feels a lot like home. the kind of place where i want my kids to grow up–where families are the priority and the kids we know are surrounded by love.

i am a woman of faith and firmly believe God plants us where we are meant to be; he just uproots some of us more than others. because, although it is difficult, it is never more than we can handle.

during our short stay here, i’ve met an amazing group of photographers. the best part is that it’s easy for us to keep in touch online. so while i won’t be joining them for any more amazing girls’ nights (or spa days!) for awhile, i’ll still keep track of how they’re doing. thank you my generous, wonderful and talented friends…it has been a blessing to get to know you. if you’re looking for a florida photographer, please check them out:

stacy larsen: www.stacylarsenphotography.com
stacey woods: www.staceywoodsphoto.com
jennifer griffin: www.jennifergriffinphotography.com
kristie serra: www.kristieserraphoto.com
amy smith: www.amysmithphoto.com

and since no post is complete without photographs, i leave you with some goodies from my playdate with stacey and her amazing little ones earlier this week.

we were both wearing our mama hats too–toting little ones on our backs. here’s stacey: