i love this trio. how lucky and honored was i to be asked to shoot them again. you may remember these adorable siblings from here. they've grown so much and so i have i. bluelime is always a work in progress - amazing what time can do.
this time we met at a very cool cemetary in new hampshire on a perfect autumn day. it turned out to be a great place for us to explore and for michael, bella and sophie to turn on their wonderful charm. they call me "miss meg" - i love that. i also love the obvious joy these three have for each other - it's so evident in the way they hug, smile and talk to each other. family love, that's what it's all about. eileen thanks so much for thinking of me again - your babies are precious and i loved spending time with them - hope you enjoy your rather large sneak peek. just because. xo
everything the awe inspiring mary swenson touches turns to the ultimate in fabulous. for beautiful and swoon worthy photography check out her blog - it's pretty good (and believe me, it's more than pretty good! it's pretty darn incredible!) mary is a contributor at project wedding, and the wedding chicks. she is a writer and stylist and can be found on kirtsy. there's really nothing mary can't do. she recently gave the readers of the stir (a cafemom blog) a tour of her super fantastique antique house in the beautiful seacoast town of newburyport, mass - where i happen to live. and quite ironically mary and i met each other on the internet and then realized we were neighbors. so of couse adoring all things mary was meant to be! i think it's official! i'm a groupie!! xo
she saw the sign and screamed with glee, "mommy i'm so happy i could cry"! and she did. oh my heart. imagine that pure joy from something as simple as a sign. but of course it wasn't just any sign, it was the american girl storefront. she spotted it like the perfect stealth pilot, i was happy she did because if she hadn't announced it at that moment we would have driven right by. after she said that with tears i started the tears. i was so happy that i made my little girl happy. spending time with her and only her was my goal today. and it was delightful.
i had made reservations the night before online for our lunch at the bistro and was so happy i decided to check the website out for driving directions because the line for lunch was unbelievable. we were immediately escorted to our private little table in the corner - all nice and cosy and PINK. pink pink pink as far as the eye can see. actually the interior design of the american girl bistro is fantastic. [i tried to research online who the design firm was but didn't have any luck] it was lovely looking out and seeing so many moms, grandmoms, aunts, sisters all with the little girls in their life. i was chatting with the woman sitting at the next table about why didn't we think of this??!! a clever concept this american girl is. a very cool "treat seat" is on hand so your bitty baby or doll, in annie's case her beloved lily, can sit at the table too. with a little plate and cup as well! their signature drink is pink lemonade. natch. and only my child would order the spaghetti and meatballs! the menu was very healthy actually - her meal was served with carrots and celery with ranch dressing and fresh fruit.and she ate it all. perfect. but not as perfect as the brownie lollipops displayed in a glass full of white sugar sprinkled with pink.
we ate, shopped, and conquered the american girl store. annie chose two new outfits for lily and of course couldn't resist having her own "treat seat" for home. (she ate her dinner this evening with lily sitting at her side) any place that encourages girls to dream, grow, aspire, create and imagine is fine by me.
i made my little girl happy today.
i'm so happy i could cry.! [and collapse from exhaustion!]xo
[very interested in the happenings at the next table - guess what annie wants for her birthday?]
[here she's singing mama mia to lily and me - we both love abba!]
[clever wall hooks for your dolls - even in the bathroom stalls!]
[annie has her eye on julie - the cool gal from 1974 - and her fabulous mary tyler moore with a dash a rhoda morgenstern inspired furniture!]
[imagine that - two back to back posts about american girl]
“Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes.” (g. naylor)
very true words. since moving to fl. he is no longer a car ride away from me. and i miss that feeling - knowing i can see his face in three hours. a lot has changed since my mom passed away but what hasn't changed is the way i feel about my dad. the man who has always been larger than life to me. the man who could bring me to my knees with just a look. we all know that feeling. you know the one when you're sitting in church and you are nudging your brother, he nudges you back - you're not behaving! oh yes, that look - a simple little lean in, a simple little "look our way" and we were done. if only i could have such power! the man who fed me my desire for photography without even knowing it. i tried to find a photo of me with my dad when i was little. i'm sure it's there somewhere but i couldn't find one. and then i realized, like me, he was always behind the lens not in front of it. he is the man i always sought approval from. still do. the man who taught me how to ride my bike, encouraging me to keep pedaling as i sailed across the front yard on my green schwinn. i can still picture that moment. he is the man who demanded respect, even from a 4 year old, i would always say "yes ma'am!" (i always confused the ma'am and the sir.) the man who brought me to paris when i was 17 because i managed to "bring my grades" up my senior year in high school. the man who took me to dinner at locke-obers in boston and told me how when he was at m.i.t. he could never afford to take my mom to dinner there. i asked him if he ever thought that some day he would take his youngest of five there for dinner and his answer was "yes, i did". the man who told me after touring my first apartment in boston, "if there's ever a fire, do me a favor, jump!" - ah yes that was some bad apartment! the man who taught me and my sisters his barbershop tags so we could sing in harmony. the man who always took my friends out to dinner so we would have a "decent" meal - we were young college grads making our way. the man who was so incredibly generous he was deemed the name "dollar bill". the man who tells you a story by leading you on this journey and then zap you with the punchline. so very funny. the man who made pancakes on the weekends. the.best.pancakes. the man who would make us get up at 7am on a saturday during the summer to weed the vegetable garden. what i wouldn't give to weed that vegetable garden right now! the man who loves to cook and made the best eye round on the grill. i can still taste it this very moment! the man who forgot me and left me behind at the salt water taffy store in stone harbor when i was 5 and felt so bad that he bought me the biggest barbie coloring book and new crayons. i was in heaven. the man who didn't yell at me when i took the entire row of shrubs out with my mom's car before i got my license. the man who always gave his children the best summer vacations. the man who works harder than anyone i know who apologized to me on my 30th birthday because he wasn't around a lot while i was growing up - he traveled so much for business. i'll never forget that. the man who was always so genuine and cool with my friends. the man who said to me upon just giving birth to my daughter, "aren't you clever." the man who lost his own father when he was 15. the man who loves unconditionally. this man. my father. you'll always be my hero. you'll always be treasured. i love you.
happy father's dad.
xo
my daughter asked me how to fly, never thinking she could not learn. she thinks i have the recipe for flight. so we climb a tree and watch the evening sky. and wait for the necessary ingredients. [m. duval]
she's officially four and a half today. amazing where the time has gone. she is such a funny little girl. so aware of time but not really understanding it at all. she announced this morning that she felt just a little bit older. "like pluto....just a little little bit." how can you not love her completely, her heart, her soul, her breath. she is everything i've dreamed of and everything i thought possible in this world. you CAN fly annie - i see you do it every day! happy half birthday you silly little tallulahbelle. i love you so.
she had a conference with her angels before breakfast.
decided how to spend her day:
climb trees. run fast.
sing at the top of her lungs.
do the dishes tomorrow.
(m. duval)
the original bluelime muse has returned. jenni. my dear friend jenni. who always obliges me when i point my lens in her direction. the only one i know who can make a $9 dress from the gap look good with a pair of vivienne westwood pirate boots. my friend, who laughs at all my stupid jokes, who knows what song or movie line i am quoting, who gets it when i tell her about the smallest bump in my motherhood journey that overwhelms me and even though weeks perhaps months pass in between our visits, it's as if we had just seen each other for coffee that very morning. xo.
