Last month, I was contacted by Ali, a super sweet mom looking to get some photos of her two daughters while the family was enjoying the last few weeks of summer at their vacation home in Falmouth. She contacted me through the blog and had checked a box that indicated she heard about us from a family/friend.

It turned out she was a guest at a wedding we photographed several years ago and I remembered her because Andy or I (can’t remember which) had taken a super sweet photo of her and her now husband during cocktail hour and she had ordered a print. Her last name was different, so I didn’t know it was her until she let me know, but I was already feeling a connection to her through the very warm and friendly tone of her emails. And then she shared this,

“I hate to share news like this via email, but I am undergoing chemo this summer for breast cancer (almost done and all should be okay; they tell me it’s curable!). That said, I don’t look like myself and have to baby my hair etc. so would love to just capture pictures of our two daughters if that’s ok.”

(Note: Before writing this post, I asked Ali if it was okay to share and she agreed. Please send love and healing light out to her as you read this.)

My heart immediately burst wide open. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to send an email like that, particularly to someone you don’t know. But, there was something about her not wanting to be photographed that really got to me. Moms are typically the family documentarians and while the Cloud is chock full of millions of photos of the kids, there never seem to be enough photos of Mom. Understanding how fleeting this life is and how each stage of their children’s lives goes by so quickly, mom is often the one taking the photos….hoping to stop time, preserve the moment and create a memory for the whole family to enjoy. And, it broke my heart that Ali wanted to bow out of an opportunity to finally be in the photos with her babies.

Since I’ve been photographing families, I’ve always focused on the kiddos, but also gave special attention to the moments of momma bear enjoying her cubs, maybe because I have so few photos of me with my mom and no opportunity to make more. Maybe that was running through my mind when I gently urged Ali to be in even a few of the photos with her girls. Maybe it was wanting to give her something to look back on years from now and say, “Look how far I’ve come since that hard, scary time.”

Maybe it’s having had a health scare myself, which caused me to really realize how fleeting life is and that any opportunity we have to be in the moment with the ones we love most and have that documented ought never to be wasted, for those photos eventually become our most prized possessions. Or maybe I just can’t imagine doing a family session and not photographing the whole family.

Whatever it was, I’m not going to lie…I had a hard time with the concept of reuniting with lovely Ali and her super sweet hubby, Dave  –   the adorable, cuddling couple at Larry & Emily’s cocktail hour 14 years ago…….and not having them be snuggling and cuddling with their baby girls. But, I did what was asked of me……..mostly.

I admit, I did break out my best paparazzi moves a couple of times to sneak in a few cute candid moments that were just too good to pass up. They don’t have to order them and maybe Ali will feel self-conscious about how she looks right now…although I REAAAAALLY hope that is NOT the case!!! To me, and I suspect to everyone else, particularly those who know and love her best, she is beautiful…not because she’s got gorgeous hair (which she does) or beautiful eyes (which she does) or a winning, Crest commercial-worthy smile (which she does), but because she is a beautiful, warm, loving soul who is meeting life’s challenges with grace, dignity, and a healthy dose of humor, which, if you ask me, is HUGE! Sometimes, in life, we either laugh or we cry and when possible, I’m always going to choose laughter.

And laugh I did during this session!!

Ali & Dave’s girls, Claire and Caroline, are a trip…with a capital T! In addition to being utterly adorable and entirely irresistible, much like their mom (and dad….sorry, Dave not giving you nearly enough props in this post…and you deserve BIG ones! You are AWESOME!), they are beautiful, warm, kind little elfins, who also happen to love being photographed. Talk about a major trifecta win for a photographer.  I had so much fun with these peanuts. The only challenge was not being able to put down my camera and just play with them. But, that tends to be the hardest thing for me at pretty much all of my family sessions! lol.

We started the session at Ali & Dave’s home, then Dave and I walked down to the nearby beach with the girls while Ali, who was not feeling 100 percent drove to meet us. We stopped along the way to take some photos, which the girls were happy to oblige me with, particularly Claire, who could not get enough of being photographed. Thank you, lordie. I mean….can you stand it with these two cuties?

Claire is a very attentive big sister and although Caroline is definitely an independent-minded little lady, she seems happy to let Claire lead….for the most part.

Sisters…..hand-in-hand is how I hope you will venture forth in life always! Be still my heart.

Meeting Momma at the beach….with great big hugs! Swoooooon!

These lovely girls and their big personalities are shining through in these next few. So stinking cute!

Shining, happy little people.

Cute, cute and more cute.

Taking a break from photos to go give mom and dad a little cuddle.

Love this tender moment as Clair tries to fix her baby sister’s hair as they head to meet me down the beach for more photos.

Beauties…inside and out!

It isn’t always the case that I meet kiddos who enjoy being photographed as much as these two. Sometimes it’s like pulling teeth to get them to look at the camera, never mind come up with their own adorable poses. Lol!

Pretty in pink…

Looking for beach treasures and flashing some of that BIG personality. I just adore these two, who, by the way, launched right into very engaging conversation with me the minute I got out of my car at their house…like, “Oh cool. Our new BFF is here!” Seriously….so much fun with this sweet, sweet family!

In this next one, I asked the girls to walk down the beach and then come back to me, holding hands. Caroline decided to improvise and pretend she was telling Claire something either very important, very secretive or maybe she just thought it would look super adorable. Whatever it was…I was all about it!

EDIT: In my excitement to share this session, I forgot two of my most favorite images from the session. I love them because, well, Ali is in one, but also because I think they both showcase these sweet girls’ personalities so perfectly. Claire is showing me how much she loves her momma and Caroline…she’s trying to tell me something with her pointed finger and her hand around her mouth, emphasizing the importance of whatever she was chattering on about. I say all of that with much love for this adorable little cherub! She is pure delight. They both are!! Correction…they all are!

When we were all done, I hung around for a bit and watched as the girls just played with their dad. Chucking stones in the water seems to be a universally favorite beach activity.

Before I end this post, I thought it best to return to where it all began…so here’s a look at Ali and Dave back when they were babies themselves (figuratively speaking) at Larry & Emily’s Cape Cod wedding. Dave was a groomsman. And one of my paparazzi candids of them snuggling as they watch their actual babies play on the beach….with love clearly still a HUGE thing between these two lovely people.

Ali & Dave, thank you both soooo much for sharing yourselves, your story and your beautiful babies with me in such a real way! It was so so good seeing you both again. Ali, thank you for opening up to me and letting me in. I am sending so much love, light and healing, healthy wishes your way. May you look back on these photos years from now, with cancer firmly in your rear view mirror and remember not how you looked or how crummy you felt, but how strong and resilient you were and most importantly….how VERY, VERY loved you have ALWAYS been.

With big hugs and love, Christine xoxo