Another summer quickly winds to an end, but not before I had the chance to reunite with this lovely family, who have been playing in front of my camera every year for nearly a decade….save one year during the Pandemic. Kate first reached out to me in 2017, after I had photographed her cousin’s family and she loved the photos. Since, then, I’ve got together with Kate, her hubby, James, and their sweet girls, Isabella and Jacqueline, for a couple of hours of love & playtime at the beach, usually we meet at the National Seashore, which I love, because the beaches there are soooo different than those here on the Upper Cape. It has been such a joy getting to watch this sweet family grow and blossom together.

I was looking back on our first session this morning and back then, the kiddos were just babies….Jacqueline, as cheeky as ever, was just walking and big sister, Isa, was a shy, but delightful little human who was happy to make new friends in Andy & Me. ( Click HERE for a look back. ) As I was photographing them on my own last week, I was wondering how many more of our sessions would be like this one…with the girls still happily hugging each other and their parents….so full of devotion to one another.

It’s a natural progression that as kids grow they start to pull away a little from their parents….snuggling and hand-holding is slowly replaced by huffing and eye rolls. I don’t have kids of my own, but I’ve seen it happen with all of the children in our lives. Our nieces and nephews used to love to come for sleepovers and would hang all over Andy and me. We were fun to them and snuggles came freely and often. We don’t see them much these days and the physical affection is very different….just quick teenager style side hugs “hello” and “goodbye”….if at all. It’s what you want for the beloved children in your life…you want them to grow and be independent. But, it’s a little heartbreaking too.

So, when I do these family sessions, particularly with families like this, where I get to see them year after year, I understand how precious these moments of togetherness really are and how one day, this kind of family time may stop for them…or change in unrecognizable ways, and so I put my whole heart into trying to capture what is….NOW, exactly as it is…while it still….IS. It’s a labor of love, knowing that one day, years from now as kids head off to college or get married, mom and dad will reflect on these photos, remembering when their (now grown) babies were still babies…hanging on their every word and finding great comfort in their loving arms.

I’m no brain surgeon and I’ve not done anything terribly noteworthy in my life, but I like to think that helping preserve these precious, fleeting moments isn’t nothing….it’s something; it comes from a place of profound love….and I’m eternally grateful to be a part of something so beautiful.

With that said….please say hello again to Kate & James and their lovely girls ~ Isabella and Jacqueline.

Jacqueline, who last time I saw her was playing football, has now turned her focus to javelin throwing and she’s quite good….aiming for a state title. Just loved this moment after she was practicing and Isabella fetched the javelin for her. I mean…..how sweet are they? Loving and supporting each other the way they do is so inspiring to me!

Nice form, Jaq!!!

She really hurls it too!!

And celebrates her efforts. Just love this moment of freedom that joy provides! Wish we could bottle this emotion and whip it out whenever life starts closing in, as it can sometimes do.

Getting some recognition for her efforts by dad, and snuggling up with mom. These are the moments….

Meanwhile, big sis, Isa, is into gymnastics and is fearless when it comes to leaping off very high rocks!! Look at her fly…..

I love the photo on the left because it just sums up Isa to me….she is quietly reflective, a deep thinker and a profoundly sensitive soul (from one sensitive soul to another…Isa I hope you know this is a superpower!! Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise!). She had gone down to this lone rock on her own and was just staring out into the ocean, soaking up the energy and the peacefulness, while marveling at the waves. I couldn’t help but marvel at her! And on the right….still her favorite place to be….in the arms of her sweet momma!! Be still my momma-loving heart!!

Jacqueline decided to join her big sister, standing on the big rock along the water’s edge. And, as requested by me of Mother Nature, she provided an unexpectedly large wave, which resulted in some pretty sweet action shots and fabulous reactions from the girls!

More acrobats from Isa (those are shorts in case anyone is wondering!! They came prepared to play.)

Our second year together, Kate brought her extended family to the session and at one point they all were running down the beach together, just playing and being silly and it made for some great candid moments captured in photos. Since then, the running down the beach has become a thing and it’s been fun to see how it’s changed…namely that Kate & James are no longer solidly in the front of the pack. lol.

Love this quiet moment…

Love this moment too…the way they’re all touching each other, just naturally, because the love is so strong, and also, the way Jac is naturally being her impish little self, while big sis, Isa, embraces that part of her. And, Kate….mom at the center of all of this family’s love….with protective Papa James holding it all together. This photo is, for me, entirely THEM in a nutshell.

Daddy and his baby girl….Isa was so sweet during this session. She’s getting to that age, where she’s almost too big for these lifts (not because SHE feels too old for them, but because her body is getting too big for them and for her parents’ backs.) At one point, toward the end of the session, she was trying to recreate a moment she’s enjoyed many times in the past during our sessions … swinging while holding a hand of each of her parents. But, she’s so tall, it was hard for her to do and she got a little emotional….it was heartbreaking and also very sweet, watching her absorb what this change meant.

My nephew was similar when he was Isa’s age, feeling apprehensive and a little melancholy about getting older. For some kiddos, they just aren’t excited about the responsibilities or natural separation from their parents that occurs as they grow up. What a beautiful testament to the tenderness of their empathetic heart and also the safe and loving environment their parents have created for them.  Just beautiful! I can’t help but feel a pang of sadness myself looking at this photo, understanding that this might be the last time I document James lifting Isa up like this….with such  joy plastered over both of their lovely faces. Life….what a ride, eh?!

Daddy and his girls….his lovely, lovely girls!

I really don’t have to direct these girls much at all when it comes to grabbing a great photo….they just love to be together and have fun in everything they do together. It is such a JOY to photograph them!! Like….sooooo fun!

Beauties…inside and out!

Whether snuggling on a rock or skipping stones, these two are always having fun together and in makes my heart sing!

I just love this action shot of Jacqueline…the joy is palpable as she went from skipping stones to chucking giant rocks. lol! Cheeky little monkey!

Family time = the BEST time.  And these four sweet people are so very bonded. Makes my heart sing to be around them.

Jacqueline is like me and LOOOOVES the doggos and can’t pass up an opportunity to make a new friend, which she did with this sweet pup who was walking by with his people. Just love this sweet exchange between the two of them. Dogs make everything better! EVERYTHING!

These two have been together for over a decade, but they still look at each other like this even when a camera isn’t pointing at them….and if that isn’t a win, I don’t know what is!

Love these sweet peeps!

Sisters and sorbet sunset skies….dreamy.

As has been the case since the girls were born, this family has a traditional of enjoying a group hug at the end of each day. We’ve incorporated this tradition into our family sessions and for me, it’s a kind of Shavasana.

For the non-yogis out there, shavasana is a yoga pose concluding most yoga practices, where you lie on your back, with your arms at your sides, palms up and legs relaxed with the feet turned out. It’s designed to deeply relax the body and mind. The goal is to release all muscular tension, surrender to gravity…to a very present state of mind and allow yourself to experience a state of deep, restorative rest….basically, it’s a big inner SELF HUG. And although I’m not physically hugging them, my spirit is most definitely in this moment of connection…a surrendering to love and a beautiful conclusion to our time together. 

Kate & James….THANK YOU, for allowing me, year after year, to document this time of togetherness for you and the girls. I just adore you all and treasure out time together!! I’m sorry we weren’t able to fit in some san camera time this summer, but PLEASE let’s make it happen next year! I want to throw a javelin, do cartwheels and play right alongside you all! Till then, sending love and big hugs and hoping these photos bring you as much joy as you all bring me!!

With love and deepest gratitude, C xoxo