To my Dots.

The time has come. This letter month. I am always amazed at what we do in a month. What we learn. How things have shifted. What you are learning in school. We are a month away from the end of another school year. The next tooth you lost, the growth spurt, the new food you tried, the Kumon pages, the tiny zit that appeared, the newest wrinkle on my face, Passover, your not so straight hair that you want straight, the new bracket in your mouth, your new routine in the morning, your broken nail, the harder book you read to me, the math test you aced, the games you downloaded on your itouch, the DC Cupcake, Temple Run, my gained pound, new artwork you brought home from school, Easter, the anticipation of what makes you the most anxious, getting through it, my love for Frango Mints, your love for Frango Mints, celebrating your twin cousins birthdays, my failed cleanse, the coldest shoot you sat for me, the job I did not get. The season has been unseasonably unseasoned. We have had snow in April, well, flurries, but still. It is usually in the 70′s and 80′s by now. You are another month older. I am so happy about the things we have been able to celebrate. Even the tiniest of things. We are working towards our goals. We are finding ourselves. We are transforming. We are being vulnerable together. That there is no shame or fear in our vulnerabilities. We are learning from our mistakes and celebrating our amazing strengths. I am reading “Daring Greatly” with Brené Brown. She is teaching me to be a better parent through pushing through, leaning in, through knowing how vulnerability is one of the best emotions and things you can have as a parent and as a child. It is moving through all of these things in life that we somehow fear or feel shame from, it is learning to cope, it is learning to grab it in it’s tracks and transform from the feelings into strength and resolve. This is a month of grace, with resolute and uncanny vulnerability and socking it in the face, acknowledge it, grow from it and move up, over, down, sideways or lean into it. And that all of us have these things. From Brené Brown’s Parent Manifesto: “You will learn that you are worthy of love, belonging, and joy every time you see me practice self-compassion and embrace my own imperfections…..I will let you see me and I will always hold sacred the gift of seeing you……and live and love with my whole heart and dare greatly…” These are the things I am so passionate about and what I want to teach you and for you to know.

These images were taken April 11, 2013 at the Eckert Family farm.

Please link to our wonderful and inspiring blog circle. Next is one of my dearest and sweetest photographer friends, Amy Lucy Lockheart out of Minneapolis, MN.

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We had a ball this spring break. It was full of fun and activity. Mom slacked in the picture taking category this week so, next month we will be sure to take more of you.  These images were taken at Purina Farms. Nestle Purina has a beautiful farm about 1/2 hour from our house and spring is the perfect time to go. This day was unseasonable warm, we wore short sleeves and took a jump in their hey bails. We spent most of the day chasing after little chicks, bunnies and kitties and dogs. You were in awe of the dog show. Those dogs did some pretty cool tricks and you just looked up with your mouths open most of the show. We had a ball with our friends. After the farm, we went to the nature reserve up the street and played and took a walk on acorn path. It was the perfect day. Just hanging out, laughing and appreciating all of the new life that comes with springtime. I think next time we need to take a picnic.

Love you,
MOM

Please turn your attention to my friend, Debbie Wibowo and her fabulous letter to her daughter.

Please click around our awesome little 10 group. Next up the awesomely rad Wendy Laurel out of Maui, Hawaii.

Dear L,

We got to Orlando with a short overnight stay before loading onto our Disney Cruise. We were officially in “limbo” trying to stave off all the exhaustion of travel with the anticipation of seeing your beloved cousins for the first time in months. And I knew chaos would ensue. I caught some low afternoon light that sparked a mini portrait session. You were able to sit still for only a few sweet minutes. But for a mom behind a camera, it is heaven. I got you to relax from jumping between both beds with your sister to capture these. I will treasure them always. Just you me and light. All three of us danced. I am always intrigued at the light. How different it is in almost every place we go, how it shadows your beautiful skin, how cold or warm the light is in the room, and how light can change the color in an instant. I wanted to remember you in this light and what it represented in the week to come. These little portraits represented all the love and light that poured on you all week while you spent it eating gobs of ice cream, eating all hours of every day, swimming, going on the water slides, visiting a Princess or two, seeing Minnie, playing water games with your cousins, seeing how many different things we could do in a day. You didn’t want to be without your cousins for the entire week. It is a special week when your meme and pop brought you on a trip of a lifetime to be showered with love and light by your family. The memories, light and love will always be with us.

xoxo
Mom

Please turn your attention to Colorado Photographer, Sara Cornish of My 4 Hens for her amazing tribute to her daughters.

Dear M & L,

We went to a tree farm. Your very first visit. You could not wait to check out everything on the land from the tiniest tree needles to running up and down the rows to playing hide and go seek to counting how many stumps there were to picking out your favorite tree. You wanted to soak it all in. Just being outside and being together. Everything you do and say is all about light and love and hugs and giggles. You like to collect flowers, rocks, grass, plants and pretty anything portable. You carry it almost as if it is the last of it’s kind on earth, still living and breathing, still alive forever. You cherish them and talk about them and name them funny names. Your innocence is intoxicating and I relish every moment of it. I want to capture you in your elements, your different expressions and faces, at your happiest, your funniest, your most active, your most creative, your most excited, but also at your sickest, your saddest, your loneliest, your angriest. We didn’t quite cover all of those in these images, but one of my goals this year is my connection to you through my the images I capture of you. We will get there sweet babes.

You are eight and six. I want to wrap you up in a box and stunt your growth and never let you out, but I know that this is not possible. And on the flip side, I want you to grow up confident, independent thinkers and lovers of all humanity. I want you to love and appreciate what you do every day and soak up every molecule of information that makes you a better you. I want to remember every little detail about your life, the sound of your sweet voice, your contagious giggles and deep laughs, your freckles, stringy hair, your eyes, the shape of your face and your button noses. I want to remember the funniest things you have ever said and done. We love to keep things simple, we appreciate the small things, the prosaic things. You are at your happiest when you are with your cousins, close friends and family, when you are with each other. And I ask myself why? It is easy. You are at your happiest and best when you are comfortable, confident, when you learn new things, when you play with your favorite people and toys, when you help mom cook yummy food and when we reflect on all the things around us that we are grateful for: thumbs up, thumbs down. Life is happening to you, for you and all around you. Please keep being as sweet as your favorite ice cream.

Love,
Mommie

Please click through our blog circle to Kirsty Larmour who is sure to have an amazing and inspirational letter to her daughters.

Please click through our blog circle and enjoy all of the amazing eye-candy, especially Seattle Family Photographer, Ketti Phillips.

Today is just shy on the other side of Christmas. You loved everything about this month. Our elf, Bella, who came to us just after Thanksgiving. She helped us keep in line and work really hard in school and stay on the “nice” list. You loved trying to find her every morning. You loved and were so curious about her “magic”. You built her entire rooms out of building blocks and doll house furniture and wrote her love notes and made her presents. Bella loved being in our home this month. She was taken care of and looked after and respected for her very important job by you lovelies. But most of all Bella loved the changes you made in yourselves. Bella is so much more than just a quirky little magical character that changes her place every morning…she expects model behavior of kindness, love and respect all of the time, not just when she isn’t here or watching you all year round. She loves you unconditionally and wants the very best for you.

We also celebrated Hanukkah for eight nights. You beautiful girls have learned the prayers and say them so eloquently. We love to listen to the Maccabeats and talk about how the Jews went back to Jerusalem to reclaim their home. And how lighting eight nights of candles symbolizes how the light they lit was supposed to only last one night, instead it lasted eight. It is a wonderful tradition to learn about every year and you both love it. The best part of this time of year is that there is no shortage of family. We do a lot with our families and truly love to spread good cheer and hang out with all of our extended families. We are now lucky enough to have both sets of grandparents here in town and you love being with them every chance you get.

Christmas was a blast. Lilah woke up at 1:15am, just as Santa had left. You were so excited, it took me almost two hours to get you back to bed. You woke up your sister in the process. I love this age. I want it to last forever. The believing, the excitement, the eagerness, the patience, the exhaustion. You finally gave in. You were both up by 7am. I loved hearing your sweet voices in the great room talking about the gifts and the shapes of them and the guessing. A morning we will treasure.

I hope that someday you will be able to hold on and teach your traditions in your own families. This month is always so rich in love, being with family, learning and tradition and I hope you are ready to hold onto the true meaning. Giving, loving and kindness always.

These images were taken at a Christmas Tree Farm in Belleville, Illinois called Eckert’s on December 2, 2012.

Please click through our blog circle of Letters To Our Daughters. Next up, the very talented and lovely Kirsty Larmour | Abu Dhabi Photographer.

Please take the time to go through our awesome blog circle of Letters To Our Daughters. One of my friends, Kirsty Larmour is up next. Please visit her lovely images and words for her beautiful daughters.

Sweet Lilah.

We had grand plans of a great portrait session with you this holiday weekend. But, your little fever had bigger plans. It has been three days and your fever finally broke last night. It has been no less than miserable for you. The first glimpse of your illness was actually Thanksgiving Day. The minute all of our guests walked out the door you started to cry and you were burning up. It has been a long weekend. We have had our share of chicken noodle soup, flat sprite and saltines, huh? I think we have seen every episode of “Charlie and Lola”. And I love hearing those two banter back and forth with their English accents and pen and ink little bodies colored in while snuggling up to my dear, sweet sick one. You were well enough to sit upright for these little gems at our kitchen table. You wanted to draw a house with a rainbow. It was about all you had energy for and you were very methodical and careful about how you held those mini markers. And we even got a spark of your personality in a couple of them. Just enough to let mom know you were going to be okay. I love these little snippets of time where it is just of the two of us. I get to watch you sleep like I did when you were a babe. Your little spirited self is you with a little less spark. I promise next time we will get a prettier, healthier version of you with some wonderful portraits to follow. For today, we will go with your snarly hair, weak smile from an entire weekend of fevers, sleeping, reading, numerous tic-tac-toe games and movie watching.

love you,
xoxo
mommie

Please direct your attention to the fabulous Jess Sandager of Olive Avenue Photography | Minneapolis, Minnesota to read her Letters To Her Daughter.