Meet two amazing parents, Christine and Jeff, and their adorable children Khai, Vihn, and Mai-An:
Christine and I first met over two years ago when, at about 6 months pregnant, I waddled into a Twins By The Bay (TBB) "New and Expectant Parents of Multiples" meeting. I was filled with nervousness, excitement, mounting anticipation, a plethora of questions and, well, babies. Christine helps lead these meetings and, being an exceptional mother to her two handsome twin boys and vibrant daughter, she truly has a gift for putting those nerves at ease and giving advice on any number of issues that parents of multiples may face. Back in June, I donated a session to TBB's annual consignment sale raffle, and was thrilled to discover her family had won the session. It was wonderful to get a chance to get to catch up and get a glimpse at how her beautiful family spends some quality weekend time together.
The moment I walked into their home for our consultation, I knew this family session would be filled with that type of energy that only young children can bring to the table - and, oh my goodness was I right. From going to pick blackberries along the local abandoned road to rolling up their sleeves to make handcrafted pretzels and smoothies (with Christine's HOMEMADE yogurt - just amazing) to jamming out to Taylor Swift on the back deck, every second of this session was injected with authenticity, liveliness and fun.
While the energy was fabulous and the playful spirit was ideal, one thing that continually took me by surprise were the spontaneous acts of affection that this family shared with one another. During our consultation, for instance, we all headed to the abandoned road and as we walked up I asked Khai, noticing he was sporting a t-shirt with different superheros on it, "who is your favorite superhero?" Without delay he responded, "my dad" and proceeded to smile his adorable smile while nuzzling close to his dad to give him a hug. I mean, it just doesn't get any sweeter than that. For me, it became clear very quickly that those acts of love and affection - from quick cuddly hugs to stealing kissing to exchanging doting glances - were very much woven into the fabric of this family's everyday life. It was such an honor to witness and, of course, to document.
Another nice part of the session was the insanely delicious pretzel that Christine sent me on my way with. I think I should do lunchtime family sessions more often ;) So glad I had the opportunity to work with this amazing family!