But I learned something new about that feeling a couple of weeks ago. It never occurred to me that I could feel that way about someone else's children, and yet there I was, feeling it for children who are not mine. Except that they are mine... sort of.
I have a sister. She's almost exactly 2 years younger than me. She is one of the most dear and special people in my life, and she currently lives 5,942 miles away from me. She has 3 young children of her own, and until last month, I'd not seen them for 19 1/2 months, and hadn't even met her youngest. I spent one wonderful week with them, and found myself loving those children in that way-- that I-love-you-so-much-it-hurts-and-please-don't-go-away-from-me way.
And now I understand what it means to be an Aunt. To my own Aunt Merril Lynn:: now I get it. Now I understand how you feel about us, because I feel it for Elizabeth's children. This was an incredibly valuable lesson for me to learn.
To Emeline, Jarom & Wesley :: Auntie Rachel loves you! And I can't wait to see you again soon. Big big hugs. xo.
Lance & Uyen, sit tight... I've got a serious sneak peek coming soon!
beautiful, rachel!! was it raining in the desert? haha... perfect for you, right? i can't wait to see the rest!!
(09.02.10 @ 12:22 PM)Eeek!!! Sooo excited! The raining shot is SHEER perfection! Perfect way to show the day. I LOVED shooting with you!!!
(09.02.10 @ 12:58 PM)Love your work....can't wait to see the rest of the photos.
(09.02.10 @ 01:52 PM)Beautiful Rachel! Definately teasing us! We are soooo excited to see more! Thank you for coming out to Gilbert Arizona.
(09.02.10 @ 11:00 PM)Beautiful Girl!!! That second image is breath-taking. Can't wait to see more!
(09.02.10 @ 11:14 PM)Tom and Amber, you are two of the most genuine people I know. Congratulations to you both. You're going to be fantastic parents!
You made my day today. Rachel, you are so talented and can capture the most beautiful shots. Thanks for taking these pictures of my newest grandson. Thank you for bein so generous and for being who you are. I love you and your family!
(09.01.10 @ 09:34 AM)Oh Rachel, I can't even begin to express to you how much these pictures mean to me. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing talents w/ us. I will cherish these photos forever. You're truly a wonderful person and I've always admired you.
(09.01.10 @ 02:46 PM)Hey I am Toms sister. I haven't got to snuggle my nephew yet, but these pictures really capture his sweetness.I think the fuzz on his ears is my favorite! I love the in home shots too. He has a good mommy and daddy
(09.01.10 @ 11:38 PM)My main subject was a young boy named Finny. He likes pirates. A lot.
Finny recently turned four and had a big pirate party, complete with a humongous blow-up pirate ship drink-holder.
Finny likes hitting balls with his dad (although his parents don't necessarily encourage the baseball playing...).
He has fantastic hair, and he's finally old enough to have an opinion:: he gets tired of 31-year-old women telling him that.
Finny likes tomatoes and basil, and eats them together straight from the plants in his garden.
I think he's rather hard to impress, but I figured out quickly that if you just talk pirates with this boy, he'll open up.
I enjoyed watching (and photographing) him two weeks ago. He showed me the garden. We played in his room. He had a decent wrestling match with his dad (Finny won). And half way through, we watched a bull snake (was that what it was?) catch, strangle and eat a mouse. True story.
Here's a little peek of what came from that night::
I can't believe its been a whole year since Finny's last year shoot!! He has sure grown! He sure is one handsome little boy!
(08.26.10 @ 04:19 PM)beautiful light and sweet little ringlets. lotsa personality in these darling shots.
(08.26.10 @ 05:23 PM)Ummm yeah seriously..that hair rocks. Beautiful images! He is so cute.
(08.27.10 @ 12:08 PM)Hi Rachel! Would love to have you come to MY backyard for a photo session! :)
(08.28.10 @ 04:22 PM)blown away by both the hair AND your images of said hair, rach. beautiful, glorious family! :)
(08.30.10 @ 11:11 AM)my word, he's such a cutie! LOVE the hair...
(08.31.10 @ 05:14 PM)He got all three.
And a funny thing happened... on June 11th, 2010 (his last day of school), I cried. Because I didn't want this great experience to end for him. He had good friends. And his teacher was over-the-top fantastic. I love her for loving him. I love her for being positive and kind and creative and making Elias's first experience with school so amazing.
While I know it doesn't measure up to the time and effort she puts into her job, I wanted to give something heartfelt back to this teacher that means so much to us. Shari, thank you for all you do-- not just for Elias, but for each child you teach and nurture. To me, you're a hero.
Love these pictures Rachel. Can't wait to see them all!! Please let me know when you would like to meet.
(08.22.10 @ 09:33 PM)oh i can only hope that hirum got what elias did. so far his teacher seems great. she's young, enthusiastic, and so excited about it all. i completely understand the crying thing. i miss him so much already and it's only been a day.
(08.22.10 @ 09:57 PM)Rachel thank you so much for your beautiful words. Last year was my first experience with kinder and one I won't forget. Everything was so exciting and brand new for them and they made it that way for me as well. I remember the tears when I sent my first born went off to kinder and she had the most wonderful teacher! I know how much that meant to me and wanted to give that experience to all my parents.
(08.22.10 @ 10:20 PM)Rachel - these are beautiful! I can only hope that Gabe will have a fantastic experience next week as he starts Kindergarten. I'm pretty nervous about it as I know he is too. :)
(08.23.10 @ 12:09 PM)beautiful story, beautiful images, beautiful family. love these, rach. :)
(08.26.10 @ 07:30 AM)
Oh such a sweet post. And beautiful pictures... what an amazing location!
(09.03.10 @ 01:25 PM)Made me cry Rach. A lot. I miss you. And I get it too. I miss Elias. And sweet Row. And Maura Clare. Love you so much- and thanks for the great pictures. You're amazing.
(09.03.10 @ 02:01 PM)BEAUTIFUL!
(09.03.10 @ 03:06 PM)