stood a tree.

and while the Civil War raged in Virginia,

the tree stood on.

and now,

many, many years later,

two little girls

swing nearby,

right next to that gorgeous tree,

which sits on their property,

right outside Manassas Battlefield National Park.

the little girls

make wishes

upon

the seeds that grew

from the plants

trampled underneath

the soldiers’ footsteps.

the girls close their eyes

and

say thank you,

to those men,

those families,

that went before.

the girls run

in fields once fought upon.

life.

it goes on.

history.

where have you stepped today?

xo

A

Amy’s Army is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing grants to women battling any kind of cancer in the Northern Virginia area. Financial assistance is provided for non-covered medical bills, for basic living expense emergencies, and for non-medical expenses related to medical treatment.

This wonderful organization grew out of a team of women ~ friends ~ who rallied around their friend Amy, who was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer at the age of 37. They formed a team for various fundraisers, such as the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, and they were literally off and running. Their stamina and determination to keep fighting for cancer awareness and for cancer funding is unparalleled, except of course, by their friend Amy’s determination to keep fighting the disease battling for her body.

The fight continues.

I was fortunate to spend an afternoon with Amy and her family several weeks ago. It was as if the stars had aligned to allow such a spur-of-the-moment, impromptu photography session to take place. After weeks of trying to match our schedules (me with 4 kids, Amy with 4 kids, and all that entails with sports and social responsibilities), one morning a mutual friend (thank you Tammy!) placed a single simple phone call and said, “How about 3pm today?”

And it worked.

For everyone.

Outfits were thrown together in a flurry. Showers were had at the last minute. It was hot, and some people (Hi Martin!) don’t like wearing jeans when it’s hot. I can completely understand.

But it was worth it.

I’d like you to see more of that afternoon, and if you have it in your heart (and in your pocket!), please consider donating to Amy’s Army. You can donate directly through their website, and all donations are 100% tax deductible.

Amy, talking to your husband Martin and your sister Elizabeth last night were some of the most memorable conversations I have had in my life.  Seriously.  Your gifts to this world are innumerable.

xo

A

First, breakfast in bed.  Incredible.  And delicious.

And then?

A whole DAY of NO plans.  No sports.  No birthday parties.  No playdates.  Nothing.  Nada.  No how.

What to do?

What to do?

After a little research, we decided to take the kids to a Flying Circus ~ of the old airplane variety.

It was a drive of a little over an hour, but Virginia is beautiful (it’s for Lovers, have you heard?), and a drive in the country with some lazy fun afterwards sounded just great.

We arrived though and were dismayed to find the sign:

“Air Show Canceled Due to High Winds.”

Change of plans and FAST was necessary.

The whines were starting (“Are we there yet?” “I’m hungry.” “My bottom hurts.”).

Good times.

Thanks to my handy-dandy iPhone though, I was quickly able to locate all kinds of fun within a 1/2 hour radius.  But only one thing caught my eye:

WooHoo!  It’s Mother’s Day!!

The rest of the day we had fun.  Or at least I did.  Which is most important on MOTHER’S DAY!

My crew.

K-Lo came.  She cracks me up.

B skipped stones into the lake pond.

Love his little hand on dad’s back for support.

There was a large chess board.

Unfortunately, two former members of the Oakton Chess Club battled it out on where to put the king.

I enjoyed this:

And these little people:

This one is a little like me in some ways:

I had a grand time.  And it only took about 70 shots to get a picture of my kids and I looking at least 1/2 way decent.

A little history about the Old House Vineyards.

On Mother’s Day 1998, the Kearney Family found the 75 acres and abandoned farm house at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  They restored the 1800′s farmhouse and the formerly overgrown alfalfa fields are now a vineyards, producing six different grape varietals.

I loved this place.  Lots of character.  Beautiful setting.

And the Wicked Bottom red is really quite good.

May all your wishes come true today.

xo

A

They are all incredibly sweet.  The youngest is there in the middle.  She is very attached to her mommy, but when she opens up, wow, her personality shines.

Here she is when she heard the door open and knew that her cousin had arrived.  She was beside herself with joy and anticipation.

While the younger girls played, I was able to get some shots of the older girls.  Here is the middle sister.  Like my middle one, she has a lot of energy.  I love this shot because she appears so calm and movie-star-like with her sequined dress!

This, to me, shows her personality:

The oldest sister is approaching that age where the girls become more self-conscious in front of the camera.  Hopefully she’ll continue to see how beautiful she is.

Thanks L Family for having me over on such a very special day.  I look forward to sharing all the generational shots in your gallery viewing!

Peace,

A

Note:  This post has been edited from its original publishing both in content and in selection of photos.  A

So, the snow.  It came down.  And down.  And then came down some more.

My kids loved it.  Truth be told, so did I.  I love being inside with the snow blowing around outside.  I like cozy and warmth and hot drinks.  My husband, not so much.  He shoveled.  And shoveled again.  And then shoveled some more.  Tomorrow?  More shoveling.

But, the kids?  Oh, how they played.

And sampled.

And played some more.

The snow is beautiful.

And it’s still coming down.

And then it was time to come in.

And they were sad.

Oh well.

I’m thinking the snow may be here for a day or two… or ten.

Smiles,

A

Three sisters finding out a new brother is coming (ultrasound photo).

Dancing at the church (First Communion).

First sip of her very first shirley temple.

Five little girlfriends.

Sixth month old “finding the light.”

Laughing at how to keep marriage “fresh” after 50+ years.

A father’s comfort.

A father and his 3 girls.

A five year old freely dancing at her birthday party.

A blankie, made by the boy’s great-grandmother, comforts now and for years to come.

A boy and his Bumpa.

Finishing each other’s sentences for over 60 years.

Waiting, so hard at age six.

Their first-born.

A mother’s hand, always there.  Always protecting.

Forty years together.

Oh, what to wish for….

Mother and son.

A flower for you.

Sisters.  So often bickering, but every once and a while, you catch a glimpse of this.  And you’re happy you had your camera out.

The Godfather.

Two self-portraits with my son.

Get the shots.  Whatever you do.  I took the last two shots last year simply by holding out the camera.  But I wanted these moments with my son captured.  During school, I’m home with him by myself in the mornings.  Just he and I.  In our pjs, lazy and unshowered.  Too often I’m behind the camera.  It’s rare that there is shot of my children with me actually in the photo as well.   I want to have those shots.  More importantly, I want them to have those shots after I’m long gone from this world.  Those last two shots are near and dear to my heart and capture the essence of he and I.  Together.  Just us.  Little games and snuggles.  The shots are far from technically perfect.  But they are absolutely perfect in my eyes.

xo, A

Here are some of my favorites from the session.

I just love that little girl’s hair.  How come my curls don’t do those cute ringlets anymore?