happy mister and missus

This wedding was twenty-three (ish?) years in the making. I met Steph and Kyle before I met my husband, and they've been a great part of our story as a couple. The love that these two share, the patience and support they have for one another, made them such great models for lasting couplehood, and this summer, my husband and I have hit sixteen years together. It was such an absolute treat to celebrate them on this day. I read a poem I wrote for them at the ceremony, which was such a gift to be able to do.

The ceremony was at the bride's sister's home--I'm not sure if it's a farm, though I do know the bride comes from dairy farmers, and the land was fantastically gorgeous and perfect for this kind of event, with nooks for camping, a little dock on a pond full of frogs, a huge hill for rolling and sledding down, a great swing set, a small beach and a paddleboat. One of those dreamy places for children to romp. Ours certainly did, particularly my daughter, who bested the bigger boys and caught so many frogs we lost count.

strawberry farm

Oh, this day! So hot--the kind of hot where the grass is a new kind of green, your eyes are squinched shut, and you feel for those sheep in the fields.

duluth: family photographs

Here's a treat: I thought I'd share a few glimpses into our family photo session in Duluth. As you can see, we have a gatherer in the family.

duluth: into the woods

We went into the woods for family photographs, and the kids absolutely loved running around amongst the trees. We're not a family who is good at being still for pictures, no matter how much I ask nicely--please, please, for Mama?--but that's OK because when you have a photographer like this one, she's willing to tromp around for those shots. It's more pleasure in the process, which is what this space is about, isn't it?

dandy

Every time I pick her up at preschool, she has to pick a dandelion (or five) for me. "Here, Mama, I got this for you!"

a montessori birthday

This is my bear with her preschool teacher, Kai.  Maya's birthday was January 3, though celebrating it right after winter break is a near impossibility.

I was invited to the classroom, and I brought Sir Finnegan with me, and also a photograph from her birth, as well as the photo books I made of her first twelve months.  Along the special carpet was a candle she decorated with her classmate Dylan, and I brought treats.  The kids all sit in a circle, along with the child's special guests, and she holds a globe as she walks it around the inside of the circle, her classmates singing along.  Have you heard the birthday song?  It's the sweetest:

The earth goes round the sun,

  The earth goes round the sun,

  It takes 12 months for the earth to go around the sun,

  And then Maya was one…

The earth goes round the sun,

  The earth goes round the sun,

  It takes 12 months for the earth to go around the sun,

  And then Maya was two…

The earth goes round the sun,

  The earth goes round the sun,

  It takes 12 months for the earth to go around the sun,

  And then Maya was three…

The earth goes round the sun,

  The earth goes round the sun,

  It takes 12 months for the earth to go around the sun,

  And now Maya is four!

And my little bear walked around that sun, so rooster-proud of herself.  (And I sugared up the kids and got to leave.)

the bee sweater my mother made

We all have our talents we can share with one another.  My husband has some kind of miraculous patience that can wisp over me like a shroud; he saves me from so much strange anxiety.  He's also a talented musician--his guitar playing was what caught my eye nearly sixteen years ago.  My sister has compassion that surprises me at its depth; she's also a mighty good artist.  She married a musician too.  Throughout my undergraduate years, my father would make comments on my essays at the last moment, every last moment, despite the zillions of essays for his own students that needed help, more help, just as urgently.

My own mama.  Here's one of hers.  She knit this beautiful sweater on teeny tiny (size 1?) needles with sock yarn.  There are little bees on it and honeycombs and it's so warm and delicious and I'm so envious at how absolutely good she is.  And for the first time, my little girl cooperated with a photo shoot.  She ran around her other grandma's front yard and let me take her photograph as she whirled about.  Don't you love her spirit?