I wish their story was mine to tell, but it’s not. If it was though, I’d tell you how inspired I am by Kristin. How much she has taught me about unconditional love, and marriage, and hope. How amazingly honored I was when she asked me to take pictures of her and her sweet little man. For now though, I’ll leave you with a little peek of the incredibly special bond between them.
And this is one of my personal favorites, and I think his mama will understand why.
Five years ago:
I woke up at 5 am in a big hotel room squished into a bed with my two closest girlfriends. I couldn’t sleep, I was a ball of excitement, and wanted to fast forward the day till 2pm when I would be standing at the front of the church holding hands and promising our forevers. We ordered coffee to our room and sat crisscrossed on the big fluffy bed talking about the excitement of the day. I gazed over at my beautiful dress hanging there, and anticipated putting it on, and the look on C’s face when we finally locked eyes as I walked down the aisle. I watched the clock anxiously waiting for our (amazing) makeup artist to arrive, and fiddled with my ring envisioning what my hand would look like once the accompanying band was settled there.
Today:
I woke up to a sniffly toddler who had crawled into our bed sometime before 5 am, and was doing the starfish – arms and legs spread everywhere. I gently moved his heel from my rib and tried to snuggle in for a few extra minutes of sleep. Shortly after, his brother joined in and I was now wedged completely between two little bodies who took up more room than a sumo wrestler possibly could. After asking them nicely to lay still, telling them sternly to lay still, having P2 turn around and attempt to lay backwards in bed (kicking my ear in the process) and hearing my husband toss and turn I finally gave up and asked C to turn the morning show on. As the bright glow of the tv filled our room, we all covered our eyes and blinked in protest. For just a moment, there was still – and I reached over to C and said “happy anniversary, honey”…. and the world was good.
The morning went on to involve a little snippiness (mine), an attempted apology that involved a breakfast sandwich (though I later found out that a runny egg may have put a damper on that attempt, and on C’s shirt), the excitement of the tooth fairy visiting SG overnight, and a rainy walk to the bus stop. A morning so vastly different from that morning in 2006.
Five years. That seems like such a long time, and yet it doesn’t seem at all like it’s long enough for all the life we’ve lived in these 5 years. All the intense happiness, the questionable times, the persevering, and the love. We’ve loved A LOT in these 5 years. As I walked out of our bedroom I glanced up at the sign that sits above our door, a reminder from a reading from our wedding, and it felt so perfectly right. Despite what may come our way, and through the mundane of our every day life, our love will never fail. I love you, C. Happy Anniversary. May the next 5 years be even better than the last.
I’ve been getting lots and lots of emails about mini sessions this year, and here they are! Right now I’m planning on one day of minis at Elizabeth Park, but if there is enough interest, I may open a second date at Boothe Park in Stratford. If that is something you are interested in, please let me know as soon as possible. Mini session dates are limited to 5 slots, and they go fast!
Sweet Avery and her mama’s small world connections with my life. I love when that happens. When I go to meet a client and find out that not only does she know my mom, but she’s also good friends with one of my bestest friends in the world. It creates this instant bond, and the hours I spent photographing this adorable little one felt more like having coffee with an old friend than they did work. Enjoy!
Yesterday when I was thinking of my birthday today, my mom’s face came into my head. I thought about how on that day 31 years ago, it was the eve of the day that her life would be forever changed. I reflected on the day I became a mom, and how special L.A.’s birthday is to me for that reason. It’s the day that your life takes a new path, the day you learn in the instant you hear your baby’s first cry what unconditional love is. The day that you realize that without question you would throw yourself in front of a train for this tiny little person you have just met.
I thought of my Mom, so young and at the very beginning of her marriage, and how many changes a baby brings to that relationship. Then I thought of all the things I’ve learned from her over the years – that regardless of what changes come, your marriage HAS to come first. My parents are almost 32 years in, and possibly the most in love couple I know. I look to their marriage often for advice on my own. I admire the relationship she has with God, and that her faith has never faltered even in the darkest of days (and goodness knows I may have contributed to some of those days in my teen years!). I thought of how she amazes me with her business knowledge and how she helped grow a little tiny chimney sweeping business into a largely successful retail operation.
More than anything though, I thought of how she has always been able to guide me when I’ve asked for help. That she’s been a shoulder to cry on more times than I can count, and how she has helped me explore my own journey of faith in a gentle way.
So to my Mom, on my birthday – Happy Mommaversary. Thank you for being there for me, for listening, and for always loving me unconditionally.
It’s true… someone around here is celebrating the 2nd anniversary of their 30th birthday. ;) I thought it might be fun to share my day with all of you! So here you go….
Planning a session with Crista Acosta Photography in 2011? Here’s a little special birthday gift for you! For any session that is reserved today, you will receive a free mounted 8×10 print of your choice ready to be displayed along with this cute little mini easel. Mounted prints are a great, modern way to display your images throughout your home without requiring framing, and those little easels are too cute. Awesome, right?
Here’s how it works: You send me an email today to crista@cristaacosta.com letting me know that you’re planning a session in 2011. You do NOT have to choose your session date at this time. I will then send you a paypal invoice to reserve your session spot. The reservation fee is only $50, which will be credited towards your session fee or digital collection. When we complete your session, be it this Spring or in the Fall for holiday portraits, let me know which image you’d like for your mounted print and I’ll send it with your order along with the little easel to display it on. These would also make lovely gifts! Your reservation fee must be received by midnight tonight in order to qualify.
That cute picture of C and I with P2 in my belly is courtesy of my friend Christa with Dolce Photography.
Witnessing this little baby being born is perhaps the greatest honor and most amazing experience I have had all year. Her mother and I had chatted about me photographing the birth long ago, and when the text came through my phone at 5:06 on a Sunday morning, I was a ball of nervous excitement. When I arrived I was welcomed by the wonderful staff at MidState Medical, as luck would have it Bethany was the only mom in labor that day, so she was sort of the focus of the entire wing that day.
Mackenzie’s mom was amazing. She labored happily unmedicated, smiling between contractions and focusing during them… but talking about their labor experience wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t mention the connection between Bethany and Andrew. They were so in tune, so connected… at one point I just watched them and tears of awe welled in my eyes. Their love is unbelievably strong. She reached out to him, and he held her in his arms quietly counting down through her most difficult contractions. He cradled her face, and whispered in her ear, and encouraged her when it was time to push. There in that little room, at 1:45 in the afternoon beautiful Mackenzie entered this world to a room full of happy tears. It was an amazing experience to look around that room and see nurses, some still in school, some having been there for years and years still humbled by the miracle of a baby’s first breath.
Bethany and Andrew – from the bottom of my heart – thank you for letting me share in your daughter’s story.
If you’d like to view the slideshow, please click below.
I know what it’s like to love a new baby. To look into their sweet sleepy face and drink in the amazing newness that is there. To allow yourself to imagine and dream what this tiny person one day might become. I do not know however, how it is to feel this way about two tiny little people… I can only imagine it is love multiplied with a little dash of wonder, as you think of how they’ll grow up always together. As promised, an encore of Amelia and Emma.
