Paul and I were married nine years ago this month, and our wedding day remains one of my fondest memories (I didn't hire a photographer because I am stubborn and didn't know any better, hence the inspiration for what I do now). We got married in the mountains near Asheville, had an outdoor ceremony, and all of the most precious people in our lives were there. I think I speak for us both when I say that we never felt incomplete as just a twosome, but now we both agree that we are ten times the people we were because of our children.

In October 2005 we decided to begin the process of adopting Joaquin, who was born in Guatemala on New Year's Day 2006. His homecoming was the singular focus of our lives for those intervening months, and at the same time, Paul was applying to grad school at UNC. We hoped Joaquin would be home by June, but the summer wore on and we encountered paperwork and bureaucratic delays one after another. Each day we waited for the phone to ring telling us that his case was approved and we could fly to Guatemala to bring him home. Autumn came, and Paul got ready to start classes in Chapel Hill. The very day that he left for his first day of school, I found out I was pregnant. I decided not to tell him until that night when he got home. I bought a "Congratulations on your new baby!" card, but I realized that he would think it was about Joaquin. So I wrote in huge letters inside: "I'M PREGNANT!" and handed it to him before dinner. He didn't say a word, he just opened his fingers and let the card fall onto the kitchen counter. Then the jumping up and down began. A few days later the phone call came telling us that Joaquin was officially ours, and we prepared to bring him home. So, yes, I like October.

Don't get me wrong: having two children under three with two parents over 35 is an equation that I don't necessarily recommend. We sleep less, read fewer novels and see fewer movies (read: none). We eat standing up in the kitchen most of the time, and have thrown our backs out carrying babies and all the stuff that goes with them. But we are blessed beyond measure, and I want to always remember and share how much we know that.

Our church (there's a phrase I didn't utter much before we had children) hosted a lovely afternoon at a nearby farm on a recent Sunday, and I got to take some shots of Lila Mae and Joaquin:

Meet Hayley and Chris, whose wedding is next weekend, and I'm so looking forward to being with them again. They are both creative, funny, smart, and very much in love. You can read about how they met { HERE }

On the day of our scheduled engagement session it was pouring down rain, and we were trying to figure out if we should reschedule for better weather. I am always leaning toward waiting for "magic hour," when we have beautiful, golden light, but Hayley never wavered, and emailed me saying "we're kind of 'inside' people anyway." A few minutes later she texted me, "Chris says he likes libraries, so how about a kind of 'library confidential'?"

It is so much fun to collaborate in this way, and underscores for me what a joint effort all portraiture is. There is a relationship between photographer and subject(s) that constantly rotates between giver and taker, voyeur and performer, and storyteller and audience. Engagement sessions are like film stills of a relationship, and the way in which that relationship is depicted is completely collaborative.

So below is our joint effort, a '50s-esque storyboard of a pair of lovers who meet, flirt, fall in love, and live happily ever after. (*For any photo nerds out there, you might notice a hint of homage to Cindy Sherman, whose "Untitled Film Stills" has always been a favorite of mine.) Enjoy!

Two important words: Fall Break.

Saylor, Sophie and I had a great time playing recently with their dog, Tom, who was loving his Boodah Bone (or what's left of it!). They had seemingly endless energy, but after awhile they ended up relaxing in the hammock, where we got my favorite shots below. Don't they have a great combination of goofy charm and timeless, classic beauty?

Going to ride a train pulled by Thomas the Tank engine recently was a huge topic of conversation at our house for weeks prior. Joaquin would ask about it all the time and tell anyone he met that he was going to "meet" Thomas. My parents were in town that weekend and were kind enough to drive to Spencer with us, where we (barely) caught the 3:45 departure of the goes-in-a-circle train.

I got a huge kick out of the progression of Joaquin's emotions throughout, from joy to contemplation, to fury at me for taking him out of my arms (for a nanosecond) in order to take his photo in front of Thomas. Then all was well after a hot dog.

Toddlers are hilarious.

You know how when you fill out official forms and they ask you for an emergency contact who is not a family member? For the last few years (and I'm not sure she even knows this), Laurelyn has been my ICE (In Case of Emergency) person. She was the first person I called when I saw two lines on a pregnancy test two years ago (the first of about 40 that I took until I was convinced that it was real), so she knew about Baby Lila even before Paul did.

In addition to being a great friend and person, she is an unbelievable musical talent who opened for Patty Loveless last night at the Carolina Theater. She's had quite a year, with one of her songs landing on Levon Helm's new album, "Dirt Farmer" and then that album winning a Grammy. Just last week she got a call from the booking agent for "A Prairie Home Companion" telling her that her band, Polecat Creek is going to be on the show next spring.

Note: She will be performing with Rhiannon Giddens next Thursday 10/23 as part of the Dotmatrix Project. You can RSVP to the event HERE.

She's a songwriter, mother of three beautiful daughters, and a deep and soulful friend. She makes a mean covered dish, can sing the harmony to any song ever hummed by a human, and always finds the coolest boots. I'm very happy to have a chance to talk about her and to post some new photos: