Its been a tough month. At the first of October, we had an air-quality test for our home & the results were pretty scary. We had a pipe burst in a bathroom upstairs & as it turns out… it did more damage than we thought. At the time of the test, Noah was taking 5-6 breathing treatments a day, so we knew something HAD to be causing it. The results from the air quality test revealed we had been breathing in toxic mold unknowingly. NOT the best news for a family with an asthmatic child :( We had to abandon our home while the remediation crew tore out our walls & floors ( remember the movie “Outbreak” with Dustin Hoffman? yeah, it was like that..guys in white suits with masks..the whole nine yards.) Thankfully my parents live just a few miles away & had a completely vacant 2nd- story they could offer us. I have no idea where we would be without their help…so mom, dad, if you’re reading this…thank-you for putting up with our crazy schedules & the eaaarrrrly mornings… we love you and are so very lucky to have you in our lives. We owe ya one… ;)

So here we are a month later…3 weeks of which was spent living with my parents in the home I grew up in. It was interesting to say the least. The kids went to school in mismatched clothes & I think I wore the same jeans for at LEAST 2 of those weeks ( though anyone that knows me will tell you, I practically live in one of 3 pair ;) We spent a small fortune eating out & I have NO idea how I met all of our deadlines at the studios! A giant thank-you to my wonderful assistant Leah for surviving the massive number of sessions this month & helping to edit the galleries at mock speed. It has been the busiest month we’ve had here at KKP, so I was a little overwhelmed with not being able to access my home! To all of our sweet clients & friends who expressed concern via facebook & twitter…thank-you. We love every single one of you :)

I thought long & hard about blogging this. With the world in cyber-overdrive its hard to know where to draw the line to protect your family. But knowing what I know, I felt it was important to put this out there: if you’ve had water damage or even a small leak in your home–have it checked for toxins. Living with them can cause a whole host of medical problems..some worse than others. I was shocked to learn that its not NC law to perform a mold test during home inspections! Believe me..its worth it to know. Even if it just saves you the trouble of having to surrender your home to a remediation crew, its worth it. For us its so much bigger than the inconvenience of losing our home. It means a healthier life for our son, Noah. Every day without a breathing treatment is a big deal, and today he had NONE. I can only hope this trend continues :)

As the crew rounds the corner on the construction & we slowly start moving back into our home, I’m reminded how very lucky we are. Through all the inconvenience & battling with the insurance company, I kept reminding myself… we’re ok. We’re still together. We caught it before it got worse. We will get our house back eventually… and strangely enough, I was given the gift of some much needed perspective throughout this experience. My boys are a tremendous source of joy in my life & as much as I love our home, my studios & my business, everything I need is wrapped up in these 2 beautiful little souls. They didn’t complain a single time while we were living with my parents ( actually, I think they loved being with their Nanny & Grandaddy every day ;) and their smiles reminded me that life is wild… and unpredictable… and we’re just along for the ride. I’m just grateful that I have them, and my husband Mark to share every bumpy road with.

Noah slept though the first half of trick-or-treating yesterday, so I took Emery to a field across the street to let him channel his inner Wild Thing. I made their costumes this year ( well, everything except the Max pjs..those came from amazon.com!) They were a big hit throughout the neighborhood & the boys have worn their “tails” all day today :) Hope you all had a magical Halloween!!

Ellison & Jeremy flew in from Chicago to their hometown of Edenton, NC for their engagement session. During the 4 hour drive to the home Ellison grew up in, I was wishing, hoping, praying that it would stop raining. It never did, but as it turns out… there’s something motivational about being challenged by the rain. It forces you to get realllly creative….and really wet :) Thankfully Jeremy had the forethought to bring along an umbrella. It was not only a fabulous prop for the shots, but the only thing keeping my gear from getting soaked!! ( a big thank-you for that, Jeremy!!) If only we had video of the 3 of us crammed under it, cracking up. It was a total riot. I feel like the luckiest photographer around to have clients who will stand in the rain, climb on haystacks, and have a smile on their face the whole time…

They are without a doubt the perfect fit for me…adventurous, fun-loving and generally amazing. Can’t wait for their wedding in April!!

After getting completely soaked on the dock, we ducked into an old cotton mill to dry off & found this old couch…love it.

I swear Ellison wasn’t wearing a stitch of makeup…talk about natural beauty…

One of my faves…

Three seconds before the photo on the left, Jeremy face-planted in the hay…. ;) ( sorry Jeremy…couldn’t resist posting this one!!)

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My approach to kids portraits is simple. I just let them..be them. Sometimes it works…and sometimes, well… not so much ;) But that’s what I love about these sessions. I would rather have total chaos, than a child sitting “cheesing” for the camera. Childhood should be filled with tickle fights in the grass, bubbles flying and lots & lots of laughter. So that’s my goal with each of these sessions….to capture a little slice of the magic that childhood holds.

I WISH we had video of this session. There was no shortage of chaos, but it was worth every single “NO” from Henry to get this photo below: it was a split second of hugs & laughter..then BAM! he didn’t want anything to do with his sister ;D

LOVE it.

After his outfit change, Henry decided to take a new approach to the photos… gotta love it ;)