I teamed up with Miranda, Dean and their kids when we went to Jasper last spring. This little family of four is bursting with energy in all the best ways, and my time with them was one of my highlights from last year (despite it taking me ages to put this post together).
First, let’s talk about the obvious: Miranda and Dean are two brave souls who have three children very close in age. Shea wasn’t yet 3 when I met her and the twins were a few months past their first birthday. That automatically told me that Dean and Miranda are something special, just to be surviving the day-to-day life that this stage brings.
That sort of age grouping requires a commitment to your family that goes far beyond what I could ever imagine, and yet there they are, managing it all with humour and grace. I think, in a family situation like Miranda and Dean’s, that grace replaces “ease.” Nothing about this setup is ever going to be easy, but if you can handle it with grace, then you’re giving yourself room to make mistakes – or messes – and understanding that the beauty lies within the bedlam (insanity might be lingering in there too, but you just have to do your best – most days – to keep that at bay).
Our session started with a play date in the park, which served as a great introduction to how Dean and Miranda parent. When you’re outnumbered by toddlers, you have to accept that someone is probably always getting into something they shouldn’t, falling over something, or generally doing something that is going to add “spice” to your life. As children tend to do, Hazel and Isla took an interest in going UP the slide, regardless of how many wipeouts were involved, while Shea wandered off in another direction. It was about this time that I started to feel torn between laughter at how absurd their daily life must get and empathy for the exact same reason. During this little bout of chaos, though, I also saw the most wonderful parenting connections taking place. Dean and Miranda delight in their kids – I mean really delight in how their children experience the world. All you have to do is look at Dean’s face while he’s pushing Shea on the swing and it’s plain to see.
We returned home and Miranda got the kids fed in amongst a whirl of fingerprinted sauce and decorated seat trays. All of the ladies ate together, with plenty of chatter happening between the kids. Shea’s relationship with her sisters is so interesting. because she was so little when we met, yet so aware of the world around her. She’s a bit of an old soul, so it was like watching a young 90 year old enjoying the presence of babies. The moment when she rested her head on the table and looked at them with joy in her eyes… that was pretty darn sweet.
Bath time was every bit the watery mess that you might imagine with three little swimmers in the tub. These girls LOVE the bath! Fortunately, they also love being dried off afterwards, which helps cut down on the battle that sometimes comes when it’s time to get out. Next came diapers and pjs, tandem breastfeeding, bedtime stories. Despite the many expressive moments during this session, my favourite, most real photo is of Miranda hugging Shea while the twins are in different stages of bedtime prep. Sometimes, the world around us is chaos, but you just have to drop everything for a minute because someone just needs a hug and some comfort. That’s what being a family is all about.
Miranda and Dean, thank you for letting me into your home and allowing me to document an evening with your girls. I admire your ability to approach every new challenge the girls throw at you with laughter and your connection with one another.
Here’s a little look at a few of my favourite photos from the session:
I’m Ang. I’m a Cornwall, Ontario-based photographer offering maternity, child and family portraiture throughout the Ottawa region and further afield. Visual storytelling is what I do best; weddings and documentary family sessions are available worldwide. Laughter is important in my life and in my work, so my clients experience informal, interesting shoots that make them feel loved and full of life. Please explore more of Moment.us Photography‘s site to see more examples of my take on storytelling family photography, whether it’s Jasper family photography, a Winchester Hospital birth, or Saturday morning family photos at home.
