Hudson & Nora – The Toothbrush Sessions – Cornwall Documentary Family Photography
It’s been so long since I posted a blog ( a whole month?! Whaaaaaat?!) that my site admin page actually asked me to log in and “prove my humanity”. Note: proving your humanity is as easy as simple arithmetic. Take that, numeracy-illiterate spambots! ;) So here were are. Back to blogging and there are some AMAZING people about to start appearing here. Starting today. I’ve been dying to find the time to share this session and it comes with lots and lots of pretty interesting/hilarious/poignant (hopefully) pictures for you to stare at while you’re trying to pretend that you’re being productive on a Friday. Away we go.
Time outs, egg scrambling, crib jumping, tooth brushing, bike riding, kitten seeking. Mayhem. It was awesome.
I woke before sunrise to make the drive over to the still-slumbering Harrigan household. Suzanne had left the door unlocked, so I was able to let myself in and poke my head (and camera) through the nursery door before the twins woke up.
Morning is such an interesting time in any household – personalities are so much more exaggerated when we’ve just woken up. I love the sleepiness that lingers over children for a little while after they’ve risen.
There was quiet in the house for a short while after my arrival and then the kids started to stir. Suzanne went in to the nursery to greet each child in turn; they share a room, so the opportunity to watch both children as they woke was priceless. The kids were quite obviously interested in the person who was quietly clicking away (and probably very confused, but to sleepy to ask about), and the looks I got through the bars in the crib still make me laugh as I review the images.
After everyone had their wits about them, we headed to the kitchen to start in on breakfast. Scrambled eggs. You can imagine the job-sharing that takes place with two 2 year-olds; one gets a turn, then the other takes over while the first child loses it. I was giggling away at Suzanne’s impressive (but futile) efforts to keep the kids’ hands out of the raw egg. Just as Nora was getting her hands washed, Hudson’s fingers were dipping into the mixture… It probably could’ve gone back and forth all morning, but somehow Brent and Suzanne managed to successfully end it. While Brent cleaned up, we went into the playroom, where the cat staged a photobomb and then punched my camera. Clearly not a morning-lover. ;)
Bike riding turned into more of an adventure than anticipated and Brent wins the award for parenting save of the day. Nora was completely oblivious to her impending catastrophe and happily carried on with her ride. Hudson wasn’t quite so lucky, but lived to see another day. Tricycles are tricky little suckers!
The kids wanted to see the barn, where a number of young kittens engaged Nora in a game of hide and seek. They successfully stayed out of her line of sight every time she peeked, but stayed close enough to keep drawing her back to the barn door.
It’s not a secret that I adore this little family. Brent and Suzanne are exactly my kind of people and I love watching them be parents to their gorgeous little troublemakers. The point of this session was to show these two parents that their very best efforts are awesome. That their happy little children exist in a world that embodies chaos and mess, and that it’s perfect. I have so much respect for moms and dads; I have even MORE appreciation for moms and dads of twin toddlers; I have a colossal amount of respect for parents who allow me into their home first thing in the morning to document their twin toddlers. :)
A couple of special things to look out for: Suzanne’s finger-counting warning while Nora stands in her highchair – even just looking at the photo, I feel my insides tensing like I’M the one about to end up in a time out; Nora standing on Suzanne’s foot to gain a tiny little height advantage while S & B carry on with breakfast prep – what parent DOESN’T identify with this little moment?
Brent and Suzanne, in case you haven’t figured it out already, I think you two are awesome. Thanks for letting me in on this special little part of your lives.
I’m Ang – a Cornwall, Ontario-based photographer with a passion for capturing light and photographing natural moments in life as they happen. My goal is to capture memories that you will cherish once this special time in your life has passed. I love meeting new families in their natural environment and getting in amongst the bedlam so that I can document the perfectly imperfect realities of daily life. Please explore more of www.momentusstudio.com to see more examples of Cornwall documentary family photography.
