naturally forming Geodes littered the ground around the property. some were as huge as soccer balls. it was incredible...

that's my little guy right there...

what shape are the clouds?

D snapped this picture of me and my oldest Little. It's the first wedding he's ever been to, and after a day of watching Mama be 'Tographer he was due for some cuddles. i hope he'll always be this little...

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I was a little girl of maybe 3. I remember standing in my kitchen, looking out to the front door.  i was holding my blankie, and people were bustling about, moving things and boxes out the front door.  I was crying, but no one really noticed.

My brother Todd walked over, and he loomed over me. when he knelt down to my eye level i remember thinking how huge he really was, and how small i felt.  he asked me why i was crying and i said that if he moved out of the house, he wouldn’t be my brother anymore (this memory still brings tears to my eyes! they are brimming…).  He explained that even though we wouldn’t live in the same house, and just because he was grown and was moving out, didn’t mean that we wouldn’t still be brother and sister.

i guess no one had ever explained to me that brothers and sisters aren’t just the people that live in your house, they are your blood.

He joined the marines and served in the first gulf war.  i wrote letters to him… my whole first grade class wrote letters to him.  i asked my mom (right before my seventh birthday) if she thought Todd would remember my birthday.  a tricky question… she hesitated and told me that he might not because he’s in a very bad place in a very bad situation.  his friends are sometimes hurt very badly, and birthdays aren’t really the same over there.  I told her that i didn’t need a present…. but sand would be cool.  the very next day,  coke cans with arabic writing on them came in the mail full of sand.

I have a brother in the marines. his name is Todd. I love Todd even though he's in the marines.

Dear Todd. I am worried about you. are you worried about me?

Reporters came to my school and interviewed me about Todd.  they asked what i would do if i saw him, and all i could think of was the truth: “i would run up to him and give him a really big hug”. when he arrived in the airport and walked off the plane i was the first to run and hug him. (look at how handsome he is!)

and now (still just as handsome!)

When he came home he gave me a button (probably just a spare) from his uniform.  he told me to keep it very safe.  I will tell you right now that that button was my most treasured object and was kept in my little box of treasures (that i still have).

i also named my pet frog after him.  Todd.

So, of course, when he told me he was in love, the girl had high expectations to meet.  and i knew in a second when i met Ashley that she was the.one. I actually knew he was in love with her before he told me explicitly that it was her- when we would talk on the phone he couldnt stop talking about this Ashley girl.  she is amazing.  she is incredible.  she is absolutely perfect for my brother.

My brother Todd and sister-in-law Ashley were married eleven years ago, but have never had a real ceremony and reception.  D and I eloped as well, and although i wouldn’t change how we did it  (i LOVED our surprise wedding!) there is something amazing about sharing it with your friends and family and being surrounded with that kind of love and support.  So, this year, Todd and Ashley decided to do it up and celebrate their marriage with a vow renewal on Ashley’s family’s farm in Kentucky.  We made the journey (by car! we’ve earned our parental badges, thank you very much…) and photographed the day.  It was the first wedding my babies have ever been to, Usually D and I are both working them and someone has to watch the Littles.  but… all family was at the wedding!  I didn’t know what to expect, having my Littles there at the same time i was working- baby Pierson is still pretty clingy to me, and Tavish is a tender-heart and needs lots of mama cuddles.  Luckily, they were fairly distracted by their cousins and with the help of D and my mom and other family members they were well looked after while i photographed!
This farm was just incredible.  A stream runs through it and in the stream bed lies thousands of giant geodes- rocks that have crystal formations on the inside.  some were as big as soccerballs, and they were just everywhere.  the leaves were just starting to turn, the light was beautiful, butterflies abounded… it all sounds like a fairytale, right?  it was.

Ashley’s Papaw sews quilts and they were hung from trees and in the tent as beautiful pops of color and works of art.  everything was handmade, from the paper flower centerpieces to ashley’s incredible (!) bouquet made from scraps of her Papaw’s quilts and handed-down broaches.  i danced with my boys until midnight, and they’ve been talking about it ever since.

i love nights like these…

Congrats to my brother and his beautiful wife Ashley!  i love you guys so much, thanks for having me be part of your day , i’m so proud to be your sister