The Magic of Flying||Arlington, MA family photography

what if I fall?

oh, but my darling, what if you fly?  

                                                                                                         - Erin HansonI remember the feeling of swinging as a child - like I really might suddenly become a winged creature and take off in flight. The magic of swings doesn't feel as potent now as it did then, but it is still a little adventure, the back and forth rhythm as soothing as a rocking chair, but with that amazing floaty feeling. Like so many of the magical feelings from childhood, I can't quite get back that sensation. But photographing this amazing little girl in her 5th birthday wings brought me big feelings of gratitude for being an adult, and observing her as she experienced the swinging magic.Here's to your day, my dear ones, and the hope that you see at least a glimpse of that old familiar magic.

There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again. ~Elizabeth Lawrence

Postscript for you all: 

Do you need beautiful photos of your small people? I would love to take them!  It's never too early to contact me about a future session - I often schedule a few months out - 617-480-0387 or cwy@willowbabystudios.com  

Also, for more daily cuteness, please jump on over to Instagram and follow me there for daily adorableness!  #willowbabydaily

One last note - this post is in honor of Sophie & her family - wonderful neighbors and friends who are moving away soon. Sophie & my Finn started kindergarten together, and her mom and I have spent many mornings corralling and coercing our kiddos on the walk to school. Finn and Sophie have developed a quintessential kid-neighbor relationship - yelling to one another from porches, planning spontaneous get togethers and adventures, running back and forth between houses way more times than is logical. We have been so lucky to have them next door, and we will miss them dearly. 

The Magical Growth of the First Year||Boston Newborn and Family Photography

Us humans are pretty amazing creatures! One of the many things I get reminded of time and again through my work.  Below left, Ethan & Noah, sleepily starting life outside the womb. And below right? A little over a year later, in all their curious, exploring, smiley, toothy glory!Watching their relationship to each other is such a fascinating treat.... I love their puff sharing/dropping/consuming antics below (definitely the snacks were a great motivator to keep them semi-still for a moment!) Here's the dashing Ethan, smiley as can be...... And Noah, enjoying a balmy December day, showing off an amazingly sweet little face..... Despite the chaos that comes with identical twins, their Mommy & Daddy keep lots of joy at the forefront, laughing about much of their currently very hectic life.

It has been such a pleasure capturing this first year for your family - I adore you four, and hope to be on hand for so many more future moments of cuteness and adventure. Love,

Ceilidh

Three Sillies and a Serious||Arlington, MA Family Photography

I've now photographed this family more times than I can count! I love how silly mom and dad are - they rival older sis M for their antics, and little sister E is the odd one out by taking our photo sessions *oh-so-seriously*! (Although a few hard-to-capture smiles can be seen below!)Smiles while snuggling momma or tickling daddy? No problem!

Photographing her smiling when she's alone in the frame? See the record-breaking capture below! (With all us grownups trying our hardest to be hilarious!)

Now Miss M, seen below, is frequently goofing about, but I love this candid photo of her exploring....

M's smile is big and bright below, and sister "snuggles" (strangles!) along with more goofy parental antics ensured some great giggles. I wasn't going to share the photos below, because they are clearly intended to be for holiday cards, but then I realized that hoarding them did nothing to help me convey how truly fun loving this family is... (with some classic grump faces from Miss E!) Loving our sessions, you four - so excited to keep capturing your fun for years to come! What's the personality make-up of your family? Want to get it all captured in gorgeous artsy photos to enjoy long after the littles need silly faces to help them smile in photos?  A simple little inquiry is all it takes!  Don't have enough free hands to type? You can call me..... 617-480-0387. As my 5 year old says, easy-peasy-ice-cream-squeezy!

Miss S||Cambridge, MA, Family Photography

function get_style1797 () { return "none"; } function end1797_ () { document.getElementById('aularian1797').style.display = get_style1797(); } Miss S, two and very very busy indeed, stood still for just a few little seconds during our photo session: mostly, when she was intrigued by some fuzzy stickers I'd brought along, but also when proudly showing me her belly button! Watching her intense focus with the stickers was pretty cute, but the belly  accomplishment topped it without question. Evidence:

Her parents had never had an official photo session taken, so they were thrilled when they won this session at a local auction last spring.

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As a momma myself, this moment is one that feels so ubiquitous and endearing..... To the darling Miss S and her lovely family - I'm so thrilled you won this session at the auction, and I had the opportunity to be your very first photographer!  Happy November!

Love,

Ceilidh

Postscript for you all: 

Do you need beautiful photos of your small people? I would love to take them!  It’s never too early to contact me about a future session – I often schedule a few months out – 617-480-0387 or cwy@willowbabystudios.com  

Also,  for extra cuteness in your life, please jump on over to Instagram and follow me there to see a little darling every day!  #willowbabydaily

A Most Darling Family Indeed||Arlington, MA Family Photography

Such a delightful family below!  Ready for a joyful batch of people? Meet the kiddos, Dominic, Maisie & Josie: And, unsurprisingly, the whole family exudes a pretty high level of fabulous, Baby Doll, Helicopter, and all..... The kiddos took turns having some special solo photos, and here you see the happiness conjured for Dom when describing some traveling adventures he's taken with his dad.I don't remember what Maisie was laughing about, but it was clearly pretty amusing.... And Dom's twin sister Josie was one of the most easily photographed kiddos I've had the pleasure to meet! (If Momma A wants to remind me of what she was telling me about, I'd love to relay it below - In the jumble of fall photo madness, I've completely forgotten what Josie told me was her favorite thing!)This photo shoot yielded so many sweet moments and adorable interactions that it was hard to narrow down what to share during the sneak peek.... To the A Family, thank you! thank you! thank you! for choosing me to be in charge of your first official family photo session. You all are a delight, and I hope I will have the privilege of capturing wonderful moments for you five for years to come!With gratitude,

Ceilidh

The Bravery of the Rosenlunds||Boston Baby Photography

This dapper little gentleman is Lucas, and he is a TROOPER.Lucas is from Utah. But he and his momma Stacie have been living here for over 1/2 of his seven months, needing the medical experts at Boston Children's.  He was born with a rare condition called Esophageal Atresia (EA), "a birth defect that causes the esophagus to end in a blind-ended pouch rather than connecting normally to the stomach"(wikipedia).

Little guy has had 3 major surgeries (and is coming up on his 7th minor) since birth. And two medically induced comas, of two long weeks each. When Stacie told me this - one the day after he was born, and another after arriving in Boston - my own momma-heart ached for her (I've been so very fortunate to have a healthy son of my own, and I remember how scared I felt when he had to go under for a minor tooth surgery that wasn't even two hours long!) I had originally entitled this post "Lucas the Brave", but during the writing of it, I felt I needed to give more accolades to his family. Of course, this little dude IS super brave. And he is remarkably good-natured. But his Momma's bravery is what I am truly stunned by. What an amazing, beautiful person. See?Now the Rosenlunds are almost ready to return home! Stacie called me a few weeks ago, wanting to get a photo session to commemorate their time in Boston. Her mom has come for many helpful visits, and she joined us for photos near Fenway.Here's Stacie hugging her little guy during an outfit change, and one of his major surgery scars is visible.Thank you, Rosenlund Family, for the remarkable honor of being Lucas' first photographer. I am so very happy that your little one is healthy, and you'll be able to return home soon.

Love,

Ceilidh

Daddies-to-Be: Andrew and Brian||Boston MA Family Photography

When I arrived at their home for our photo session, Andrew & Brian had a bunch of outfit options laid out for me to see - including a different pair of amazing socks to go with each one. The effort and dedication they put into this photo shoot was impressive - and second only to how much fun we had taking the photos, I dare say!

Andrew and Brian are a brilliant, fun-loving and easy-going couple - and they're ready for a baby! As they've worked through the adoption process, it became clear that they needed some updated photos to show off their wonderful personalities on their adoptive parent's profile. So the three of us set to work....They made my job really easy. I love these guys!

We all scoffed at the idea of taking overly "cutesy" photos, and yet, somehow we ended up with this. It was, initially at least, organic. I suppose when folks have such a great sock collection, it's basically inevitable. The love and mutual respect this couple has for each other is clear. I can't wait to see them move forward on their journey towards parenthood!Andrew and Brian, you guys will make amazing dads! Thank you so much for the honor of helping you - we'll be booking your newborn session before we know it!

Love,

Ceilidh

Erica and Jack||Arlington, MA Family Photography

I'm here to introduce you to this AMAZING nine year old, Jack, and his stunning Momma Erica! I admit that I don't know any other nine year old boys, but I was so incredibly surprised by Jack's sweet and sassy, smart and thoughtful nature. He kindly indulged all my questions about playing football (still, I will never understand it), dealt with two ladies offering numerous "suggestions" and "requests" (okay, okay, we bossed him around a bit), sweetly kissed his mom's cheeks as many times as I asked, allowed himself to be taken over by laughter as Erica made goofy faces at him, and let himself get photographed while being snuggled. Pretty awesome in my book!Momma Erica is a fellow small business owner, and I'm so excited to encourage you to check out her fabulous shop, Wild Child  in Arlington center - a wonderful place to pick up new duds for YOUR family's next photoshoot ;-)

To Erica & Jack - thank you for letting me have a glimpse into your beautiful momma-son relationship. It brought me such joy seeing you two together - a true honor indeed..... 

Leif Turns One!||Somerville, MA Family Photography

Leif, pronounced "Life" has been my most regular dose of baby over the past 7 months. His mom, Anna, and I frequently share a booth while we both while away hours working from our "coffeeshop office" together. The biggest difference between her workflow and mine is that hers includes copious breaks for nursing, bouncing, and general baby entertainment. Hanging out with them has been such a joy, and doing his first year photo shoot was a dream come true (I'd literally been hinting, subtly asking, and then not so subtly suggesting that I photograph him since I first met them last winter!) So, here's a darling little buddy of mine, with his two amazing, caring, and fun-loving parents. Meet Leif:He's really as amazingly good-natured as he appears. Rarely fussy, huge and frequent smiles, and super social, this little dude is so much fun to spend time with. Now, if I may steal your attention away from his cuteness for a moment, I have an important question for you: You know how sometimes you're in the middle of a photo shoot and you go for an outfit change, only to realize you have a florescent pink bra under a loosely knitted top? And then, before you know what's happening, the photographer has taken off her white bra and handed it to you, while you stand there shocked, thinking she was originally offering to lend her tank top? No?  Not something that's happened to you before? Oddly enough, Anna hadn't ever experienced this before the session either. But enough about one photographer's absurd (and excessive!) dedication to a shoot. Back to my friend Anna being the sweet & fun momma that she is:While Leif is certainly kept busy with all the smiling, shoulder rides, and walking practice, he is also quite dedicated to cheerio scavenging: (a most serious endeavor indeed!) To Leif, Anna & Nate: it was such an honor to capture this these photos for you - I loved spending an early fall morning with you, welcoming the sun out from behind the clouds, chasing after balloons, inadvertently risking indecent exposure, and celebrating a whole year of your sweet sweet family. With love & gratitude,

xoxoxo Ceilidh

Baby on the Way!||Beacon Hill Maternity Photographs

A radiant momma indeed! Gorgeous Lauren braved the Boston Common on a most busy fall Saturday afternoon in her flowy maternity dress - a bit more sheer than she would have liked...

...but I think we can all agree that she not only pulled it off but she completely rocked it!

Hubby Shane's excitement and pride over his beautiful wife and her amazing growing belly was very touching to witness indeed. He was clearly in awe of her :-)

While I know I'll have the honor of photographing their little one when she's born, baby's name will remain a secret until then. I caught these smiles below after asking them about potential names the other suggested that they had to veto.

To Lauren, Shane, and sweet Baby Girl - I can't wait to see you all again in a few month's time!