Sun, Fun & Family Photos….
Posted on September 15, 2010
Loved the Eichten family! How cute are they?!!
They really are such troopers, too….do you realize how hard it is to get kids this age to wanna take family pics? They must really love their Mom 
I love the simple, classic feel these photos have ~ very “All-American”, yet contemporary….
Maddy has a photo of them in similar pose from NINE years ago...we wanted to try and re-capture that pose & I really love this photo, think it's my favorite.
Remember….
Posted on September 11, 2010
How could we will never forget? It was one week before my 31st birthday and we were planning a party, since I was pregnant with twins for my 30th
On that day, my twins were just under a year old….we were just waking up to get Reece ready for preschool….when I got the phone call from my Mom, urging me to turn the TV on.
~silence~
That day sparked an anxiety attack that would last more than 3 years. It would mean therapy, biomedical intervention, and ultimately, medication…..I didn’t realize it until years later that 9/11 was actually a catalyst for the fear I lived in. I assumed it was just from having 3 kids under the age of 2, and then having my oldest diagnosed with autism. (which of course had a LOT to do with it…hello – hormones!) Sure, we all inherit “the fear” when we have children….that’s something nobody ever tells you. The dreams! The vivid dreams of horrible things happening to your newborn baby….they shocked me. But by the time the twins were born, I was used to them I guess. The difference was that the dreams didn’t stay with me. 9/11 ~ stayed with me.
I somehow found the courage (with the help of a lot of Xanax) to get on a plane to New York a year later. Andrew‘s film was screening there and someone needed to be there to deal with the logistics. This is another example of how amazing my husband is. He had seen me retreat into a dark place and was worried about me. He knew that “pushing” me to go to NYC alone – away from my babies, away from my comfort zone, would be good for me. I thought he was C-R-A-Z-Y. And of course, at first I objected….how could I do that?! I cannot tell you how hard it was being on that plane. Let’s just say…..I don’t remember a lot of that plane ride.
While there, I visited Ground Zero. I took photos, of course, but I was shooting film back then so not nearly as many as I would take today.
These were flags still hanging near Ground Zero. SO many of them…..tributes to all those lost and gone. There were still missing persons signs…..
There is definitely something cathartic about traveling alone….very powerful therapy! Over the next 2 years, my anxiety would worsen…..to the point where I felt powerless to it. I think this is why it’s even harder for me to remember 9/11…..because I never, EVER, want to feel that much fear again.
Today, my twins are just under 10 years old and anxiety is something I haven’t really dealt with in over 5 years. I’ll be 40 years old in one week. Perspective.
So today, I choose to be grateful. Grateful for the journey that has led me here, for my healthy children, for my own health, and for a country I am so proud to live in….with all it’s imperfections, all it’s craziness. Even amidst the chaos and horror of that day, I know we were all deeply proud to be Americans on that day.
