Firas & Enas: Engagement Session

So, one of the fun things about photography is how it connects people who may not otherwise have had that opportunity. Firas and Enas are two people who I met in a serendipitous way through a mutual new friend. They are from Palestine and are a lovely and cute couple who are sealing their love in just a few weeks. I am excited to be a part of their traditional Henna Party the night before the wedding and looking forward to all the festivities that go along with them celebrating their union. Here are some photos from our recent engagement session.

There was a slight learning curve on my part with Firas and Enas's names. For a while I kept calling Firas "Firnas". I realized my mistake eventually, but apparently it became a joke between them. I told them I was merely trying to combine their names like they do with the rich and famous: Bennifer, Branjelina, Firnas...see? Looking forward to seeing them again in a few weeks.

Simon is off to school.

If you sent a child off to Kindergarten this year, then you begin to know what it feels like to send a child off to college. Brian and I took Simon up to NAU last week. I remember what it felt like to be dropped off at NAU back in the fall of 1981, moving into my room on the 7th floor of Highrise, a then all girl's dorm. I organized my few belongings, didn't know anyone else up there. My roommate hadn't arrived yet. I sat on the edge of my bed and wondered what to do next. It was a little bit of a lonely feeling. So when we dropped Simon off on Thursday, we helped him move into his room on the 8th floor of Sechrist, the now Freshman, co-ed dorm at NAU. (By the way, who thought co-ed dorms were a good idea?!?) We organized his few belongings. His roommate wasn't there yet.

He walked us down to the car, said good-bye after I made him take a few more pics...I know...embarrassing...just leave already! Then he turned and walked back into his new home. We watched him until we couldn't see him anymore.

Does it get easier after Kindergarten?? I'd like to say yes...but after doing this twice...for me...no. In Kindergarten you hope their teacher is nice and that they get invited to play on the playground and that they don't leave their backpack on the bus. College...now you send them off with a bag of emotions (I'm taking about mine, here): hope, worry, excitement, anxiousness...you get where my mind is. Have we done everything to help him succeed? Have we taught him everything that he needs to know and do to keep him safe? Will he remember who he is? When he is faced with challenges and temptations that could lead him in the wrong direction, will he have the courage and faith to make the right decision? Will he take care of himself...get enough sleep, and eat enough? When he feels alone, will he remember that he is never really alone? Have we helped him to have a foundation of faith that will be an anchor for him when the going gets tough, as it is bound to get? I was reminded of a talk that I read recently by Henry B. Eyring, That He May Write Upon Our Hearts. Here is an excerpt that touched me as I thought about being at similar crossroads with Simon.

"In time, when the children are away from home and family, prayer can provide the shield of protection the parent will want so much for them to have. Parting can be hard, particularly when the parent and the child know that they may not see each other for a long time. I had that experience with my father. We parted on a street corner in New York City. He had come there for his work. I was there on my way to another place. We both knew that I probably would never return to live with my parents under the same roof again.

It was a sunny day, around noontime, the streets crowded with cars and pedestrians. On that particular corner there was a traffic light which stopped the cars in all directions for a few minutes. The light changed to red; the cars stopped. The crowd of pedestrians hurried off the curbs, moving every way, including diagonally, across the intersection.

The time had come for parting, and I started across the street. I stopped almost in the center, with people rushing by me. I turned to look back. Instead of moving off in the crowd, my father was still standing on the corner looking at me. To me he seemed lonely and perhaps a little sad. I wanted to go back to him, but I realized the light would change and so I turned and hurried on.

Years later I talked to him about that moment. He told me that I had misread his face. He said he was not sad; he was concerned. He had seen me look back, as if I were a little boy, uncertain and looking for assurance. He told me in those later years that the thought in his mind had been: “Will he be all right? Have I taught him enough? Is he prepared for whatever may lie ahead?”

There were more than thoughts in his mind. I knew from having watched him that he had feelings in his heart. He yearned for me to be protected, to be safe. I had heard and felt that yearning in his prayers—and even more in the prayers of my mother—for all the years I had lived with them. I had learned from that, and I remembered."

I hope that Simon can feel our prayers for him. I hope he can feel our love for him. I hope he can remember. I hope we did enough.

"A mother holds her child's hand for a while, their hearts forever."

P.S. We went back up to Flagstaff on Sunday afternoon to deliver a few more things to Simon. We shared the elevator with a young man holding two bags of groceries. We asked him how he was doing. He said, "Sad. My parents just left and my mom cried." He got off on the 6th floor. I hope he has a nice roommate. I loved his heartfelt honesty. This separation thing is happening all over. Simon's roommate seems like a nice guy. He likes Calvin & Hobbes and The Brave Little Toaster. That was comforting.

Emma turns 9!

There are certain moments that stand out in life. One of those for me was when we went for the ultrasound with our 5th child. The doctor, who happened to be the father of 6 boys and 1 girl, asked us if we wanted to know the gender of the baby..."Uh...Yeah." He asked what we had at home..."4 boys." We had already heard from the nurse before we went in that the chance of us having a girl after 4 boys was only %25. So I was expecting to complete our little basketball team with another boy. We were, after all, on a roll. I know there must have been a drum roll at this point. From the time the Dr. asked what we had at home to when he was going to announce what this one was seemed like an eternity. The words came out in slow motion as he said, "Well.......this one...........is............a...........................................................................................girl." Did I hear that right?? I let out a yell and at that moment the ceiling opened up, the heavens parted and a little ray of sunshine beamed down in that doctor's office. Emma was a surprise from the beginning as we thought we were done with our 4 cute boys. I always knew that I would have 4 boys, but a 5th child was unexpected. Brian and I had driven to the doctor's office seperately as he had come from work and I from home, so I drove home alone with this wonderful, unbelievable news floating around my head, while listening to the radio. All of a sudden a Stevie Wonder song came on that will always be our song...mine and Emma's. I felt like the following lyrics embraced how I was feeling and continue to feel about having her in my life. I, of course, immediately burst into tears. There we were: Me, Stevie, joy, sunshine and Emma in my belly, driving home to Newhall with a wonderful secret that was so deliciously sweet.

For Once In My Life

For once in my life I have someone who needs me

Someone Ive needed so long

For once, unafraid, I can go where life leads me

And somehow I know I'll be strong

For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of

Long before I knew

Someone warm like you

Would make my dreams come true

I might add that the high I experienced lasted less than a week when doubts started setting in to the point that I had to call the Dr.'s office to ask them," Uh, when Dr. G said that this one is a girl, he didn't use the words "for sure" or "definitely"...can you check my chart again?? Big pause..."Mrs. Nissen, if Dr. G wrote down girl then it's a girl." "O.k....thanks...just checking."

4 months later, we knew for sure. I think my mom refused to believe it until she saw her. Emma's middle name is Ingegard, which is actually my first name and my mom's middle name and my grandmother's first name. There aren't many girls on either side of the Nissen or Flink side of the family. They are a rare breed.

So today Emma turns 9 and it's fun to look back and think about all the ways that she has blessed our lives. She is tender hearted, feisty, energetic, loves babies, sneaks a little make-up on occasion, likes to fix her own hair, has her own fashion sense, writes sweet notes, loves to sing, loves animals, has started "baking", loves to play with friends, loves to be tucked in at night and still showers me with hugs and kisses. Oh how we love her!

HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY, EMMA!

Children + Water= Cool Fun

This was a really fun shoot. Carrie had all four of her grandkids here and wanted to get some pictures. I did her little granddaughter, Starla last year. Carrie suggested the water park and I thought it was a great idea. I didn't mind in the least running around in the water. Getting splashed was ideal. So Starla and her cousins, Ryan, Jacob and Ethan and their mom's and Grandma headed over to the park.

I fell in love with Starla the first time we met. She is such a no nonsense girl. I enjoyed getting to know the boys, too. In fact I was trying to get a feel for Jacob (the middle guy...he's 4) I was asking him who his favorite super hero is. I was expecting to hear Superman, Spiderman, etc. He thought for a minute and said, "Spencer!" Spencer is his uncle who was coming home from a 2 year mission to Mexico that evening. I wonder if Spencer realizes that his nephews look up to him in that "superhero" way. That's Jacob in the upper right, below.

This is Jacob telling me how old he is.

Having 4 boys myself, I just have a soft spot in my heart for their little boy limbs that are kind of pale and skinny and their bellies that either pooch out or are as flat as a board and blend right into their hips, and then those hips that can't quite hold up a pair of pants or in this case swim trunks.

I can just picture these cousins having tons of fun in years to come.

Oh, cutie-pie Starla.

"Thanks, Ryan for the hug."

Big Brother Ethan.

Oops. Gravity finally won out over Ryan's swim trunks. Mom to the rescue.

Pure exuberance!

Ella: 4 1/2 year old wonder

This is Ella:

In some ways I feel like Ella has been 4 1/2 forever. She's my brother's daughter and she lives in California with her mom and dad and her two older sisters, Hannah and Emily. There is almost 7 years between Ella and Hannah. I just can't imagine their family without her. We just spent a week with them. It was my pleasure to read to Ella most nights. I got to hear her say her prayers, which were precious. "Heavenly Father, I'm glad that Maria and the cousins could visit us and that we get to spend so much time together." We also got to have little conversations that revealed what was on her mind:

Ella (looking at my wedding rings): "You have three rings??"

Me: "Yes."

Ella: "Does Brian have a ring?"

Me: "Yes, he does."

Ella: "My dad doesn't have a ring." (I had cut my brother's ring off a while back because it was bothering his finger and he has not replaced it yet.)

Me: "Do you wish your dad had a ring?"

Ella: " Yes, because then he would look like a real Papa."... (then reconsidering)" Well, he always looks like a real papa."

This was the second time during our stay that she had brought this up, so I think it was on her mind. I told my brother he better replace his ring. :-) You never know what children notice.

I slept very comfortably on the couch in the living room and in the morning I sensed someone watching me. It was Ella, peeking her head over the back of the couch to see if I was awake. I love the way she sucks her thumb. She sucks her left thumb and pinches her right arm with the index finger and middle finger of her left hand just below the elbow . This causes her right arm to be held out in front of her at a slight angle. It is very involved, but she makes it look easy. My brother, being a huge Elvis fan, taught Ella to sing "All Shook Up" and Michael Jackson's "Heal the World". I wish I had those on video. Maybe next time. I love how she looks me straight in the eye when she sings them. No inhibition. She reminds me of her big sister, Emily, in that way. I also can't believe how "go with the flow" Ella is. Maybe that's what happens when there is such a gap between siblings. Another thing...she has the cutest legs ever. I just pretty much want to gobble them up every time I see them. You will see them in upcoming posts as they are a favorite photo subject for me. Here are a few shots of Ella from our most recent visit...

I liked this one in color and B/W, so I'm putting them both.

These are her new favorite shoes, attached to my favorite little legs, of course!

Typical look for Ella and just a small hint of how expressive she is.

Is it any wonder why I'm so smitten?