ive said it before, and ill say it again — i love polaroid cameras!

i absolutely love working with children, and while they are always very excited to learn about photography and love to have their photo taken, nothing beats the added joy of instant gratification with polaroid film! they loved posing, helping set up shots, and then handling and shaking the prints while they exposed right before their eyes. after every child had a photograph, they went back to the classroom and placed the photos in their notebooks, writing sentances in english describing where they were and what they were doing in the photograph  – love! i spent most of my time with the first graders who were so energetic and eager to learn and talk with me. at times they were totally giddy, but their teacher — the amazing miss grace — handled them perfectly, firm but kind, and with breaks for recess :) it was a wonderful experience, and i cant wait to see them again next week! enjoy!

* * * * *

lamu island, kenya – 2010:

part I :: lamu :: shela village.

part II :: lamu :: maulidi.

part III :: lamu :: dhow races.

part IV :: lamu :: shela primary school.

part V :: kiwayu :: island life.

* * * * *

one very happy little boy at the national arboretum in washington, dc.

i love the national arboretum. it’s an incredible gem in the middle of the city — a vast expanse of refreshing greenery and abundance of shade, it’s the ideal place to spend a summer afternoon! i was very excited to meet dhillon and his family at the arboretum a few weeks ago for a fun family session, grandparents and all! dhillon and his daddy are too cute for words and this little man completely stole my heart with his dapper outfit and *amazing* smile!

enjoy!

happy birthday gracyn!

baby gracyn is one! i can barely believe it — it seems like not long ago that i met this family for the first time and she was just a little newborn {see gracyn at 4 weeks!} and now she’s running around and eating cupcakes! i can’t imagine a more festive celebration and i absolutely *loved* her fabulous fairy tale 1st birthday party — wow! the party was a visual delight — tissue poms hung from the ceiling, and a carpet of flowers transformed the house into a fairy garden — i was in awe of the amazing etsy-inspired decor from * the polka dot pinwheel * POM LOVE * stay awake * and more. fairy wings + tutus (and dragon costumes for the boys!) were given to all the tiny guests who were enchanted by a fairy caravan puppet show! every detail was perfection — a custom sweets bar with blue + purple toadstool cupcakes, a fairy toadstool cake, and magic pretzel wands – all homemade! bravo to mom’s who truly do it all!

the entire event was orchestrated by the incredibly creative + talented shannon green, an amazing mama who has just gone pro with her planning for little ones — woo! since she got her start planning her own children’s parties {check out kimsey’s super fun cowgirl birthday!} shannon is wonderfully in tune with mom’s and their children. want to know more about sweet pea soirees? follow her on twitter, fan her on facebook or check out her blog!

enjoy!

meg, a child life specialist at children’s hospital, provides support to patients.

children’s national medical center never ceases to amaze me — their stellar team provides exceptional care and service for countless brave little patients that are need medical treatment. along with some of the best doctors in the world, children’s has amazing support staff and specialists that aid in child care. on an average day, 60-80 children have surgical procedures at children’s national medical center. child life specialists are available to provide psychological preparation and emotional support before, during and after procedures. the specialists are outstanding + compassionate people, trained to help children and their families understand and cope with illness, treatment and hospitalization. additionally, child life specialists employ fun therapeutic play with patients that help to de-mystify surgery and make “playing doctor” a true learning experience. watching meg with the patients and their families in the moments leading up to surgery was inspiring — bravo to her and all the amazing people who devote their lives to improving care for sick children!

one-year-old dylan has a scar that symbolizes strength & love, amidst struggle.

just one day after his birth, newborn dylan was diagnosed with congenital heart defect. unable to breathe on his own, he was placed on a ventilator, transferred to another hospital, and underwent angioplasty for his pulmonary valve. for the next three months dylan’s health steadily declined as he faced serious issues, ultimately leading up to open heart surgery. just days following the surgery on his pulmonary artery dylan was doing something he had never done before — smiling. since then, dylan has grown into a happy, healthy, and strong little boy who just celebrated his first birthday — everything his family could ever want for him!

i was honored to be chosen by dylan’s family for a portrait session in collaboration with inspiration through art (formerly the littlest heroes project) — and i absolutely loved meeting all of them! dylan has two amazingly wonderful parents (who are *so* in love and *so* great!) as well as an older sister and brother who simply adore him. dylan was simply delightful — all too happy to oblige for the photo session as long as we let him rub his little feet in the grass! he was super inquisitive and perfectly adorable and i feel very lucky to know him and his story. dylan will need at least one more open heart surgery to replace the deformed pulmonary valve, but hopefully that is many years away! in the meantime, i know this family will be living and loving to the fullest, never taking anything for granted.

enjoy!

earlier this week children’s national medical center hosted a very fun event at united medical center to celebrate the new forthcoming pediatric emergency department — made possible in large part by an amazing $11 million grant from the DC government. the event was a wonderful opportunity to introduce the community to the nurses + staff, and everyone had a great time.

“it’s wise to be well” focused on educating parents through information on children’s health, from identifying flu symptoms and ear infections, to basic injury prevention, healthy eating + exercise practices, as well as free car seat checks! the tents were set up in the hospital parking lot, alongside the community farmers’ market, complete with balloons, awesome music, snacks, great give-a-aways, and face painting for the kids! as always, i had a great time documenting another fabulously fun event for children’s national medical center – enjoy!

\

juri valdov, chairman, credit union miracle day, inc.

last week the atrium at children’s national medical center was a very exciting place – dozens of patients participated in an awesome event to decorate piggy banks and hang out with 2010 miss america! the lovely caressa cameron serves as a goodwill ambassador for children’s miracle network – an international non-profit serving hundreds of children’s hospitals, and the official platform for the miss america organization. the kids loved meeting her, posing for photos with her and the crown, and she even helped decorate and play games with everyone. during the program following the arts + crafts she also spoke on behalf of the organization and what it means to her to be able to work with the children.

in addition to celebrating the children, the event commemorated the absolutely amazing $923,000 raised by the 2010 credit union cherry blossom run. credit unions have sponsored the run since 2002, and contributed over $4m for children’s hospitals nationwide. on sunday april 11 over 15,000 runners took to the streets of dc, marking the 37th year of a great tradition.

enjoy!

lead partner PSCU financial services presented one of last year’s auctioned piggy banks to juri valdov.

anna rose :: 8 months.

i *love* photographing anna rose!

the very first time i photographed anna she was still inside her mom’s belly – and the first time i met her she was just 17 days old! i have photographed this incredible family often over the last few years, most recently documenting anna rose’s baptism a few months ago and then visiting her the other week for a little mini session! she’s growing and changing so much, but her adorable personality continues to shine!

enjoy!

big sister jules!

cha-cha! sassy showgirl!

*love*