Love these folks! I’ve been photographing them for years and it’s truly such a privilege to be close enough with a client that you feel right at ease and at home with them, and they don’t look at you sideways when you explain that you drove away from the house with your husband’s work laptop mistakenly in the car and now he has to come to their house to retrieve it while you’re doing the shoot. Aleigh and Joe are great. Their kid is great. I love them. Their kid decided he loved me even more and promptly asked if I could be his babysitter when I left. Rest assured this was because I gave him temporary tattoos and I let him jump on the bed – which he enthusiastically did until his parents decided he needed a safety/water break. We made muffins. We delivered letters to neighbors. We read books. Just a wholesome morning with this dino loving miniature dude and his rad parents.
It’s always a thrill to meet new people that you instantly click with and I just loved these guys. They’re fellow northerners who love their cats and their adorable daughter. Their adorable daughter loves whisking eggs (an all-time favorite hobby of hers) and painting (sometimes a canvas, sometimes her face). Her parents sent me a video of her wandering around the kitchen crying “Carolynnnn” after I left because she couldn’t find me and I apparently made quite a good impression. It was the best. Also the best: being busy photographing a toddler cooking breakfast but then turning around to find that the mom just came around the corner holding two enormous fluffy cats for me to also photograph. The cats are named Chunk and Rhu Rhu and we were best friends and I love them and they love me. It was a great day, ya’ll.
Ohhh, friends of the blog will remember Jessie and Dan’s wedding at the Pittsburgh Aviary in 2018 where I met a really lovely little penguin named Disco who pooped on my shoe and it was the best cocktail hour ever. I also met a very small adorable owl. It was the best. Anyway, it was also the best because Jessie and Dan were there and they are absolutely two of the kindest, sweetest people in the universe. I like them a lot. I’m sad that we’re far away from each other, especially since I developed a strong, undeliable, and presumably lifelong bond with their cat Lola in the 1.5 hours I was at their house. Lola is an *extremely friendly!* cat. I’d like to assume that she only loves me, but I don’t think this is the case since she seems to also really love Jessie, Dan, their dog Charlie (also very sweet!) and their lovely little toddler Lilli (also VERY sweet!). Lilli is extremely close with Lola and Charlie. She hugs Lola a lot, and Lola is totally cool with it. Charlie also accidentally hits Lola in the face with his wagging tail a lot, and Lola is totally cool with it. Lola recently went to the groomer and came away looking like a small little tortie lion, and she is totally cool with it. Lola is cool with a lot of things and I am totally cool with Lola.
I love toddlers who love animals and treat them gently and lovingly and I know that Lilli will grow up to be a sweet and kind person like her parents. She offered both of her parents her crackers. She offered both of her parents her ice cream (!!). She even offered Charlie and Lola her ice cream (we intervened). I can’t say that I’ve voluntarily offered anyone my ice cream ever, and maybe I think I should take some notes on sharing from Lilli. It was so much fun to see this family all together – cats and dogs getting along together, toddlers and cats getting along together, world peace and harmony. I’m so happy to have gotten to work with Jessie and Dan again and to meet their amazing little crew!
