“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.”

~Washington Irving

this little lady rocked out her session in two hours! such a doll…

this morning i gave my nephew a proper newborn session! isn’t he sweet?! so small and peaceful <3

i’m a proud auntie + sister and i love this little man as if he where my own. can not wait to do his actual session on friday but here are a few from my visit with him today.

mother + daughter bond = <3

one woman’s story of coping, moving on and beating the odds of cancer:

“In July of 2010 I was told I had Stage 3, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I had several affected areas: my armpits, my chest cavity and abdomen. My first thoughts were “can it be cured and is it terminal?”

“Mandy, my daughter, was with me for most of my appointments and helped me with questions I would always forget to ask. She made unending phone calls on my behalf and with her support and the love and support of her sister, who had been through cancer with her husband I was able to maintain my strength and sanity.”

“I have to say I have wonderful family and amazing friends who got me through the rough days. In February I had surgery to take samples of some nodes that were still questionable and on February 28, 2011 those results came back revealing no granumola which means I was CANCER FREE!!!”

***the following quilt is a beautiful gift her daughters made, it is all of her bandannas sewn together and on the back are words of encouragement. seriously, this was breathtaking.***

“I was told throughout the months of chemo to just stay positive…cancer changes you forever and gives you a toughness that can be surprising. Just believe you CAN beat it!”