breanne’s senior photos // snohomish, wa

I almost don’t want to share these photos. I almost believe that if I never share these photos, that this sweet little girl will stay just that… a little girl. But alas, regardless of whether or not I share these photos, this little girl, my niece Breanne, will continue to grow & grow until she is no longer a little girl, but a grown woman. A grown woman about to graduate high school & take on the world.

And as you can see, Madeline is in a few photos too… it was a real pleasure to photograph them together like the many times I’ve done before, but this time with Mads also bringing along her camera to take photos too. Like mother, like daughter, and oh my god does that make me so proud!

Also I have a confession to make as I’m posting these photos; a confession that has not much to do with anything, but really feels like it has to do with everything. Last Friday, on Halloween, I was walking around my neighborhood & completely delighting in all the little kids running around in their costumes with uncontainable excitement… and my delight soon took an unexpected turn towards sorrow as I realized that Halloween would never again be for me what it once was. I may have other holidays to look forward to for the rest of my life, but this one silly holiday where everyone gets weird & breaks all the rules & runs around laughing all day, I’ll never get that holiday back. And that thought had me bawling all day long… tears, running down my face, as I saw all the children running around & as I watched Madeline leave me to go hang out with her friends. Perhaps it’s the impending graduation that is happening this year & the seemingly sudden move towards adulthood, and also the admittance that more children are not in our future as we had once hoped… but apparently it’s the littlest things that make me yearn for the years past, and make me wonder how I let them slip by without even noticing how beautiful they were, until they were gone.

But it’s not over yet… or I guess I need to recognize that the best is yet to come, always. Seeing these photos of Breanne & Madeline obviously make me feel so nostalgic for once was, but also so excited for what is soon to happen. I mean, look at them! They are adults. They are women. And they are fierce.

I’m not sure if you saw the instagram photo that I posted, where the girls perfectly reenacted a photo that I had taken of them when they were three years old; obviously it is such a hilarious photo, but really that original photo has been so special to me throughout the years. Breanne was always Madeline’s little mother… ever since they were even just babies, Breanne would swoop in to hug & comfort Madeline when she was crying. There are so many photos of them hugging, both while laughing & while crying, that perfectly epitomize their relationship all these years.

So I would be remiss to say how proud I am of Breanne & the woman she has become, without also mentioning how thankful I am to her for being such a wonderful cousin to Madeline throughout the years. It’s no surprise to me that she has grown into a creative, independent, smart & beautiful person, but I am also so happy that after all these years, the loving, caring & concerned little mama is still in there… just loving away.

Congratulations on life, Breanne! I love you!