The Next Time...

Last weekend we got to see Alison, our second oldest daughter, at 36 weeks pregnant.

The next time Alison and her daddy see each other, she will be a mother.

Growing a Boy

When our daughter, Alison, visited with her husband, Eric, at the end of May, my camera was busy! She was 22 weeks along with her first child ~ our first grandson.

When Eric returned to their home in Boston to meet work obligations, Alison stayed behind for a few days of family time.

I asked Alison if I could do a maternity shoot, and she was game.

Alison is an utterly girly girl who doesn't know one end of a basketball from the other, so to speak. Thus, my daughter got quite silly during the photo shoot with the props we brought along to a favorite park in order to represent how much she has to learn.

We left the park and went to the nearby college. Alison spent years taking violin lessons in the music building there. She did a quick change and we went to work taking advantage of fabulous lighting and great geometric lines.

Now and then we added a prop. We were simply having the best time as mother and daughter. We laughed as we learned together what worked for the photos and what didn't. All the while, we just couldn't help marveling that Alison is growing a human being inside her. How good and kind our God is!

We were pleasantly surprised to find the building unlocked since that hadn't always been the case during the summer throughout Alison's teen years.

We were also delighted to find that many alterations had been made inside since either of us had last been in the building. What a make-over the structure had been given! The furniture was brand new and yet had retro look that's so popular right now.

Because of it being summer, the all-glass lobby of the arts center was void of people.

Our family is daily thankful for Eric and Alison's pregnancy. Because Jim and I experienced extreme infertility, the whole family is keenly aware that the ability to get pregnant is not a given. All in our growing army of 18 have spent 25 weeks thanking God for the little boy He's growing in Alison!

Eric and Lissie's Wedding: The Bride and Groom

These photos were taken by professional photographer Lauren La Plante before the wedding just after Eric got his first glimpse of Lissie.

Eric and Lissie's Wedding: The Groom's First Glance

Photo credit: Lauren LaPlante of Lauren LaPlante Photography

The Bride Adorned

In October our second oldest daughter, Lissie, was married. I'm just now getting to posting the photos following some recent surgery.

In case you missed it, Eric and Lissie's love story can be found on her blog.

(Credit for all these photos goes to Lauren LaPlante of Lauren LaPlante Photography )

Lissie and her bridesmaids got ready in the basement of the church.

Her makeup artist was her sister, Daria, who had joined the family through adoption three years earlier. Daria learned her skill in her Russian orphanage when the director brought in a makeup artist to teach the motherless teenage girls how to beautify themselves.

The bride had her hair done professionally. However, all the other girls involved in the day's celebration had their tresses coiffed by family friends Bethany (below) and Sarah (not pictured). There was so much hair to be done that sometimes multitasking was required!

While one bride, five bridesmaids (including one sister) and seven additional sisters busily prepared themselves, 16-month-old Brielle, daughter of the matron of honor, patiently paced the floor.

Lissie's sisters, Jaynie and Sarah, laced the intricate corset of her gown.

When the lacing was complete it was time for a bride sandwich...also know as a sister hug.

I had been watching the hubbub from the side of the room...

...but now I stepped in to complete Lissie's adornment by placing the veil in her hair, just as I'd been blessed to do for her older sister, Anna, 2-1/2 years earlier.

And thus the bride was made ready for her groom!