You might recognize “Banjo Boy” from the homepage of my website, only now he’s a little over 4 years older (*sobs*) and his sister is no longer a baby (*sobs*) and Ruby the Dog is also somehow 4 years older (*sobs*). They are, however, still the best kids – hilarious, super smart, and raised on a steady diet of Garfield comic books. And not the new Garfield, either. We’re talking classic Garfield. You know, the good stuff. They also use Mr. Sketch scented markers (22 scents now!) and had a good time taking off the caps, having me smell the markers, and guess the scent. They play Badminton, which I used to play all the time as a kid. It’s like they’re living a delightfully early 90s childhood with no devices (except Duolingo, which is a favorite – and when it was discovered that I also use Duolingo, I gained a lot of street cred with the boy who then firmly moved me into the “cool” category). Kinda want to move in with them. Scratch that – definitely want to move in with them. You can find me in their backyard on the hammock reading their collection of Garfield comics.

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.

Long-time CSP readers of the blog will recognize some beloved clients of mine here, Erika and Emmanuel, and their incredible kid! In fact, we ran into one of my other clients in the lobby of the Museum of Life and Science while we were checking in, and he recognized Emmanuel! Amazing. It’s a small world, folks. I’ve loved working with these guys forever. They’re smiley and upbeat and positive and adorable. They love each other and their kid and are always a joy to work with. Their kid is AN INCREDIBLE HUMAN. He is hilarious, polite, intelligent, curious, and creative. He made me a bat clip for my hair (honored). He loves looking at bugs and talking about bugs. He can identify his mom’s favorite butterfly, as well as butterflies that are close to his mom’s favorite butterfly, and he points those ones out too. He is a little ray of sunshine. He likes posing and taking pictures and smiling directly into the camera. He’s a little ham, and exactly a 50/50 Erika/Emmanuel split. It’s been wonderful taking photos of this family for so long. A huge thanks to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, NC for their permission to shoot at their campus.