Ya’ll know these guys so they don’t really need any introduction, but we will say that meet a lot of people on this job, but Jo, Brad, Laurel, and Sam are some of our favorites. They’ve kept in touch with us and invite us to their lake house and cook us dinner and let us play with their french bulldog and send us text messages when Carrie Fisher dies. We love them, and they are near and dear to our hearts. We photographed them last year with Frank, their newly adopted French Bulldog who has become, perhaps, the most babied and spoiled of the family and is possibly the favorite child (I know Laurel and Sam won’t be offended by this statement but will likely agree with me, so I feel like it’s fine to put that out there). They LOVE him, and how could you not, given that face!? And lucky for Frank, he was adopted into a family who took their adoption of him seriously, and so they are doing everything they can to get Frank back on a path to health and wellness after some pretty devastating news. Frank was diagnosed with Granulomatous Meningoencephalitis. Essentially, it’s an autoimmune disease brought on by a bad reaction to a vaccination. He’s had seizures and pneumonia, as well as other significant reactions to the disease and the drugs used to treat it. Currently, he is doing quite well on chemo and is a very strong, brave little pup. He is on the upswing and his family is taking great care of him in conjuncture with the NC State Veterinary Hospital Neurology Team.

So this year – we did their family pictures at the arboretum, but Frank was recovering at this current juncture from a recent hospital stay, so he was only able to join us for half of the pictures. He has since made significant strides and we are so happy for him! He is still sporting his veterinary hospital haircut in these pictures but also sporting a cool French t-shirt to represent his heritage. We’re so glad that Frank has this wonderful family in his life, and WE’RE so happy to have this wonderful family in OUR lives. Sam and Laurel remain two of our most favorite children, and they just keep getting funnier and more amazing as they get older. Probably because they have some pretty great parents whom we adore. Happy to photograph this family once again!

Vivi // At Five Years

VIVI IS BACK! Long-term CSP readers/stalkers will recognize the vivacious Miss Vivi who is seriously near and dear to our hearts. We photographed her for her second, third, and fourth birthdays (click all of those links to see Vivi [and our editing] grow up before your eyes). Now she has just turned FIVE which somehow which makes me feel old. So what’s new? Here are some Vivi updates:

This was the first year she actively recognized us and gave us a hug and it made me melt. She blew kisses at several kids her age while casually walking past them, totally unprovoked. Vivi currently enjoys exploring trains, trying out every pogo-stick-sand-dinosaur they have at Pullen Park, and watching ducks. She very much loves carousels and bridges. New this year is her ability to find statues, hit them, and discover that “Wow, they are solid!” Her favorite thing about trains is the “wooo woooooooo” whistle that she enjoys emulating, but has mild concerns that the whistle might be too loud. She likes going down slides repeatedly but only if someone is at the bottom. Constantly making her mother nervous, she is inexplicably drawn to large, potentially unsafe surfaces and structures on which to climb. She likes to hold hands. She really likes talking, but is 100% positive 100% of the time. Examples below.

Vivi [before going on train ride]: This is going to be TERRIFIC!
Me [during train ride]: Is this terrific?
Vivi: It IS! It is TERRIFIC!

Vivi [walking over by the lake to look at some ducks]: Wow, look at the view!

And my favorite (perhaps channeling her inner Carolyn Scott). Vivi [while riding a carousel for the first time exclaims with a delightful surprise]: I’m not getting hurt right now!

I’m pretty sure I need a shirt that says, “I’m not getting hurt right now!” I would wear it to bed, maybe, which is one of the few times I’m not actively getting injured. Vivi is my spirit animal.