Marj Merges Beautiful. Honest. You. {and me}
Infant
Bruce Family: Welcome Baby Reid
Kristy and I went to graduate school together what seems like a lifetime ago. We re-met when our eldest kids were about 1.5 years old and we found we were living in the same town. Since then we’ve experienced the joy of parenthood together and helped each other enjoy it a bit more. When River […]
FollowRiver: Fourteen Months
Dearest River, It’s amazing how much you’ve changed since I last wrote. Back when you turned a year you were just starting to take steps. You’d managed to piece together several steps but only did so inside and so we didn’t consider you a walker. Now you run. It’s the cutest run with a little […]
River: Twelve Months
Dearest, River Moon, You’re one!!! Happy birthday to our little baby! We are ever so proud of you and ever so grateful to be your parents. Leading up to your birthday we couldn’t help but think back on a year ago and the weeks leading up to your birth. As opposed to most parents who […]
Auggie: Six Months
Auggie and River have known each other since birth. Well really before that as Auggie kicked River at Thanksgiving last year when he was still in Amy’s tummy. And now they’re growing up so very fast. Auggie has a wonderful joyful personality and the sweetest laugh (and one little tooth but that’s changed since these […]
River: Eleven Months
Dearest River, Eleven months! That means you’re almost one. Craziness! This month you’ve continued to work on your standing skills and can now stand unassisted for many minutes. The other night we were out at dinner and one table was convinced you would take your first steps right there as they cheered you on. Sadly […]
River: Ten Months
Dearest little River, My goodness are you growing up! It’s incredible to think of how much you’ve grown and changed over these last ten months and even more recently these last few weeks. Gone are the days of the toothless grin and the contentedly sitting baby. At the moment I could probably best describe you […]
River: Nine Months
This month was huge. In the way that suddenly everything has changed and yet it’s so very wonderful. You’re officially a crawler! And now we better start baby-proofing. 🙂 At the start of the month you figured out how to go from being on your belly to sitting up and that seems to have opened […]
River: Eight months
This month your biggest accomplishment was moving to really truly eating. At six months you started eating solid foods but it wasn’t until recently that you really truly started to enjoy them and reliably doing more than bang your spoon or sippy cup during meals. Mealtimes are really fun now and you get very very […]
Pierce: Seven Months
Pierce was born three weeks before my River and his momma was pregnant with him last summer at Jess and Gabe’s wedding. Because of these two things I was excited to get a chance to meet him and see what he was like. He’s a true joy and probably the mellowest baby I’ve met. Seriously. […]
River: Seven Months
Dear River, This past month has been a blur. You’ve changed so much so quickly that we can hardly keep up.* Right after you turned six months we started introducing you to solid foods. At first you had a few favorites and weren’t so sure of the rest. The first food to make it to […]
River: Six Months
Dear River, This month the hands have really started grabbing. Grabbing mommy’s hair. Grabbing our fingers. Grabbing toys. Grabbing plates. Grabbing toes. All with one objective, to get it in your mouth, whatever it is. You’re exploring your world with the help of mouth and hands. When we lay you down to change a […]
River: Five Months
Dear River, Happy five month birthday! It’s crazy that you’ve been here on the outside for five whole months already. That’s nearly half a year. When you first came out it was Fall and shortly thereafter it turned into Winter with some snow your first week and now the bulbs are coming up in the […]
August: Two Weeks
Welcome sweet baby August! You are so beautifully tiny. So helpless. So very loved. We’re excited that you’re here. And once she’s a little older, River will be too.
River: Three Months
Dear River, You are truly an amazing little baby. Your daddy and I still look at each other when you’re sleeping peacefully between us and ask; how did we get soo soo lucky? We get to keep you, this insanely beautiful and awesome little being, forever. Thank you for trusting us. You’ve taught us so […]
River: Two Months
Dear River, You continued to grow like a weed this month. At your two month appointment you weighed in at 9 lbs 2 oz and we can hardly believe how tiny you used to be. Sadly at that appointment you also got your first shots and you did not like that very much at all […]
The Family Photographer
For a year now I’ve been the trusted family photographer for my friends Mary, Phil, and their daughter Hazel. From the beginning back when I didn’t totally know what I was doing they’ve trusted me. That means back when I was applying to the internship I did last Winter I convinced them to let me […]
Inspiration
The story of this shoot is anything but straightforward. It’s a story that goes back several years. To the winter of 2010 when Eric and I were planning our wedding. To a wedding show where we met Elizabeth and Matthew. When we went to that show I didn’t expect anything to come out of it […]
Hazel: 9 months
Hazel, sweet Hazel. You’re amazing and wonderful and giving. Giving of smiles. Giving of laughter. Giving of finger touches. Giving of sherbets. So giving. You brighten a room with your sunny disposition. Thank you for being who you are and for reminding us all of the simple pleasures of love, discovery, and touch. And snow, […]
Hazel: 5 months
It seems (and I’m sure is true) that every time I see Hazel she’s grown. And that she’s learned something new. When we did this shoot she had just figured out how to roll from her belly to her back (she’d figured out the other direction a while ago) and now she’s linked her rolls. […]
One Month
A lot can happen in a month. For that matter a lot can happen in an instant. The instant it takes for two people to meet and leave an indelible mark on each other. The instant to be visited in their minds for years to come. My husband and I have that. We have that […]
Work Fast
I expected this shoot to be fast and for me to lose my subjects anytime. I was prepared. I knew I needed to make sure to get in some formal shots early and I needed to engage everyone early to start making the shots we all wanted before something happened. I didn’t know what would […]
Intimate Connections
This weekend I had the privilege of photographing my dear friends Mary and Phil and their sweet little baby, Hazel. Hazel was born while I was off in Atlanta doing my internship so I just got to meet her this week and I think she’s already stolen my heart. Perhaps she’ll steal yours digitally. Don’t […]