Elena and McKinley.

Summerville, SC


I remember the day Mom told me I was going to have a brother. I was 12, and ecstatic. I had this image of what he would be when we were older, even though he would be the youngest of us 4, he would naturally fall into the role of the "protective brother" I had always wanted. And at 6 years old, when he killed the centipede on the floor in the living room for my sisters and I, it solidified him as our heroic rescuer for all things bug related, a small task you might think, but you didn't see that bug. I can only imagine what he thinks of his three older sisters, "crazy", I'm sure, is one of the first words that comes to mind, but we can say the same about him, it must be a sibling thing...


I had a glimpse into the world of Mckinley and Elena today, a rare and wonderful thing to watch. I spent nearly 2 hours photographing them, and Mckinley stepped without hesitation into the role of "big brother" and held his sister, gave her kisses and was in love with my camera. I have never seen blue eyes like his, deep piercing blue like the center of a coveted marble, the color rivaled only by the ocean, and unlike any other blue eyed boy I have ever met. He is a complete bundle of energy, his mother will attest; and as I witnessed when he opened the freezer and helped himself to an ice cream sandwich. And yet his bond with his baby sister is strong, Elena smiled most when he was sitting next to her.

Elena has what I always wanted... RED hair! she is, to date, the youngest person I have ever been jealous of. I could never pull it off, but the auburn color of her hair is something I, among many others, would love to have. She is complacent and peaceful in her little swing when I met her, her stormless blue eyes suggest only great adventures await, ones of following around her big brother, and ones I would imagine she takes on her own...

Watching them together reminded me of how much I enjoy being a sister, how much I enjoy having the company of my siblings aka partners in crime most of the time. But there is something to be said for having that companionship, it is built at an early age and on a foundation rooted with love ( which they may jokingly deny years from now).

Big thanks and love to Allison for letting me photograph her wildly photogenic and inquisitive children. Allison, let me just say, could run a house full of children and make it look like a cake walk, although she may disagree, she can't because it's my blog and its the truth. But in all honesty it is quite a gift to care and love children with the grace she does, it is powerful beyond what we can imagine...