mother’s day with jess, corey, charley + lola.. family photos in tennessee

This past Mother’s Day, we had the pleasure of doing a sleep-over-then-photo-shoot. The kind we do where we get to wake up when you do, and we get to capture a glimpse of what life ‘really’ looks like.

We were in Tennessee, of all places. With Jess, Corey, Charley + Lola.. And I mean, these 4 love each other madly. It felt physically magical to be with them on Mother’s Day.. to follow Charley waking up her mama and see the joy they shared in the celebrations…

Jess has a blog called the Mother Years, and even though I am not a mother, I read it religiously and often find myself ugly-crying over her intimate ponderings and insights into this life. She is a huge advocate for adoption, and an incredible voice of possibility and love. Here is a glimpse into her most recent post. It is gold.

“Dear Girls,

Some day soon you’re going to connect the facts of being adopted and being sisters and possibly, quite possibly, you’ll have this moment where you’ll tell yourself that this must mean you’re not real sisters. Because real sisters, you’ll reason, share the same womb or same sperm bank. And if you were both conceived by different moms and dads from different backgrounds and countries and in different cities then this must mean you aren’t real sisters.

[…]

Tonight you all were helping one another water the flowers in the front when I heard the doorbell ring. As I walked through the dining room to unlock the door for you to come in I saw you holding hands and running down the stairs and across the front yard to hide behind a tree. I opened the door, acted confused, said, “hello??,” looked around and tried really hard not to join you two in your belly laughing.

Shortly after I started the shower for the three of us and you, Lola, said you had to pee. You then, Charley, said you had to as well so you ran off behind her. I was already in the shower and within minutes I could hear you both in-sync with the type of laughter that turns silent. I got out of the shower to find you both on the toilet together peeing at the same time.

Doorbell ditching together and tandem peeing aside know this:

Shared wombs, shared sperm banks or shared genetics aren’t the only ways to make sisters. Families aren’t just formed by nature. It’s important you understand in your own time that your sisterhood is ordained and is not imaginary, fake or artificial and it absolutely – with the utmost level of importance – deserves to be regarded in a serious way.

People, even the kindest ones with the best of intentions, will ask you if you’re real sisters. Answer yes. And, if they ask again, “Right right, but are you really real sisters?” Answer yes again.

The answer is yes.

It always will be.”

[Are you crying, too? No? Just me?? 😉 ]

The utmost adoration for you 4.

Thank you for showing the world what Love is.