A Madison Farewell | madison lifestyle photographer : Newborn & Family Photographer Madison, WI

It is with such bittersweetness that I share this. Lisa & Ted & Talia & Avi hired me to document one of their last evenings in Madison, and while it was such a joy and an honor to share such precious fleeting time with them, watching them depart to Boston has been nothing short of cheerless. I’ve run into many mutual friends in recent weeks, and the kids’ absence from our school this year seems strange and sad to the lot of us. And so herein lies the gift–a chance to focus on them–their home & yard, their relationship, their neighborhood as defining parts of their engaged life here.

One of the reasons Lisa chose their 1909 home so many years ago was the wooden stairway—it’s a beautiful feature with deep oak and gorgeous light, but what she’ll likely remember is Avi first crawling, walking, and eventually jumping from them; pajama-clad morning descents for breakfast; nightly ascents to take bubbly tubs, read books, tuck-ins; all the comings and goings that define daily life.

Our time together was mostly spent outside in their deep yard full of swings, sandbox, vegetable garden, perennials, and the most adored rope hammock. Lisa and the kids read book after book, just swinging and reading together while the summer sun slowly set in a straight ray toward them. You would have never known their home was full of boxes and moving disarray; everyone was carefree, engaged. Wholly present. Avi and Talia’s swing chains melodically creaked with their escalating leg pumps, sending a charming childhood discussion into the lively neighborhood. Avi dug precision holes in the sandbox & Tali checked out the garden bounty and twirled in the lush summer grass. The day’s heat air-dried their bright pool towels over the cedar deck behind them, displayed like summer’s official flags, and the kids squished themselves together into one large Adirondack chair to scarf down sweet vegan chocolate. So best.

We later landed at Lake Wingra, where we took a stroll on the narrow, wobbly washboard pier, checked out a spectacular spider web and watched the fishing boats, kayaks, and canoes come in and go out. The boathouse was full of pleasant chatter behind us, yet Lisa and the kids were focused on each other, the breezeless lake and the occasional slow fwoosh and accompanying dripping from a nearby rower. As we returned up the pier once more, sun falling behind the evergreens, there were a couple more good-byes to friends they met along the way. We made our way back, the delicious busyness of the boathouse fell quieter in the distance and we were left to run the open fields alone.

And then, well, it ended a bit like this:

“They all said “Hallo” and felt awkward and unhappy suddenly, because it was sort of a goodbye they were saying, and they didn’t want to think about it. So they stood around and waited for someone else to speak, and they nudged each other, and said “Go on”…”

– A.A. Milne –

We will surely miss you all, but will be excited to follow along with your new Bostonian adventures and can’t wait for your Midwest visit! Xo!