A Year of Firsts

Today is Will's Gotcha Day - the one year anniversary of his arrival to our home.  Over the course of the last year, I've tried to pen the emotions (flavor even) of the whole experience.  We've shared joy, hope, excitement, frustration, sadness, happiness, exasperation, fulfillment, commitment and peace in a decision that couldn't have been more right.  But most of all, we've shared love.  We always knew we would love the child we'd adopt, but we had no idea just how deeply that love would run.  In this short year, the richness of it all influences our perception of events to the point of having us believe he's always been with us.  All things reduced in the crucible of truth, Will is our son, he'll always be our son and in many ways has always been.

As a part of the celebration and reflection this weekend, I've assembled images of firsts:

Will's first trip to the pumpkin patch which just happened to occur in the first week he came to live with us.

His first ride without training wheels.

The first sledding with mom...

...and first cookie making.

The first Christmas complete with...

...the first gun, courtesy Grandpa Ken.

The first solo around the barn.

The first spring break.

The first mustache and 'cigarette'.

The first Tigers' game.

The first 4th at the lake.

The first birthday with his school friends.

The first day of kindergarten.

The first AYSO game.

The first cast. *sigh*

  

His first gavel as an official Vomastek.  

(image courtesy Kent Whistler)

Most importantly, the first family photo.

(image courtesy Kent Whistler)

Sarah, Will and I can't thank all of you enough for the support, thoughts, prayers and most of all love through all of this.  The journey, while absolutely worth it, was hard.  We couldn't have made it without you.


D

Rachel and Allyson - August 2010

It seems my photographic style continues to evolve.  At first I would only shoot nature and still life... you could even describe me as being 'afraid' to shoot people.  About two decades ago (yep, just that phrase makes me feel old), my day job provided me with a requirement an opportunity to shoot more photos of people. At first, I didn't like it all that much.  However, the spontaneity of people plus the ever elusive chase of the decisive moment quickly won me over.  I find myself shooting nature and still life much less these days.

And when it comes to people, shooting kids has easily become my favorite.  Their lack of camera shyness combined with their innocence provides the best material one could hope to shoot.  One would think that now I have a son of my own I'd be a one source shooter... not so!  I'd hate to make him suffer as my only subject.  Fortunately, I have a cadre of nieces!  Rachel and Allyson live close and as such are frequent subjects.  Seriously, can you have cuter subjects than these???

I don't imagine Rachel is the biggest fan of the following, but you just can't help but love the expression. 

How she'd prefer to see herself in pixels...

Saving the best for last.  

Tough be a photog with this kind of source material to work with...


mtk...


D

Will Pierce Vomastek

I am happy to announce the end of one of the longest journeys Sarah and I have ever undertaken.  Sarah and I are licensed foster parents.  Last fall, a young boy by the name of Will came to live with us.  We were immediately taken by his amazing heart and sweet soul.  Not long after he moved in we filed the paperwork to adopt him and this past Wednesday, the adoption became final - Will is a permanent member of the family.

The last 10 months have been long when not outright frustrating. While our agency and caseworkers were awesome, interacting with some of the government's red tape takes its toll on you.  The day of the adoption hearing followed that theme.  We get to the courthouse, wander around for 10 minutes only to run into an employee who informed us family court had moved to a new building.  We get to the new building, are directed to a courtroom and sit for 10 minutes or so only to be told we were in the wrong courtroom.  We finally made it to the correct court with two or so minutes to spare before the start of the hearing.  Augh!  The important part is, we made it and it is done!

This is the first time I am able to post a public blog regarding our new son.  Prior to the adoption finalization, he was a ward of the court and certain privacy regulations were in effect.  I've sent out a number of updates, thoughts and musings to our family and close friends - some of which I may republish here at a later date.  It's difficult to capture the range of emotions one experiences during a process such as this.  I think it's safe to say that the journey was the longest and hardest for Will.  The judge allowed him to sit at her chair and bang the gavel...  I don't believe I could come up with a better image to express the cumulation of the moment more than the one below.   

We were blessed to have several members of our family and close friends on hand for the hearing.  Will's been able to bond with his new grandparents - having them there was extra special.  For those of you that would like to watch the hearing, you can find it on youtube....    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tcbWkASO2w 

After the hearing, we headed back to our place for a celebration with extended family and friends.  We had 60+ people over (glad the fire marshal didn't stop by).  You can't pull off a party like that without a lot of help.  Special thanks to my cousin and father-in-law for manning the grill.  

We collected a number of random photos throughout the day.  Here's my dad practicing his gang signs...

My brother Andy and I.  He and his spouse, Holly, flew in from CT for the day.  15 hours of travel for five hours of beer and brats. I just love those guys!  (And yes, most Vomastek men tend to were Hawaiian shirts as often as possible.)

We Vomasteks also have a pretty strong carefree streak running through us.  At the last minute I decided to set up some studio gear in the garage to let people take pictures of themselves.  Andy and Holly were early takers....

Mom and Dad doing whatever it is they do...

My brother Ed and Tam (Ed's the only Vomastek male who can pick out clothes on his own)...

My sister Rebecca and her daughter Sophia....

The whole Vomastek clan minus Cait (WE MISS YOU!)...

From there, the kids and teenagers took over.  The adults returned to the backyard to chat... as such, I really can't be responsible for the images that follow....

Lily, a wonderful young woman we've gotten to know this last summer, staffed the party for us.  On a break, she got into the act as well.  (Thanks, Lily, for all the help!!!)

Sarah and Rebecca, the "Dark Barbies"....

Not sure how to explain this next one so I am not going to try....

And finally, on a more serious note, the new family.

Thanks to all of you for all your love and support these last several months. 


Dan


PS - you can find the complete gallery of silliness at http://lakeshoreclick.com/family/willsadoptionday/

Fun at Work

I am not shooting as many weddings these days as I have in the past.  Now that I have a family of my own and a seemingly never-ending increase in responsibilities in my day job, carving out the 30+ hours to prep, shoot and edit a wedding is a lot of time to give up in a week.  Still, I like to shoot at least one a year - especially with a couple like Amy and Aaron.  Not only was their wedding beautiful and deeply meaningful, they also made having a good time a priority for themselves, family and guests - oh, and the photographer too!

Adding to the joy of working with them were their two angels....  You couldn't ask for a prettier face!

Helping mom out...

Details, details...

Amy and Aaron had a large wedding party.  The ladies were beautiful and the guys weren't slackers by any means.  Indeed, one of jokes circulating among the guests - in order to make the wedding party, you had to look good!

Checking out the guys....

While I'm not Catholic, I love a Catholic weddings.  The service is rich in meaning, and their father's homily was a perfect fit for A & A.  Should have captured the audio.

One of the angels watching over everything....

Shooting a large wedding party is a challenge, but these folks made it easy.

What you can't see in these pics is how bright it was on the water.  It was hard not to squint.  I'd bet Aaron had his eyes closed during this one.

More fun...

Bride, maid of honor and the flowers ... all beautiful.

Outtakes...

More outtakes....

As I said, this couple understands fun!

Amy, Aaron - thanks for a wonderful experience.  God bless you and your family on your new life together.

D

Click Here for the Expanded Gallery