Rachel Perman offered her son a special way to mark his fifth birthday: a themed photoshoot, and he picked “Up,” his favorite movie, without hesitation. Elijah, the birthday boy, adores the Pixar film, so dressing up as characters from it was a dream for him.
Elijah dressed up as Russel and came up with the idea of including his great-grandparents, aged 90, as Carl and Ellie. Richard and Caroline Bain, deeply in love in real life, perfectly embodied the animated couple.
Taking on the roles of both mom and photographer, Perman captured the photos and shared them on Facebook, where they quickly gained attention. Meanwhile, Elijah’s twin sister, Emilee, also got her own birthday photoshoot, opting to pose alongside a horse dressed up as a unicorn.
Perman mentioned on Facebook that she usually keeps personal photos off her professional page, but these pictures resonated strongly on social media. She later told CBS News about the inspiration behind the heartwarming photoshoot.
“Five years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer right after my twins were born, and had fears if I would even get to see their fifth birthday,” Perman told CBS News. “My oldest was 5 at the time and I hated not knowing if I would get the same time with them that I got with her.”
She wasn’t feeling well for about a year, but now she’s getting better. She reached her twins’ fifth birthday, which she wasn’t sure about. Therefore, she wanted to have a big celebration. “It’s a celebration for me and them!” she said.