Little One either has a cold or is teething. Either way it’s meant very little sleep for me for the last two nights. My dad is also in the hospital after having his knee replaced. Therefore, it’s another day of a photo post for Melissa Firman’s 99 Days of Blogging.
This is my son last week jumping through the sprinkler. This week the weather has cooled down to where I prefer it and the sprinkler hasn’t really been an option.
She likes the mud. A lot.
This is my first blog post for the 99 days of blogging with Melissa Firman.
It’s a simply post but I think the photos say it all. Go play in a mud puddle today. I did. My shoes are ruined, but my heart is light.
I meet my son’s bus at an old school parking lot and usually we head home right away to make dinner and get ready for karate or to get homework started.
This past week we’ve had warm temperatures and sunny days but I’ve been too busy to enjoy it. By the time I have been ready to experience some of the warmth, the sun is already sinking below the hills that surround the small town we live in.
One day I took my daughter out of her seat as we waited for her brother and admired the golden light of the already setting sun. When my son got off the bus I heard myself say:
“Oh wow… Look at that light … It’s amazing.”
I knew we had to get home, get dinner done and get to karate. No time for photography or having fun or just cutting loose. I had to start being responsible and stop being such a goof off, as I tend to find myself being.
“Then what are we waiting for?” I heard my son say and before I could remind him we have responsibilities he took took off across the still green grass, tinted golden by the sun.
Without even thinking I was carrying the baby across the grass and watching my son climb a tree limb that had broken off one tree and fallen against another.
Soon My daughter was trying to eat dried black walnuts and I was admiring the sun flare behind her head.
I forgot schedules and responsibility and we ran down a hill and laughed and hugged each other while the sun set behind us.
Sometimes we need those spontaneous moments of joy. We need to put aside what we tell ourselves are responsibilities but are probably only things we do because someone else does and we don’t want to look like a bad parent to someone else.
My son seems to often transform mundane moments into magical ones. Watching him climb the tree limb, sitting at the top,proud of his accomplishment, I found myself admiring his willingness, maybe even his determination to seize the moment and go with the flow.
Before I had children I saw parents as the teachers and the children as students but now that I’m a mother i realize my son often leads me and where he leads me is into a world where the focus is on what is true, real and important.
Isaiah 61:2-4To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, 3To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.4Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, They will raise up the former devastations; And they will repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations.…
Soft hair brushes against my arm and you sigh in your sleep.
I nuzzle my face against the top of your head and breathe in the scent of you. I smell honey from the shampoo we used to wash mashed pears out of your hair. Your chubby hand has somehow found its’ way into my hair and the strands twist around your fingers, trapping me until you’ve fallen into a deeper sleep.
I love these moments. I love the feel of your soft skin, your warm breath, your heart pounding. I love the feel of your life, a life I never expected but that, like your brother, has changed mine 180 degrees for the better.And here we are, at your first birthday. You’ve been here a year and it may sound cliche but it absolutely feels like it was yesterday.
It was the end of a long day when you decided it was time to come see your brother, dad and I.
By the next morning you were in my arms and it felt like you had always been a part of our life.
Your daddy counted fingers and toes but I never did. I knew you were perfect. I knew you were from God and that’s all that mattered. All I saw were your eyes and they were looking into mine.
You, joined with your brother, have been the burst of energy, the breeze of freshness this stale, jaded, empty soul needed to remind me that life is still good, that God is still on the throne and that beauty comes from ashes.
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Deuteronomy 31:6Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
You are fearless.
But that makes me fearful sometimes.
I see what can happen and my heart pounds when you lunge toward a metal slide
You are exactly like your brother in so many ways. You are even more impulsive and I didn’t think that was possible.
I am determined not to limit you, even if I feel myself inwardly cringe when you quickly dash over the rocks at the local playground or shove a dirt covered hand in your mouth.
You both make my days worth living.
You and your brother made a birthday I didn’t really care about worth celebrating because it means I’ve had another year with both of you.
Never stop exploring.
Never let fear stop you, as it has me so many times.
Never let the worries of this world cloud the joys of this world.
But, please, slow down just a little. You’re mama is feeling every bit her age these days. You have an entire childhood ahead of you to explore the world. It’s ok to take your time and enjoy it, ok?
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This is part of my feature called Tiny Tips Tuesday, where I offer you tiny tips related to photography.
Today I’m going to offer you tips to help your photographer capture the most natural images of your children. I’m sure you’re wondering why I would suggest you “help” your photographer when your paying them to capture the images, but you can make their job easier, which in turn will make the final product worth your money.
First, two DON’Ts.
DON’T say things like “Timmy, look at the camera…” or “Smile for the camera.” Nothing tenses a child up more than being told to do something and nothing makes them more unlikely to smile than being told to do so. Not to mention, posed smiles often look forced and uncomfortable. Let the photographer handle capturing that “looking right at the camera” moment, if that’s what you want. Some of the best photos, though, are those where the subject isn’t even looking at the camera. Photographs where a child or person is simply “in the moment,” can mean the most in the future.
DON’T fix their hair and tell them it looks awful right before the photographer takes the photo. Nothing wilts the spirit of a child faster than their parent suggesting they don’t look good enough for their photos. If you must fix their hair, do it with a smile and remind them they are beautiful and you love them. But I’d recommend not even fixing their hair. Let their hair do whatever naturally comes to it, just as your child should be allowed whatever comes to them naturally during a photo session. Letting them be natural will produce the best, most authentic images that will capture your child’s personality, but also your memories of them when you look back on the images years down the road.
Now three DOs:
DO laugh with your children. Like Donald O’Connor said in “Singin’ In The Rain” make ’em laugh. Tell them a funny story while your walking or playing and the photographer will capture the result. The laughter will help them relax and a relaxed child is what you most likely want to remember as they grow. The best images are often those where the subject isn’t paying attention to the camera. What is better for them to pay attention to than their own parent?
DO let your child be a child. Let them climb a tree (if it’s safe) or even stomp in a mud puddle or roll down a hill. If you want your child’s true spirit to be captured then you want to let them be themselves as much as possible. Let the photographer harness that energy to bring you the best images of your child during that time in their life
DO stay relaxed because children feed off the emotions of their parents and if you are stressed they will feel it and reveal that stress in their images.
Bottom line: trust your photographer to get the best possible images of your child. If you can’t trust your photographer then you shouldn’t hire them, which brings me to the topic for a future Tiny Tips Tuesday: “How to Choose A Photographer.”
For more Tuesday tips:
Boondock Ramblings 