Halfway to One

My babies have never been big fans of portrait sessions. And by that I mean that they usually scream their purty little heads off until the photographers ask us (not in so many words) to leave. Please. When they turn one, something magically happens and they think that a stranger behind a camera is suddenly a great idea, but until then it’s pretty much hopeless.

My first experience with this was when Lucy was three months old. I ended up bringing her home from the photographer’s studio where she had screamed and fallen asleep, and, after a good nap, I set up my own little photo shoot.

She loved it. Smiled the whole time.

At six months, I tried again. After this failed attempt, I went and bought a white bed sheet to use as a backdrop, seeing that I’d probably be doing this again. (Looking back, I definitely should have gotten a higher thread count or something wrinkle-free. But that is what Photoshop is for, right?)

By no means did the photos that I took compare to the equipment and eye of a professional, but they were good enough for me to send to relatives and put in her baby book.

Nine months came. I don’t think I need to tell you what happened.

Then along came Josiah. His personality was so different, I thought that perhaps I’d have better luck, and that maybe he’d be enamored with his fledgling photography sessions and I’d get some wonderful professional photos of him as a bitty baby.

How foolish of me.

I brought out the white bedsheet several more times that year.

By their first birthday, the photog phobia my children have experienced seems to disappear, but until then I’ve just decided not to even attempt it with my third child.

(And, no, I do not believe that the third time’s a charm, as I hear so often!)

So, since we marked Adam’s half birthday last week while attending his great-grandmother’s funeral, this weekend was my first chance to chisel out some time to bathe, prep, and shoot.

Here are the unedited photos.

I had to start with some diaper shots. Just got to record those rolls!

Michelin Man, you ain't got nothin' on my baby boy!

He seemed to be having fun, though with him rolling so much, having him on our bed was a little precarious, like when he flipped for this shot. (Definitely giving the camera some love here, though, don't you think?)

After I got a few in nothing but the diaper, I thought I should put him in some proper clothing. Of course, as soon as I did, this happened.

Not only did my flash accidentally go off, but do you see something there at the corner of his mouth? That was the tip of the iceberg. He spit up. A lot. On his navy blue outfit.

So I cleaned him up, and he did it again. This baby is not typically a ‘spitter’!

After cleaning him up a second time, uh, you guess what happened again.

Clearly I chose the wrong day for this.

But instead of scrapping it all, I put him on his belly to hide all the wet spots on his clothes and got one last chance at a good one.

Yup, perfection went out the window a looooong time ago. These are good enough for me (and will look even better once I “iron” the white sheet with Photoshop and touch up the drool spots).

They capture his sweet smile. They show off his ample rolls of squishable lovey-ness. They record his crazy-fluffy hair.

And in that sense, they are perfect to me.

Our families will love them. And they’ll be just right for his baby book. Done and done.

Pumpkin Season

Ahhh, Autumn. I've been catching short glimpses of my favorite season in the past few weeks. Though our days here are still quite warm, the coolness of the early mornings and the crisp breeze in the evenings tells me that change is on the way.

It's almost time for caramel apples, turning leaves, jeans and sweatshirts, corn mazes, spiced apple cider, and flannel sheets.

And it's definitely time to crack this baby open once again.


I looooove everything pumpkin. Pumpkin dip with ginger snaps and apples, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread with pecans, pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin soup, pumpkin pancakes with maple syrup.

I could go on, but I don't want to short out my keyboard by drooling too much.

I'm starting to worry about another canned pumpkin shortage this year. My grocery store was either sold out or hiding it when I went to stock up this week. I did pause for a moment by the real pumpkins, but I'm way too busy (read: lazy) to do the whole cooking-a-real-pumpkin thing for my baked goodies. If I reach desperation, it may come to that, but for now I'm grateful for the few extra cans I bought this summer in salivating anticipation.

Pumpkin paradise, here I come!

Pillars

"By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people."
Exodus 13:21-22

Raise your hand if you get caught up in wondering what in the world you're supposed to be doing with your life. Yeah, that would be pretty much all of us at some time or another. And if you didn't raise your hand, you have either not yet turned ten years old, or you're probably not being completely honest with yourself.

I often put great pressure on myself to figure out right now what I am doing with my life. Sometimes I'm just thinking of this week. Other times I think about the next few years or beyond. Am I doing what I'm supposed to with my time? Am I investing in the people I should be? Am I teaching my children the right things? Am I working hard enough at knowing God better each day?

And what's the plan for the future? Am I heading in the right direction? Should I be taking on more responsibility? Or less? Should I make different friends? Have more babies? Stay at home? Get a job?...

Now imagine yourself as an ancient Israelite. I'm talking about the ones who lived back when Moses was around. The ones who wandered in the desert. God's presence was literally there before them, for all to see. They didn't have to wake up each morning and wonder what direction they should walk. They didn't have to consult someone else to find that information out for them. They just looked up and followed the cloud during the day or the fire during the night. And it was always there.

Don't you wish it were that easy? Sometimes I do. I wonder if the Israelites felt great relief in not having to make those decisions for themselves. No one wondered where or when. The pillar of cloud or fire showed them when and led them where. It could not have been more clear.

Sometimes God still helps us out by making things obvious for us. A friend struggling with the decision of having more children suddenly discovers she is pregnant. I'd say that's a pillar of cloud. Another who wrestles with the decision to leave a difficult job is suddenly downsized. Pillar of fire, don't you think?

But for all those less obvious times, we are not helpless. Thousands of years later, I'm comforted by two things:

First, I am guided by God's Word, the Bible.

"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."
Psalm 119:105

But unlike the nation of Israel, it has to be my choice to keep it before me each day. And to follow.

Second, I have the Holy Spirit.

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever."
John 14:16

Forever. Always there. Just like the pillars, but even better. Personal, comforting, and ever-present.

What are you looking to for guidance as you look into the days ahead?

History

Shortly after my resolve to post more frequently, we left town on a spontaneous road trip to Chicago. My hubby’s grandmother passed away on Sunday, and we went to be with the rest of his family to celebrate her life. In four days, we spent less than 48 hours at our destination and more than 36 hours in the minivan.

With three kids.

Including a 6-month-old.

And as exhausting as it was, it was so worth it.

It was worth it to be able to share hugs, tears, stories, laughter, and family history. It was a rich time of celebration and reflection on the life of a wise and whimsical woman.

But it was also worth it for these:

We were given stacks of photos of my husband as a baby and child. Neither of us had seen most of these.

Although they did look shockingly familiar.

Let me show you what I mean. Here's is my husband, back in the 70's:

And here is a photo from last month of my sweet baby boy, Adam:

(These are not my best photos of him, but I'm glad now that I have them for comparison sake.)

Okay, let's take one more look at dear hubby as a baby boy:

And Adam again:

The resemblance. Uncanny, wouldn't you say?

They say history repeats itself...

This one's worth at least a thousand words

Truly, there are so many things that I could say... But I'm going to leave it at this: I am proud to call this man my husband.

Silence

Yes, yes, I know. It’s been absolutely forever since I last blogged. 4-EVA. And looking back at the year as a whole, my posts have been few and far between. I can assure you that it is not for lack of material! My days have been full of fun and challenges, ups and downs, new experiences and the comfort of routine.

Call it writer’s block, busyness, or the sheer exhaustion of raising three young children, or perhaps it’s been the age-old saying, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”

More than that, I believe it’s the perfectionist in me that wants every post to be better and more creative than the one before. But that false expectation has kept me from sharing the fun and the challenges, the ups and downs, the new experiences and the comfort of routine. And it has kept me from my favorite creative outlet—writing!

Well, folks, I want to keep it real. Not everything in life is pretty, and some days are pretty rough in this head (and this house) of mine. And though I do my best to focus on all that is good and beautiful (for there is plenty!), if you keep coming back you might catch glimpses of “bad” and “ugly” along with their sibling “good.” (No, those are not nicknames for my children!) But all of it is a part of the journey that makes up the whole of life.

Okay, now I’m rambling. All this to say, I’m banishing whatever has been keeping me from the keyboard.

I’m back, baby.