Moms: A Call to Action

I've noticed something as a mom. Are you ready for this big revelation? Here it goes: We are NEVER in family photos. We hold the camera. We take the pictures. And while we participate in the family fun, there's never any proof that we were even there. That's not good. Someday, our kids will wonder what we looked like when we were younger and how we interacted with them. They will want to see their mothers in family photographs.

So here's the deal, ladies. It's time to get out from behind the camera. Who cares if we're a little "fluffier" than we used to be or if our roots are showing or if we didn't shower today. We are beautiful, happy, vibrant, loving mothers and women (if I repeat that a few times, do you think it will sink in?) and we need to capture these moments for ourselves and our kids. So...hand the camera to your husband or learn to use the magic timer that takes automatic photos or ask the stranger at the zoo to take your picture (and pray that he doesn't run away with your camera...ha!). And if nothing else works, revert back to your teenage days, when you stretched your arm as far as possible and took your own photo. That works, too.

Let's be the generation of moms who embraced the camera, shall we?



Thanks to my great friend Sheila (who Kate calls my "sister-friend") for snapping this photo of me with my sweet girls. I love it. But I am wondering why I have so much make-up on and why nobody ever told me that my cheeks look like they're on fire. But that's for another post, I guess. Today, we're going to embrace the camera...flaming cheeks and all!

Sneak Peak for Melissa's Family...

Last week I had the chance to photograph another large, extended family. A family filled with lots of little boys...what fun! Seriously - they are so different from my current pink and girly lifestyle, and I found it very refreshing. They don't mind getting dirty, jumping, or climbing on things. They are some very cool kids! Melissa - I'm sorry it is taking me so long. Here's a sneak peak of your pictures, but please know that I haven't even edited half of them yet. That's on my agenda for this weekend! I'll be in touch as soon as they are ready.

Sneak Peak for Judy's Family

I love photography, mostly because it gives me the chance to hang out with fun families. Judy's family is no exception. Judy and I go to the same church and when I first met her, I thought she was super perky and outgoing and friendly. Seriously, Judy is friendly. I hope this doesn't sound terrible, but when we first met, I asked around and said,"How can this girl be so nice...is she the real deal?" Ha! Everyone told me that she was definitely the real deal. Judy is just genuine and kind and outgoing. She is "good people" and she is definitely the real deal. This was the first time I met her husband and he can work the "manly" pose with the best of them. He even has some manly facial expressions to go with his manly pose, but unfortunately, I didn't capture them on camera. Ha! Thank you, both, for spending some time with me this weekend. I hope you like the pictures. I'll be in touch about delivering the CD to you.





Melissa - your photos are coming. I took waaaaaay too many, so it is taking me longer than I thought!

Creepy or Cool...What do you think?

I took some pictures this weekend, and I had a hard time getting the exposure right. I was shooting directly into the sun, which I love to do, but am finding that it is so hard to get it just right. Anyway, I decided to play with the photo and turn it into a silhouette. What do you think...is it creepy or cool? Would you hang it on your wall? If you have a minute, leave a comment and let me know what you think of it.

Sneak Peak for Heidi's Family

Can I tell you how much I love taking pictures of this family? Really...I do. They are all so photogenic. Their kindness and patience and love for each other comes through the camera in every photo. I think I could learn so much about parenting and patience, just by hanging out with them for a few hours. Heidi - thank you for trusting me to take your family's photos for the second time! I hope you love the pictures as much as I do!







P.S. I love the last two - I think as moms we are normally the ones holding the camera, and we don't really ever capture those moments that happen between us and our children. Maybe that's what makes these some of my favorites - they are meaningful...and rare!

To Make You Smile...

Summer Send-Off: Farewell to Barefeet

This summer, Steve and I (okay...mostly Steve) focused some attention on our grass. I wanted green, lush grass that would feel good on bare little toes. We had some success in the beginning of the summer, but apparently, not everyone loves lush, green grass between their toes.




And so we say farewell to lush green grass and sweet barefeet!

This Little Girl...

I have a little girl who challenges me. I don’t mean that she talks back or that she makes messes or that she doesn’t listen. Of course she does all those things. She’s four. I suspect that every mom struggles with those things.

But this little girl challenges me in ways that make me question who I am and what I believe to be important in life. While we share the same eyes and the same big smile, this little girl and I are so completely different.

As a child, I was an extrovert. I talked a lot. I loved to dance and cheer. I was competitive. I wanted to swim better than everyone else. I wanted to be on the top of the pyramid and the front of the dance stage. I wanted to earn the highest grade in the class – not just an A – but the highest score in the whole class. I was a people-pleaser. I wanted to win awards and please the teacher and make friends and fit in.

This little girl doesn’t care about those things. She likes to play by herself. She could color for hours. She is artistic and pays attention to the smallest details. She loves to collect rocks and seashells and flowers. She would rather search for pretty rocks or strange bugs than swing or play with her friends. She doesn’t care what people think of her. She has a mind of her own and you cannot hurry her past a flower garden. She doesn’t feel the need to prove herself or be the best. She is shy. She likes to be babied and carried.

She and I are vastly different.

Despite our differences, I have been spending a lot of time trying to make her into a mini-me. I sign her up for dance. I tell her that she needs to talk to her friends. I question her for not trying hard, for acting lazy in swim class. I grill her after school about what she did and who she played with. I talk to her about the importance of making friends and being outgoing. And I spend a lot of time feeling like a terrible mother.

I keep asking myself: why do I want her to be a mini-me? Why can’t I let her be who she’s going to be, who God created her to be? She is talented and kind and funny. She is loving and artistic and curious. She is smart and focused and happy. She will probably paint a masterpiece someday, and all her mama can do is a sorry looking toe-touch from my old-school cheerleading days.

But I still cry and pray and wonder if I’m the best parent for this little girl. Because more than anything, I want to lift her up and grow her spirit and help her to see the very special little girl that God has made her to be. I don’t want to fail this little girl.

Summer Send-Off: Farewell to Fishing

The evenings are filled with crisp, chilly air and the sound of back-to-school bugs (i.e.crickets and Katydids). Those are two sure signs of fall here in my neck of the woods. Fall. Can you believe it is almost here? I was just getting into summer and fall is quickly creeping in to take its place. And with fall comes my much loved and anticipated Summer Send-Off blog posts (I know you all have been waiting for them). So let's say farewell to summer in style. It's time to celebrate ice cream cones and garden veggies, blowing bubbles and catching cat fish.

This year my cousin Chris and my Uncle Bradley took us fishing. Can I just tell you that those two summer evenings were some of the most peaceful, relaxing times I had all summer? I loved it. I even convinced my mom to join us the second time by telling her it was like paradise here on Earth. She wasn't convinced, as the bugs were biting her and the air was a little cooler, but to me...it was heavenly. See?


This little girl loves to fish, but she gets bored easily (kind of like her mama). Thankfully, she found something else to entertain her...flowers! My sweet girl cannot walk by a flower without picking it.
And Ellie was just thrilled to hold the fishing pole...at least for a little while! She got a few fishing lessons from Pappy Bill, and she thought she was big stuff.



Someone else got some fishing lessons from an old pro. Ha! Steve likes to fish but we don't even own a tackle box. It was nice that my Uncle Bradley, Chris, and my dad brought enough gear for all of us. If anyone is reading this...Steve could use a tackle box filled with fishing gear (and the recipe for doughballs) this Christmas!

Finally, after long hours of peaceful fishing (i.e. not a single bite), we hooked one (and by "we" I mean my Uncle Bradley). Kate quickly jumped in to help reel the monster in, but it was hard work....
So a fishing pro was called in to take over. Ha! That's one good looking fishing pro, don't you think?
And of course, I had to pose with "my" fabulous catfish (and by "my" I still mean Uncle Bradley's). He and Chris and Pappy Bill did all the dirty work while I had all the fun and got all the glory. Didn't I tell you it was paradise?

Sneak Peak for Lori's Family

Did you know that one of my college roommates married one of Steve's college roommates? It's awesome, now that we're all grown up and so mature. Okay...maybe we're not so mature, but we do have a lot of fun together! Lori and Wayne - thanks for attempting the camp out with us this weekend - we had a great time, even if we did freeze our tails off! Hope you love the pictures.