First Day of Autumn

My plan was to take a picture of my shoes. I love Autumn and boots! You were certain that today's picture would be massively improved by your face. Of course, you were right. I'm happy and grateful for silly moments with my favorite little guy. (2/100)

One-Hundred Happy Days

It has been a long and wonderful Wedding Season. As the season comes to a close, I'm feeling the desire to switch gears. Capturing your every day is my passion. The pictures and videos will one day be my gift to you.

I decided to give the 100 Happy Days Challenge a try. I'm not going to pressure myself with composing the perfect shots. I'm not going to get discouraged if I miss a day. This is just an opportunity for me to develop a grateful spirit and a sensitivity to the little joys in my life. You may find it interesting when you are older. I know it is important to me now, and I want you to develop a similar outlook.

The post will not be long. It is only my goal to describe the moment and the reason it made me happy. In the photo above, you are gently holding a toad/frog. It makes me happy because it is the perfect symbol of your newfound independence. Since beginning Kindergarten, you have become so confident.

Today, we pulled up to the house after school. You saw a little boy with a frog. You asked if you could run and take a look. I said okay and went inside to put some things away. Less than five minutes later, I peeked out the door and you were surrounded by children. In your hands was the frog. I called out that I wanted to take a picture. In the time that it took me to grab my camera, you decided to kiss the frog! Bleh!

Impromptu Valentine's Day Session!

Today, Mommy had a Valentine's Day session with one of her favorite clients. Whenever I see her, I tell her all about you. She was disappointed that she wasn't able to meet you. but left a lovely parting gift. She left all the balloons from her session just for you! There were literally 15 balloons in total. :) It made me smile, when you started naming the people you wanted to share balloons with. Since we had balloons and a pink backdrop already set up, the natural thing to do was to have our own mini session. :) Oh... and... It's almost my Birthday!  

Dance Class (7/52)

This week's portraits were inspired by the theme Shakes Glacier with River Beauty in Bloom by bettybrock. Unfortunately, I don't have beautiful picturesque mountains or an aptitude for truly capturing nature's beauty. Instead, I based my entry on the word Shake. I really, really, really, stretched it to depict Muffin's dance experience.  

You have always been a very active little guy. You love running, flipping, and anything else that can result in boo boos. Recently, your interest in dance became more focused. You can be a bit timid around unfamiliar people, but there was a shift. A few weeks ago, you was listening to a song (Get Lucky by Daft Punk... Don't Judge Me) while we were shopping. You just broke out into a dance. You closed your eyes, moved to the music, and didn't care who was watching! Anyone who knows you would know that this was a huge deal. I signed you up for dance class the same day.

I decided to capture the moments from when your first tried your dance shoes on (they arrived right before class) until you had to take them off for the first time. Ideally, I would have captured you opening the box and seeing the shoes for the first time. It didn't work out that way at all. I picked up the box, from our mailbox, and put it in the back seat. Before we even made it home, you opened the box. You cradled the shoes lovingly. I lamented not having the ability to drive and take pictures of you in the backseat.

You were in love and insisted on putting the shoes on, immediately. You jumped and twirled around the kitchen. You kept pausing to admire your shoes. I promise that everything he did was infinitely more graceful. Even when you fell, you made a special effort to make it slow and "dancelike." 

Of course, you were the only little guy in class. You were totally engrossed in watching the girls prance around. The instructor was firm about not allowing parents into the studio. She even covered the window with paper. As you can see from my photograph, I found a little Parent Peep Hole.

At the end of this set, there is a marked difference in your mood. Unfortunately, you had to take your Dance Shoes off. You were heartbroken. Dad (Hubby) caved a bit and let you wear the Dance Shoes while you were seated in the car.

We are so excited about your upcoming class and have a special surprise for you. In addition to your Creative Movement class, we are also going to sign you up for Ballet!

Cooking... (6/52)

The Everyday Beauty course wrapped up, this weekend. I have taken a ton of pictures, but haven't had an opportunity to post for the themes. Luckily, I am not too far behind. :)

Week Six's theme was A Little Vino by Joanne C. I didn't have any wine or cheese, so I decided to interpret the theme by simply including food. Muffin and I set out to make pasta for Daddy/Hubby.

I love including Muffin, while I'm cooking. It is so amazing and fun to see him so independent. As you can see, he independently decided to smell Garlic. :)

Hide and Seek... (4/52)

This particular week's offering is supposed to to be inspired by  Rollover by Cedecea. I applied the theme, by processing this portrait in B+W. :)

Hubby and Muffin were playing Hide and Seek. Let me tell you that my little one isn't really the best at this game. He doesn't want anyone to truly hide nor does he want to be truly hidden. He even goes so far as to tell you where he is going to hide! It makes me laugh; because this particular form of Hide and Seek really feels like our special family thing. Hubby hid behind a sheer white curtain in front of the patio doors. Muffin went through the steps of pretending to search for his dad. Finally, the big reveal occurred. When I saw my husband's huge smile and Muffin's tickles, I knew I had capture a truly special moment. 

Recuperation + Fun | Everyday Beauty (3/52)

Let me first start by saying that I am taking a class called, Everyday Beauty. The instructor's name is Ginger Unzueta, and I adore her Lifestyle Candid images. Her portraits are filled with heart, stories, and so much joy. When I had the opportunity to work with and learn from her, I absolutely jumped at the chance. I feel so full of excitement, curiosity, and joy. Though this class doesn't directly relate to my professional specialization (Commercial Wedding Photography), it speaks to my personal joy (capturing Muffin's childhood). This series of portraits are for her workshop.

____________________

I am so very, very, very happy to report that you are feeling much better. :) You are still running out of steam fairly quickly, so we are just taking it slow.

 I started off the day by peeking into your room, before you woke up. Since you've fallen ill, my body just wakes me up. I can't settle back into bed without checking on you.

I love listening and watching you say Grace. I never want to forget that.

The Party Wall is the gift that keeps on giving. It's always good for an impromptu picture or smile. How in the world are we going to get rid of it? Those streamers can't stay up forever. Can they???

The most peculiar thing happened with Blue Jay. Around the same time that you started feeling unwell, Blue Jay started feeling sick. Here you are taking care of your "birdie baby,"

Daddy was telling you a story, and I kept rewriting the story with infinitely funnier plot twists. 

You Started feeling a bit down, again. We set up camp Get Well Soon on the couch.

 Since you were sick, and I'm a softie, I gave your your special hat. You are going to wear it on Hat Day!

All in all, it was a tough few days. Still, today was a great day. It's so comforting to see you playing and getting stronger.

Love You Forever and Ever,

Mommy

A Difficult Road (1/52)

Thursday, January 15 through Monday, January 19 proved to be fraught with difficulty. On Thursday you dislocated your elbow. Mommy cut up an old T-Shirt and quickly fashioned a sling. Daddy and I rushed you to the doctor. Luckily, the process of fixing you up wasn't too awful. It ended up popping back into place, when you had your X-Rays. Here you are the morning after.

As fate would have it, you developed a super high fever Thursday night into Friday morning. You were actually hallucinating! We made the first available appointment for you and set out to bring that fever down.

Finally, we brought your fever down. You felt markedly better.

Unfortunately, the respite did not last long. Once we got to the doctor, you were diagnosed with the Flu and Strep Throat!

We spent the next few days cuddling on the couch.

Snow Day!

Today, I woke up with your little toes rubbing my arm. You looked at me, asked for some blanket and turned over. Imagine our surprise, when Daddy popped into the room. He had a 2-hour delay from work. You both watched the snow and hoped for a full on Snow Day!

I'm positive that my climbing on the bed disturbed your trance.

Finally, we got the official word. Schools were closed. We wasted no time getting ready!

We had a blast...

But we didn't let you off too easily...

These nice young men were going around and cleaning off people's cars! They were doing it for no other reason than to be kind. :)

 Before we went in, we all squeezed in for a Family Selfie. Mommy was thoroughly impressed with her cell phone camera. I also thought it would be fun to share our video from the day.

Love You Forever and Ever,

Mommy

Good Morning Love...

You are the reason that I keep my camera on the nightstand. If I didn't, I would have missed this gorgeous morning face. You are totally going through a Sneak into Mommy and Daddy's Bed phase. I consider the pictures your cost of admission.

This is you attempting to avoid your fee. 

Here's one final peek at each other, before we went back to sleep. <3

Love You Forever and Ever,

Mommy

Best Faces!

I Heart Faces Best Face Challenge Entry

Mommy decided to enter her very first contest, today. It's called the Best Faces Challenge from the I Heart Faces website. Although I've never attempted a contest, your faces were just so very, very, very awesome! I couldn't live with myself if I didn't give it a shot. Although I chose the portrait of you rough-housing with Daddy and Daffodil, it was a super tough choice. I had a ton of portraits to choose from. You can see the Runner Ups here!

Love You Forever and Ever,

Mommy

Best Faces Runner Ups...

After reading and rereading the contest rules, I  came across a little nugget of information. It mentioned that winning photos must be the only photo included on the blog entry. With that in mind, I transferred the runner ups to their own page.

I thought about sharing this portrait from your first school field trip. You were so very contemplative and brave. I know how much the Straw Maze scared you.

 You looked so sad, when you thought Daddy forgot to take you to run errands.

I remember how cute you were in your Mommy-Made sheep costume. You were not excited about your original Nativity play lamb costume. 

Honestly, this portrait could have been taken on any given day. You are always lounging in the grownup bed with a a friend.

I really wanted to share your first hike through the woods, but it didn't feel quite right.

This is the portrait that I know you would have chosen. This was an outtake, but it is so you! It ended up being the one we framed for your room. 

Finally, I really considered sharing your Birthday Portrait. You started age 4 with the best faces ever!

In the end, I decided to go with the Daddy, Muffin, and Daffodil (the little doll) portrait. It makes me my heart smile, just like you do. :)

Love You Forever and Ever,

Mommy

Simple Sundays... (2/52)

It is a cold, foggy, and rainy day. We are still on the hunt for a new home church, but still haven't found the right fit. We stayed home, watched a service on TV and then lounged around the house. Recently, you developed this habit of sniffing things. You don't just take a quick whiff. You like to literally create a suction with your nose. Yup... You're going through a weird phase.

The easiest way to get a good laugh out of you is to tell you to be serious. Here's Daddy giving Daffodil a big smooch.

I decided to come back to Week 1 of the challenge. This portrait was inspired by Week 2,  Pleasure by Corinne Bramwell.

Here's another "Be serious" portrait. You're a bit of a portrait rebel, and I love it!

You tried your very best to secure Daffodil to the top of your RC car. Daddy is making the car chase you, in this picture. You laughed so hard, that your eyes started to tear up. :)

Love You Forever and Ever,

Mommy