IHF: Furry Faces

Isn't she just precious? :)

IHF: Let Them Be Little

This is one of my favorite pictures of my son. This goofy face captures his personality so much for than a fake smile. He is the ultimate definition of a boy: noise with dirt on it.
Check out iheartfaces.com to see more awesome entries!

Tough love.

Today we toured Kindergarten. And as cliche as it sounds, it seems like only yesterday he started preschool. And just last week he took his first steps. And just a few months ago I held his little baby body in my arms and thought, wow... God must really have a lot of faith in me to have entrusted to me the most precious of all gifts. And now, he's going to Kindergarten.

Being a mom is hard. And I don't just mean physically even though it certainly has it's moments. Becoming a mother changes you. You see the world differently. Every thing with a pointy end becomes a nightmare. Every small object a choking hazard. Every body of water, including the bathtub, a potential drowning accident. We panic over fevers, head bumps, and blood coming out of anywhere. It's not because we are over dramatic or just plain crazy! It's because if anything ever happened to them, we'd don't know what we'd do... how we could handle it.
A mother's heart is always broken. When our children are sick, it breaks our heart. When our children hurt, we hurt. That being said... pregnancy must also permanently damage our tear ducts! All the damn things do is leak!

A mother's needs are second to her child's, and that includes regular bathroom breaks, sleep, and being able to eat a meal without being interrupted. They always come first. Always. After years and years of that, I think that we forget how to be any other way even when they are grown and gone. I am starting to be able sympathize with my own mother these days. When does it get easier to let go? Does it at all? How did she do it? All three of her children are grown now.... How did she let go? I mean, Eli is only going into kindergarten! What about high school? How about college? I'm sure it will be here before I am ready.... I can recall times when I made the comment, "I'll be glad when you outgrow this!" or "I'll be glad when you can wipe your own butt!" and then... they do.

....It's like when they are just learning to walk... and you are holding on to them and you are reluctant to let them go... because if you do it too soon, you know they will fall... but if you keep hanging on and don't ever let go... they'll never learn to walk. I think that can pretty much be true their whole lives... well symbolically anyway. If you keep a hold of them, they don't learn to live... but if you aren't there enough, they fall down. It's a fine line... when do you learn how to walk it? I don't know. But I do know that today, I will enjoy is silly faces. I will listen to his enthusiastic stories. And I will tell him he has to eat his dinner before ice cream, even though it will kill me to see disappointment in his eyes. And when he tells me I am the best mommy in the "uni-berse" I will try to live up to his expectations with everything I am. And when he tells me tells me he loves me, I will remember how special he is and how blessed I am to know him. And I will remember how fast tomorrow will be here.

fix it friday #88

It feels good to be back this week! I've taken a short hiatus due to starting a new job and things being a little crazy for a while. Really enjoyed this week's photo. The weather here in Florida has been beautiful and the movement of her hair and the flower in it makes me thing of spring!

Original:

My fixes:

Fix it friday # 84

Original:
My fixes:

IHF: Innocent Wonder photo challenge

"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in."
-Rachel Carson

Sometimes I think that if you looked inside of a four year old's brain you'd see a big question mark. Who, why, what? They're little scientists, asking questions to try to make sense of the world. In our busy day to day lives, the questions don't get the right answers. We often say, "I don't know" or "because that's how God made it." When did we get too busy to wonder such questions and search for answers? As adults, we now have the ability to search for answers to all the questions we have. But the only question we worry about is "what's for dinner?" Did we grow up too much? Is there such a thing? My son has helped me to rediscover the joy in bubbles and little green worms and cardboard boxes through his innocence and wonder. And to appreciate the reoccurring miracle of constant growth.

fix it friday #82

Let me just say that the original photo was really beautiful already.

Original:

I had so much fun with this photo. The possibilities are boundless! Here are my edits! Hope you like them. :)


Happy editing!

IHF: Smile

Happy Birthday, IHF!

Here's a smile for you! This photo always makes me smile, too.

IHF: Best face photo of 2010

This year has been great for me. It's my first year really embracing photography and practicing and learning and getting my first DSLR. This photo I chose wasn't taken with my SLR camera, but it's my favorite face photo of 2010.

He'll be my favorite face for any year. :) Happy 2011!