Colton in the Summer

 Funny how you can go your entire life having no idea just how much one little person who grew inside of you could change your whole life. Not just in the adjustment, oh-em-gee-we-are-a-family-of-four-now, yay-we-have-another-baby-to-raise sort of way, but just who you are. As a human. The way you process your thoughts, the new way you see the entire world.

Here enters this child and you believe he needs you, and he does. What you don't realize is how much you need him.

Enter Colton. 2 years, 5 months ago.

I thought I was going to nurture this baby through childhood, I was in no way prepared for how my own soul could be nurtured through his needs. I thought I would teach him a few things about life, I had no clue how much he would teach my soul.

He arrived, a shocking curriculum of patience, love, gentleness. He taught me that the Fruits of the Spirit go so much farther in parenting than the standard mantra of consistency and discipline and training endeavors.

That journey of Faith he took us on in those first 8 traumatizing days of his earthside life. The Patience we sought through months of colic. The Gentleness we endeavored to bestow through the tantrums... I'm still on this mothering journey with him, I'm still seeking to harvest these fruits in order to be equipped for the challenges of being his mama, I'm still learning every day how much I do not know. But sometimes I sit back and marvel because he is so tough and brave and polite and kind and gentle and loving and sweet and big-hearted beyond his years.

I snapped these pictures of him just being "Toton", as he refers to himself. Playing. Being goofy. Loving life.

I know, I am his mama and I am greatly biased. But seriously, he is such a precious kid.

| Baby Boy Eyelashes. <3 |

A few of his beloved trains. He asked me to take a picture of them for him.

Brotherly Love in Action

It was a moment of sheer devastation for Jimmy. Not only had he recently sustained an injury of childhood clumsiness, but he had just received the news that the sun was going down therefore bath time, story time, and bed time was upon what was previously a completely delightful Summer evening.

Colton was admittedly a little stunned at the turn of events himself, in the midst of all that fun play in that dirt he discovered in the driveway, however baths are on his extremely long list of very favorite things so he was slightly less disappointed.

 But with the deepest empathy for his brother's affliction, he consoled him with the affection of loyal brotherhood.

And then Colton remembered the most potent of medicines, the panacea for all boyhood traumas: the kiss gun.

Load.

Ready.

Aim...

...Fire!

And like magic, crisis averted. Healing has come.

Any Old Butterfly

Funny thing about this picture... I actually thought this particular bug was a rather mundane sort of monophyletic creature. Annoying and maybe even ugly, really. But he had crossed my path and seemed enamored by the ugly puddle on the ugly pavement and while not presenting a particularly lovely photogenic scene, he let me come in close and snap a picture. So I did, because that's what I do. Viewing the image on my computer, I was rather shocked at how little I appreciated this insect. The detail, the color, the pattern. There's even a heart on his wing! 

This is why I love photography--you just have no idea how intricate and amazing life and creation in general are until you can view it through your camera. Photography is therapy because I am continually inundated by the observation of unexpected detail. If a little bug can sport such design, how much more can I rest assured that our own lives have design and purpose?

Hanging Out | How to Photograph 4 Year-Olds

Apparently I'm on a photograph Jimmy streak. Not that Colton's having less images taken of himself, but Jimmy, at 4 years old, has been a real challenge to get nice pictures of because he always insists I may not take another picture of him ever again as soon as he sees my camera. And those rare times he's not being grumpy about photography, he is sticking out his tongue or looking the other way. 

Bottom line, most children between the ages of 3-5 (give or take) refuse to cooperate for pictures. 

But here's the trick: Give them something to do that they love. Whether it be painting, swinging, climbing trees, reading books, putting puzzles together, coloring, playing with their favorite toys.... Properly posing energetic children bent on exploring the world is a relatively futile endeavor unless it's your lucky day. But let them be who they are and don't ask for "cheese". Just show them you're there to have fun with them and snap a picture as opportunity allows. If they get insulted by your photographing appendage, exclaim what a cool picture that was and show it to them. They're likely to repeat that antic and not even care what you're doing. 

Jimmy here had been playing in water and then swinging from the maple tree. He was happy, in his element and not at all bothered that he was being so photogenic for me. It wasn't a planned photoshoot, but these are my favorite pictures of him. 

Jimmy Painting

I love watching my kids create and experiment with the world around them. I grabbed a couple shots of 4 year-old Jimmy playing with paint in the wide open fresh air. I gave him the supplies and watched him from a distance. He even discovered all on his own that blue and yellow makes green, and that was so cool to him. Kids are amazingly creative when you give them the right tools. 

Asparagus Towers

 Funny how we think kids need all the toys and gadgets else they be deprived, when they can be so creative with the simplest things. Jimmy salvaged the ends from the asparagus, destined for the the compost pail, and built towers out of them. Maybe we could all stand to live with less.

And in case you might wonder what kind of asparagus dish we were fixing for dinner, here's my husband's handiwork in action:

Lilacs f/1.8

Hi folks! Long time no see? Yes? Well, tell me about it. Turns out, I have a case of heliophilia this year, it seems. It is a condition that presents itself in the Summer. I am addicted to the sun. If the sun shines unhindered, I want to be in it. I want to be taking pictures, digging in the dirt, playing with my kids, painting my nails, folding the laundry, mending the boy's pants, writing letters to Grama... in the sun. I crave it. I soak it right up like a sunflower.

Which would explain why the only computer work I have been doing lately has been for my lovely clients. If I'm not editing their images, wrapping up their print orders, answering their emails, I am not wanting anything extra to do with this corner of my home where a large portion of my heart's work actually resides.

But at the moment it is evening. The sun has set. My children went to bed early, and I found these images taken way back when the lilacs were in bloom, and I wanted to share them with you. Because if you're a geek such as myself and you like to know specs on the details, these images would be from that afternoon where I decided to challenge myself to capture my luscious smelling bouquet at an aperture of f/1.8. This is the result.

I love flower photography. I want to see your flower images! Link up in the comments!  

{ ISO 100 | 50mm | f1.8 | 1/100sec }