Little Girl

Growing up, I seldomly remember a camera in my childhood. There were some, of course, because there are pictures of my childhood that still exist.

There is one picture that I’ve always remembered, mostly because it was proudly displayed in a dusty frame atop a wooden, scalloped window valence, but also because it was a nice black and white image, with lots of texture, just trimmed grass in my hair, and… those really dorky and embarrassing glasses my mom forced me to wear. I remember being at the eye doctor and choosing a pair for myself, and totally being denied because these ones were “cute”.

And to be seven and in elementary school? Yep, the sixth graders asked me, “Why are your glasses so big?” and then I could hear the girls giggling and saying as they walked away that glasses seemed to get bigger as the ages were younger. Oh, those dorky grandma glasses… Thanks, Mom.

My brother and I. Ages 7 and 8.

I’ve always liked this picture. Thank you, neighbor-lady-the-photographer.

So when I took this picture of Phoenix and a little girl in the neighborhood, it immediately made me think of the one from over twenty years ago. I knew they had to be shown together.

I am also keen on the color version.

Hopefully I can do a few more fun ones with my boys, recreating my years as a little girl. Don’t worry, I was quite a tomboy. I remember quite clearly throwing Barbie out of the two story window.

And as it seems, everywhere we go, he is always holding the hand of a little girl.

Do you have any favorite images you would like recreated?

ELISE

Feeling Poetic – The Opening Door

I’ve been knocking on doors

No one is listening

They’re ignoring my rap.

The wind blows by

The trees litter their needles

A shiver rolls down my spine.

My feet find direction

One then the other.

left. right. left… right.

Hands stuffed in pockets

One comes out for another

Rap at the door.

Someone is listening.

Hello.

Add a Line Poetry

Add a Line Poetry.

Just. Amazing. Nothing more.

Aglow

There is something about the Pacific Northwest that my heart finds so desirable. It is hard to believe that it had been 9 years almost to the day that I had waited to move back here…

And everything here is surreal.

The height of the trees, the glow we bask in during the evening, the glorified mountains all the way around us… It was all something I had taken for granted when I lived here.

It’s amazing how much one can overlook beauty when it’s in the hollow of your hands each day; I don’t think I’ll ever quite appreciate life in the same way again.

Here is to many more magical moments in this beautiful light that a truly treasured PNW provides to us…

The Trees

This is us. It’s who we are.

We may be a little underdressed, a little scatter-brained from having two young children, a little on-the-spot or whimsical… but it is what makes our life together memorable.

It took us two months for this to come together. I had this idea that I wanted him in the middle of a road, trees lined on each side. It just so happened that the perfect time for it came when we were traveling the backroads in West Virginia, his homestate, and it was the only time last year we saw snow. I wanted one just the same, and mine was taken in the evergreens of Washington in mid-February on a curvy, one-way road. It’s so symbolic; don’t you think?

pictures worth saving

This morning (like most mornings) in my bathroom, I had the cutest little boy to look at.

I’ve got a cutie who, as silly as this sounds, likes to play with toothbrushes; may they be his, his little brother’s, our sonicares, or our “regular” toothbrushes… No matter. He even knows how to move the toothbrush back and forth over his teeth and where toothpaste goes (though he mostly pretends putting it on there because I won’t let him have it while it’s opened). He’s a smart boy.

One day when he’s older, I’ll have to show him this picture; it is one worth saving.

I imagine if he could talk, he might answer my question, “Did you brush your teeth this morning?”, with, “Yes, Mom. Twice.”

Love this boy with all my heart.

childhood memories & the present

The memories of fall time, Halloween, and Thanksgiving all seem so rich and fabulous. There was the awe of the change of green to yellows, oranges, and reds. There was giant maple leaves littering the yard and the streets. Mother and I would try and find the biggest ones; I remember some were bigger than my head. There was choosing a pumpkin (we bought ours from the store) and figuring out what we wanted to carve on it. I remember being little on the kitchen floor, bicep-deep in a pulpy, seedy pumpkin, pulling up massive handfuls… Mom carved pumpkins, sometimes Dad. We would happily light candles and place them on the step outside and they seemed to last forever. Thanksgiving was full of family, well… as full as a small family of 6 {locally} could be, parents’ friends or Dad’s bandmembers, and as my brother got older, his girlfriend.

Fall time just seemed so wonderful. My memories of it seem to be caught up in the bliss of it.

As an almost-30 adult with an under two year old, my husband and I have started celebrating holidays in our own home so that our little one {and soon, his little brother} will have bliss-filled memories of growing up, too.

But, it all seems so unmagical as an adult. Don’t get me wrong; I LOVE fall. But here in Georgia? The leaves aren’t prettily littering the yard in bright oranges and reds, there’s flowers still in bloom and bees buzzing about cross-polinating {please. please stop with the polination}, there’s palm trees in the neighbor’s yard up the street, giant sea-grass waving in the wind {mocking me with a smile, enjoying the stupid 86 degree weather}… It’s not the same.

It’s not fair that when fall began and pumpkin spice lattes were “in season” that I was still sweating in the heat. It’s not fair that the stupid trees are still green. It’s not fair that I don’t feel like I’m celebrating the Harvest season with a hot pumpkin spice latte in hand… Being an adult and comparing memories filled with amazing color, crisp air, the crunch underfoot, the family gatherings… it’s not fair.

I guess the good thing, if there was one to tell of, is that No.1 isn’t old enough to have developed a long term memory yet {kids develop those around 2 1/2} so this season won’t strike a lousy memory when it comes to fall. I grew up in Washington and Chad grew up in West Virginia… almost the same kind of weather considering the lines of latitude and elevation and mountain locations of our two hometowns… sort of. Anyways, what I’m arguing is that we love a crisp fall air. We love donning the fall closet attire. We love the changing of colors in this season.

{via}

See? Chad lives in the red part. Hello, fall. We miss you.

{via}

And we can’t wait for our Littles to love the same thing.

Maybe next year, when we’re living in Washington?

Elise

Note: published late because I didn’t feel it was right to complain about my 80+ degree weather with the then upcoming Frankenstorm hitting the eastern coast…

Daddies

Daddies love unconditionally and always at first sight.

Daddies celebrate happiness with hugs.

Daddies teach young boys to love now, as they will love later: with sincerity.

Daddies always give the best hugs.

Daddies let their kids comb their mustaches, even if they get their noses combed in the process.

Daddies teach their kids it is always important to look at things from another’s perspective.

Daddies aren’t afraid to show their children that they can achieve great heights. Nor are they afraid to lead by example.

Best of all, Daddies always teach the value of  f a m i l y .

♥

Birth Announcements

When my first son was born, I created his birth announcement and used it as his first picture that anyone ever saw of him. It was a picture I took in the hospital when he was one day old.

For son number two, I also created a birth announcement using the same format/picture idea as the first one. In this picture, No.2 was less than one day old, but it was still the day after he was born.

I’m still shocked at how different our boys look; I mean, yes I see it every day that siblings don’t look like twins or whatever, but I still can’t get it around my head that they aren’t meant to be the same looking! I keep thinking that 1 + 2 = 3, and if we add 1 + 2 again, it should equal the same thing!

No.1 loves No.2 with all he’s worth, and he has been just thrilled with having him around since the minute he was born… well, since he came into the delivery room after the birth. He was so much in love with him that he refused to go to bed the night he was born. Our first night as a family of four was spent as two at home, and two at the hospital. It was hard on Mommy because it was the first time I’d ever been separated from No.1 for more than 2-3 hours, and worse, overnight! Daddy came back in the morning and No.1 came in the afternoon with Grampa and Gramma.

I am so thrilled to be a mother of boys.

But I still wonder what our little girl would look like.

Love: Mary Ann & Bill

Love is a funny thing. And love is an even more funny thing to display in front of a camera when you really don’t do it often in public. Such was the case for Mary Ann & Bill; or atleast that is what I gathered from the way they so intimately picked on each other.

I was honored to learn that they hadn’t had their pictures taken for at least 14 years, and they let me take their pictures!! Bill is currently on a month long vacation from Soldiering overseas, so this was quite some special time they were able to spend with each other. I’m flattered and honored to know that they were willing to let me get behind a camera and capture their special moments; ones they perhaps have only previously shared in memory and not visual memories.

These two are great. They even made me giggle and wonder what they were whispering about at times. Should I wonder? Probably not. I’ll leave the future mysteries of being happily married for a few decades to the future, when I find out what it is like, first-hand. I cannot wait.

“To love is nothing. To be loved is something. To love and be loved is everything.” -Unknown

“If you love someone more then anything, then distance only matters to the mind, not to the heart.” -Unknown

May we all find someone that we can love, that loves us, and that completes us forever. After all, isn’t growing old together what we want?

ELISE