11-24, Picture It Session

A few weeks ago, I got an email from my friend that was forwarded from the photography studio where her sister works. They were looking for a family to sit in on a training session for their new photographers.  The studio was bringing in a professional photographer/consultant to lead the session on posing.  A free training session on posing?  I mean..... free pictures of our family?  Heck yeah!!  My friend laughed at the speed to which I responded to the email (all the while completely relieved that I did because the original email was for her and she hates being photographed).  I told them, "If you want a challenging family, choose us.  We have a totally disinterested 12-year old and a 3-year old who won't stand still."  By, gosh, they did choose us!  I loved sitting in on the training session and hearing everything being taught (way more so than my family did!).  I have to admit it was quite awkward being on the other side of the camera.  As with most people, I've only been photographed professionally for those classic moments:  childhood family photos, high school senior, graduating from the academy, and our wedding.  I'm fortunate that my passion is photography and I've been able to document the heck out of my family.  But for others, I see how being photographed professionally is easily overlooked with the time and money involved.  My philosophy has always been that you never know what may happen tomorrow, so you may be thankful for the photos you have today.  I've learned through my photography training that the quality of the experience is equally important to the quality of the photos.  This session may not have yielded a lot of the classic family poses, but it did yield a lot of laughs.  That is something we'll always remember.  I'm so glad we were chosen to do this session.  It was an invaluable insight for what goes on for my clients when they plan a session with me.  Who knew 'coordinating outfits' could be such a daunting task?!  In conclusion, I'm going to end this post with one piece of advice:  don't wait for a 'special moment' to have your family photographed.  EACH moment is special.  And, when you have growing children, each moment is CHANGING.  After all, I assume (read:  hope) that in a year or two, Emalie will no longer be casting Spiderman webs on strangers, and that Nikolas finds it within himself to SMILE (a genuine smile) instead of the cross-eyed, tongue out one he relies on now.  But you know what, I have some serious ammunition in my arsenal when these two start dating..... hahahaha.......

PS-- I had the intention of editing all of these photos (I see many edits that need to be made).  Then I decided that I have enough of my own photos to edit without having to edit the work of others.  The only one I touched up was the one of which I ordered the canvas.

This is the one I ordered as a canvas.

11-16, Personality

You'd never know, without my admission, that this morning had begun with Emalie running around shirtless crying "No pictures.  No pictures!!"  I had actually put more thought into this session than I usually do (I even had her hair cut!), so I was feeling pretty disgruntled by her behavior.  I guess the only factor I didn't equate was that with each passing day of Sven's hunting trip away from home, Emalie was getting grumpier and grumpier.  The session was scheduled for day 6 of his absence and   he was due home that afternoon.  Poor little girl had too many emotions running through her and sitting for pictures was not very high on her to-do list.  Thank goodness no one was watching, because I was eventually able to get her to smile by making a complete fool of myself.  They were fleeting moments-- blink and you miss it.  I do believe this session encompassed quite a few of her mannerisms that I don't usually capture.  So, view on for Emalie's "PERSONALITY" session!

The devilish sideways grin......

The "why am I holding a flower that's bigger than me?" pose......

The complete ensemble:  a dress we bought for her in China that I couldn't imagine her ever fitting into and a pair of heels I couldn't get her to take off even though they're two sizes too big!

"ROAR!" No, she wasn't being cute, she was being short-fused!

This is my favorite......looks just like a little angel (a solemn angel, but still an angel!).

And this set is for Grandma.  Grandma gave Emalie this outfit the first time they met.  Adorable, simply adorable-- a little lady on the verge of growing up way too fast.

10-30, Deer

As you already know, we have a lot of deer in our neighborhood.  I take a few pics a week of them with my phone, maybe post one or two to Facebook, but that's usually it.  Since not everyone is as fortunate as we are (I say this, because we're also lucky enough to have a fenced backyard!), I'm going to make more of an effort to share some of my deer pics.  Here are a few I've taken over the past few weeks.  

The big bucks seem to live on the other side of the neighborhood.  I found these when I took a walk near Emalie's school.  Those are some big boys!  A day prior to this, there had to have been at least a dozen of these big bucks 'hanging out' near the new fence that was being put in at the school.  The guy doing the work stood no less than 10' from the herd.  Craziest thing!!

I complain a lot about our elevated entry into our house (and dad's thinking, "I told you so!" when I admit that).  One of the perks though is this up close view I have of our front lawn from the basement window.  This lady was about 4' from the window, snoozing away.  You get used to the deer around here, but at that moment it hit me how amazing that really is.

I took this picture from our master bedroom on the top floor.  I'm looking down at the same patch of grass as the photo above, but it gives you an elevated perspective of where the deer like to congregate.  Silly creatures!

10-31, Halloween

Here is the obligatory Halloween post: a few costume and friend pics.  Emalie had her costume a good month before Halloween.  She'd put it on once or twice a day, jump around the living room, throw a few webs and neatly store it away for the next day.  Nikolas' costume....well, this isn't even the one I bought him for this year.  He went to school in his sumo wrestler costume, but due to technical difficulties decided to dig out his Grim Reaper costume from a previous year for trick-or-treating.  Oh well, the end result was achieved:  mass quantities of candy.  We took Em trick-or-treating with our neighbor friends, and Nik went with some other friends and had a sleep-over at their house.  I guess he's at that age where it just isn't cool to trick-or-treat with your 3-year old sister!  Thank goodness I can't eat all the milk chocolate (you know, 'milk' and that whole lactose issue).  Poor Em can't eat it either for the same reason.  At least this year, she understands it a little bit.  She holds up a piece of candy and asks,  "does this have milk in it?" And if the answer is yes, she sticks it back in the bag.  It may be cruel now, but when she's a teenager, she'll probably be pretty thankful for all those extra calories she won't consume (that's the tactic I use to console myself, anyway, as I look longingly at that kit-kat bar)!  Sheesh, and living in Colorado, do you know how many news stories were on about thoroughly checking your kids' candy to make sure there wasn't any 'pot candy' given out?!  Seriously, back in the day it was razors and now it's pot.  Not too sure about this crazy world we live in.......  Well, no strange reactions to any of the trick-or-treat candy, so we must be in the clear!  LOL.....sort of.......  Hope you all had a safe and happy Halloween!!

10-30, Uncle Thad

I don't know why, but every time Thad visits I think of Santa Claus.  It must be the duration of the visit and the kids' smiles!  Sven picked up Thad from the airport on his way home from work on Thursday, and took him back on his way to work on Friday morning.  Now, that's a quick visit!  We had just enough time to put up some Halloween decorations outside, have dinner, chat and watch a show or two, go to bed, wake up, eat breakfast, and say good-bye.  I hope Thad feels it's worth his effort during these short lay-overs, because we sure do!  The only pictures I took this time, was during Emalie's bedtime story.  It was pretty cute-- they all took turns reading to each other.  Hope to see you again soon, Thad!

10-22, Sven's Birthday

Wild and crazy, we are not; though, young and free we used to be.  (Hahaha....sorry, couldn't resist the rhyme.)  And with each passing birthday, 'young' seems to be getting further away.  Luckily, I'll never catch Sven in that race-- he's ahead (albeit not by much).  Since this isn't a birthday post for one of the kids, I'll spare the exaggeration of exactly which birthday Sven recently celebrated.  Again, not wild and crazy, but I think he enjoyed his special day.  We had a great dinner at our local sushi restaurant.  It was too cute when the waitress brought out a 'birthday cake' for Sven when I mentioned we were celebrating his birthday.  The 'cake' was two piled-up scoops of rice drizzled with teriyaki 'frosting' and a candle.  Pretty clever!  We all got a few laughs out of it-- and isn't that the point of a celebration?  Laughs and fun?  (Oh, and they even sang to him.  LOL.....)  Back at home, we all celebrated when the birthday cake I baked actually looked like a cake (vs. a pancake, which is the risk you take when baking anything at 6,000').   I have to admit this pumpkin bundt cake recipe that I got from "Pie in the Sky" (a high-altitude cookbook) was a big hit.  Our small, family celebration seemed to be just Sven's speed as evidenced by his smiles.  Happy Birthday, sweetie-- not another year older, just another year better!

10-18, Fall Leaves

Raking up the leaves seems to be the one family chore that the parents actually complain more about than the kids!  There's the front yard, the backyard, the assorted trees and their different shedding cycles.  What a pain.  These photos are from "Round 1" of raking the weekend before last.  (I was fortunate enough to miss "Round 2" this last weekend while I was helping Heather-Heather--no that's not a typo, I have three Heather's in my life and that's how we differentiate!--move her belongings into a storage unit.  (Silly Heather-- she still claims she's moving to France next week.  S-I-G-H....but I digress.....) Anyway, what started out as a family affair quickly became a neighborhood event.  Nikolas slowly got squeezed aside as these giggly girls dominated the leaf pile.  Emalie enjoyed having the girls to hang out with--- especially since these girls adore her and give her every ounce of attention. (Future babysitters, I do believe.)  Had the other girls across the street been home, we'd have had two more to throw into the mix.  (I don't think Nikolas could have handled that!) As it was, the leaves got raked up, jumped into, thrown around, and on and on and on.  (The neighbor kids might think twice next time though.   We were serious-- you want to play you've got to stay and help clean up!  Sheesh-- what hard a$$es we are.  LOL.....) Moments like these make me think twice of the fickle balance between wants and needs.  I want to move to Seattle and be near the ocean again, but our kids need the stability of home, friends and caring neighbors.  That saltwater air isn't as enticing when you realize you have to pick up and start all over again.....and your kids do, too.  When we first moved here in early 2011, there were very few kids on the block.  With the passage of time, younger families moved in around us.  We were no longer the 'young family'; we fit nicely in the range of newly married to grandparents.  We are fortunate to live in a nice community with wonderful neighbors.  It is a factor we'll have to seriously consider before picking up and moving to 'greener (wetter!) grasses'.  We do not have family here, but the families that we've become friends with, our neighbors, intend to stay here indefinitely.  The thought of watching our kids grow up together is very appealing.  I suppose it will all work itself out with time.  Until then, there's leaves to be raked and moments to be savored as we watch our kids enjoy their childhoods.

10/9-10/16, Nik's China Trip

Psyche!  You thought I was going to post photos from Nik's weeklong trip to China, didn't you?  No such luck.  When I was little, mom and dad went on a trip.  I vividly remember the souvenoir they brought me:  a t-shirt that said, 'Mom and Dad went to the Bahamas and all I got was this stinkin' shirt.'  Being little, I was pretty happy with the shirt regardless of what it claimed.  Now, as an adult, I completely understand the sentiment of that verse.  See, Sven and I saved for a year to send Nik to China for Fall Break.  I was so excited for him to embark on this monumental trip that would nourish his soul and provide further insight into his sister's birth country that he would be able to share with her as she gets older.  (Sorry, I'm having to stop typing because I'm laughing so hard......)  Anyway, that's what I was thinking the months, weeks and days prior to his trip.  What am I thinking now that's he returned?  "What?  You didn't bring me anything?!  What do you mean you didn't know what I'd like?!"  When I asked him where he bought a portable charger for his iPod, his response was:  "at the silk market."  My thought? "I like silk!"  Oh, the irony.  I was that little girl waiting for my gift and the only gift I got was a week's worth of dirty laundry!  How's that for gratitude?!  LOL.... (I'm laughing because it would do no good to cry now.....)  He did bring Emalie a small souvenoir (emphasis on the word 'small').  I'm hoping he is mentally filing away stories and experiences I'd hope he'd come home with so he can share them with Emalie later.  Because Lord knows, trying to get this kid to open up and tell us about his trip is like trying to crack open a vault!  Pretty much all we've gotten out of him is this:  

Q: "Did you have fun?" A: "Yes".  Ok..... 

Q: "Was it worth it?" A: "Yes."  Ok...... 

Q:  "So, can I see the pictures you took?" A: "Oh.....um.....I don't think I took any."

Q:  "What do you mean you don't think you took any??" A: "Ok, I didn't take any."

Q:  (Me, eyes wide, bewildered, on the verge of tears) "NONE?!" A: "None."

SIGH>>>>>>  DEEP BREATHS>>>>>  NO PHOTOS.  Sadness.  Crazy mom, I thought we agreed the iPod was to be used as a camera and not just for games.  How did he rebound from this scene (the scene I was about to cause, that is)?  "Mom, I was living in the moment." Really?  A photographer's son learns well, I suppose.  I can't argue with that logic.  So, my big China post consists of THREE photos: the evening before Nik left, the morning Nik left and the afternoon he returned.  Maybe one day the stories will emerge, but until then this is the only real piece of information that he's shared:  "At the market, I ate a silk worm, a scorpion, a cricket and snake."  Good grief.  I don't even think I wanted to know that!!  I think of all the dinners I cook, Nik tries, then gives me that "naaahhh" look (as in, 'yeah, I don't like this').  Really?  You can eat all that but freak out when I serve tofu?!  Sheesh.

I don't know now, nor may I ever know, if he received from this trip what we hoped he would learn.  I guess I can only know what I learned from his trip:  I love that little guy like crazy and I missed him more than I possibly could have imagined.  I worried about him every second of the day and night.  For 7 days, I constantly calculated the time change and envisioned what he was doing according to the itinerary.  I realized that the day Nikolas is old enough to leave home will be one of the hardest days I will ever experience-- contrary to what I thought that day would be like.  I learned that all those mothers who whine about their kids going away to college and how hard it is to adjust to being empty nesters may actually know what they are talking about.  Maybe their children aren't perfect either, but that doesn't mean they love them any less or their absence is any easier.  I heard my mother's voice in my head saying, "You will always worry about your children no matter how old they are."  Sigh.....maybe I did get my money's worth out of this trip.  Each and every day with our kids, no matter how hard, busy or crazy, is a blessing to be cherished.  There are no guarantees about today, tomorrow or the future, so embrace the moment and the ones you love.