This was a great first trip because Matt was with us making it a lot easier to photograph them enjoying their activities… so that next time, I can leave my camera at home and be much more hands-on myself!    Because as I talk about in my Break-out Session, I don’t take my camera with me all the time.  Once a fun adventure is captured, I don’t mind leaving it at home and just enjoying our future trips.

Anyway … here we are exploring the sciences!

We’re super excited to head back once they start having their featured exhibits … and hope that next time our visit won’t get cut short by the fire alarms going off! 

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To where?  To a rock pit.  Would anyone believe a rock pit could be such a lovely place to shoot??

{that child was having a hard time staying up on his feet for some reason…. }

And …. we arrive at the pit.

It is now my favorite (current) place to walk to … it sits on the edge of … hmm.  I’m not sure what you’d call it.    But, as you can see, it is amazing.

I tire over the pacie debate with this child.

So I just left him alone to his potato-bug search.

Whoop!  I won the battle briefly! 

I’m so thankful that these boys encourage me to come on their adventures with them … it would  be so easy for them to trek off with their dad and leave me inside.    But unless it is an exclusive “man walk,” they always ask, and I simply can’t resist.  And for that I am so grateful.

FYI … my Break-out Session; Photographing Your Everyday | Efficiently, Easily, and Beautifully is still open for registration!  It is definitely not too late to sign-up!!  Please let me know if you have any questions about it! 

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So I’d watch them play … on the swing-set, in their sandbox, throwing Frisbee, and exploring.  And riding their bikes.

I wondered where on earth this summer went … though knowing I spent most of it writing THIS.    Happy to do so, but even more happy to have these quiet moments to just observe my boys at play.

With each other.  Gage and Cooper are nearly neck and neck with their bike riding skills now, and to watch them ride is both thrilling and nerve-wracking as heck.  They race down the hill behind our house, through the trees, over the berm, through the yard, and down onto the railroad grade.  There they’d stop, laugh and chatter about the last ride and catch their breath.

I watched them and my heart swelled for their friendship … it is one like no other and I pray it stays that way.

These warm golden days won’t last, and the rain is coming.  And I know G&C’s friendship won’t always be so warm and golden either.  But through all the changing seasons of life, I want so badly for them to always come together to laugh, visit, support and encourage each other.  Just as they are here.

And just because I love them in B&W, too … converted with the B&W action I created for my Break-out Session … 

May their relationship always be so simple.

xoxo

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My clients and I emerged from our newborn session last Tuesday and we found a note from my husband … “The black dog outside is ours for awhile.”  Huh?  I didn’t see a black dog outside, and I didn’t see Bosley either.  Or Matt or the boys.  Hmm.  I walked my clients to their car, each of us cautiously looking around for this illusive black dog.  Once they pulled down my driveway, I walked toward the back yard and heard a click click click click … the pitter patter of claws on a concrete floor.  It could have been Bosley in the shop, but he can’t move his feet that fast anymore…

I opened the door to the shop and this little critter joyfully leaped from the room as if shouting “I’M HEEEEEREEE!  Now, love me.”

Bos was in there with her and they of course got along well (sheesh, Bosley gets along with the deer that frequent our yard … he gets along with everyone).    The story of why she’s here is a bit sad (no worries – her previous owners really liked her, too) and whether or not our home is now her home is undecided.

But in the meantime, she is a goofy, energetic addition to our family.  She’s like a little shadow to Matt and adores the boys … and that feeling is mutual.  She does jump, and has a very hard time minding when she’s following the scent of something (grrrr … I feel like I’ve spent hours chasing her around the property), but man is she a HAPPY dog.

I was working on my computer the other day while the guys weren’t home and I heard an odd sound.  Peeked around the corner and there sat Pepper … looking for her family.

I went out to give her some attention and to assure her that the boys would  be home soon.

When I came back in, I must not have latched the door, because soon I heard that little click click click sound again.  I looked around the corner … nothing.  I looked in the kitchen.  Nothing.  Again, around the corner …

Goofy, goofy little dog.  I’m afraid to admit, we like her just a little bit. 

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Last month, I was asked to join a wonderful group of fellow photographers in a Letter to Our Sons blog circle.  I have followed a circle of photographers as they write letters to their daughters and I always hoped someone would initiate this for our boys, too.    And hoped I’d be welcomed to join!  Sure enough, some sweet mamas decided it should be done and this circle was created.  Each month, on the 10th day, I’ll post a letter to my boys and hope you’ll follow the link and continue reading around the circle.  You’re sure to see some amazing images along the way, and read encouraging, touching, humorous letters as well!   

To my little boys …

On the day I was to write and post my first letter last month, I really wasn’t feeling up to it.  I was late to this group anyway, so it was fine that I didn’t write a letter, but I’m not sure I could have anyway.  We had just started our year of homeschooling and I was feeling quite down.  You all know this, as I’m not very good about hiding my emotions.  After a busy summer with my business, I felt discouraged and inadequate as your mama.  I wasn’t feeling up to the challenge of being a good mama to three boys, let alone a good, homeschooling, stay-at-home mama to three little boys.

Over the past month though, this has been my prayer:  “Lord, the gift of being a parent is not one that I deserve but one you’ve blessed me with anyway.  Please make me feel the joy of parenting through the ups and the downs, and to be the patient, kind, encouraging, loving parent to my boys, as you are to me.”

In praying this, my little boys, I have felt an uplifting change in my heart.  I still feel the incredible responsibility it is to be a parent, and the incredible energy it takes to be a parent to boys.  In an awesome and encouraging way.    God has shown me, too, that I was wasting way too much of my energy and attention on things that are not priorities … that I was fitting you guys into my schedule rather than having you BE my schedule.

You see, sweet boys, I had begun to overlook what a privilege it is to be EVERYTHING to you.  I was feeling it was more important to be something to everyone else.  Thankfully, I also began feeling a crazy discord about that, knowing it wasn’t the way it is supposed to be for me.

Again, I know you boys know that I went through this, because you’ve heard me say this prayer many times in the past month.  And I know you’ve seen this positive shift in me, too.  Not a shift in my love or devotion … my love and devotion to you is unconditionally, never-ending.  

But a shift in the pleasure I take in the uninterrupted time and attention I am able to give you and how fulfilled I feel by “just being a mom.”

“Just being YOUR mom” is the greatest gift God could give me … the greatest responsibility and the greatest honor!  It is now my prayer that I would embrace, appreciate, and enjoy that truth, each and every day.

All my love …

Mama

Please head over to the amazing Jessica Vaughn site to read her letter, too!  And then read on and on around the circle. 

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This goofy walrus was trying to give us a science lesson … specifically on how baby walruses are made.  That is not something I want to see up close and personal by this big viewing window. 

My brother is right up there on the “Best Daddy EVER” list.  Totally.    He sets an amazing example for me in how to be patient and slow to anger.  I really, really admire him. 

My mom is a great example of that, too. 

Later that afternoon, Matt and I joined several of my WSU (Washington State University) friends in Seattle to watch the WSU/Ducks game!  We had an AWESOME time!

And THAT is all she wrote, because my battery ran out.    WSU did way better than we’d anticipated, so that was great.  It was a good day to be a Coug, but it was a great day to be from Oregon, too. 

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On the way up, we decided to make it a bit of a field trip, and stopped at Mt. St. Helens…

I was channeling my inner “Melissa Gibson” in this shot …

Unfortunately for us, I didn’t find in my research of our trip that the cool exhibits were all closed.    Boo.

So the  boys had some time to just play and stretch their legs…

Then back in the car for another 2.5 hours …

I included the above photo because after I took it and laughed a bunch, Gage said, “I’m always going to remember how much my parents enjoy each other.”  Sweet, sweet boy. 

Once we got there it was right to the scooters and Uncle Boe’s drums.  We wanted to make sure the entire neighborhood knew that we were there. 

This dog could not believe his luck in coming along with us…

I was going to share all 65 photos today, but suppose I’ll save some for tomorrow.    See ya then! 

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No doubt, lots of my posts will be from our evening walks.   It is the happiest time of the day for all of us …

Gosh, okay … they don’t look too thrilled, but really, they are …

{That’s what it looks like when your mouth gets smacked with the edge of a wooden swing … poor Tado … }

{No worries … nothing is really harmed by the boys shooting into the pond.  If there was, there’d be newts floating on the top}

This is us, making the most of our time with Dad and with nice weather.   I’ll try not to complain, but I will say that it’d sure be nice to have a lot more of both …

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Overdue.  31 hours of hard labor.  Decelerating heart rate.  Emergency C-Section without the physician even present.

No cry.  The silence no parent wants to hear, among the frantic chaos of a hospital room.

Filled with meconium.  APGAR score of 2 … then 1 … resuscitation. 

Then finally cries … from him, and then from his family and the nurses.  Cries of joy and relief and praises.  I shared in their tears during his session, as Gabriel’s parents re-told their story.  They have such gratitude toward God for this precious gift they have in their son and I truly felt honored to photograph him…

Enjoy …

Steve and Bryndle, I am more than thankful to have been given the chance to work with you and to photograph Gabriel.  I do genuinely hope our paths will cross again!

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The rains stopped and the sun came out just in time, before we started to go stir crazy and our first stop was the Oregon Garden.

An easy, close, but always fun, adventure.

{He’d just broken the shovel … he wasn’t hollering at me for taking his photo }

This place is like our own little adventurous oasis and the second we leave, the boys ask when we can come back.

If the day ends in ‘y’ and its not pouring, its a good day to come back!

{Next time, though, I think I’ll feed them a lot before we go, so that food and messy faces aren’t in every.single.photo.}

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