Uh Oh! Spaghetti-O!

Some days were just meant for eating Spaghetti-O's.

Her first time eating them.

 

 

 

Free Swim Suit

I'm not sure why, but this winter seems to be dragging on especially long. There's no rhythm or reason for this other than my obsessive need to go to the beach.  We did not make it to the beach last year due to Allen coming home from Africa and then trying to get back into a routine with a new baby. So this year I'm especially antsy about going.

 

 

In my anticipation, I decided to pull out Nylah's old swimming suit...the swimming suit that I fully intended to use last summer but never did. I tried it on her right before her bath, and surprisingly enough it barely fit (without a diaper), and the top, although short, still fit as well.

 

 

Obviously she will need a new swimming suit this year, so if anyone is interested in a brand new 6-12 month swimming suit, you are welcome to this one. It's free. Just swing by and pick it up, or pay shipping. I love the style, and it even comes with a matching hat.

Beauty in the mundane

 I was reading another fellow photographer's blog and she said so beautifully what I often think and feel in my heart when I'm with my family. Right after the loss of her family dog she writes,

"There are parts of our life that are so normal, so every day, that we forget to even notice them. We take them for granted, almost like the breath that comes from our lungs. And then one day we wake up and something has changed. The normal; whatever it was, is different. I don’t want to notice the beauty of the everyday only when it is gone. I want to embrace it and appreciate it. I want to see it. The everyday; the habitual, the predictable, is what makes our life a complete story. Life simply isn't made up of grand picturesque moments. I want these seemingly insignificant moments to be etched so deeply in my heart and eyes that I never forget them." --Ginger Unzueta

Believe it or not, but my favorite style of photography is the mundane kind. The everyday. The simple. You won't see me posing people, especially my family, and you won't see any specific order or direction in my pictures. I won't coax my family into a fake smile, or make them be in pictures if they don't want to. That's simply not my style. Some of the most beautiful photos are ones that never require a smile, or a pose, or a planned event. The beautiful things truly are in the everyday, simple things. The mundane.

Sometimes I worry, as a photographer that there are people out there who get the wrong impression of me through my pictures....  There might be those who don't understand photography at all, and they simply miss the emotion or art that I'm trying to convey through my pictures. Then there are those who may even think I'm trying to create the facade of a 'picture perfect' family. I hope people never think that about my pictures because that is not my heart at all. Ginger said it perfectly...it's not about the grand picturesque moments. It's simply about embracing and appreciating the mundane.  

Last week was spaghetti night, and I gave up trying to keep this kid clean. In her quest for independence, she feels the need to feed herself most of the time now. Some of the food ends up in her mouth. Some in her hair. And most of it on the floor, or in my lap.
On this particular night, I was so exhausted. She had been so sick and cranky, and we were all wore out. We sat down for dinner and with every bite I offered her, she would push the spoon away, leaving sauce and noodles all over the floor. In my frustration, I plopped down the bowl in front of her, sat back and gave up. Then, in typical toddler manor, she started shoveling the food in little by little until it was gone.
I sat back, snapped a few pictures and we all ended the night with some smiles and laughs.

Perfect? No. Beautiful? Yes.  I cherish every moment with this girl, ESPECIALLY in the mundane.