We live in paradise.
It’s not a tropical oasis, and the summers are brutally humid (other places claim to be humid, but the upper Gulf Coast region is The Real Thing). The winters are hit and miss. It’s rarely cold here – “cold” defined by me as anything below 40 degrees – but often that Gulf Coast humidity produces rainy weekends, clouds, and wind. Yuck.
But spring here is gorgeous, and it starts in February.
Lots of sunshine, 70-ish degree days, and pleasant breezes make me want to throw open every window in the house and welcome the fresh air in like a long-awaited guest. But I don’t – not on most days, anyway – because of the Epic Gulf Coast Pollen, covering everything like a yellow blanket and sending local residents to the Walgreen’s to stock up on Claritin.
But it’s worth it to live in paradise.
This year, in addition to the yellow pollen blanket and the gulf breezes and the sunshine, spring has given me a strong desire to view the world through my lens. Even though i’s becoming more and more difficult to photograph my kids these days – Sarah Kate is growing weary of the 366 project and Nathan is moving too fast – I keep at it, hoping for that single photo that captures the essence of their childhood in 2012.
Inspired by Sarah Halstead, the Naptime Momtog, I’ve collected my five favorite photos so far this year and am posting them today. Most, if not all, of them you have seen before, but today you’ll see them through my eyes, and you’ll look behind the image to the story you can’t see.
Just Woke Up was taken through the bars of Nathan’s crib right after he awoke from his nap. His look is solemn – or still sleepy – and I love it because his face is both relaxed and intently focused on me. This image of him post-nap was an anomaly; he typically wakes up rarin’ to go and full of smiles and energy.
One part of Base Hit belies the fact that Sarah Kate isn’t a star 8U softball player. Her swing is solid, her grip is firm, and the sinews visible in her arms speak volumes about her upper body strength. But her shoes – standard New Balance running shoes, rather than cleats – give her away.
This photo is also special because it was taken at the game where she got her first – and so far only – run, and on Nathan and Mr. Andi’s birthday.
Ten Free Minutes is one of my favorite images so far this year, but it’s also the one I consider to be the most deceiving. The story it tells is of two typical children enjoying a leisurely afternoon on the beach, when it was only about ten minutes (for one of the children, anyway). Sarah Kate’s walk calls to mind a young girl daintly floating across the sand on her tippy-toes, when in reality she has a hard time walking with her heels flat on the ground. And of course, because Nathan’s face can’t be seen, there’s no way to spot the telltale features of Down syndrome.
Daddy’s Home tells the story of how Momma came to be “less than” in 2012. Each day when Mr. Andi arrives home, Nathan drops whatever he’s doing in anticipation of Daddy. The smile begins as soon as the door is opened or Daddy is spotted on the driveway through the fence – he doesn’t wait for Daddy to see him. Every son should love his father this much.
There’s nothing particularly special about Game Two. It’s just a young girl in a softball uniform, gazing out across her backyard. What I love about it is thinking about how seemingly improbable it was that this day would ever come. When she was three years old and couldn’t walk – or, for that matter, even stand still – without assistance, I never imagined sports was in her future. It was even less likely when you consider that I was never the sporty type. Yet here we are.
Over the past (almost) two centuries, photographers have created images to represent a moment in time. Some of them described the moment accurately; others distorted reality – sometimes by choice, sometimes by accident. My children’s reality is what I want to capture, but I can’t do that without telling the story that goes along with the photo.
The story of the miracles and beauty that is their lives.
Do you capture your children’s lives, not just in photos, but also in words? Share with me in the comments.
I love this post and I love all the photos but the one of your son peeking through the gate just kills me. I love that. It amazes me how kids smile with their whole being. Thanks for sharing.
Andi these are great photos. Still amazes me that we both have a kid with CP and one with Ds because I find myself reading your posts and feeling sometimes as if you were talking about my life. Thank you for sharing!
Beautiful photos with such a lovely narrative.
Yes!!! I have a hard time just showing photographs and not explaining what’s behind them. There’s one I recently posted of N on facebook at his first game jumping up and down in excitement. But what’s so cool about that image for me is that he’s excited about an out that SOMEONE ELSE on his team made. To me, a picture is usually only part of the story. I look at our holiday pictures from this last year and while I love them, I also usually feel the need to tell people how awfully sick we all were, how freezing it was outside, and how everyone simply wanted to GO HOME.
I always love your photos. I think the ones of Sarah Kate playing softball are some of my favorites right now.
That’s a great story! And I think including the “warts and all” story with the picture is absolutely essential. But of course, I’m sure you and anyone else who’s been reading for very long already knew that. 😉
That smile should make Mr. Andi smile even bigger. I love all of these pictures, they are fabulous and I love your captions with them. You are very talented
I do. I’m a very verbose person. It’s really hard for me to just let the picture do the talking. They say “A picture is worth 1000 words” but I still want to know what the story is behind the pictures. At least half the time I want to know more about wordless posts. 😉 That’s why my picture a day blog always has stories on the pictures. I just can’t leave them alone. krockpots.wordpress.com My scrapbooks are the same way. I have a hard time not lecturing my customers about journaling. 😉
I am not the best picture taker. I leave that up to my husband because he does an amazing job with our pictures, but I am always taking pictures of my girls and posting on my FB page because I want all of my family and friends to just get a look at my life and my amazing daughters. I don’t get as many of the older ones because they are like Mom look how cute Lacey is or look what Lacey is doing. Just like Nathan, she is a mover and shaker so getting pictures of her can be difficult at times but she does love getting her picture taken so for a few seconds she will pose but that is about all you get. I love all the pictures you posted but my 2 favorite are the beach and the fence. My husband is home with my baby girl and I get that beautiful happy smiling face everyday I come home from work. She usually hears me coming in the house and she is already starting to clap and laugh just waiting for me to walk through that door. Makes very long work days seem like no big deal after I see her face and get a big hug.
Love it! Even if I’m not #1 at 5:00 when Mr. Andi comes through that door, it still warms my heart to see his reaction.
PERFECT -photos, storyline and children. Thank you for this glimpse into your lives.
I can just feel his stillness on the crib shot. I know that feeling well for just a moment the world doesn’t matter.
That first shot is so so sweet – who doesn’t love a “I just woke up” shot.
What a lovely set with some wonderful memories. I enjoyed the explanations. The first shot is darling. Everything from the expression to the framing to the catchlights to the groggy expression.
WOW!! I love these. I am soooo happy you joined in. I loved reading your little storys behind them. They are both so amazing!
Oh my goodness, your son is just adorable! I absolutely love that first shot and his gorgeous eyes! The one of him looking through the fence is to die for!