What My Eyes See and What Photos Don’t Show – Take 2

Photography is a big part of this blog, and of my life.

I don’t claim to be an expert, by any means, by I do what I can to show the world that life with two children with special needs – cerebral palsy and Down syndrome – is beautiful, special, and, yes, rather ordinary.

Back in March, inspired by Sarah Halstead, the Naptime Momtog, I posted my five favorite photos of the first quarter of the year, and filled in some details that may not have been readily apparent in the image alone. The post was well received, so I’m doing it again. Some of the images you’ve seen here before; others have only been posted on Violet Film; all represent a slice of our life here in Mayberry.

Heartache will be familiar to you if you’ve been following the blog for a few months. I shared this image in the post where I talked of how Sarah Kate’s compassionate nature shown through at the end of her cat’s life. The photo was snapped discreetly with my phone in one of those moments that you think to yourself, “I don’t ever want to forget.”

Team represents the culmination of everything I never dreamed of when Sarah Kate decided to play softball this spring. My constant refrain in the beginning was “for her to enjoy it and for me to survive it,” but the reality was so much more. I love how excited her teammates are for her in this photo, and I love how they rallied around her all season.

Schooling looks like an image of a little brother patiently waiting for his big sister to finish her homework so they can play. That’s only half right – it was actually taken on the evening of the last day of school. Sarah Kate brought home all of her workbooks for the year, and determined to do the work that they didn’t get to in class. Yes, I’m raising a nerd.

Morning in Momma’s Bed  is another photo that isn’t quite what it seems. It looks like the kids and dogs took over our bed during the night, but that’s not quite what happened. Mr. Andi was away for a few days, and I let Sarah Kate stay up with me and sleep in my bed. Both dogs, Nathan, and I were up early one morning, but Sarah Kate slept in. When it was time to get ready for swim team, we all went into the bedroom to wake her. This photo was taken a moment after everyone gave up on being able to rouse Sleeping Beauty.

Baby Blues is a closeup of my baby big boy with his gorgeous blue eyes. I love this photo because it makes him look the same way in the photo that I see him in my mind. Beyond that, though, I also love the way he’s holding his hands. It’s not obvious to the casual observer, but he’s using his own personal sign for “hug.” I don’t know what the real ASL sign for hug actually is (probably not what he’s doing), but in our house, this means hug.

Photos combined with words have the ability to capture the joy and fullness of a moment.

Have you been recording your family’s history since my first quarter post? Tell me about it in the comments.