These are the in-between years. The years where one fluctuates wildly between pursuing maturity and wanting to remain little forever. While everyone reaches for the babies and the lisping preschoolers, the ‘tweens remain in their own awkward location, caught between wanting to grow and not wanting to at the same time.
This image will forever remind me of the wisdom of my husband in the pew tonight as he encouraged me to enjoy the moments of “not wanting to grow” a little longer. A split second after his verbal nudge our tween turned and rested her head against me, a solid reminder that he was right—she was still little and it was okay for her to find comfort in stuffed animals and mom’s warm body. He muttered something like, “I am a half-genius after all,” which is a family joke of ours, and my mind and body relaxed and enjoyed my ten year old girl and her armful of babies.
Papa uncovered magic last night when he introduced his granddaughter to Dragon Dictation. I don’t even know if those words should be capitalized or not, but maybe they should look more like this because I am so very excited: DRAGON DICTATION! My child’s storytelling abilities were unleashed and she wrote a chapter of a story last night, then snuck out of bed and stole the iPad with the desire to write more. Nothing save Disneyland and presents makes this child leap from her bed, but this morning she did leap in order to read me her words.
In the dark on the couch she read to me, face illuminated only by the light from the screen.
Dragon Dictation! Papa for the win!
Today’s picture made my heart melt into a puddle. It’s not technically something I love, but the subject matter trumps all technicalities. This before-school bottle brought to you by Livia and her giant heart. Though I thrive within a planned out day-to-day schedule, sometimes the baby wakes up and is hungry before the clock says it’s time. And when such a thing happens it’s incredibly helpful to have a sweet-hearted fourth grader around. Not only did the Babe get fed, he enjoyed lovies in the process. We believe in lovies around here. In fact, I have a Babe and a Pooch that beg at my knees for lovies on a regular basis. Oh Livia, you who made me a mother and showed me how big my heart really was—you’re the best.
Renae and I were discussing the idea of a challenge-within-a-challenge for the 2014 December Photo Project. Some years we like to add a personal touch to the DPP by shooting only people, or by working on street photography, etc. I jokingly told Renae I should probably try to always shoot “10 steps back.” I love to fill up my frame, so maybe I should go for the bigger picture this year and capture more landscapes. Hah! Clearly that didn’t happen. Though to be fair, taking and posting pictures daily will be challenging enough to me this year as I will have an 8 month old sidekick at my ankles throughout the day. What challenge will Renae accept? She has five hours, 10 minutes left to show us. No pressure, Nae. ;)
Happy December 1st, everyone! Me, the Artist, the Web Developer and the Baby are feeling the good cheer tonight and we hope you all are well, too.
So proud of my tall, beautiful, sweet 4th grader! She still lets me hold her hand a little. We prayed on the walk to school for blessings on all the students and staff, and then she let go and walked down the hallway to a new classroom. May the Lord bless you and keep you, my Livia Raine! We love you so much.
(I’m drippy with tears this morning after a night waking up with both kids. But some things, like kids growing up and dear friends cheering us on with sidewalk chalk—year after year after year—are worth crying over with happiness. We are blessed.)
Says my girl, age ten going on 21.
I then request that Jeremy join her, and this is what I get. Nice.
One thing I love about photography is how it can reveal so much about a specific moment in time. You’ll notice that photographers often resort to what seems like cheesy cliches to describe photography and time, but honestly, there’s great truth to what we’re trying to express!
This image charms me for many reason. I’m finding that age ten, for my child, is truly an in-between age. She’s not a babe any longer but she’s not a teenager yet either. She’s ten. She’s looking to the future and growing up (note the incredible growth from this past year and, yes, the eye makeup in this shot) and yet still a kid at heart (self-imposed bunny ears, anyone?). Look closely and you’ll find something that gives away 2014 as well; Livia’s got a rainbow loom necklace stretched across her forehead as a headband of sorts. If you’ve got an older girl in 2014 then you’ve experienced the insane popularity of the rainbow loom.
Age ten is so much fun. It has Jeremy and I feeling kind of in-between as well. We remember well the baby cheeks and toddler babbles of the past and we look forward to seeing who Livia will become as she grows up. We’re not in a hurry these days, rather we’re loving our girl, in all her bunny-eared glory, at age ten.
