10 on the 10th

The late-spring sun beats down warming the earth and our souls alike. 

Sweat beads on tiny noses and pleas for less clothing quickly follow. 

I pry open the bottle of sunscreen left abandoned to it's winter home in the closet and say a silent prayer that it will keep my children's creamy white skin safe. 

 Articles of extra clothing fly off their bodies in eager anticipation of what awaits outside.  The swish of Lycra, the slapping of naked feet against pavement and wood as tiny legs propel themselves to the cool dampness of the lawn. They wait.

 The nozzle sings a staccato song in squeaky protest of disuse; rubber creaks and groans as it swells and fills with cool water rushing to fill it's hollow void. There's a spit, a sputter and a final whoosh as the water forces it's way out of the sprinkler head into a glorious fountain. Sunlight greats the droplets and momentarily transforms the gentle cascade to a crystalline state.

 Bodies blur in motion. Cool water meets hot skin and a simultaneous shriek of shock and relief fills the air. Over and over they gallop, hop and dodge through the arms of their watery escape.

With teeth chattering they retreat to the warmth of their terry-cloth islands. Off goes the water. The ground is sodden and their wrinkled skin tells the story of their water-filled escapades.

There is truly no greater combination than sunshine and water.

10 on not quite the 10th

 We had two birthdays since the last time we talked.

This one turned 2. I always thought Owen was "all boy" and then Jesse came along and took that to a whole new level. He is constant motion. He jumps off of everything and I mean e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Curbs, mini slides, steps, ottomans...if it's elevated he will most assuredly jump off of it. While most kids walk or run, Jesse prefers to jump 5 times before breaking into a full body run in which his hands are tucked up into his arm pits, his elbows start swinging and his little torso twists to and fro as his little legs beat the ground. It's a wildly inefficient way to run but ridiculously cute to watch.

He's our little beast. We frequently pause and speculate as to where his body type came from because he's built like a brick. I keep wondering if he and Owen will be in the same size clothes by the end of the summer. He dislikes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but other than that is a great eater. Hot dogs are his favorite food by far.

He loves all things super-heroes and is quick to point out any suspicious individual by saying "bad guy, mama!" He likes to pick out his clothes (something Owen could still care less about) and, naturally, his clothing of choice has "mat-man" on it.

 He is my little snuggler, quick to dole out hugs or kisses unprompted and a mama's boy through and through (lucky me!) I adore and cherish this little one. 

 The other birthday belongs to this little boy. My big 4 year old!

In this past year we have seen so many traits come out in him which cause our hearts to soar. He is left handed. He loves to learn, soaking up every opportunity to do his "school book" or practice writing; I love seeing how his wobbly letters have progressed since we started preschool activities at home. 

He loves to sing and has a quick mind and ear for picking up lyrics, which now means I REALLY have to think about what I am listening to. He gave up napping this year but, thanks to Adventures in Odyssey, daily quiet time is a breeze most days.

He loves to encourage others, if very affectionate and has a beautifully sensitive spirit. When Josh was remodeling our bathroom this winter, Owen would poke his head in to check Josh's progress and always left him with some sort of praise "You're doing such a good job, Daddy!" "You're such a hard-worker!"

 

I adore seeing life through his eyes.

 

 

 How blessed and rich our life is because of these two precious boys the Lord has given us. 

I love every day I get to spend with them.

 

10 on the 10th: Bubbles

 I'd like to dedicate this blog post to bubbles: those beautiful prismatic glassy orbs which elicit a myriad of dramatic facial expressions, quell the post dinner "I-can't-ride-my-scooter-anymore-today" tantrums of our darling two-year old, and provide an activity both boys enjoy doing together.

  Bubbles are what we turn to as we taste the first evenings that have shirked the touch of winter's chill. They are fascinating to both boys evoking shrieks of excitement, day or night, when that brightly colored bottle emerges from the kitchen cupboard. 

 

 I simply adore the magical effect bubbles have on my children. 

Oh dear Bubbles, you are beautiful.

 

10 on the 10th

 It was a good month. There were lots of visits from superheros who showed up to fight for freedom and wrestle the "bad guy" aka Daddy.

 

Man of Steel.

Man of Steel 2.0

There were epic battles won and lost and silent cheers of
adoration from Mommy seeing my boys delight in each
others company more and more.

 There were moments captured where they forgot about the camera I was holding and giggled at my antics to get them to smile and, for a minute, I was the funniest person in the world.

There were a few glorious days of sunshine with warm rays that kissed our cheeks, 

warmed our souls, covered our legs, hands and boots in mud and promised us a change in seasons is near.

 We spent every non-rain-filled moment outside doing this. 

He's 1 1/2 and scooting like a pro.

I also discovered that having two kids on wheels means I'm taking up running for a hobby. It's either that or I need to break out the trusty old roller blades. Yikes.

Fabulous Families

Today I flipped through all the different family photo shoots I did this past fall.

I grin at most, cringe at a few, and remind myself again that life isn't about perfection or comparison but about growth.

 I learned a lot about myself and my photography style this fall. 

Late fall sunlight is enchanting and addicting to the eye and camera. 

Large family photo shoots are challenging and require at least 10 times the amount of shots taken to ensure that you get at least one shot where everyone is looking remotely in the same direction.

 I learned that coming to a shoot armed with raisins, bubbles and Sophie the giraffe (for the squeak factor) is a sure fire win with most kids. On the subject of kids, including pets in a photo shoot is just like trying to get pictures of rambunctious toddlers, the only difference is one you can put on a leash and not have the pictures turn out weird. 

 

 Most importantly, I learned my process: Get to photo shoot location early, walk the grounds, find my spots of texture and light, take a deep breath and invite the Lord into every photo shoot knowing that not every picture will turn out but the ones that do I can be proud of.