African Violets and Memories of a Sunny Window

Thinking of my Momaw today.  She could grow the most gorgeous African violets on the table under her front window.  I remember gently touching their fuzzy green leaves when I was a little girl, and hearing my mom praise her gift for growing them so beautifully. I'm certainly not known for my green thumb (rather, I am the girl with the black thumb who allowed a cactus to wither in her "care").  But I have high hopes that my sunny north-facing office window will give this little girl plenty of sunshine.  Our house is certainly warm enough for her, and since she's on my desk, it should be easier for me to remember to water her.  (Unlike the unfortunate plants on my back porch... the ones that are sadly neglected because I forget that they're there.  Oops.)

If nothing else, this pretty little violet is a beautiful reminder of my Momaw each day, and the memories I have surrounding her and my Popaw, and their tiny green house in Kentucky.  Oftentimes I wish they still lived in that little green house with the pitched roof, the beautiful silver maples in the yard, the crabapple trees and the tire swing... but I also know that God meant for things to be the way they are now.  So that is enough for me.  I'm glad He gives us the gift of memories, though. Mine sure are sweet.

What August Feels Like | Lifestyle Project

Hello friends.  I'm so looking forward to Friday!!  It's been a hectic week for us here in the Woods household.  Charlotte has been sick all week, school was closed Monday for Parker and Lila, we are still getting used to our new routines... so I'm extremely late in contributing to the lifestyle project circle.  Oh well.  Better late than never, right?  Here's to a good night's sleep, some good news at the doctor's office this afternoon, and another cup of coffee for me! ///

I am blessed to be able to join eight extremely talented photographers in our continuing project: What _____ Looks Like.  It's a wonderful way for us to deliberately make time to photograph our own families, and not just clients.  To become memory-keepers as well as memory-makers.

I'm so grateful to know that years from now, I will be able to flip back through our photo albums and see what it looked like when my kids helped me bake cookies, or what it looked like to have a newborn in the house, or what it looked like when she dressed up in all her princess costumes when she was three.

However, when planning my own lifestyle photo sessions, I try to ask my clients what they want their session to FEEL like, instead.  That emotion is what drives the session. So this month, I thought it would be more appropriate to show you, What August Feels Like...

Well, it feels like a whirlwind, to be honest.  So much happening, so many places and so many emotions at once.  A lot of these photographs were captured with my D700, but quite a few were just taken with my iPhone and Instagram.

We began our August with an overnight, nonstop road trip from central Florida to North Carolina, with three young kids packed tightly among pillows and luggage.  Oh my... there are so many "feelings" associated with this one!  Actually the kids handled it beautifully, since we left at bedtime and drove straight through the night.  They slept through most of it.  Chris and I split the driving hours almost in half, thanks to some Red Bull (for him) and sweet tea and chocolate (for me).  We felt exhausted, sleepy, anxious, nervous, confident, tired, caffeinated, slap-happy, and relieved to finally arrive the next morning.  Thank goodness for a nap, and grandparents, aunts and uncles who were happy to watch our children while we caught up on a little sleep.

Charlotte's first introductions to -- and our reunion with -- some very special family members... elated.  Joyful.  Grateful.  Whole.  Complete.

Adventurous.  Carefree.  Realizing that this entire North Carolina field was his own personal golfing range that evening.

Peaceful.  Warm.  Content...

And ticklish. ;)

Loved, and surrounded by love.

An early first birthday celebration for a tiny girl... denial.  How can she be almost a year old?!  This isn't possible!! I've prayed for this day, for this "difficult first year" to be over with.  And then, when it was actually, truly, really creeping up on me, I pushed it aside and refused to deal with it.  Her birthday is not here yet.  I'll accept it later, when it's time.  And I did...  I think.

But this day, her party was so very beautiful and special.  It deserves its own post, really, so I won't go into all of it here.  But I promise to share it all soon!

We allowed Parker to stay on in North Carolina for a few days to spend some more time with his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Chris's brother's family was heading to Florida to visit us the next week, so they agreed to let Parker fly with them.  Driving away and seeing our son standing there in his grandparents' driveway, waving to us all... just about killed me.  My heart broke, my throat closed, and I cried hot, silent tears as we passed him by and honked the horn.  I could feel Chris looking over at me so pitifully, but I couldn't hold back the tears.  My boy and I have a special mother-son bond.  Even though I knew that it would only be a few days until we saw Parker again, I still felt like I'd left a part of my heart back there in that driveway.  Missing a piece of my family.

Nostalgic. Sentimental. On our road trip, we drove through Charlotte, NC.  The city where Chris and I met.  "Our" first home.  The namesake of our baby girl.  I'd taken this exit more times than I could count... and yet it seemed so unfamiliar when we passed by it.  Thirteen years is a long time, I guess.  And true to our Southern roots, we had to stop in Georgia at a roadside produce stand.  Tables laden with freshly-picked peaches, jarred preserves, and bags of soft pecans and hot boiled peanuts.  It lifted my spirits a bit seeing Charlotte biting right into that peach!  I knew Lila would love hers.  She's my best eater.

There was plenty of playtime for the kids this month, and I feel so proud of their imaginations.  From trampoline-jumping with cousins, building dojos and rockets and vehicles with legos, to dressing up as Jedi knights to defend little sisters princesses.  And in the case of Charlotte above, I let Lila choose her baby sister's outfit this day.... she picked out a Cinderella costume, of course.  That, for me, was yet another lesson in choosing my battles.  I did not choose this battle, and the baby wore the Cinderella dress to the grocery store that day.

They don't always play well together, I will be the first to admit... but when they do, it's bliss.  They discover that his lego tree house and fort can back right up to her pink lego house and all of the mini-figures can hang out.  (That's a pink tutu bathing suit Lila has on -- her favorite.  She wears it all the time around the house, and I never want to forget it.)

Parker got a hamster this month.  Meet Coral.  She's kind of a grumpy thing.  She's escaped from her cage two or three times, spends all day tucked into her tunnels, and she bites our fingers every time we get close to her.  I think she wants to be owner-free, don't you?

The third week in August was more than emotional.  Parker began 3rd grade on Monday, Lila started Pre-K on Tuesday, and Charlotte turned a year old on Wednesday.  Every day another kid took a step forward, and it was so bittersweet.  My babies are growing up!  But on the flip side, it was pretty nice to have a bit of order back to our schedule again, and some much-needed routine to our days.  Calm amidst the chaos.  Centered.  Focused.  On track.

I'm so proud of this boy.

Someone was really really super duper excited to start preschool...  ;)

And, if I'm being honest, I am really enjoying that block of quiet time alone with my baby girl.  Charlotte is pretty amazing.

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Now introducing my sweet friend, Deb Schwedhelm  |  Tampa Child Photographer.  Can't wait to see what she photographed this month.

Happy 1st Birthday to our Charlotte Marin!

Happy 1st Birthday to my dear sweet baby girl.

Today we play.  And we celebrate your amazing birth, and just amazing YOU.  Our little mermaid.

We love you so!!

A Tired Mom's Secret to Looking Well-Rested

I had a lovely morning in the salon this week (love you Patty, Doug and Jamie!).  While I was there, I ran into a very sweet client and she said to me, "Stacey, you look so well-rested!"  You'd better believe I hugged her.  Her compliment has stayed with me for three days now, and I feel good about myself every time I remember her words. Granted, I had just had risen from my salon chair, so I was pretty darn relaxed and refreshed at that moment.  But let's be honest.  If you've ever visited my blog before, you'll know that I am the mother of three young children.  One of those children is still a baby.  Her older sister slips into our bed in the middle of the night, five out of seven nights a week.  I am a perpetual night owl, and my husband wakes extremely early.   I don't believe I've slept a solid night through in almost two years.  Suffice it to say that I am never, ever, EVER well-rested.

My client is not the only person to mention that to me recently, though; I have to believe that there is something to this "well-rested" look after all.

Of course there is.  Wanna know my secret.....?

It's Chanel Correcteur Perfection Concealer in Beige Clair #10.

I have used it for years.  I love it and never feel guilty about paying for it.  It's worth every penny.  Granted, I am perfectly happy with inexpensive, drugstore-brand nail polish and mascara.  But I absolutely refuse to compromise on my concealer.  Chanel is the clear winner.  This product is so light-weight, and it holds up well to the humidity here in Florida.  My dark under-eye circles are hereditary, allergy-induced, and a result of chronic sleep-deprivation (like most mamas I know).   But this?  This is the very best I've tried.  Other than sleeping a solid 8 hours every night, of course.  ;)

I would highly recommend this concealer to any mama who is preparing for a photo shoot.  Especially if you have long days and short nights like I do!

Happy Saturday, friends.  Enjoy your weekend, and stay up late if you want.  Use a little of this magic under your eyes on Monday morning and regret nothing.

You are most welcome.

What Turning Four Looks Like

I love this part of the month.  I am so thankful to have been asked to join a very talented group of photographers to document "What _____ Looks Like" every month for a year.  It's made me more conscious of photographing my own kids as well. ///

Since we had to make a very last-minute trip to Kentucky earlier this month, it meant we would spend Lila's fourth birthday there as well.  I couldn't pack up birthday supplies, and that was of least importance to us when deciding to make the trip to see my grandma.  But I still wanted my girl's day to be special and remembered.  So we improvised at the last minute with simple decorations and things to make her afternoon special.

Luckily, the weather was absolutely beautiful.  Warm, but breezy... and best of all, no humidity!!  We spread out a quilt, hung balloons in the trees, and enjoyed watermelon and cupcakes on the lawn with the cousins. She couldn't have been happier.  And that's all that mattered.

This is What Turning Four Looks Like for my sweet Lila-bean.

She begged me for that pink princess guitar.  It's hideous!  But she loves it.  She carries it all around the house, strumming and grinning.  Maybe she'll be the next Jewel.

Charley brought over her La-La-Loopsies, and we put them to good use as decorations.  We called them "Lila-Loopsies".  (Those oh-so-messy cupcakes were delicious.)

Side note about the inherent differences in girls vs boys: Lila changes her clothes at least four times a day... she bases her decision on which dress is the twirliest, and which one has sleeves, and which shoes are the "clip-cloppiest".  If she spills a drop of milk on her shirt, she changes right away.  It's constant laundry with her.  And this kid?  Parker doesn't care what he wears.  All shirts go with all shorts, according to him.  Spilled milk?  Oh well, it'll dry eventually.  Stains?  Who cares, he's just going to get it dirtier playing outside anyway.  And if he were home, he'd just be wearing cargo shorts and no shirt.  And no shoes.  ;)

Aunt Trish making Charlotte giggle...  I loved this moment!

In the end, Lila told me it was the "betht birthday party ever!!"  Of course, she only has three other birthdays to compare it to, but that's not the point.  Sometimes simple can be the most memorable.

And there you have it.  This is What Turning Four Looks Like.

Has anyone else thrown together a birthday party at the last minute like this?  Did you find it stressful, or did you just relax and have fun with it?  I'd love for you to share your favorite party memories with me!

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I hope you'll continue the round by visiting the very talented lifestyle photographer, Stephanie Moore | Tucson Family Photographer.  Her beautiful work always makes me swoon.  Coincidentally, her family is celebrating a fourth birthday this month as well!  Happy Birthday to her sweet boy!  ;)

Our Visit with Momaw

The kids and I have been on a little road trip.  We had intended on visiting Kentucky later on this month, but this sweet little lady here wasn't feeling very well... so we moved our mini-vacation forward at the last minute.  Literally, we decided to leave one night and left the next afternoon.  The trip was 930 miles one way, and it took us 15 hours to drive it, not counting stops and one overnight stay in Georgia.  And yes, it was just the kids and me.  Daddy had to work.  But it was truly better than I expected!  My kids were such great travelers, and were so helpful to each other and to me. When we arrived at the hospital, Momaw was still in ICU.  She was moved to a regular room later that afternoon, and last week she improved enough to go home!  She is on dialysis 3 times a week now, and once on the weekend when needed, to reduce the fluid buildup around her heart.  She has suffered from diabetes and congestive heart failure for years, among other health issues, but they seem to be double-teaming her as of late.  She's literally been in the hospital more days than she has been home, since February.  I hope that we are blessed enough to be able to visit her again.  She tells wonderful stories.  I have so many amazing childhood memories that were largely because of her and my Popaw.

She was so excited to see us!  Dad and Popaw think her rather quick recovery from this week's trouble was helped along by her knowledge that we were coming in.  Melts my heart to know that.

My sweet Popaw is her strength.  He does everything for her.  Brings her a toothbrush and a cup, helps get her dressed, organizes and distributes her many medications, monitors her weight, blood sugar, fluid levels, helps her into her wheelchair and down the ramp at their back porch... he even carries her purse while the nurses transfer her from one room to another.  He just completely takes wonderful care of her.  They are so blessed to have each other.

Watching them has always been so inspiring.  The way they never minded us dragging out all of their books and shoes to play library and shoe store when we were kids.... (and always said, "ahh, we'll clean it up later!")  The way they let us help plant wrinkled pink seeds of Silver Queen in the garden, then help the crop grow to harvest and then to prep and freezing -- and eating!  (As long as I live, I will never forget the taste of their fresh garden corn every year.)  I cherish the fact that Popaw always waited to cut his grass until after Easter, so we would have something to hide eggs in.  I like the sweet way he calls her Maw and tells little inside jokes and chuckles alongside her.  The way she depends on him and trusts him wholly.  It's been so encouraging to watch them and be shaped by their example through the years.

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I'll come back to share more posts and photographs from our trip.  As timing would have it, we spent Father's Day and Lila's birthday there as well.  As much as I will cherish this particular visit, it sure is good to be home this morning.

Well, Hello There

So good to see you. A little someone has learned to pull herself up on anything and everything, and this is the face that peeked over the playpen at me the other day.  She was so proud of herself and her new perspective!

And I just thought she was too cute not to share with you.  Don't you agree?

What Eight Looks Like | Lifestyle Project May 2012

Our big boy turned eight last month.  It was bittersweet for me, as his mama.  Parker had so much influence on me when I was first learning photography.  As a very busy toddler, he pretty much dictated that my shooting style be unposed and loose, on the go, and very much what "lifestyle" feels like to me now.  He is why, to this day, I try not to pose my clients.  He is why I want to just let them be real, and document the way they interact with one another.  He was my first muse. These days, he is not quite so unfazed by my camera.  He's usually giving me bug-eyes or sticking his tongue out when I point my camera his way.  But that's alright with me.  Whatever he gives me, I will document.  And embarrass him someday at his wedding treasure this funny, clever time in his life, while it lasts.

The past few weeks, Parker has let me quietly photograph him, just the way I always do.  He even surrendered and let me photograph him for a class that Bree and I are teaching, to illustrate a technical point for our students.  I savored every moment.

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Making funny faces, stifling laughs, catching frogs and lizards with the neighbor boys, running around shirtless, playing soccer, showing off, missing teeth, building with legos, and even being sweet to his baby sister... this is What Eight Looks Like.

You are a delight, my love.  I am so glad you made me a Mama.

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I hope you'll continue the blog carousel and visit my sweet friend, Deb.  I always look forward to seeing what beautiful bits of life she's documented of her children.  Enjoy the journey, xo.  Deb Schwedhelm  |  Tampa Child Photographer

The Girls' Amber Teething Necklaces

I get asked all the time about my girls' "pretty necklaces".  When Lila wore hers, we would be stopped almost every time we were out, and now we're asked about Charlotte's too.  I thought I'd share a few photos of these wonderful "jewels", since my article about them is on The Creative Mama today.

They are Baltic Amber Teething Necklaces, meant to alleviate the constant pain and symptoms of teething.  These natural resin beads release succinic acids, oils that when worn against the skin, act as an anti-inflammatory.  They also help with other teething symptoms, like drooling, restlessness and the general fussiness that comes along with those new chompers.  Lila wore her necklace when she was about eight or nine months old, up until she got her two-year molars.  After that, we passed the beads on to my nephew, Finn, during his visit to Florida (below).  My sister says his constant drooling has all but stopped.  Hooray for that!

Charlotte is seven months old now, and although she hasn't cut any teeth just yet, she has been drooling and whining and gnawing on everything since she was about four months old.  We put an amber necklace on her back in January, and have noticed a great improvement to her symptoms already!  She never drools, and only fusses a little about her gums.

Our necklaces have both come from Amberizon, and they were only around $13-18 each.  Hazelaid also has them for around $22 for a 12" strand, if you'd like to purchase one for your own little love.

If you're at the end of your rope like we were with Lila's teething pain, have a peek over at The Creative Mama today and read up on these necklaces for yourself.  I've recommended them to countless friends and family members, and I hope they work for your babies as well!

And let's be honest.  They're really pretty too.  :)

What "I Wanna Help" Looks Like | Lifestyle Challenge March 2012

These days, it seems I can't do much without a little Someone asking to help me. Lila has a favorite kitchen stool that she carries from station to station, so she can reach the countertops.  Watch your toes.

She asks to feed Charlotte all the time, and she can put the spoon in her mouth, but I'm always afraid she'll jab it in there a little too "helpfully", so I offered a compromise.  Lila's doll shares the table with us, and eats when Charlotte does.

She can unsnap a diaper faster than I can.  She always knows where the wipes are (likely because she carried them off in the first place).  She picks out her own clothes 90% of the time, and I let her.  She often brings me snacks or juice boxes (one for her, and one for me).  And she's always forgiven when she sneaks a cookie for herself but brings me one too.

She asks me on a daily basis, "Can we bake?"  She's darn good at cracking eggs and she loves to add flour to the mixing bowl.  And always the chocolate chips.  Always.  She sneaks a few of those throughout the process too.

This particular day, we were baking Peppermint Crinkle Cookies.  Yes, it was around the holidays.  And yes, I know it's March now.  I've meant to share these with you every month since.  So today, I hope you'll enjoy this little morning of baking with my big girl.  My helper.

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What "I Wanna Help," Looks Like

I had already made the dough the night before, and we were rolling the cookies into balls and dipping them in confectioner's sugar. Never a girl to stay clean for long, she had sugar all over her face about thirty seconds into it.

I love the softness of this one.

The hardest part is waiting for them to bake.  Such long minutes for a little girl.

And of course, the finished product.  They were delicious!

I always remember Mom letting us help her cook, even when we were very little, and very messy.  She would let us crack eggs and quietly pick out the shells without saying a word to us about them.  I remember dumping flour and sugar into the bowl, holding the electric mixer, scraping the last bits of batter from the bowl into the pan.  I know that by letting us "help", it made her time in the kitchen that much longer, and her cleaning the kitchen back up took that much longer as well.  But she always let us help anyway.

I hope that when Lila grows up and "be's a mommy" as she calls it, that she will remember these days with me and let her little ones help her too.

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Please continue on our blog carousel to the extremely talented Wendy Vonsosen  | San Francisco Bay Area Photographer.  Wendy's lifestyle work is so insightful, and I can't wait to see what wonder she's captured for us this month.