We have been spending A LOT of time at the pool lately...so it' very fitting that this month I'll be showing you "what swimming looks like" since that's about all we have been doing...
Now be sure to go visit Stephanie Moore to see "what ____ looks like" to her this month!
and if you missed previous editions of "what ____ looks like" go here, here, here, and here!
I'm just a little obsessed with my newfound ability to submerge my camera. Last summer I played around TONS with a little underwater point and shoot...now I get to submerge my "real" camera! I'm over the moon excited. Get ready for total and complete overkill on the underwater sharing! I'm in love!
The poppies have bloomed in one of my favorite spots. Seriously for the week that these flowers are up, this might be one of the most gorgeous places EVER! My girls wanted NOTHING to do with me and the camera while we were here so I just stood back and watched them. Love their relationship. So here is my "11 0n 11" get in the frame post for June. My selfie is a stretch this month...
See I told ya the selfie was a stretch. I forgot my tripod and back button focusing is tough for a 7 year old! She took some really pretty good shots but all blurry. :) I am really happy to have this image though. Seriously, my two year old gives the best hugs. I never want to forget how it feels to have this little girl squeeze my neck tight like this. I kinda love it!
Now you must go visit Leah Robinson to see what she has captured this month. Leah is crazy talented and is an Aussie. I may just show up at her house one day unannounced to visit her and her lovely country whether I am invited or not! HA!
I'm trying to turn over a new leaf with my personal work. I have perfectionist tendencies. If I don't feel everyone in the frame looks perfect, I often overlook images. I'm determined to get over this. I have four kids all of which have the camera put in their faces on a regular basis. They get sick of it and could care less about when I ask them to do something for the camera. My tricks are getting old. It is WAY easier to photograph other peoples kids I tell ya. I NEED more images with EVERYONE in the frame. It's hard to get four kids and one husband all in the frame in a perfect yet not cheesy posed way. SO I'm going to let go....if I don't I will look back one day and regret not having many images of everyone together. It's my new challenge for myself....and in that spirit I give you my "10 on 10" for the month...in a cool little spot I found on a walk the other morning! Love discovering new hidden gems...
Now go visit Nicole Dyk of Nicole Dina Photography to see what her "10 on 10" is all about!
I am super honored to have some of my work published in Chic Critique's latest magazine. The magazine is gorgeous and chalk full of really awesome information and beautiful images. Chic Critique has been kind enough to give me a digital copy to give away to one of you! You can enter through Sunday tomorrow night at midnight and I will announce the winner Sunday! Good Luck!
The hours, days, weeks, and months fly by. I never seem to have enough time these days. I always have ideas of things I want to shoot but often it is hard to make it happen...so sometimes in order to get a some "shooting" time, I have to throw my camera and disheveled kids in the car, drive through some crappy fast food joint for dinner, and then pull off the side of the road and let them throw rocks off the mountainside. On this particular day it was SO SO windy that the girls (excluding me) cried in the car while the boys enjoyed themselves for about 15 minutes and that's all we needed..here's "what throwing rocks and a kicking dirt off the mountain side looks like"...
It's nice to get some images of my boys doing what they do...especially my oldest who will RARELY allow the camera within 10 feet of him...so these images of him mean the world to me...
Now go check out "what ___ looks like" to Andrea Hanki of Pink Sugar Photography who I may or may not have a photographic crush on! (hehe) Always in awe of her compositions and the genuine moments she captures!
To see previous "what ____ looks like", go here, here, and here.
Man this family was fun! We had such a great time. These two little girls were SO full of life. Brother made me work for it a little bit but all worked out in the end. Mom and Dad are pretty cool people as well....and the whole family is easy on the eyes to say the least. Lucky me to get to document all this life!
xo,
Summer
We are a group of passionate photographers who are setting out to document details of evidence that Kids Were Here. It is a fabulous idea introduced by the very talented and creative Ketti Photography. “When I first began this project, I thought it would be fun to document the every day messes my children make. As the weeks have passed, this project has really become so much more than that.
It’s not really about messes at all, but about the stories they tell. It’s about traces of childhood I see throughout my home on a daily basis. It’s about the love we share together. It’s about living and being…creating, making, learning and trying. This project leaves me a beautiful story each month of the reminders that Kids are here now…and the time, well, its all too fleeting, isn’t it? We all need to embrace these moments and just live them too; because they really are the best moments of life.” -Ginger Unzueta
Another month of this very special project...Kids Were Here...helping me to slow down, breath, and enjoy the ride that is motherhood!
Be sure to visit our facebook page and join along. If you live with kids, I KNOW you have seen evidences that the KIDS WERE HERE...
and in case you missed my past KWH posts you can find them here and here!
My friend talented Amy Grace of A Beautiful Life Photo asked me to be part of a very special project she has begun called "The Chorus":
"this is a project that has been burning a hole in my heart. we all sing our pure and shaky and earnest songs, to ourselves, our kids, our pasts. we sing because we need to hear our voices out loud, because it gets lonely sometimes, because it hurts, because the joy cannot fit in our bodies. mothers are always and never alone. i want to focus on the never part. i want to hear the voices together. i want to start a chorus."
Amy is a true artist...and an amazing photographer and out of this world writer. The combination of her words and her soulful images leave me speechless. Really...
I'm so so honored she has asked me to be a part of this project this week...a member of the "chorus" so to speak...a group of mothers who are photographers sharing their thoughts about wonder this week. Here are mine:
Funny how the things I associate with the word wonder have changed over the span of my life. As an adult I wonder about things…wonder if I’m doing OK as a mother…wonder about the future…wonder if I will ever feel caught up. The kind of wondering I do spans from silliness to more important things. When I think about the wonder I felt as a child, there was something different. I distinctly remember my first airplane ride. I looked out the small little window at those clouds and wondered if I could run and jump in them. Imagined how soft it would be and fully believed it was possible. Anything was possible. I noticed the beauty of things around me more consistently than I do know. I remember seeing dust bunnies in the light in my room and being totally and completely fascinated by them. So much that I ran to get my mother and asked her what it was. She replied “That’s just dust”. To me is was magic. My two year old reminded me of this last week when she noticed the dust in the light of her room. The animation and excitement as she pointed it out to me helped me to recall this long buried memory of my own childhood. How often do I reply to my kids discoveries with “That’s just dust”? More often than I should. I strive to see the beauty and wonder in things always but as an adult is sometimes a struggle to let go of all of my “to do’s” and be present in the moment and aware of all the wondrous things around me.
“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eye are closed.” Albert Einstein
I don’t want my eyes to be closed. When I am open the wonders and beautiful things around me, I feel alive and present and connected. Once again my children are my teachers…teaching me to throw caution to the wind, outstretch my arms and soak in all the wonder around me.
PLEASE go visit "the chorus" and read some pretty inspiring thoughts along with some amazing images.
xo,
Summer
Well I'm only about 6 months past due blogging these images. One freezing cold January morning, we looked out the window and saw FOG! Fog is rare around here so we ran outside and shot a few frames. It was 8 degrees F if I remember correctly so we only lasted about 5 minutes before she was done and my fingers felt like they were frozen. Looking at theses images makes me grateful summer is about to begin!
Some mothers complain about thumb sucking....but I'm not there yet. Is is wrong that I adore it when she does this? Because I do...
And if that didn't freak you out too much, be sure to follow the circle to see what everyone else's ______ looks like! I mean there is some CRAZY over the top amazing talent in this group (not exaggerating). Next up is the oh so talented Jules Trandem | San Diego Lifestyle Photographer ...she's an amazing photographer and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet...
And in case you want to see previous "what _____ looks like" posts go here and here!
We are a group of passionate photographers who are setting out to document details of evidence that Kids Were Here. It is a fabulous idea introduced by the very talented and creative Ketti Photography. KIDS WERE HERE has been getting some buzz and has highlighted in some awesome places: DEFINE SCHOOL and SESAME ELLIS BY RACHEL DEVINE
"These still life images serve as a daily reminder that my days are awash in chaos, whimsy, laughter and laundry (sometimes all at once). They capture toys and spills and puddles and piles. Sentimental, solitary moments of childhood ephemera. A gentle prodding to live in the now and stop looking toward the “then.” And though sometimes I pray for clean and quiet and still, I know all too well it will come. And I will yearn for tiny shrieks of laughter in my bedroom. For toys and loveys strewn about. For signs of a daily life well lived. For traces of my babies who once were. For reminders that Kids Were Here–and they were life and light and love." - Stephanie Beaty
I don't think I could put my feelings about this project or these images I am capturing any better than the above quote. Expressing myself through my words is not my best talent! I can say that I am so grateful for the perspective this project is giving me. I can't say that every-time something is spilled, destroyed, broken, dumped out, or undone, I first think of the messes as cute little evidences that my "kids were here", but it has helped me to think of them that way more often. It puts it all in perspective and be more present with my kids. That's something I am constantly working on with them...to just "be" and enjoy all of it. They are growing fast and even though somedays it feels like it will be like this forever...I know it won't! So enjoy the second installment of "kid's were here"! Don't forget to visit the KIDS WERE HERE website to see all the other fabulous perspectives!
I'm ready for more of this weather...and that's about all I have to say today except that I may be a little too obsessed with light and messy hair!
xo,
Summer
I'm determined to take my "real" camera out and about with me more often. I rely on my iphone and Instagram waaaay to much. It's making me lazy and I sometimes have moments where I think my IG photos rival my "real" camera work..and well that's not awkward at all! HA! I brought my camera with me to run errands yesterday and came home with these shots...totally worth hauling it around!
xo,
Summer
Time to write a letter to my least photographed child. He is the least photographed not by my choice. He really really really does not like for me to take pictures of him. In fact he runs the other way literally when he sees my camera. I often joke with him that someday he will be sad when he doesn't see himself in any of these pictures I am taking but I try to respect him. I do at least twice a year force him to let me take some of him. I have to have some kind of photographic record of him...hoping someday he'll let me take more? But I'm guessing it will probably get harder as he gets older...
To my oldest,
Oh my first born little man, where do I begin? I guess I can begin with the beginning? You were the first babe to come into my world. I was hesitant and scared to be responsible for a little human. I was scared for all the things I would have to give up to be a mom, all the freedoms I would no longer have. Sound a little selfish? I probably was but once you were in my arms all those fears went away. Yes, I gave up a lot. Life as I knew it was totally different. I've always been one of those people who needs a fair amount of alone time...quiet time to myself where I can think, have peace, and just be. Well that kind of time is hard to come by to a mom...and it was ok. You made it ok. I couldn't have imagined how much I could love a little baby..soooo much love for you. You were quite the hard baby. You cried and cried and cried and cried. In my first time mommy naivety, I thought "well that's just what baby's do. They cry....a lot." You tried my patience those first several months. It was hard. We both didn't sleep..and even with all the hard things, I couldn't imagine it any other way. You were my new world. My little man.
You have always been an intense little guy. You are so crazy passionate/obsessive about the things you love. It started with Buzz Light-year on your second birthday. I think it was love at first sight with you two. Something just clicked when you saw him. For two years our lives revolved around that Buzz toy. All the times you threw him to "infinity and beyond" onto our wood floors. I still can see the dents from that. And Buzz took quite the beating. Eventually he took on a new name..."headless Buzz without a hand". That's what you called him. All of your throwing broke off his head, hands, and eventually his leg. We bought you a new one but you still preferred "headless buzz". Then you loved "Cars" and Lighting McQueen with that same passion for a while. Then came the Star Wars phase, and then Harry Potter. You loved each phase with all your heart. That's what you do. You are kind of an all or nothing kid. Until I had other kids, I thought this is just what kids did. None of your siblings have had the passion that you have for what you are into. You put all of your heart and energy into the things you love. I have to admit, it can be a little exhausting to the rest of us. And it's hard for you when everyone around you doesn't share in what you are loving. It's actually a pretty cool thing to watch you be so passionate. I pray that you can continue to find things in your life that light this fire you have in you. I sometimes worry about this quality too. On the opposite side of this passion comes a little bit of detachment. There isn't a whole lot of middle ground with you. You are completely into something or completely disinterested which can be a bit of a problem at times. I know that you will go far in life if you can find a way to channel this excitement and passion in positive ways.
You now are 10 years old going on 16. I cannot believe how much you have grown up in the last year. This time last year you would still play with toys...Harry Potter was your obsession. Now you wouldn't be caught dead playing with toys..not even your precious, adored, and well love legos...they are now collecting dust. (Tear). Where has the time gone? You live, sleep, eat, breath, and dream basketball. It makes me laugh because a little over a year ago when you Dad would watch games, you would get soooo bugged. You were not interested in the slightest. Now you come home from school and watch Sports Center. WHAT? Yes, and you never ending questions about sports trivia is enough to drive me up a wall. I have never been interested in sports...AT ALL! I can't sit through a game for the life of me. It's fun to see you and your Dad be able to do this together.
You are a kind hearted kid who has always (I noticed it when you were 4 or 5) had a special place in your heart for little kids. You can be very sarcastic and a little bit of a punk to your the second and third kids in the family but I don't know if I have EVER seen you be anything short of completely patient and kind with your baby sister. It melts my heart to watch how kind, sweet and helpful you are to her. You have always been this way. It is so very sweet.
You and I butt heads a little bit. I really hate this. I think we are a lot a like in some ways. You can be so stubborn sometimes it's crazy...but so can I. I know when you get this way or act out at all it's really a cry for attention. Sometimes I feel guilty. I have been having babies about every two years your whole life. Babies take a lot of my attention and energy. I feel like sometimes because you are the oldest, you are the one whose needs get pushed to the side most often. I really try to not let this happen but it's just how it is sometimes. I hope you understand it's not because I love you any less...it's just that these little people can't do as much for themselves. I think you know that most of the time but I sometimes wonder and worry. You have to know that I love you. You will always be my first baby. I love seeing the person you are growing into although I sometimes miss the little guy who would sit in my lap and cuddle with me. I admire your crazy passion for the things that you love in life. It's very inspiring. I'm honored to be your mother. I sometimes wonder how I could possibly be so blessed.
I love you my little man, to infinity and beyond!
xo,
Mom
And now for images of my camera shy boy...totally random and in no particular order...
Up next is the talented Marla Cyree of Simply Splendid Images...be sure to follow the circle for some heartfelt letters and images from a wonderful group of mothers and awesome photographers...
Well just in case you haven't seen enough images of me and my kiddos hanging out in our house lately...here are some more! :) I am soooooooooooo ready for consistently warmer days...we get two warm ones and then it turns frigid again. Here is my attempt to get in the frame with my kiddos..I even took a selfie at a veeeerry wide angle. Not the most flattering focal length for an old lady like me BUT my kids were having fun playing "horsey" on my back. It always ends with me needing some ibuprofen...yup...old age is lame sometimes. :) Now be sure to go visit Marie Sant of Bloom and Grow Photography...she's awesome and straight up gorgeous and she's practically my neighbor...lucky me!
Well the time has come for another "10 on 1o" and we are officially potty training so of course that's a perfect subject to capture. I should say she is officially potty training herself. I pretty much haven't pushed her at all. I kinda like her diapers. She looks pretty darn cute in them and a diaper is her favorite outfit. I think I am trying to hold on to her babyness (yes, I know that's not a word) since she marks the end of my baby making days. It's funny how I want everything to last a little longer with her. I appreciate all the stages that I was rushing my oldest through. Anyways, she's ready I guess since she does this all on her own without any prompting or reminders from me. :) I guess I have to let her grow up... darn it!
Now go visit Ali Deck and see what her "10 0n 10" looks like...
We are a group of passionate photographers who are setting out to document details of evidence that Kids Were Here. It is a fabulous idea introduced by the very talented and creative Ketti Photography. I am over the moon with excitement to be a part of this project. I came across Ketti's project over a year ago and I was quickly sucked in. I was mesmerized by the simple idea...yet the images spoke directly to my heart. As a mom every image reminded me of my daily reality... all the little things that I so often find to be annoying were documented. It made me stop and think. Think that one day before I know it, all these things will be no longer. I started to look at these messes differently.I started to document the "evidences" that my own kids left behind but up until now I have never shared any of them. So when I heard this idea about a website devoted solely to the "kids were here", I was overjoyed. This is powerful stuff people...
"in the moment it is easy to get frustrated with all the mess and clutter that results from living with children. this set reminds me how quickly it will all pass. one day the toys will be in totes no longer played with. i will miss this. i'm reminded to slow down. to not stress about it. my happiness is not dependant upon everything put back into place and a neat and tidy home.
one day we will have a wonderful reminder. evidence left behind written upon our hearts and minds of our children. photographs that will bring us back to this very day, when our kids were here." -jude wood
Do you have goosebumps yet? I do. I'm in the throws of mothering four kiddos. It's hard, monotonous and it's messy, but everyday I have at least one moment where I'm awed and overjoyed by the love I have for my kiddos and all the little quirky things they do. I can't imagine not seeing all these things every day for the rest of my life, but I know the day will come that these messes will be gone. My oldest is 10 and already I have to look harder to see him in the messes. It makes me feel all sappy and nostalgic. I'm convinced that one day these photographs will bring me back to this exact place in time in a way that most any others that I take cannot.
After you have a look at the beginnings of my project, be sure to visit this amazing website the "Kids Were Here". Every day on the first of the month we will post something new on "Kids Were Here". Excited yet?
Don't forget to visit the Kids Were Here website to see one image from every photographer that is participating. It's a pretty powerful set of images! Love seeing all these perspectives together in one place! Sigh...thanks for stopping by!
xo,
Summer
Oh my sweet girl.. Where do I begin? You have changed SO much in the last year or two. I feel like I am beginning to see glimpses of who you will be as a teenager and woman. Just last year, you were my little kindergartner and now...my almost second grader. WHAT? How did that happen? It makes me sad but it makes me excited too..and a little nervous for all the struggles that will soon come to you as they come to us all.
You are one creative little girl. I am amazed at what you can do with a piece of paper or a box of Kleenex. I'm talking 3D paper sculptures, purses, refrigerators that open and have paper food inside that you can take out and eat, 3D paper flower and vases, crayon holders, baby blankets, doll clothes, and the list goes on. Whenever there is a birthday in the family, we all know we will get a big 3D paper birthday cake topped with candles that is colored beautifully. All of these things are made with computer printer paper, crayons or watercolors, tape, and scissors. It's really pretty amazing to watch. You're creativity doesn't stop there. You can always think of something to do...you are NEVER bored. Not sure I have ever heard those words come out of your mouth. Should we talk about your "house"/messy messy pit in the playroom? Man, I must love you to let you leave that up for so long. You have spent hours building it. To most people it looks like a circle of castles, chairs covered in blankets, stacks of papers and books, and shopping carts with dolls, blankets, toys, and junk in the middle. To you it's your playhouse. It's your sanctuary. It's the first place you go when you wake up in the morning. You are so proud to show your friends around in there. It's really pretty amazing when you describe to me every function every little pile has...the couch, the bed, the doll bed, the table. The "dressers and closets" are filled with every paper creation you have ever made....it's beginning to look a little like an episode of "Hoarders". It's been like that for almost a month and I don't have the heart to make you take it down. You get teary at the mention of it. What am I going to do with you?
You are outgoing yet shy at the same time. You have no problem making friends and you have quite a few of them. You are a natural leader (bordering on bossy at times) I've watched you play dolls and house with your friends and tell them exactly what to say. The conversation goes a little like this:" "oh look, Sarah got at new outfit" Now you say "It's so cute"."
You DO NOT like to be the center of attention. In fact you really dislike it. This year I have watched you as you have had to go to several Reflections awards assemblies to be recognized and you DREAD it. In fact the principal at school wanted you to bring one of your awards to school to be recognized on "Falcon TV" (the elementary school channel) and you seriously did not want to go to school that day. It took a lot of pushing from me. Once you get in front of a crowd, you are fine but you insist that you are never entering Reflections again. It makes me smile. I love that you don't have to be or even want to be the center of attention...yet you have so many qualities that make you exactly that..the center of attention. (at least in my mommy goggle covered eyes)
You are FUNNY! The things that come out of your mouth sometimes make me laugh like no other. At bedtime when we make up bedtime stories, yours are always the wittiest and the most random. I love it. You also have quite the stubborn streak. (you may or may not get that from me) I am often amazed and exasperated by how strong willed you can be. Again, I kind of love it. You know what you like...and that it that! :)
You have a tender, thoughtful heart but you are sometimes reluctant to show it. This has always intrigued me about you because you have been like this from day one. I wonder where this comes from. We are a pretty openly affectionate family who expresses how we feel about each other regularly but this doesn't come easy to you. You will write your feelings in a letter to me but it is harder to say it. You REALLY have a hard time saying sorry. Your brothers and sister will say it at the drop of a hat but you...well it's really hard for you. You are really such an interesting person. You have everything in the world going for you. You are beautiful, smart (OH SO SMART), witty, creative, independent...I mean what else is there?
You are a girly girl in some respects. You like purses, lip gloss, shoes, dresses, and earrings yet you are willing to get dirty and play rough. I love that about you!
I love our "girl time" together. When it's just you and I (and sometimes little sister), you open up and talk to me about all kinds of things. I love how much you love to spend that time with me. Wish we had more of that. That time together gives me glimpses of what our time together will be when you are grown up.
What a sacred job I have being your Mom! I feel so very blessed to have you in my life!
love you love you love you,
Mom
Be sure to go visit Marla Cyree of Simply Splendid Images has to say in her letter this month! Be sure to follow the whole circle for some serious inspirational letters and images...
