Free to Take Less Pictures

I have really missed blogging.  Wes jokes that I'm borderline addicted now!

Ha!

I just love documenting the lives of my babies and I LOVE looking back over the pictures and posts even more.
And I do regret letting the blog go for so long!

However, Wes is right, it can be addicting.  Not in the self-defeating ways of other addictions, but in a different way.
In a more-interested-in-documenting-life-than-enjoying-life kind of way.

I don't want to experience my children's reactions to something through the lens of my camera.

I want to see the real thing, I want to feel their emotions, not only capture their emotions.

I want to be part of their reaction to things, to see things through their eyes, not the artificial eye of my camera.  I can look back over a zillion pictures of them and I would remember the day and the event and taking the pictures that day, but would maybe not remember the way they felt.  Remember the feelings, not only the visual that's captured by a camera.

Things that you can only remember by being a part of it.  

This hit home one time when I took the kids to an indoor playground that we frequent.  I am totally that mom that is climbing the play equipment with my kids (when allowed....sometimes even when I'm not allowed....the begging pleas of my children to "Come play with me, Mommy!" outweigh the 'Parents not allowed on play equipment' in my opinion.....I'm such a rule breaker, I know.  And, if you know me well, that made you laugh because I am definitely not a rule breaker!).  

Okay, back to what I was saying - I am that Mom that will run and jump with my kids, climb with them, sometimes even get caught in the foam/ball pit with them.  My kids and I aren't always the best choice to invite on an outing if you're hoping for some adult conversation.  Not because I don't also crave grown up talk, especially with other mamas.  Oh do I!  But, because I'm usually found chasing my kids around trying to play with them as opposed to standing in a group of other moms.  Maybe it's just the age of my kids..... 

Okay, I digress....again.  Back to topic.

On one trip to this indoor playground, there were a few other moms and their children there.  I swear to you, all of these moms were snapping pics with their phones and/or cameras every second.  Literally everything their child did was a potential picture.  They were constantly barking commands to "Smile!"  "Look at Mommy!"  "Where's the camera?!"  "Smile so we can show Daddy!"  "Look!  There's a big, purple bird on my head!"  Not only was the constant picture taking obviously interferring with their own children's ability to have fun, but it was also disrupting the fun of my children.  We were having to constantly stop to allow for the pictures to be taken.  Finally, I just started ignoring them and no longer attempted to keep my kids out of their pictures.  It was; however, annoying.  And it wasn't even me they were trying to photograph lol!

Then, I got real with myself.  That is me sometimes.  I want to capture every thing my kids do.  I want to get a tangible, frozen memory of them playing, smiling, enjoying, hugging, kissing, laughing, swinging, sliding, building, flipping, jumping, reading, growing, even fighting.  I do.  I have barked those exact same things to my kids, right down to the purple bird.  I have had my kids give me the same "Enough already" look.  Gracie even went through a period where anytime she saw my camera she said, "I no picture!"  And Tucker went through a phase where anytime I pulled my camera or my phone out, he immediately hid his face.  

Our kids don't want to have to stop their fun, or whatever else they're doing, so we can take pictures of the fun.  I wouldn't either. It's disrupting their fun.  These kids at the indoor playground were not able to just play.  They were being interrupted by their mom's need to have the perfect picture.

I'm not bashing those moms.  Like I said, I am that mom.

For me, it's hard though.  

Last week, I realized just how hard.  We took the kids sled riding.  We finally got some weather that was warm enough to actually be outside in.  We decided to bundle them up (which took about 30 minutes), and drive to a perfect location for sled riding instead of settling for the small hill in our backyard.  I intentionally left my camera at home.  I knew that I would have my phone if I wanted to snap a couple shots or record a quick video (and I did), but I didn't want to be following them around with a camera telling them to "Smile!"  I wanted to be in on the action, be part of it, without my camera strapped around my neck.  And, I also wanted my kids to be free to enjoy the time as well, without Mommy barking orders to "Look this way!"  I mean, they don't really want to look at my camera all the time either, especially when there's so much beauty to be looking at.

What are they missing while I'm making them look at my camera??

What fun didn't they have because they had to smile at the dang purple bird??

So many times while we were sledding I thought, "Oh I wish I had my camera!"  I even voiced it to Wes a few times.  The evening light was perfect.  Tucker and I made the perfect snow angels right beside each other.  However, had I actually had my camera with me, I might have snapped a billion pictures of him making his snow angel and not fallen in the snow beside him to make my own.  Even though I don't have the picture to prove it, I have the memory in my heart of making a perfect snow angel along side my own sweet snow angel and the look on his face as I pulled him up out of the snow and he smiled ear to ear with snow flakes twirling around his sweet face to inspect what he had just made.

I got to see the real thing, not the 1.5 x 3 inch version.

Nope, I don't have the picture, but I have the feeling forever.

There IS a difference.

Now, don't hear me say I'm going to stop taking pictures.  

Definitely not.

I'm sure my next post will be flooded with pictures.

I just want to allow myself some freedom to not feel obligated to capture every moment on film.

Free to live inside the moments.

Free to be part of the moments....more.

Free to take less pictures.

And I want my kids to be free to enjoy uninterrupted fun.  

I've decided possibly a happy medium would be to take a few pictures at the beginning of an activity.  

Then, dive in and forget the camera....for the most part.  Maybe snap a pic here and there....of whatever the kids are doing, looking or not.  More so sneaking pictures in occasionally.

I don't know, what do you think??

ps, Despite what I want to do, I'm posting this post without including a picture of my adorable kids.  It's not easy :).

Snow Day

It definitely takes some time to get the kids bundled up for fun in the snow.

There's long johns/tights, jammie pants, then two more pairs of pants, socks, long soccer socks, an undershirt, long john shirt, another long sleeve shirt, hoodie, snow pants, plastic bags on the feet for Tucker because he doesn't have a pair of good snow boots (Gracie has his from last year), a toboggan, gloves, and heavy coat.

Seriously, by the time it's all done, Wes and I have worked up a sweat.

Then both kids are complaining about how hot they are while they wait for us to throw on our layers lol!

It can be quite the job!

Luckily, the benefits outweigh the cons and we are able to have fun without fear of getting cold.

The last snow day we had I didn't take my camera (something I'm purposefully doing sometimes....that's a whole other post that's coming soon!), but I did snap a few today.

This was a rare moment in which both kids were down to only a few more items left to put on and were still in a good enough mood for Mommy to snap some shots ;).

 The first thing this Lil' Mama always wants to do once she gets out in the snow is get her a big ol' snow ball to eat lol!  

 Yep, she'd much rather do this than sled or actually be in the snow!

 Today, Tucker was determined to build a big snowman!

Before we even went outside he had the carrot for the nose picked out and ready to go.

 Rolling big snowballs is hard work!

 And, I mean hard work!  There's not any pictures of the work in between this snowball above and the finished product because both Daddy and Mommy were working hard on those snowballs as well!  (Okay, so that's not really true.... Daddy did snap some of Mommy at work, but I didn't like any of them!)

"And now, the most important part!"  Tucker, age 4 years, 3 1/2 months

 The kids named him "Sunny"

 Very fitting considering Sunny is ready for warmer weather in his shades, Hawaiian shirt, and vacation hat.  (And of course, cheering on the Kentucky Wildcats!) 

Gracie took to him immediately.  She has asked, "Where's the snowman?" a million times today.

I think she may be under the impression that he can actually come and go....

Here she is giving him a little kiss :)

I hope you had fun on this snow day!

My Perfectly Messy Life

I mentioned in my last post that we are a mess.

It got me thinking.

I often say this about us.

I believe in my bio on here I even refer to our life as "messy."

But, that is exactly what I love about us.

I guess because if it weren't messy, it just wouldn't be 'us'.

We REALLY are a mess.

We do things like race shopping carts through a store, run late, dance in the rain, go for random car rides, have Nerf gun battles in which it is totally fair to shoot the other person above the shoulders, play jokes on each other, have dance parties in the kitchen, bring snow inside, climb on counters, jump on couches, eat at places other than the kitchen table, make messes while cooking, read books in closets, have family meetings in the bathroom, finger paint with our feet, play with our food, run in the house, drink tea from champagne glasses, have breakfast for dinner, eat dessert first, cover each other in kisses, wrestle hard, wake up in the same bed (even if it's not how we all went to sleep the night before), play loud, step in mud just to have it squish between our toes, stay up way past bedtime for pillow talk, make forts to hide from dinosaurs, nurse our babies, eat raw oatmeal, and frozen veggies, say things like "knuckle head" because Papa does, have beans in random places throughout the house (did I mention that we have a bean bin?), go on vacation just to ride bikes, totally believe folding laundry is way overrated, drink coffee all day long (well, Mommy and Daddy anyway), do silly very well, have at least one place on the kitchen floor where there's an unknown sticky substance, apologize, over sleep, over-commit, wear jammies all day, take naps even when we have a zillion things to do (like fold laundry)...... 

A mess.

And I seriously wouldn't have it any other way.

This messy boy

 this messy girl

and this handsomely messy man

are my perfectly messy life :)!

It Reminds Me...

We took a quick trip to Lowe's after dinner tonight.

I had to snap this pic with my phone.

There are so many things I love about this picture.

First, the obvious reason. 

The people I love the most in the whole wide world are all in it together.

And, man, do I love them!

However, there's so much more.

First off, look at that smile on Daddy's face!  

I love that he's as happy as I am to do nothing more than take a trip to walk around Lowe's just because.

It reminds me of when we were dating in high school we used to spend our Friday and Saturday nights going to the movies and then walking around Wal-Mart talking for HOURS.

Look at the smiles that Tucker and Gracie are sportin'!

Such happy kids!

I pray that they always *want* to spend time with Wes and I, even if it's not doing anything *special*.  

I pray that "family time" isn't something that has to be planned or forced, but something that continues to just happen naturally, all the time, because we all enjoy *being together*.

We're a mess and the picture clearly shows that, another reason I love it.

Tucker has on rain boots.  

Gracie has on a pair of fresh hand-me down shoes that match neither her socks nor her outfit. 

Seriously, we're a mess like 95% of the time.

We're always rushing out of the house in mornings, just barely making it.

Or, we just accept that we're going to be late and enjoy the morning regardless.

We have a zillion and one things written on our calender.
Even more obligations.

Somehow, we make it work.

We're not spontaneous, but we're also not the best planners....

Does that even make sense?

Things just sorta happen.  Thankfully they usually work out!

A mess.

This picture reminds me of how I could hear the sound of the over-sized cart speed up followed by Tucker and Gracie's approving screams from the paint aisle when they were in the flooring department.

It reminds me of how Wes and the kids hid from me and I kept trying to sneak up on them, only to have them run away from me and hide again. 

It reminds me of how hilariously funny the kids thought that was.

It reminds me of how I thought, "I wonder if anyone has ever been kicked out of Lowe's for being too loud or running with the shopping carts??"

Of how I truly didn't care anyway.

It reminds me of the nice old man who took time from his work to talk with Tucker and Gracie and how Gracie loved it so much that when she saw him several minutes later she immediately broke out in laughter and asked for another high-five.

It even reminds me how Tucker and Gracie thought all the empty toilets sitting around the store were hilarious (which was totally instigated by Daddy!).

I told you, we're a mess!

Look closer at the picture.  Notice that Gracie is holding a pair of boots.

Before leaving the house, she was unable to decide on which pair of shoes she wanted to wear.

Of course, she did what anyone would do - she wore one pair and carried the other.

Makes perfect sense.

This picture reminds me how when she made that decision, Wes and I exchanged a look that said, "Yep, that's our girl."

It reminds me of how Tucker told Gracie that he wanted her to drive the cart first because she is "my little sissy."

Such a caring, thoughtful big brother!

How when we loaded up in the car to go to Lowe's, Tucker reminded me (for the 500th time) that he wanted a red flashlight with flames on it to take on vacation (in July) to hunt hermit crabs with at night.

Yeah, it's a little blurry, and nothing out of the ordinary.

But, this shot, this one will be a favorite :).

Cousin Time!

Somebody's big cousin thought it was time for Gracie to wear make-up!

She kept trying to see it lol!

 She seemed quite pleased!

Proof of fun:

Watching Big Brother

Found these gems on my camera that Daddy took of the kiddos this morning.

Gracie watching Tucker playing a game on Daddy's phone :)

He truly is the best big brother ever.  She adores him beyond words.

I thank God that they are so close in age.  I love watching their relationship grow.
Forever best friends.
I pray that they always have such an amazing bond between them.
Something that is unbreakable.
I pray that God uses them and uses that bond in awesome ways.
I have no doubt HE will do just that.
These two littles are going to do amazing things one day.
God has so much in store for them.
I am beyond blessed to have been chosen as their Mommy.

Sledding Aftermath

Yeah, we went sledding yesterday.

These are the shedded layers upon returning home.

30 minutes to layer up the babes and only 30 seconds to get it all off.

But, they were definitely warm! :)

Do you see what I see?

The Polar Vortex

We have had some major wintery weather around these parts over the past week or so.  

Sub-zero temps with even colder wind chill factors, snow, ice, school closings, delays, bad roads.

Saying it's frigid out is an under statement.

We absolutely do not mind winter around these parts.

We love snow.

We love sledding, building snow forts, making friends with snowmen, plowing snow with our riding toys. 

As a matter a fact, here's Tucker with our favorite neighbors, the Gaither boys, the last bit of snow we had:

And Gracie, who tolerated sledding a few times, but preferred to eat the snow until it made her too cold, sleeping all snug in the stroller while her brother sleds:

But, THIS weather is too cold to play in.  It's too cold to do almost anything in.  

You freeze in place walking to the mailbox. 

 I am serious.  

(And while I'm on the topic, will someone please remind me of this in the spring so we are motivated to evict all the millions of riding toys and whatever else that has taken over our 2+ car garage and left zero room for either of our cars....!)

On top of the snow this week, both kids were sick last week, so we have been cooped up for way too many days now!

So, what have we been up to?

You name it!  We have played board games and card games more times than I can count!

Tucker's on a big Uno kick right now.

We have swaddled, changed, rocked, wiped, fed, nursed, and sang to babies.

We have colored, drawn, glued, cut, glitter-penned (yes, thats a word), traced, crafted, and play doughed.

I promise that Tucker & Gracie weren't just randomly cutting up magazines in the pic above lol!  

We had talked about the book of Genesis in our bible study that morning and they were cutting out pictures of things God made and then we glued them all on a large poster board :). 

We built forts, had Nerf gun fights, were attacked by dinosaurs, enjoyed tea parties and dress up, held dance parties, watched live monster truck rallies, played hide-n-seek, jumped on the couch and the trampoline, rummaged in the bean bin, turned the kitchen into a train station.....

And did something that is typically pretty rare around these parts.....watched movie after movie.

And even braved the cold to go to the theater. (Something we were the only ones to do evidenced by the fact that we had the theater all to ourselves!)

Then, when all else failed, we brought the snow inside where it wasn't too cold to play.

A little food coloring makes it more interesting!

Tucker had the idea to feed the birds outside.  

A handful of bread slices and it wasn't long before they were sneaking onto the deck

and right up to the door.

However, with all that fun, we're still experiencing some cabin fever.  

Gracie says several times a day, "I ready to go Mommy."  

When I ask her where she is ready to go, she responds "Just go. Come on."  

Yeah, we're just a little over the cold....

Thankfully, come Wednesday of this week they did return to school and I could tell they enjoyed getting out finally.

I hope you have stayed warm and continue to do so. 

 It looks like the temps may warm up a little this weekend, but with those warmer temps comes more snow (tonight possibly) followed by another drop in temps...  

Old Man Winter, you are quickly wearing out your welcome!

We are ready for some brighter, warmer days!!!