Guinness Book

I swear, Kian is persistent. That boy wants in the book of world records like its nobodies business! His latest attempt is this pencil. . .

He actually wrote with this all day last Wednesday!

Football Frenzy

Just some photos from 2 weekends ago

One of the boys favorite things to do with their dad. . .

The Great Pumpkin Patch!

I thought this picture was so funny.

This is Patrick, one of Kian's good friends.

These are the 2 classes that make up second grade. Kian is on the bottom row.

Kian's teacher is @ the top, left side.

Go class of 2019!

In second grade it is tradition to do a "Pumpkin Fair." The purpose of this is to teach 'real' math skills. The children practice making change as they sell: pumpkins, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread (and an assortment of Halloween trinkets from oriental trading post.)

The day starts early as the children wait patiently for the pumpkin delivery. Then, one by one a massive line of orangeness march outside to gather and assemble a huge pile of pumpkins in the school's main hallway! They all worked so hard. It was great to be a part of this memorable day and act as one of the honorary photographers.

Finding Peace

My favorite photography subjects are my two young boys and animals, all types, as long as they flit and scurry and FLY (sorry ostriches). Capturing either can be both breath-holding and heart-thumping because these subjects do not stay still for long. And I don't always want them to. Sometimes capturing their stillness isn't enough; I want to capture the fitful, unpredictable beauty of their wildness. I am a peaceful person by nature. However, I don't always feel it is my calling to shoot photos of the calm and soothing landscapes of this life. A pretty still life here and there, sure. Who can resist? But what I have found in taking photos over the past few years is that I love to chase chance with my camera. I love not knowing what's going to happen next. I love the challenge of waiting for the moment, and I love waiting to see what arbitrary magic the shots will reveal. Some of my favorite photos have come from such moments.

As for finding some peace, well. . . for me the peace is actually what comes as I gaze upon the outcome, a colorful moment frozen before my eyes. I find my peace (and my thrill) in the capturing, as I see them, of the random and wild little miracles in my life. Then I can continue to live the unstill life I am quite possibly destined to live, while raising 2 active boys. I find serenity in what unfolds naturally before my eyes.

The way I see it, to steal a few potent words from Wendell Berry's poem "The Broken Ground": "What is left is what is." This is peace to me.

As with most artful motives, there is a dilemma at the core of this methodology: do you snap quickly (and wildly) without regard to mechanics of photography in hopes that you'll capture the magic. Is this just downright lazy and amateur? Or do you pick up your camera gently, think wisely, swirl the dial to the appropriate numerology, take aim, check focus, hold your breath, and hope that in doing everything right, the magic will reveal itself—that's if the subject's still around to capture after all that? I have to say I don't have an exact answer here. I've had luck with both. But luck is so often what it is for me. Trying to 'guess' when they may have an unbelievably funny or enduring moment. So, at what point do you decide to prop up the luck with practice, knowledge, and applied expertise? Or do you? Maybe you just keep following the magic.

Happy Halloween

Kian enjoyed trick or treating with friends and family, while Landin enjoyed his first Halloween with friends only (Kian told him he was breaking the family law.) Our day was spent with parades, parties, staying up late and eating too much candy! What more could a kid ask for? Today. . . we reinstated naps! Hope you all had a great a Halloween.