"Hi Beautiful" - A book for Margot

I was looking for a document and ran across an old text.  It was the book I was making for Margot, similar to the book I made for Penn. I can't remember if I ever posted it.  I hadn't finished the pages yet.  It is such an accurate description of us.

I spend my days holding her close with ideas that maybe I could put her back in.  Keep her safe.  Maybe if I rock her long enough I can encourage some sort of osmosis.  Absorb her.  And of course I am.  Just not literally.  I imagine a bubble around her.  Dreams and love and ideas are spun like sugar around us.

I spend my days kissing each roll beneath her chin, the back of her neck, the top of her head where the swirls of black hair spin out around and around and into a peak at the top.  I run my lips across the corner of her mouth, across the hill of her cheek and down the bottom of her earlobe.  I blow into her soft wrinkled bellybutton and kiss the backs of her fleshy thighs.  Her hands and feet find their way into my mouth like magic.  She is the softest thing that has ever existed.  

She burrows into my breast to nurse and heaves a sigh of contentment when we're all settled in to one another.  Her eyes close and her lashes are made from the delicate feathers of baby birds.  I am swollen with longing.  I pray to Father Time to keep us this way forever.  Or at least a little while longer.

When she cries in the arms of someone else I am pulled like a magnet.  I am biologically wired to retrieve and protect but I don't.  I wait.  Smile.  Gently take her when she's handed over and I coo and assure that it's okay out there in the world.  That I'll always be here to come back to.  Always.  Always.

When she cries in her Daddy's cradle I wait longer. I whisper to her that her Daddy has never loved anyone more in the whole wide world and there are no arms better or safer for her to cry in.  

Her Daddy stands tall and roars at the world with brawn and willpower promising excruciating elements to any who might harm his precious baby.  Just as easily he turns and nuzzles her with such gentleness, golden whiskers and bright blue eyes.  "Hi, Beautiful."

I spend my days holding her close and teaching her independence.  Hoping I come upon some magical formula that can balance the two through the tornadoes of growing up.  Hoping that someday she will be a woman, my daughter and my friend and we can sit back in our dreams and love and ideas, spun like sugar around us. 

Dallas Family Band at Murry Street

Last Sunday we went to Murry Street Coffee to hear the Dallas Family Band.

More on Daniel's blog and Kelly Foster's blog.

*photos taken with cell phone camera.

More good reasons to use google voice.

One of the great things about google voice, is being able to share my voice mail with you.  Like this woman who got the wrong number today.

Or I can just save it as an .mp3.  For example, I saved my birthday voicemail from my sister and grandmother.  I don't know what for, just yet.  But they sounded happy.

Stewart Family Portrait

We met the Stewarts on Penn's first day of kindergarten.  Sweet Eddie was in his class and we've all been friends ever since.  Deborah is also our Cub Scout Den Mother. They really speak to what it means to live in such a great community. If you need someone to talk to or if your kiddo needs a hand in something, generous Deborah will be there in a flash, whether or not she even knows you.  And if you forget your money for the museum ticket, she'll cover you. :) The list is endless.

I love the Stewarts and I'm so glad to have this family in our lives.

Tiger Cubs

Last Friday Penn's Cub Scout troop went to the Museum of Nature and Science to earn their geology belt loop and pin.  This is accomplished by taking a class and meeting a few criteria like identifying rocks and growing crystals.

After the class we went to the big pack meeting where any awards earned that month are given out.  The scouts got their geology recognition. Penn earned a $30 gift certificate to Amazon.com, a Marshmallow Crossbow and two patches for his individual efforts. He earned a $30 gift certificate to Target for placing third in the whole pack for amount sold.  And his den earned a pizza party for which Penn got many accolades for "carrying the pack," which was a sweet thing to say.  They also performed the song, "If You're a Tiger and You Know It."

Penn likes scouting. He's successful at it.  But I can't wait until the kids are all older and we can all say "good job" more often than "shhhhhhh."

*All photos taken with my cell phone.

Loughry Family Portrait

We met the Loughry's last year as their oldest was in the same kindergarten class as Penn. Kasey was one of two amazing room moms for our class and probably everything I do for the rest of Penn's grade school career will be based on things I watched her do that made our class so great.  Of course we fell in love with their second daughter and were thrilled to welcome their third just last month!

Thank you, Loughry's for being so lovely and smart and photogenic and stopping in for your holiday portrait.

Olsen Family Portrait

More and more clients are coincidentally in my neighborhood.  Sometimes I get a fun combination of work and meeting neighbors all at the same time! It was a treat to shoot the sweet Olsen family just one street over at their stunning house.  I love their monogrammed outfits, fresh haircuts, big blue eyes and loads of energy!

I had a blast.  Thanks Olsen's!