Appreciation

Since I've been away from home, (a whopping two weeks) I have spent time with my family, with Mike's family, and a lot of time with Miles. We've done a lot of fun things. But being away has certainly made me appreciate my sweet husband Mike. At the end of the day, when Miles is tired and cranky, and I'm tired and cranky, and everyone else has gone to bed, I sure miss Mike stepping up and saying, "here, I'll take him. Why don't you sit down and relax." What a life saver. Being away has certainly helped me to appreciate how much he does to help me out. I don't think I tell him enough. He definitely deserves a shout out. so.....

Thank You Mike!!!

I couldn't do it without you. We miss you and love you, and will see you next week. Wahoo!!

And you know what else I have come to appreciate? People who photograph babies! it's not as easy as you might think it would be. See????

Woah man....I was sure getting frustrated. My mom bought Gabe and Miles matching outfits. so cute. I envisioned a fun photoshoot. I envisioned myself snapping away, capturing masterpiece after masterpiece. I envisioned myself being a professional photographer. My coaches growing up always encouraged me to "envision" myself singing the solo, or making a basket, or doing a tricky dance sequence. I was told this would improve my performance and help me to achieve the things I had imagined. This technique, OBVIOUSLY, does not work for photography.

But, I have thought a lot about this. Sometimes the perfectionist in me just needs to let go. I was looking at Mike's baby book last weekend. I've never seen it, and I was so excited. The pictures were old (well....29 years old) and they were yellowing. They would by no means be considered a masterpiece. But I was just so excited to see them. It didn't matter. And I realized that it's more important to capture the memory. In 30 years, would Miles rather look at old, yellowing, non-masterpieces, or would he rather I put a note in his baby book saying:

Dear Miles,
I tried to take pictures of you, but they never turned out as beautifully as I wished they would. So I deleted them. Sorry.
Love Mom.

The choice is obviously, well....OBVIOUS! of COURSE I want pictures of my baby. If his face is a little washed out, or he has a little "red eye", or the backgrounds are dark, or the shots composed porely.....who cares!!! Those things will get better with time. And practice. But for now, I am happy to have captured the moment, and have the ability to look back at those moments and smile. Even if my prints never hang in a gallery, they are masterpieces to me.