Commence the Hibernation

The hibernation has begun.  In the Midwest February is the longest month of the year.  No big holiday to look forward to, too cold to play outside and no sun for weeks.  This is the very definition of seasonal depression.  I am determined to remain focused on resolutions and being happy, mindful and content.  Inspired.  I have done the traditional January list making and decrapifying.  Emptied out each and every closet, toy bucket, and drawer.  I have seen enough junk that I am ambitiously planning my very first garage sale ever.  Hilarious though, the kids seem to follow me; moving my piles around and messing up anything I tidy.  This is some sort of war they siege against me daily; putting hand prints on the window just as I finish washing it.  You know the drill.  Cleaning things out feels refreshing though.  A clean slate of outer calm making way for the chaos of three children under 6 to dance through. 

In other resolution news I have worked out five times in the past seven days which is quite a feat for me.  At one point my focus strayed as Finley was sitting on my tummy while I did crunches and I hear loud crashes coming from the playroom where Lucy is completely unsupervised (a dangerous game to play with her).  That being a success, I still eat ice cream in the evening and tell myself Edy's made a typo on the serving size.

Ruby got a huge award at school for character this month.  The Pride Award.  Yep, as you would expect I have silently given myself all the credit for raising a perfect child.  I gotta take it when I can. 

I have been stalking all sorts of photographer's blogs and feel overcome with ideas and anxious for the weather to break and have more outdoor shoots.  Please Please let me know if you're interested in photos.  I want nothing more than to craft some magical memories for you.

Here are a couple of fun snapshots of kiddos we've been hanging with lately.  Peace.  And Happy Hibernating. . .

Bella

Ethan

Finley

Lucy

Norah

Norah

Polly

Mary

Evan

Evan

Evan

Ruby

Elizabeth

Ingrid

Friendship and Inspiration

I am overcome with inspiration.  It seems beauty and delight surround me and overwhelm me making it impossible to chose which thought to cling to.  But I'll try...

Twice this week I've had dinner with friends.  Not that the word friends could really suffice.  These are the friends who show up.  You know, the kind who drop everything when you say it is a crisis.  The first ones to the hospital at the birth of my children and the near death of my son.  We have cried in bathrooms gripping each other as if the world were crumbling around us.  We have laughed thick, meaty laughs over lemon drop martinis.  We have stayed out until 5 dancing and drinking.  And we have gone to bed early to prepare for our 5 am call to play on the ice with frozen eyebrows and coffee breath.  We have studied, worked, dreamed, and grown together.  Graduations, engagements, weddings, baby showers, births, even death.  The thought of these women fills me with emotions.  Gratitude.  Longing for years gone by.  Sweet, sweet memories.  Joy... lots of joy.   Hope for them.  I feel immense hope for them and their families.  I truly love their children, they are extensions of them; strong, vital, deep, intellectual, tragic and victorious.  These glorious women whom I call friends, are wild women.  Wild women of the woods; mysterious and earthy, sophisticated and whimsical. 

My intention is to profile each of the women in my life here.  As tribute to them and also for you to know them as I do, to inspire you. 

I am ruminating lately on becoming my truest self.  Being authentic, and maybe even quirky.  Finding my own creative path through life and accepting myself as I am.  I think at the heart of me, the desire to be a photographer, a therapist, my childhood dreams to be a writer; these are all branches of the same tree.  At it's roots is inspiration.  I dream to inspire you.  And as a miraculous boomerang gift, inspiration is what I get in return.  The universal rule of all spirituality; you get what you put out there.  Smile and the world smiles with you and other cliches. 

So look forward to meeting my friends.  These fascinating women will amaze you and hopefully the photos of their children will inspire you as well. 

And to you, my loves, ladies close your eyes briefly today and see yourself on the dark ice of Wisconsin before the early dawn's glow.  See how your breath moves like fog in front of your lips and look to me, smiling back at you in the dark and know that I love you.  Strengths and flaws, even cheating at scrabble.  My love for you is strong and lasting and I am so ever grateful for you and your presence in my life. 

Nostalgia

I've often described myself as dangerously sentimental.  I can be smothering with my reminders to cherish each moment; kissing my babes and hugging my friends.  I don't ever get off the phone without saying I love you.  And if you know me, you know I mean it every time.  In this new year let's make a point to accept ourselves as we are. 

"Be bold

                                                  Be thankful       

                                                                                          Be quiet       

             Be original             

  Be spontaneous         Be a star        Be young  

                               Be loving    Be crazy         

Be loud         Be random           Be unique        

        Be daring        

                                                                                                Be yourself." 

Take time to look forward to the year ahead, each wizard and enchantress you may soon encounter.  But don't forget to look back.  We are the treasure keepers of our lives making memories relive themselves in our hearts and minds like romance films.  I'm taking a moment to look through old photographs and I thought I'd share a few with you.

Good night my coin collector, may these soft words sooth your soul like a warm drink or a loving look.  Good night.

My Christmas gifts

 A vintage Camera, Arrow.

 A vintage camera, Brownie Bullet.

My grandmother's old fur cape*let.  Perfect for photos.   

And a new prime lens to take these pictures.  

Life has loveliness to sell, 

All beautiful and splendid things, 

Blue waves whitened on a cliff,

Soaring fire that sways and sings,

And children's faces looking up

Holding wonder like a cup.

Life has loveliness to sell,

Music like a curve of gold, 

Scent of pine trees in the rain, 

Eyes that love you, arms that hold,

and for your spirit's still delight, 

Holy thoughts that star the night.  

Spend all you have for loveliness,

buy it and never count the cost;

for one white singing hour of peace 

count many a year of strife well lost 

and for a breath of ecstasy 

give all you have been or could be.  

-Sara Teasdale 

 

What did you get this year?  

A silver penny, perhaps?

Resolution Overload

I am the self growth type year round I must say...but January is always overload.  I can't even choose a resolution.  

No drive throughs (even Starbucks)
be punctual
less diet coke
more water
exercise
count calories
budget better
take a vitamin
floss daily

take action on my photography

have more family dinners
plan more
stop complaining
get laundry done weekly
laugh more
update the ipod
finish baby/scrap books
take a photo class
take Dave Ramsey class
take marriage enrichment class
be a better wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend
And there are more~!

This list might be a little too extensive.  I maybe I'd be more successful if I gave up something. 

I resolve to not make tacos for dinner this year.  DONE.

There are so many things I want to share with you from the past few weeks.  I don't know where to begin.  Let's start with the biggest thing.  My sister and her family visited from California for two weeks!

Nichole & Ed have three girls; Audra 6, Lillian 7, and Gwen 3.  They lived in the  Broadripple area until 15 months ago they moved to Southern California.

I have no words for how I feel about my sister.  Just that I feel her.  You know in my soul.

So we had six kids in our house and weeks of constant activity.  Museum, bounce house, Christmas parties, New years party, family visits, snow play, crafts galore, play dates, and tons of laughs.

Here are a couple of photos of their girls in the snow for the first time in a long time.  I have over 500 photos of their visit, so I'm sure there's more of this to come.  My thought for you today is, you can't choose your family.  But I would choose mine if I could.  I have to go chase a couple snow fairies (Ruby and Lucy are outside making angels) but I'll be back in a flutter of a fairy wing...