A Pattern of Words

Most people these days don’t tend to have a lot of books in their house. Or just the basics. Or purge regularly. I’m the opposite. The more books the better, cram those shelves, better yet let’s get more shelves. I want the books to be there, ready to beckon my kids into new adventures or tempt them to re-live a favorite tale.

She usually doesn’t want to smile for the camera, but having N dance around and yell “fart!” helped a lot.

I had a meltdown almost exactly a year ago about how far behind grade level P was in reading and V promised to read with him nightly. It doesn’t always happen, but his commitment has been pretty good. P’s reading has improved a lot. Not completely where it should be, but so much better.

They make a mess no matter where they eat, but at least this way I can sweep the crumbs off the porch and into the grass for the birds to pick off.

It’s a tradition to take this photo of the four boy cousins every end of summer and it never disappoints. L always towers above everyone else, P is actually wearing the same exact shoes from last summer’s photo (HOW?), A1’s mop looks fluffier than ever, and A2…didn’t smile?!? Pretty sure he was still feeling annoyed about being left out from a playdate today.

What’s a wild and free summer without a few bumps and bruises?

N is always happy to pose for photos, but you only have about 25 seconds before she’s distracted. In this case, big brother and favorite cousin playing soccer took precedence over more photos. I pulled out my 85mm lens and the focus is way better, so I’m starting to suspect maybe it’s my 35mm lens that has the issue.

Because royal cloaks make everything more fun.

Every year I photograph her while she tells me about her hair darkening into brown. I smile behind my camera, focus on those gorgeous red locks, and wonder when she’ll realize how amazing her hair looks.

Only one child holding back tears. Not bad.