May
23
2014I’m joining this week with Lisa-Jo’s 5 minute Friday: a community for those who love to write. It’s been a few months since I did any writing just for the sake of writing… so I’m jumping in again with these ladies.
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I feel him moving close, right up against my hand.
He moves away to the window, trying to escape. I chase him.
He’s scared of me. I’m scared of hurting him.
We dance this little dance in my kitchen with the three little ones squealing and watching on from behind.
Finally, the gold finch takes one last desperate flight toward the window and stuns himself.
I scoop him up nearly weightless in my hands. Hold him down close so that the three can see.
He’s panting and squeaking. Wild eyed.
I walk outside with him and release him to fly. He looks at me stunned.
Motionless there on the towel.
He’s holding a wing at an awkward angle. His beak open; his eyes wild.
I place him in a box and gather some seed and water. I text my husband about finding a rehabilitation center.
Shoo the kids back to their lunches to let him calm down some in the box.
We check on him after lunch. I reach my hand in to give him the seed and off he flies.
The chase is on again. His heart beating and his body thrashing in the towel close to my palm.
The kids whisper good-bye. I hold him out again and this time he flies.
It’s when we’re broken, when we’re scared, that’s when He’s holding us close. He’s just waiting to see when we’ll notice Him there. His large eyes full of compassion that we may feel the confidence to do what brings Him glory.
May
14
2014Meet Marin: quite possibly the cutest 6 month baby girl I have ever seen.
Her perfect pixie hair.
Her drooling teething stage.
Her playful insistence on being allowed to move around. (Beautiful head wrap by Flawless Fashions & Gifts.)
Her precious and fierce reaction when she got a little hungry and did not like being forced to stay in one place.
Her love for the soft texture of my favorite blanket.
Sigh… Marin, you were just delightful.
I get asked all the time if rocking all these newborns to sleep makes me want another baby. The answer to that is a solid no. I love cuddling newborns, but I struggle with functioning on little to no sleep. I happy to hand those precious babies back to their mommies.
But this 6 month to 12 month old baby phase…. now this tempts me to have another. Or maybe adopt half a dozen. Oh, how I love being a being a Timeless Greenville SC Baby Photographer for these precious babies and just celebrating who they are becoming.
They way Marin looks at her mommy in adoration. 
The way she plays and smiles and is just so fun of personality.
These brief phase is the golden age of babyhood. These giggles, tears, smiles, and playful curiosity… oh, please, treasure ever single second. Cuddle that sweet teething baby and know it’ll all fade too fast. Cliche advice, I know, but it’s so true!
Looking for a photographer with an affordable baby plan to capture all these precious moments before they fade away?
Quiet Graces Photography offers 4 session baby plans for just $299. The four sessions can be used at any time during the first two years, with the exception of a newborn session: I recommend 6, 11, 18, and 23 Months. Each session is only about 45 minutes long, the perfect length of time to keep baby’s attention.
Baby plan customers receive 2 sets of 25 cards with their session fee perfectly suited for either birthday party invitations or Christmas cards. They’re also able to use pictures from every session to create a keepsake album of all those special moment in the first two years.
Interested in booking a baby plan for your 6 month old? Contact Quiet Graces Photography today.
Apr
30
2014My sister is expecting her first baby. The other day she asked me about the best books for moms to read. I rattled off a few, but for her sake (and yours!) I’ll include only the best books to give to moms right here 🙂
These make great Mother’s Day or Baby Shower Gifts!!!
Books Every Mom Should Read
This book helps moms stop comparing their worst moments to their friends Facebook highlight reel. It debunks the myth of the perfect mom with laughter.
Lisa-Jo shows you that each mom is a super hero just for showing up everyday. Her celebration of being present in the chaos is refreshing.
Books to Help you Love your Children Better
Learning to express love for my children in the “languages” they best hear is my first defense against discipline problems. When they feel deeply loved, they don’t act out nearly as often.
I read the initial Boundaries book on the recommendation of a friend and it has really shaped me as a parent and I can’t wait to read this one.
I’m still only about halfway through this gem because I’m just soaking in all the rich truth. But seeing the value in the mundane is something I struggle with and it’s also somewhere I need to grow to love these little people more.
Books for when You’re Overwhelmed
What I love most about this book is the vision for an mentor mom to come alongside the desperate new mom and train her to love her kids. I think that middle aged women really treasure helping new moms, if we’re humble enough to seek them out.
I have never laughed so hard in my life. Rachel lives a life similar to mine with so many little ones and she makes me laugh myself into both repentance and action. The chapters are short enough to read one while your kids melt down outside your bathroom doorway.
Books on Disciplining Children
I know disciplining children is a touchy topic and there’s clearly more than one way to do things… but these are the methods and books that really resonated with me and my little ones.
Ginger Plowman helps give a framework for teaching your children to obey. I think reading this book at the same time as Give Them Grace will help temper this books step-by-step directives.
Elyse Fitzpatrick completely knocks over all your preconceptions about grace/discipline as she helps you develop a method for continually sharing the good news with your children. Those who love to read and think about the implications of applying theology will really resonate with this book. But those who don’t enjoy that as much should pair this with Don’t Make Me Count to 3.
If you have a strong willed little one who isn’t responding to discipline, Cynthia Tobias helps you understand how your child ticks. As a strong-willed mama of a strong-willed little girl, this book nails us both. I’m not even done with it… but I keep dying laughing over accurate descriptions of who I am.
Apr
16
2014As my tired foot caught the rock and I realized I was going to fall, I thought I was having the hardest day of my life.
My 60+ pound pack slammed into my back as I hit the ground. It was day 3 of a two week backpacking trip. As I rolled out from under the pack like a strangely de-shelled turtle, my classmates lifted me up and put my pack back on. I was not the first to fall that day.
For those first 3 days we’d walked silently with a few conversations breaking our labored breathing. But as we started to trek on, the spunky girl in pink belted out:
“We’re leaving on a jet plane, don’t know when we’ll be back again.” From that moment on we sang all the time. Country, Hymns, Pop, Folk, and even our own homespun Rap.
The constant refrain was our way of encouraging one another, but it made a difference for everyone we encountered. Other hikers heard us before they saw us, they’d come around the corner smiling and some even sang along.
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What should Be our Mom Refrain?
How can we speak words that encourage? What would they sound like?
That third day of the backpacking trip, it wasn’t my hardest day. The backpacking trip was not the hardest two weeks of my life. Motherhood so far has been that hard season and had the hardest days.
What if you and I rallied around each other to help us each finish this motherhood journey?
What if we said things like:
“I’ve been there?”
“Can I help you?”
“It’s worth it, keep at it.”
“My kids did that too.”
“You’re a great mom.”
“If you’re wondering if you’re a bad mom, then you’re probably a great mom.”
“It’s okay that your house is messy, so is mine.”
“Don’t compare your worst day to someone else’s highlight reel.”
“It’s going to be okay.”
“Parenting is hard work.”
A little challenge for you: Try to randomly encourage one mom each day.
Say to the lady in the grocery store: “My kid used to throw fits in the store too. It’s okay.”
Call your own mom and say “Thank you.”
Text your friend a picture of something that’s not on your highlight reel. Better yet, put it on Facebook to encourage a whole pile of moms.
Invite a friend who is having a rough day over for dinner spontaneously and don’t clean up the house beforehand. In fact, serve grilled cheese for dinner.
Together we can create a culture of encouragement rather than comparison. We can build one another up with just a few words.
Did you like reading this? This is a copy of one my recent newsletters. Sign up for the Newsletter Below for encouragement and exclusive offers.
Mar
19
2014My favorite part of being a natural newborn baby photographer Greenville SC is seeing relationships unfold right in front of my lens.
Meet John and his mama Melissa and daddy Billy. This precious family was filled with joy over their new arrival.
John’s maternal grandmother Lynn also came along. I begged her to join her daughter for some 3 generation images.
Lynn was surprised when so many folks commented on this beautiful image on Facebook. Yet I can tell that this image fully displays who she is as a loving mother and doting grandmother.
John was one week old and just under ten pounds. Delightfully squishy and oh so cuddly, he slept soundly and sweetly for his session. Just look at these cheeks!
John is at least the fourth generation to use this family heirloom folding bassinet. The quilt was made by his great grandmother for Melissa. Precious family heirlooms.
Did I mention John had rolls? Delightful!
This natural newborn baby pose is quickly becoming my favorite with it’s sweet innocence.
The following pose is a composite: a Photoshop technique that removes the hands supporting John at all times. You see how this is done and read my views on Newborn Safety in this post.
Sweet details like John’s tiny toes and fingers are perfect for an album or my exclusive memory boxes.
This is my very favorite image from John’s session. There’s nothing like the contrast between a tiny baby and daddy’s hands.
Interested in booking your own newborn session? Click over here and set up your risk-free in person consultation today.
