Capable. I don’t know the etymology of this word, but I have to think it means someone with super powers who is deserving of a cape? Wonder Woman comes to mind. Yet, it’s a loaded word. It’s almost smug, like the phrase “that’s how we roll.” It’s meant to be positive, but there are intimidating implications.
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Photography
How To Hepburn (A Non-Traditional Mommy-Daughter Photo Shoot by Krissy Vance)
When Krissy Vance and I decided to collaborate on a photo shoot, we were just two strangers who found each other on Instagram. Continue reading
Country Life
Here are some pretty pictures from our week staying at my folks’ place while we got our floors refinished. We had home-cooked dinners every night prepared by Chef G, horseback rides (and I took a lesson so check that off of my 30 by 30 list), hammock naps, dinners on the deck, music and sunsets. Every little girl should have a place like this to (not) grow up.
Savannah’s Newborn Photo Shoot
(The sweet smiles! The blingy headbands! The tiny wrinkles! It’s too much for this Mommy to take…)
Savannah had her very first photo shoot with the fabulous Juliann Courtney (the same talented photographer that took my maternity pictures: HERE) and I am in LOVE with all the pictures.
Here are sweet Savannah’s portraits from the shoot!
Maternity Photo Shoot
“Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.“
-Kahlil Gibran (excerpt)
So I’m not a huge poetry buff, but I remember hearing Toni Morrison quote this poem on the Oprah show years ago. She was talking about how she coped with the loss of her son and for some reason it really resonated with me. Particularly the line that our children come “through” us, not from us. Wow. When you do all the work and worrying of carrying and caring for a child, that is a tough concept to wrap your head around.
When I was pregnant with my daughter Avery everything seemed like a whirlwind. I was still the reigning Mrs. Kansas so I had public obligations in addition to working full time. After she was born, I remember lying awake in my bedroom in the early hours of the morning listening to her breathe and I told my husband I felt like someone had put up a giant clock in the front of my brain that was counting down the hours until she would grow up and leave us. I felt a sense of dread. Even though I beam with pride after every step she takes toward independence, the past 24 months have flown by in the blink of an eye.
This time I am a little older and wiser and I realize how much I will miss feeling the baby move in my belly after she’s born. I realize I may never be pregnant again and I need to appreciate each step along the way.
We were referred to photographer Juliann Courtney through a friend. I sent her a Pinterest board of pictures I like (found here) which is a tactic I highly recommend before a photo shoot and Juliann totally surpassed my expecations, capturing the elegant, natural portraits I had in mind. Avery was a little tornado running around the house that day and Juliann managed to document every sweet, peaceful moment despite her little moving target!
Maternity Portraits:
Baby Steps
This is my first blog post! How exciting! I intend to use this site as a way to capture all of the precious family moments, day-to-day happenings, life events, and random fun things I come across. A 21st century scrapbook, if you will. These pictures are from our most recent family photo shoot and were taken by photographer Eric Wright of 5 Nineteen Studios. I came up with a ‘shot list’ from looking at different ideas on Pinterest and just pulled them up on my iPhone during the shoot so we could recreate them with our own spin. It made things go quickly and was less awkward than trying to improvise because we knew exactly what to do for each take. The vintage red suitcase actually belonged to my grandma so it gives a special personal touch. If you look closely you can see the animal crackers that we used to keep Avery happy during the shoot.
Find my Pinterest inspiration board here
Mrs. Kansas Mommy 