Life is Happening

Three little pumpkins currently sit on our kitchen table.  Their bright orange color accented by drawings beautifully representing each of our three children. A smirky, scary face crafted by Charlie, a little girl with long hair artfully drawn by Chanelle, flanked by her neatly written name, and for Meadow–a circle with four lines reaching from the center–depicting her version of a person. Chanelle assisted Meadow by writing M-E-A-D-O-W next to her circle-person, lest we mistake sisters pumpkin for her pumpkin.

The three little pumpkins are surrounded on every side by an array of camera lenses.   Camera lenses, cameras, batteries, flashes, light stands, and other various equipment litter nearly every inch of our kitchen table–except for the spot where the pumpkins sit, gently reminding us–amidst the chaos, life is happening.

Perhaps my absence in this space has gone unnoticed.  Perhaps it has been assumed that I’ve given up on my Chatter. The truth is, I’ve gotten lost in the chaos of life with a business.  This morning, Chad and I will move everything from the kitchen table into the back of the car (sans the cute pumpkins) and head across the state to photograph the joining of two lives in marriage. I am always excited to capture the story of others.  I am thrilled when I am privileged with the honor of telling a story of love,  joy, growth, or milestone through pictures.  This is what I’ve dreamed of doing.  And while I love doing it, I don’t want to forget my own story.

This week, I told my sister, maybe it’s time to give it up–the blog.  I knew what my sister would say, but I needed someone to remind me that it’s worth it. Don’t give it up, she told me. It gives you something to look back on, it will remind you what your days were like.

In other words, it’s our story.

More than that, though, this space has always been a bit of a ground zero, for me.  A place where I am able to breathe deep on the goodness in life, and remember what is most important.  This is a starting point for seeing the beauty around me.

Just the other day, the kids and I were talking about their baby books. I confessed that while all the blank spaces in Charlie’s book were carefully filled out during his first year of life–their is little after year one.  Chanelle, I explained, I think I only filled out a page or two your your baby book. Thankfully, Meadow was lost in her own world singing a song crafted by her own imagination and she didn’t hear me say that I never bothered buying her a baby book.

We have the blog, though, I told them.  Our story is written down in the blog.  In unison they informed me, I can’t wait until my birthday blog!
It’s worth it.  Stopping here is worth it and while there is little extra time amidst the chaos of life these days, carving the time out is as important as carving the time out to run, or making time to do a simple craft with little ones.

It’s worth it to record our story, even if our story is a simple one. . .

School is in full swing and we have adjusted to evening homework, spelling tests, and countless papers that need signed.  We slid quite easily from the relaxed days of summer to the more structured days of fall.  For the first time this year, we have three kids in school.

Meadow spends two mornings a week in pre-school and while I cried dropping her off the very first day (of course I did), she is loving it.

Many of our fall evenings and Saturday mornings are spent soccer field side watching Charlie and Chanelle play. . .

And Meadow pays very close attention. . .

See Charlie back there?

Taza turned 1!  We often wonder what we ever did without her.  To say she is a part of the family is an understatement. . .

 

 

 

 

 

She loves to play hide-n-seek with Meadow. . .

The more busy life gets, the more sacred our rare evenings at home become. . .

 

 

 

 

 

I will remember the way Chad explained to Charlie how the leaves change color.  I will remember the way Meadow soared through our front yard. . .

I will remember simple adventures. . .

 

I will remember the uniqueness of Chanelle. . .

 

And when my memory fails me, I’ll have the blog, reminding me, that even amidst the chaos. . .

 

 

Life happened. . .

. . . and it was good.

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Happy Friday, Friends.