To Know Her is to Love Her

This girl turned 3 last week.  Three years she's been rocking our world and lighting up the lives of all who know her.  She is fervently passionate about all areas of her little life.  Every new experience is exciting and wonderful.  When you're with Naomy, even the mundane, everyday things take on a brilliant sparkle. 

Her eyes are a watery blue with a lively twinkle.  She's got a lovely gap between her two front teeth, which she inherited from her Papaw G (whom she is middle-named after). The tops of her cheeks and nose are covered with a smattering of freckles.  Her hair is strawberry blonde, with white strands that have bleached out from the sun.  She has an adorable little dimple in her chin like her Aunt Dana (yes, I know the basic principles of genetics say this is not possible, but...) And, at age 3, she is bigger than either of her sisters were at that stage.

What most people notice about her when they first meet her is that she has the conversation skills of a 12-year-old.  She tends to have a "story of the week" that she shares with strangers.  Not long ago, she kept talking about the coyote that lived in her closet.  Then, it was the fireworks she saw on the 4th of July.  Lately, she's been talking up her birthday and showing off how she can make the "three" sign with her fingers.  Yesterday, at Kroger, she was back to the fireworks and singing the "Weather Watcher" song she learned in preschool.

A dear friend once said about Naomy: "It's like she eats fireworks for breakfast each morning!"  Yep.  That about sums her up.

Her favorite color: pink

Favorite foods: chocolate chip cookies and strawberries

Favorite TV shows: Doc McStuffins and Sofia the First

Favorite pastime: playing with dolls and dressing up

What she's learning now: how to put on her own shoes

Naomy-isms: "Clambulance" = ambulance

"Spik-it-aboo-mee" = Despicable Me (the girl is crazy about minions)

"twinkling" = tinkling, as in going pee... So, she runs into the bathroom and then I hear her calling, "Mommy!  I'm twinkling!  Do you hear that?"

What she wants to be when she grows up: her sisters.  

She is constantly saying she has lost a tooth like Elli or got her ears pierced like Danielle.

There was a time after Noamy was born and I was deep in the throes of post-partum depression...that I thought for sure that I had ruined my life by adding a third child to our family. (Gosh.  It hurts just to admit that I actually ever thought that.)

But, it didn't take long to realize that she was actually an almost indescribable wonder and very precious gift for all of us.  And, I try to remember that when I'm in the midst of other battles--that God can take things that seem terrible and turn them into the most amazing blessings.

Matthew 19:26: "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.'"

Football Family

Psalms 27:1  "Of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?"

"Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father." Matthew 18:10

Baby W, you were prayed for!  And now, you are here and you are so cherished.  I'm praying those angels keep close watch over you...

It has taken me forever to post these pics (I squeezed a trip to Haiti in there somewhere), so I'm sure Baby W looks SO different now.  But, his newborn shots were amazing.  He is so blessed to have his momma and daddy.  What a special new family!

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose."  Romans 8:28

I had just a short window of opportunity to photograph Baby Boy C recently.  And, it was a dreary, rainy morning.  But, the few photos I got turned out great!  Oh, little one... I am anxious to see what God has called you to in your life!  But, for now, I'm enjoying your tiny self, with sleepy eyes and itty-bitty toes and fingers.  You are loved!

From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another. ~ John 1:16

I spent two delightful hours with this still-heaven-scented baby boy and his family last weekend.  Baby Hudson was scrumptious... His wrinkled toes... The perfect swirly pattern in the hair on his head... His snorts and gurgles and whimpers...

But, for me, the most beautiful part of my time with him was watching his momma and daddy in action.  See, it wasn't TOO long ago that I held his momma in my arms when she was newly born and I was a little girl.  It wasn't TOO long ago that I tucked his momma into bed as her babysitter when her parents were out for the evening.  It wasn't TOO long ago that I watched his momma bloom as a high schooler.  And it seems like it was just yesterday that I saw her walk down the aisle as a hopeful bride and say, "I do" to the man of her dreams.  Someday, Baby H will know how much I love him AND his momma.  He already knows what a wonderful and special lady she is.  He is so in love with her!  What a blessing he is and how blessed he is to have his momma and daddy.

Here are a few of my favorites...

Be Strong and Courageous

Deuteronomy 31:6  "Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

I recently had the opportunity to meet and photograph a family of four.  They have two young sons who are preparing to go out into the world on their own.  As I worked with their mother to set up a photo shoot at a time when both children would be home and available, I tried to imagine how it must feel to be at her stage of parenting.  Perhaps scary and exciting and relieving all at the same time...  I think what must be reassuring to a parent getting ready to send children out into the world is knowing that God goes with them, wherever they go.

Beauty in the World

These people are not professional models.  They're just beautiful people and happy, charming, and genuine to boot!  My camera doesn't do them justice... I look at these images and start to hear Macy Gray's "Beauty in the World" song in my head...

1 John 4:11-12 

"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, 

God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."