lately...in photos

...a 95th birthday party for grandma melba

...another tooth lost

...new york in the rain

...halloween costumes have been picked out

...dance and soccer have started

...play time in our big, beautiful backyard mountains

...and plenty of newborn goodness

life is good.

Be Still

Learning how to be still,
to really be still and let life happen -
that stillness becomes a radiance.

- Morgan Freeman

what are you feelin?

I saw this on Shawni's blog and it made me smile. Hope today's gonna be a good day for everyone!

Another One Bites the Dust

I love the double-gap smile! I love watching him talk and watching him smile. I can't believe how small these windows are...he lost his second front tooth not too long after the first and even though it's only been a week or so, the first tooth is already coming in.

New York Sessions

Hello New York! I'm so excited that Dave and I get the chance to go next weekend! We went for our anniversary four years ago and had such a good time. So I'm counting the minutes down til we take off again and get a few days just to ourselves. Well, my camera is included with "ourselves." I'm really looking forward to shooting for a special project I'm working on.

I'm also available for two sessions while I'm there (Sept 11 & Sept 12). If you're interested please shoot me an email... crystalyn@crystalynlifeimages.com.

Five Years of Sweet-Shining

She's five now. FIVE.

I told her about the day she was born...that I called her dad and told him this baby was never going to come. Ever. Then I called him back ten minutes later and told him we were having a baby. I knew for sure this time because my water broke. And four hours later she was in my arms.

That when she got here we named her Anna. But as I held her and nursed her through the night it just wasn't her name, so she came home as Hanna.

I would call her sunshine and sweetheart. Then one morning Christian came in the room as the morning rays spilled over the bed and said, "Good morning Sweetshine." And it was perfect.

Happy, happy birthday Sweetshine.

first

"I want to go, but I don't want to go. Does that makes sense?" he asked wondering if there was any way on earth I could understand the range of emotions he felt the night before 1st grade.

"Totally. It makes perfect sense."

"Really? You probably don't feel this way when you go to college, but I always feel this way before starting school."

I assured him that even in college, I felt that way the night before school started.

Then I held him as he cried wondering why he ever said he felt excited because now he was just sad about being gone all day.

He's been apprehensive about it since the middle of Kindergarten when he figured out that going to first grade meant being away all day. Somehow I think he thought he would get home in time for dinner and bed and would miss out on his little life with us.

This morning he felt more excited and got up and ready with plenty of time to spare. We got to school and I walked him to his class line. His hands were in his pockets. His Star Wars back pack holding his snack.

I hung back. Then he turned and looked at me...the look that took me back to his first day of preschool when he was so uncertain...to the time he was so little and got his shots...even to the times he would call out to me when is his crib. A mother's heart saves each those memories up and can call on them all in an instant to read through their little ones.

He rushed back and gave me a hug. I hugged back and held back - the tears. I felt choked up knowing what he was feeling.

His teacher saw and called his name. She motioned for him to come to the front of the line. She gave him the biggest smile and a hi five. Then she took the small moment needed to make him feel confident enough that there was just one more glance back, and one more wave before walking into the building and into 1st grade.

I already love her. Thank you Ms. L. Thank you for making his day "the best day of school in his life." He loved it.