Monday, August 29, 2011

music appreciation {lewis style}

jack got his red guitar fixed this week, and our ears are all bleeding a little now because of it. we finally decided to take him out in the yard so the whole neighborhood could partake in the joy, and i shot a couple of minutes of concert video. in loading the video into my movies folder, i saw a bit of a theme that i'd like to share with you. please enjoy music appreciation: lewis style.

my favorite moments:
the acrobatic feat at 0:46
the sudden burst of hunger at 0:54
jack's transformation from 1:14 to 1:25
and finally, the lumberjack-esque dance at 1:42.

Friday, August 26, 2011

birthmarks {rock soup on a sunny day}

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Monday, August 22, 2011

the anniversary

i woke up before the sun had yet risen thinking about him, but there were no tears, no falling apart. just that quiet sadness that's forever mingled with a contented peace.

last saturday was the one year anniversary of judah's death.

i was in memphis shooting anna and scott's wedding, and i knew that the whole day would be a whirlwind of activity and excitement. i thought that would probably be best. in fact, between getting out of the hotel, inhaling breakfast after a snafu at the local cracker barrel, making a wrong turn on the way to the church (my precious second-shooter, anna rootie, and i aren't the best navigators), and running around getting everything set up once we arrived, i truly hadn't had much time beyond those first early-morning moments to think about him or about what august 13 had held for our family just one year ago.

as i usually do, i met and chatted with some of the other wedding vendors for the day and ended up in conversation with the florist who was wrapping up the final details on her gorgeous work. as she was preparing to leave, she asked if i would do her a favor. sure, i replied.

there's one more set of flowers right here, but i don't have a name for who it belongs to. it's for a friend of anna's who lost her son last year at this time. anna asked if i would make it the same as the others but add a single blue rose in the center. would you mind helping me find who this belongs to?

as she looked away from the flowers to my face, my tears gave it away. i think that friend might be me, i said quietly. she put her hands over her mouth and said, i didn't know. i'm so sorry. i thanked her over and over for her beautiful work and assured her that the tears were all sweet now. yes, they still come easily when i talk a lot about judah, but crying doesn't necessarily mean anything bad. it just means i'm feeling.

thank you, anna, for such a precious and thoughtful gift to me on such an amazing day for you. i treasure the many calls and messages you've sent me throughout our adoption journey, and i'm so thankful for your constant encouragement. i love you, friend.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

speaking of isabel...

izzy may have gotten her blonde hair and blue eyes from her daddy, but there's one thing that for sure came straight from her momma...the night owl gene.  the norm is for izzy to be awake looking at books, playing with her babies, or singing away in her bed (remember the christmas carols?) hours after everyone else is in dreamland.  recently she's added a new twist to the nighttime excitement, though...

i went to check on the little ones a few nights ago before i went to bed and found abby, jack, and micah sleeping soundly in their beds (very soundly for one little guy in particular)...


i was expecting to find izzy in her normal position (a la favorite-blue-blankie-draped-across-the-face)...


but instead, i found an empty bed.  she wasn't in the bathroom, she wasn't in her closet, she wasn't anywhere.  contrary to how these pictures look, it's really dark in the kids' rooms (i just use a super-sonic flash to take these...daring, i know) so as my eyes finally adjusted to the dim light, i could see a lump on the floor at the bottom of her bed.  found her.

that one was good, but the next night was even better...

nowhere near her blankie or her book (or her BED, for that matter)...but sleeping soundly.


once again, though, i don't think her daddy minded very much at all.



besides, she seems to be in good company...


Monday, August 8, 2011

overheard at our house today (drama)

izzy (screaming from the next room):  aaghhhh!!  mommy, hurry!  there's a big spider on my leg.
me (running through the kitchen to grab a paper towel):  i'm coming, baby!
izzy:  oh hurry, please!!  it hurts so bad!!!!!!!!!!!
me (arriving to see the nastiness on her lower leg but unable to get down to it because i'm holding a sick baby):  quick, put your leg up here and let me get it off.

me:  izzy, it's a dried cranberry.


Tuesday, August 2, 2011

the importance of flushing

lots of us have funny photos that look a little something like this...



but i hope that none of you have had the experience of finding what i did today.  while preparing lunch this afternoon, micah went missing.  i be-bopped around the living room and school room area until i finally discovered him in the bathroom...eating used toilet paper out of the potty that some other little person had forgotten to flush.  

really wish i was making this up...