Some photo talk + storytime with Lucy!

People often ask me how I get such great pictures of my kids, or how I get them to smile in a lot of our photos. It is a kind compliment for sure, as I love pictures + I also love my kids, but it's also something I never want people to compare to or feel like our kids must be perfect to get these great shots. So I'll break it down to you + preface with this: our kids + our family unit are not perfect, but we love each other a whole lot & I really try to focus on the good & find the positives in everything I can, and share that. 

//  Most of the time, my photos are candid moments captured, that are gold on their own + I don't have to do anything except point + shoot. Other times, I'll catch my kids attention + tell them funny things or if I'm in the photo, tickle them, to capture their genuine smiles. Tickles + jokes got me further than "cheese" ever did! I never force a photo if our kids aren't into it, even on special occasions, because even if I were to get a great shot, I'd always know in my heart that it wasn't a real moment captured + that wouldn't sit right with me.

//  I keep my camera close by + capture things that feel organic, and also try to know and feel when to just experience things + not take any photos at all. I think this is really important + definitely something I've had to learn because when things feel special you want to remember it forever & capture it through photos... but I can tell you that sooooo many of our very best moments as a family have gone 1000% undocumented + that feels really special too!

I hope some of these things are encouraging! Seriously ANYONE is capable of all that I mentioned :) Have a camera of any kind, take photos of your favorite people, the end. you will love the results! I hope you're having a happy day :)

a home tour: Shared Boy + Girl Room!

This little 10x10ish room has been so many things in the 4 years we've lived on this corner. It was originally our master bedroom (you can see in THIS POST) and mostly consisted of a king sized bed + a sleepy little family that all shared it most nights. Then it was a guest space, then a shared girl's room that was never slept in ha!, then the sweeeeetest playroom that went undocumented + that I still sort of miss when I'm having my coffee in the mornings NOT in there, but now... now it's so sweet + maybe my favorite set up that we've had... a shared room for Abel + Lucy! For one, Abel has slept in his bed, the whole night, 98% of nights since we switched it... whaaaat?! Literally, the night he slept in here the first time, and almost every night after. My guess is maybe because we co-slept and it was our bedroom, so it's got the good feels for him? Who knows. But hip hooray for one less kid in the bed haha! Second, how cute is it?! Cheery + neutral in it's own way, and sort of feels the biggest it ever has? We love it + it's a set up that is serving our family well :) 
Enjoy!
A few shared spaces over the years linked below:

Little Girls + Flower Crowns

So this sweet picture above might be one of my favorite shots that I've captured. I mean, Lucy's gentleness is shining SO brightly for her sister here + it makes me so happy. Lucy is our ham. She is wild + silly + brave + fiery. 100 miles an hour all the time, and in everything she does. Including how she loves. She has always been a little mama, even when she was 10 months old she was trying to hold our newborn niece. She fiercely loves people + when it comes to her little sister I feel like she gets that same, "I could squeeze you too tight + pinch your cheeks off because you're so cute and i love love love you!" feeling that parents get about their kids. It's special + I love her so much. I wish everyone could know her like we do.
Isla... always doing something mischievous or dangerous + keeping my adrenaline in check. She has suchhhh a cute personality. I can't even put my finger on it to describe it well enough yet, I just love it. She plays hard to get + curls her lips around her smile to keep it from you. She is a bruiser third child if I've ever seen one, ain't takin' nothin' from nobody! She's silly and expressive, snuggly + the perfect size for playing. Really can't believe she has been ours for over a year... like, what?
^^^always climbing up where she shouldn't :) and how about those flower crowns?!

Front Yard Party

Ever since we landscaped our backyard last year, the backyard is where we reside majority of the daylight hours. It's dreamy + beautiful + I am SO grateful for the hard work put into it... but if you remember, befoooore the backyard was landscaped, it was a lot of dirt + rock and the front yard, "on the green grass" was where it was AT. Now that summer is coming to a close, we've pretty much worn out all of the backyard activities + i feel like the kids have been asking for TV + snacks more than usual this time of year. SO, to the front yard we go! The "green grass" is where the chalk is at, the bikes are at, the races are at, AND it's the best place to be when Chris comes home from work! It's a nice shake up from our regularly scheduled programming + the kids have LOVED it. I love how easily kids can change perspective for me, to just look in another direction + find a whole new adventure.  Truly truly thankful for this family of mine, and for this little house on the corner. 
^^^action shots... basically the only photos I can get of abel these days!
^^^Lucy loves so hard. I love her so much for this.
^^^photo by lucy :)
^^^daddy's home, chalk hugs + my sweet mail crew

Ballet Day!

That's right! She has only asked me nearly every single day since her last ballet class ended, "is it my ba-way day?".. today, the answer was finally yes! She was SO excited. Talked about it the night before, as soon as she woke up + carried on for the remainder of the day until it was time to get dressed for class + load up. The whole way there she told me all about how she was going to be a good listener + be brave + said things like, "this, is going to be so exciting!" -- truly so sweet, she LOVES to dance. She did so well + we were beaming with parent pride. So thankful for our little tiny dancer + her sweet heart. 

^^^This picture makes me so happy. For one, Abel took it (He loooves to take pictures with my big camera, and I love + encourage that) and two, Lucy snuck this kiss in all on her own + it was the happiest.
Proud of you sweet Lucy.