Joy of Love: Catching Up

I was doing well staying on top of my daily Joy of Love photo assignments, posting, blogging, sharing each day. That is until our home was hit by the nasty winter bug going around. I was the only one spared. I thank years of teaching for exposing me to nearly ever virus and potential biological weapon on the planet. My antibodies are awesome. And I will say that my kids didn't seem to catch the bug as bad as my husband did, so maybe some of my super antibodies have been passed on to my little guys. Another benefit of breastfeeding!

But my camera was always handy, even while I was playing nursemaid. So here are some of my pics and reflections from the last week of the Joy of Love Project.

Day 21 - Hands
I know what I want to capture for this assignment, but it is a struggle to capture, both because my youngest is a wiggle worm and because it is an incredibly awkward shot. I would love to have a photo of my youngest's hands as I see them most often, gently cupping my skin as he nurses. This is an incredibly hard photo to take (tastefully) while I'm breastfeeding my youngest. So this was as close as I got to a clear shot.

But I also wanted a picture of my eldest son's hands. He's still so little, but already has his father's big hands. And his nails tell the story of his day. Today, they still have finger paint under them after a morning of creative mess making. And I can tell he's not feeling well because his hands have been in his mouth all day, a sure sign that he's got some sinus pressure.

Day 22 - Portrait
Our assignment today is to use lighting and angles to capture the face of a loved one. The UPS delivery driver was a bit surprised this afternoon when he dropped off a package outside our front door. I had pulled a chair up to our glass storm door and was waving a red bib to both direct little Luke's attention and make him smile. This smile came easily as our cat Moxie also found the bib intriguing and was launching herself into the air after it. The UPS driver thought we were quite insane. But it made for a great portrait!

Day 23 - Facebook
Our assignment for Day 23 of Willette Designs' Joy of Love series is to pull a Facebook photo or a cell phone pic and print it. Keep track of these spontaneous moments.

This pic, taken of my two year old, is from a few months ago, but it perfectly captures him. He is goofy. He is wide-eyed. And, notice the bib, he loves to eat!

Day 24 - Where Love Began
Day 24 of the Joy of Love series has me photographing where love began. I've been mulling this assignment over for days.

This is it. It began in this room. Before my oldest son was born, my husband, the artist of the two of us, grabbed a pencil and began sketching on the walls of our soon-to-be nursery. I painted in his creations - bear, bees, birds, and frogs bound across the walls in the room both my boys now share.

In the bottom portion of the picture is an afghan on top of the boys' dresser. Shortly after my first son was born, my mom dusted off boxes of baby items, stored for over thirty years, surviving four moves, and travelling hundreds of miles. Among the items was my baby afghan. Saved with care, passed on with love.

And there are bears everywhere in this room. The teddy bear comfortably resting in the corner of the frame is a gift, handmade by my mom, given to my youngest son. The very loved bear nestled in by my sleeping son was a first Christmas gift from an aunt. The bear watching over him, the first toy I bought my son. He now calls this his "baby" bear and pretends that it is his brother on occasion.

There is so much love in this room. There is so much to love in this room. This is where love began.

Day 25 - When You Love Them The Most
Our whole family loves to be outdoors. My son loves rocks, mud, and earthworms. So does his dad. This weekend was surprisingly warm for the end of February, a rare opportunity to get outside without the layers upon layers of clothing to explore. So we piled the family in the car and headed over to our local arboretum for an afternoon in the woods.

This picture captures why it is that I love my husband so much. He is sick. You can see it in his eyes. He's got a horrible sinus infection. But it was just too beautiful of a day to pass up. He loves watching our two year old make new discoveries. Loves making them with him. Like this pine cone the two of them found together.

This isn't the best picture of the two of them, but it captures just what I love about my husband and my son.

Day 26 - The Bromance
I feel so fortunate. I've heard horror stories of how older siblings react when mommy and daddy bring home a new little life. My mom repeatedly tells the story of how I regressed when my baby sister came home. Already potty trained at two, I apparently took to pooping in corners shortly after my sister arrived. Fortunately, nothing like this happened when we brought our newest little addition home in August. Instead of jealousy, my oldest son is fascinated with making his younger brother giggle, doing anything he can to get a big, gurgling laugh out of our little man. I do find myself repeatedly calling "gentle...GENTLE!" but it is mostly because the two year old is hugging the baby a bit too tightly. And the baby just watches his older brother with fascination, flashing him huge, toothless grins ever chance he gets.

I can already tell they will be best of friends.

Day 27 - What They Say
Our assignment for Day 27 of Willette Designs' Joy of Love series is to capture what a loved one says. My two....wait, two and a half year old picks up new vocabulary everywhere. I'm constantly surprised by the words, phrases, and sentences that spill from his little lips. I love the way that he strings his new found words together to make meaning of his world.

"Look, mommy. The flag is sleeping," he points to the flag at the center of town that droops without the wind to awaken it. "Mommy, the moon sleeps at day. Crazy, huh!" At night, his dad will take him outside just before his bedtime to lift him high in the air and my son will try to catch the moon. It is a nightly ritual. And each night my son decides that the moon should stay in the sky so everyone can enjoy it.

My two year is more poetic than I will ever be. I love to listen to him play with words.

Day 28 - The Future
This one needs to be its own post. So watch for it soon!