52 Weeks of Us

After a long day at work and a busy day at school, there’s nothing wrong with snuggling up on the couch for a little movie time.

And, I’m thankful for all these little moments we have together.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

One of the things I really took away from Tracy Clark’s Elevate the Everyday, was this idea that photography shouldn’t be reserved for all the milestones and big events in your life, the birthdays, holidays, and other celebrations that we feel compelled to capture.  Instead, our life and our children’s lives are made up millions of little moments that on the surface don’t seem important. And, it’s in capturing these moments that we can really show what our life is all about.

So is the drive to school big deal?  No, it’s an ordinary thing that’s part of our everyday lives and that we completely take for granted.  But I want to remember these travels and be grateful for this time together. I want to remember all the Lego pieces I find littered around the car and the crumbs hiding in the corners of his seat.  I want to remember how he’s graduated from the car seat we brought him home from the hospital in, the one we fought with for over an hour trying to get in the car.

Sure, sometimes he likes to zone out to a movie in the back seat, which means I zone out to the news. But on other journeys we chat and he tells me all the things I need to know about robots.  And, trust me, I have a lot to learn about robots.

Thankfully, he’ll have many more school runs to fill me in on all the details.

An autumn morning on the school run, leaves and puddles underfoot.

Him in what I’ve now learned is one of his shoes and one of his friend A’s shoes.  They have exactly the same pair of shoes but, unfortunately for A, his feet are a size and a half bigger.  “A has complained about his shoes being too small and hurting his feet,” his mum said when she called.  We’d both labeled the shoes with our child’s name, but of course you can’t rely on four-year olds to the read the name labels in their clothes.

Me in my bright pink running shoes.  No editing on this photo, they are that color in real life.  There is no shortage of brightly colored running gear out there, a good thing during this time of year when the daylight fades and it’s important to stay visible.  And I’ve embraced this, running around the streets in bright pink shoes and a bright pink top.  Maybe running gives me the freedom to wear all the bold bright colors I’d never dream of wearing into the office.

If it weren’t for grainy iPhone photos, I’d hardly have anything to share.  Already I’m feeling the effects of how a full-time job cuts into not just quality time with the little man, but also my desire to spend that limited time with him behind a lens.

So instead I find myself catching us in tiny moments, snuggling on the sofa and enjoying each other’s company.

Happy Halloween!