Behind the Photo

This year I booked dozens of photo shoots, met many wonderful parents and took hundreds of photographs of their smiley {or not so smiley} children. Nearly every single one of those sessions began the same; with a sweet Mom who had clearly invested a decent amount of time and energy ensuring that faces were clean, outfits were coordinated and the shoot was not scheduled smack in the middle of Game Day Sunday. And while I most certainly admired the effort, more often than not, those sessions ended the same. With Mom worrying that a redo was definitely in order.

I never scheduled a single redo {newborns not included!} 

Because, here's the thing, "when it comes to kids and photographs, you never know what you're going to get." I hear it all the time. From parents, from friends and from fellow photographers. And sure, there is a bit of truth to that. You don't know if little Jack is going to pull through with that grin you practiced the entire car ride over or if sweet Ainsley is going to decide that her carefully chosen princess dress is the perfect attire for bug catching and puddle jumping. But you do know what you're going to get.

You're going to get goofy grins. 

You're going to get grumpy scowls.

And you may even get a tantrum or two.

You're going to get dirty hands. 

You're going to get wrinkled shirts.

You're going to get imperfect.

You're going to get real. 

And maybe it's just me but aren't those the best kind of photographs anyways?

So in the coming months, as your newsfeed becomes inundated with smiling faces and your mailbox fills with Christmas cards of families who appear as if they stepped straight out of a LandsEnd catalog, remind yourself that there is always an "imperfect" photo {or 10} that preceded that shot.

And those photos? They might look a lot like skinned knees, squished caterpillars, tear-stained cheeks and husband's who proclaim that family photo day is indeed the "worst.day.ever," but don't discard them. 

Print them. Frame them. Love them. 

They are after all the ones that tell the real story. 

Your story.  

**If you're in the Minneapolis area and looking for a photographer, check out Elyse Rethlake Photography. Not only is Elyse insanely talented, but she has a serious knack for catching the beauty of everyday. 

Three Years

I will trust you and honor you,
I will laugh with you and cry with you,
I will love you faithfully,
Through the best and the worst,
The difficult and the easy,
I will always be there whatever may come.
As I have given you my hand to hold
So I give you my life to keep
For where you go, I will go and where you stay I will stay.
 

Three years ago today, I made the best decision I’ve ever made. I married my best friend. The one thousand ninety-five days since have been filled with plenty of ups, numerous downs and lots of days in between. Not every day is perfect, in fact, very few are.  But there is nobody I would rather be spending my imperfect days with than this guy.

 

 

Kindergarten

 

Sunset Wagon Rides

 

Happy Birthday, Husband!

Today is a big day around here. Ryan is 30. Yep, THIRTY. It’s kind of a big deal. You can bet that I’ve been reminding him of how big of a deal it is for weeks.

“You’re going to be thirty in ___ days!”

“When you’re thirty, I’m pretty sure it’s no longer acceptable to shoot birds off our deck with an air gun.”

“Really Ryan? Did you just call me a ‘butthole?’ You’re going to be 30 in ___ days!”  

These incessant reminders have been met with sideways glances and shoulder shrugs.  Apparently when your days have been filled with work, bills, diapers and t-ball for the last 6 years, saying goodbye to your twenties isn’t such a milestone.  

Despite his blasé mentality, there will be celebrating around here. Celebrating a guy who puts his family before all else and works ridiculously hard to ensure that our boys not only have the things that they need but those extra things that make childhood so sweet. We’ll be celebrating a guy who never forgets to pray before dinner, who reluctantly agrees to watch The Kardashians and whose goofy personality balances out his wife’s crazy type A personality perfectly. A guy who calls the family cat an idiot every.single.morning yet is still willing to maneuver himself underneath the stairway crawl space while simultaneously balancing his wife on his shoulders so she can attempt to rescue said cat from the ceiling in which he’s trapped himself. That wife and those kids? So very lucky. 

Happy Birthday Ry- we couldn't love you more!

 

While we're celebrating that guy, we’ll also be celebrating Mario Brothers, Hooters {they DO have decent wings} and Plinko. Add to that, Reading Rainbow, Chicken McNuggets, Cabbage Patch Kids and the always amazing Sweet Valley High.  Apparently 1983 was a big year!

Fourth of July Weekend {Day Two}

Day two started early and Matty was down for a nap by 9am. Ryan and I took advantage of the quiet time and sat on the beach drinking coffee and reading {yes, the planets aligned and this seriously happened}. Tyler alternated between playing in the sand and fishing. Once Matty awoke, we took a trip into Longville. We had stopped there on day one for a pizza and ice cream but made a quick exit {sans ice cream} after getting stuck in the middle of the parade crowd. It was insane. This tiny town with a population of less than 200 was bustling with people covered head to toe in red, white and blue.

We {as in Tyler and I} were determined that the return trip was going to include blueberry waffle cone ice cream, even if it meant standing in line for 35 minutes in 90 degree heat.

Totally worth it.

After a quick stop at the store we headed back to the lake to spend some time at  where else? The beach. Honestly, it seemed to be the one place where Ryan and I could hang out and actually have half a conversation while the boys were completely entertained.

Matty noticed that Tyler had a "new" snack and he bolted for the water.

But quickly moved on when he realized Tyler left his flip flops unattended. Matty is obsessed with shoes and spent the better half of the weekend swiping abandoned ones from the shore. What, that lady left her shoes unattended for 6 seconds? They're free for the taking.

The remainder of the day was a bit of a repeat of day one. Fishing, fires and lots of marshmallows. Oh, and about a bajillion sparklers, thanks to Tyler!