God put a deep and powerful love for this child in my heart. At the end of a long day, even at the end of the worst day ever, I think about this little face and my heart jumps a bit. Parental love is intense and beautiful—and I praise God for letting it overcome all the crap we’ve been through by the time bedtime rolls around.
I praise him for this love, and I praise him for his love. Someday he’ll redeem even our good things, like my love for my child, and make it perfect. That day will be something to behold.
Bath time around here is an Event. (And when it can’t be an Event, it becomes a difficult task for everyone involved.) Sometimes there are bubbles and sometimes there is a new, special bath toy, but always there is one little girl, tons of mismatched and somewhat random toys to play with, soap and water.
And by the time the little girl gets out of the tub, she’s usually quite relaxed. She rolls up in a towel and takes a breather. All that fun in the hot water is hard work!
Challenge for the day: take your camera somewhere new. Let me know if you blog about it.
Livia is becoming surprisingly efficient at applying face paint. I’m trying not to plan her future career based on the whims of Liv-at-five, but still. Wouldn’t it be cool if she worked in the movies someday? She could get her mom onto the set to watch the action. She might win an Oscar for makeup. You never know.
These are the ramblings of a tired woman on a Friday night. I can hear car doors slamming for a movie and game night next door (no, not there, a tired woman lives at that house too). I feel very unhip and old and boring at the moment. Blogging on a Friday night. BLOGGING. Oh well. Hope these shots entertain you on a Friday as well.
I present: The Many Faces of Livia.
Oooo. Scary.
And sweet.
Super silly.
And serious.
This baby is so soft and scrunchy and dreamy, I just can’t stand it. Welcome to the world, precious Ian! I have had the great privilege of watching your mommy’s tummy grow over the past several months and now I get to celebrate your arrival. You are such a blessed gift from God. We love you so much already.
I’m quite pleased with Ian’s photo shoot and can’t wait to share more images with you. Isn’t he delightful?
A professional portfolio for photography.
It’s about time I created a little space to showcase the work I’ve been doing over the past year. I’m also looking forward to linking to all the sites and photographers who inspire me on a regular basis.
Stay tuned!
Give my kid a coloring book and a brand new box of Crayolas and… nothing. Girlfriend does not like to color paper.
Give her a mirror and a brand new box of facepaints and… hello, Sweet Cheeks! (Papa calls her “Sweet Cheeks.”) Livia is all about physical art. She’ll pass on the 2-D, but anything with a bit of texture under her fingers excites her.
Part of the challenge of parenting—and I think this is universal—is figuring out your child’s unique, God-given personality. What makes her tick? What excites her, frustrates her, encourages her, pleases her? I could sit and color for hours on end, even as an adult, but when I press my child to do it, it’s a challenging endeavor for both of us. I want Livia to glorify God in all things. I want her to be the very best Livia Tredway she can be. I want her to grow up knowing that I am proud of her, that I enjoy her, that I will stand behind her and encourage her—even if she’s pursuing activities that I have very little natural interest in.
For today, though, Liv is into face paint. And that’s something I can get into.
We flew out to San Francisco last week for Jeremy to meet his coworkers at ThoughtMatrix—and for us to attend the company’s annual holiday party.
We arrived at our hotel late at night (at least according to my body’s Central Standard Time) and didn’t get a glimpse out our window until the next morning. Then, looking down 14 floors, I located a Walgreens and a Starbucks and decided I’d be just fine on my own for one work day. Jeremy and I wandered the streets that morning, looking for a simple egg breakfast, and eventually killed two birds with one stone: we found Jeremy’s office building and a lovely organic restaurant that served breakfast sandwiches.
The following photos show the Flood Building, from which much of genius of ThoughtMatrix flows. (Many employees, such as Jeremy, work from home offices—so I’ll reserve some of the genius quality for them.)
Friday morning, when we first explored the city a bit, I threw my red winter coat over an apple green sweater I got for Christmas. And then I slung my bright red purse over my shoulder. Woman from a small midwestern city meet… the dress code of the working men and women of San Francisco. Black, black, black, black, grey, and black. I’ve never felt so very bright in my entire life and, darn it, there was just no way to blend in.
Now Saturday was a different matter. The tourists came out while the natives stayed home and slept in—and I fit in just fine, red coat and all.
My first thought upon looking outside this morning was, Ugh, more snow! But a quick walk to the curb to drop off the recycling was all it took for me to be smitten by God’s handiwork.
It’s amazing how the snowflakes cling to every surface, coating all the trees and shrubs in furry white coats. It’s a winter wonderland. And I get to enjoy it in person this morning.
It’s enough to make a girl grateful for living in the arctic tundra.
This shot is DPP Reject #2, though the word “reject” is really just a joke as I love this shot of my nephew Noah. Isn’t he the cutest little baby boy?!
Noah’s sister and cousin, ages three and five respectively, have their moments of sweetness, but I can’t say their best sides were shown on Christmas Day. Of course we love these little girls a million times over and find great joy in them, however we witnessed a bit more bickering, non-sharing, and dramatic behavior than I would have preferred. But Noah? The kid was the picture of sweetness. His big blue eyes delighted in watching the antics of the girls, his dimples oozed adorableness to anyone who smiled at him, and he was a joy. As Adam commented today, Noah’s either going to continue to grow in his sweet personality or become doubly tough in order to keep up with his big sister. I told him, from one second-born to another, that I’d school him in manipulation if he ever needs such skills. ; )
