A few weeks ago I met Lindsey at the Sunken Gardens to shoot her little charges as a surprise for their parents, my dear friends. I love these kiddos and it was fun to try to capture their energy and unique traits while also trying to get four active kids in one shot.

This is Shiloh. He’s quite the character these days. I feel like I’m saying “no” all the time now. “No, you may not eat that napkin!” “No, stop jumping on the couch!” “No, no barking from your kennel!” And last but not least, “No, stop biting Liv!!”

Shiloh is like a slightly naughty toddler that irritates you with persistent bad behavior while charming you with utter cuteness. He’s teething, which helps explain all the biting and chewing he’s doing, and he’s constantly growing. We’re supposed to feed him two times a day, but when he turns those dark puppy eyes on me while standing by his giant bag of food, I just know he needs a little more to eat. I’m the sucker in the family. And as the big weenie, I am the one Shiloh follows much of the day. Jeremy, the consistent disciplinarian and alpha male, earns all the respect but a little less loving. It’s not fair and I know it.

Shiloh is also the packiest pack dog I’ve ever had. If the family is upstairs, then every fiber of his being wants (no, *needs!*) to be upstairs, too. His place is by our sides and he’s quite the faithful little Coton.

We love our little pooch.

One of my favorite pics of Liv napping. For more info, read my Flickr description.

Naps have amazing, restorative powers.

Livia gave up napping at 3.5 years. I nearly wept in despair and wondered how I could possibly fill our days with activities and not perish in exhaustion from the effort. Yes, we did institute a quiet time before she gave up naps. (It was something that we worked into our days with persistence and a fair amount of battling; quiet times definitely didn’t come naturally around here!) I found myself nodding off during an afternoon movie or pushing for a brief respite during those supposedly “quiet” times. And though it was obvious to anyone around us that Liv would benefit from a nap, the kid just wouldn’t do it. I think the saying “You can take a horse to water but you can’t make it drink” fits perfectly here. I could enforce a room-only policy, but there was no way I could make my daughter close her eyes and relax.

The strangest thing has happened this summer, though. Livia has started napping again. She’ll go into quiet time, mess around with toys for awhile, and then the house grows oddly quiet. No tambourine clashes blast through the door, no storytelling to dollies, no dawdling trips to the bathroom, nothing.

Aaaaaaahhhhh.

Naptime. Sweet, sweet sleep, available to Liv, to me, and to Jeremy if he’s on his lunch break.

Napping has it’s rewards we’ve since learned. Liv is much gentler, less dramatic, more enjoyable and friendlier after naptime. She tends to avoid the pre-dinner meltdown and also has energy for a late-evening walk around the neighborhood. The real kicker is, if we keep the naps to an hour or less, she’s still ready to go to bed at a decent time. It’s a win-win situation.

Now if only we can convince American businesses to commit to siestas… I think it’d be a positive cultural change, don’t you? : )

I think I’ll post a few Fourth of July pics before the month is out.

This shot of Dawson entertains me to no end. I love his posturing, his clear excitement at lighting fireworks.

Yesterday turned out to be a really great day.

It involved working out at the YMCA for the first time ever, shocking even (or especially) myself; mowing the yard on what had to be the most gorgeous July day in Nebraska history. And cooking a dinner that reminded me why cooking can be worthwhile: hello, Chicken Tikka Masala.

My mom made the cheery hot pads pictured above. Cooking is a lot more fun when you have handmade gifts to help keep your hands from burning. Thanks, Mom—I love them!

I hope that Jeremy and I still take shots like this when he’s 77 and I’m 70.

Happy Friday everyone!

I finally printed this shot and placed it above my desk. In a nutshell, I want to celebrate lovely things as well as motivate myself as an artist. Most of my photos (99.9% I’d imagine) remain in digital format and never see life outside of my computer. This week I’ve worked to change that and now I’m enjoying the fruits of my labor, in many senses.

I’m off to oversee two little girls among a mass of Playdoh, train a small white dog not to jump on the little girls or eat the Playdoh, and perhaps, if I play my cards right, I’ll get to read the newspaper as well. Happy day to you!

Another week, another tooth!

Liv LOVES having her teeth pulled. My girl will dramatically wail at the very possibility of falling on the sidewalk, but she’s super tough when it comes to losing teeth. We worked on tooth #2 for a few minutes. Wobbled it with our fingers, pulled on it with floss, then yanked away with a damp rag and there it was, a gigantic whole on the bottom gum for tongue and straw alike to fill.

I love the visually awkward stage that I know is coming. Sweet baby teeth are filled with giant adult ones that don’t quite fit small heads. For years kids look kinda silly, but I think they are adorably cute. Bring on the big teeth!