View from the Prairie Box

What a difference a year makes! A year ago at this time Bethany’s tummy was beautifully full and the rest of us were content to wait for the birth of Andrew and Bethany’s first child. Now, Adeline is here and she is a delight. Her blue eyes seem so knowing somehow—I don’t think she misses a thing—and those chubby cheeks! Oh my.

It was a joy to spend some time with the Hansens to capture their young family in photographs. Really, it was a huge blessing because I’ve been able to enjoy Bethany’s friendship since she was in junior high and I, only a few years older, was her youth group leader. Hello, memory lane.

I hope you all enjoy these pictures as much as I do!

I’m fascinated by the bare arms of the trees as they wind and weave themselves across the winter sky. They’re sculpture of a unique sort, black and tangled, cold and strong. The sun sets beautifully behind them, drawing attention to their arboreal web.

The wind blew icily on her cheeks while the sun’s rays caught the gold in her brown hair. But she didn’t seem to notice the weather as she recalled losing a tooth in school, then really losing it in the hallway on the way to the nurse’s office. Will the tooth fairy still bring me a dollar? she worried. Will YOU still bring me a dollar? she asked, because she’s savvy in the ways of such things.

I told her the tooth fairy is magical, and that if she can get into our house then she’ll be able to get into school, too. Of course I’ll still give you a dollar, I said. And then my heart melted with love for this little person that I adore.

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We’re off to an awesome start with the 2010 December Photo Project! Just look at that sign-up list and think of all the fun memories that will be preserved over the next 25 days. Seriously awesome.

Two reminders.

One, I will randomly select four photos and feature them daily. Because I am a freelance photographer and full-time mama (who rarely passes up invitations for coffee and quite often passes up the piles of dishes and laundry that await me), it’s a safe bet that the featured blogs will be updated at the end of each day. Feel free to check back as often as you wish, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Two, join the 2010 DPP Flickr pool here!

One of the fun aspects of being a children’s and family photographer is that I have to be quick on my feet. Little ones don’t stay still for long, for example. But on the day of the Steiner/Smith shoot it was my location that had to change in an instant. A race (marathon perhaps?) was taking place where we had planned on shooting this extended family of six adults and six small children, so we quickly relocated… and, as it turns out, I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

The following shots are some of my favorites from our time together a few weeks ago. The cute kid factor here is very high!

I remember walking into Mike and Amanda’s living room just in time to see their second-born, Elsie, take her first steps. Suffice to say, it was a privilege to capture this family in photos after I’ve seen their kiddos grow over the years. Mike and Amanda are a lot of fun—their wit and joy for life is matched only by their great love for their family. Peter, Elsie, Tess and baby Clara are seemingly pint-sized versions of their folks and we had an awesome time running around the arboretum and climbing trees. Thanks for a great shoot, Wittmanns! I love you guys.

I’m munching on a piece of Kristin’s a-mazing apple pie (homemade crust, mmmm so good!) and listening to the dialogue of Aang and Katara regarding fire-bending and whatnot in the background. I feel wired for the next task—Christmas tree decorating—but I might be the only Tredway up for that at this point in the evening. Liv is crashed on the couch and Jeremy’s eating leftovers next to her. I think they’re on season two of Avatar.

Between making sweet potato souffle and corn casserole yesterday, Livia and I braved the freezing winds outdoors to find sticks for a gratitude tree—thanks, Leigh, for the idea! While Livia worked on another craft, I made leaves and marked them with names of beloved family members we are so grateful for. The tree became the centerpiece for a very Fiestaware Thanksgiving table. Fun!

I am also grateful today for my neighbor Heidi who willingly put her nurse skills to work this morning when I called for her help. Jeremy whacked the crud out of his forehead and produced a wound that bled all over the place before we could grab a towel. We’re talking majorly painful owie here. A little medicinal glue did the trick and stitches weren’t needed. I’m grateful the cut wasn’t more severe, but still—yowza.

Folks, a lot of us are intensely and, really, undeservedly blessed. Let this Thanksgiving Day be the starting point for a Christmas season that is filled to the brim with generosity.

My Christmas spirit has come early this year. I don’t understand it in the slightest. I’ve always been one of those people who are slightly Scroogey before Thanksgiving, one of those who shakes her head at Christmas tunes on the radio before the pumpkin pie comes out of the oven on turkey day thinking, that just ain’t right. But this year is different.

I have a small tree up in the house. Granted, it’s getting returned to the store (too small), but I admit I like having it up. Liv opened up a box of candy canes from Nana and Papa and has already swirled one into a steaming mug of hot chocolate. I’ve already purchased several Christmas gifts and can’t wait to get the rest. And tonight as Livia’s final bedtime song (where normally I sing the shortest song I can recall), I sang O Holy Night with fervor and as much grace as I could muster. It was long, it was earnest, and I hope my audience of one enjoyed it.

December is such a joyful month for me; I’m glad it’s come a bit early in 2010.

Friends! Bloggers! People who like to snap photos! Come one, come all to join the 2010 edition of the December Photo Project.

The DPP is back.

Read about the project on the December Photo Project page, then sign up here. Yeehaw!

**Note: I’ll leave this post at the top of this page until December 1. So continue to scroll down for new content. Got it? Excellent.

Rock City has a firm place in my own personal memory lane. I visited Lookout Mountain many times as a kid because my folks attended Covenant College (aka the Castle in the Clouds) and my Uncle Steve and Aunt Cathy lived there. Rock City was one of those special spots you wanted to see, a unique mountaintop garden with twisting paths, rocks galore, gorgeous vistas and a cave full of fairyland treasures. Of course, I couldn’t wait to take Livia down memory lane with me on our recent trip.

First we hit the fairly new Starbucks across the street, and then we were off on the cobblestone trails.

Andrew and Liv crossed the swinging bridge ahead of me while I stayed behind to, uh, you know, take pictures. What I was really doing was ensuring I could cross at my own pace without Andrew rocking the bridge. Me = super mega pansy when it comes to heights. Knees-knocking, the whole ordeal. Before I began my sophomore year at Covenant, I used to dream about falling off the mountain. Nice, huh?

Livia, however, has no fear of heights and now knows how to make Mommy look like a crazy lady. All it takes is walking near the railing. Suffice to say, I asked Uncle Andrew to take her hand a lot.

I remember wondering, in all childish innocence, if Uncle Steve would make it through these rocks. It’s kinda refreshing to see something so politically incorrect. ;)

Oh, Rock City. It was good to see you again!