Candy-gram

More fun than a box of chocolates.  Happy Valentine's Day, with love.

Perfectly Ten

I celebrate you every day my sweet boy, but this day is different. Today begins a new decade.  This is just a snapshot of who you are at this moment.

While you have always been an old soul, your understanding reaches far beyond your years and mine.  You are thoughtful and ask the most insightful questions.  I'm in awe of your determination and wonder how you became so brave.  You are proud to have amassed more than 1000 baseball cards!  You are relentless in pursuit of what you want - - often more baseball cards.

I love hearing you play my favorite U2 songs on guitar.  Is it just me, or are you always in motion?  Although sometimes you are hurried, I thank you for being patient with me as I continue to learn how to be your parent. 

My whole being adores your every freckle and the mop of hair that hides your green eyes.  But more than that, I treasure the beauty inside your heart.

May you know happiness and continue to shine, my sweet boy.  I wish you a lifetime of double-digit birthdays. 

So tighten your belt and throw your hands up.  Feel the hard wind against your face and scream with joy.  If your first decade is any indication, the next ten years are sure to be a wild ride.

Twist

There are few things I can look at endlessly, photorealistic paintings and street photography.  Both depict the everyday, weaving the strange and the familiar.  Their details so sumptuous I find myself lost.

Not My Daughter's Ponytail

According to my friend Jonathan, it's okay to photograph the same subject repeatedly.  So I admit to being hair obsessed.  I admire it all -  - furry arms and fluffy chests, a rough beard and fuzzy shaved head. 

I am deeply enamored with my son's mop.  He forever twirls his hair, and I want to touch it too, as much as he.  I hold back when he's among friends but I used to pet his head anytime.  Now that I am grown up, I am more restrained.

Eight The Great

Today, my little not-so-little guy is eight.  He is strong when I am weak.  Tender when I am difficult.  How lucky I am to receive his boundless affection.  He easily picks me up in a swimming pool and beats me in a race to the bottom.  With one hug he can knock me off my feet.  He is literally from the Specifc Ocean, breaking down big ideas to essentials.  And just last night I found him curled up in my bed watching...  wait for it...  Blue's Clues.