Not quite what I pictured...

Ian got a real digital camera for his 3rd birthday. I had visions of him running around taking random photos of feet, the ceiling, the back of his hand...you get the picture. (Get it, picture? Ha, I'm so punny...). I imagined the joy on his face as he showed me the pictures that HE took! After all, this is the child that will sit literally for over an hour at the computer looking at photos with me. He loves them almost as much as I do!

Oh, and this camera is so cool! It's made kid tough, (the box told me so), and has a little LCD screen for viewing the scene before you take the picture (just like mommy's, only with a slight time delay). The viewfinder is actually TWO viewfinders, since little ones don't know how to squint one eye just yet. It even has a little flash, and only 5 buttons on the back to minimize confusion. Power, flash, trash, and up/down for viewing the photos. Brilliant! I'm so excited, I wish I had a camera this cool. (When I was little. My dream camera now is going to cost a wee bit more than this one did).

I've been waiting MONTHS to give Ian his birthday present, because I bought it at Christmas when toys were cheap. Waiting for presents is agony for me. This was a very long 5 months.

Now, before you get in a huff that I actually purchased a real digital camera for a 3 year old, consider the following:

1) I'm a professional photographer. I get some slack for this, right?
2) The camera was on sale, on clearance, and 50% off of that. An under $15 gift. Wow, I'm a deal finder.
3) Ian can't operate the camera.

I guess we'll stop here with the list. It sounded like a good idea at the time, anyway!

He holds the camera up, just like he's going to do something with it. But, since it is specifically designed for kids, the button is on the very front, near the shutter itself. I think the design idea was that kids grip things with their hands and the button would be right there. Ian is too smart for this kids camera. He puts his finger up top, where the shutter is placed on real adult cameras. He knows what he's supposed to be doing. So, until he learns enough to use a camera the wrong way, he is stuck moving the camera around and watching real life (slightly delayed) on a little LCD screen, tapping the top of the camera, and saying, "Cheese" without a picture to show for it. Sigh.

I'm too smart for this kids camera too. We could have achieved this with a shoe box. (Which is even cheaper than $15, depending on the shoes). They are kid tough too, and we probably could have achieved the goal with 2 buttons, or no buttons at all! His greatest joy from this camera so far has come from clipping and unclipping the neck strap.

I decided that if Ian lost interest in the camera, I would put it away for another time. Perhaps some months from now on a rainy day, we'll try to figure it out again! He insisted on wearing the camera around his neck the rest of his birthday. It was so cute the way he held it up and pretended to take pictures proudly. The excitement of his real camera wore off very quickly at the first sign of ice cream after dinner. He handed it to me, and I unceremoniously placed it into the diaper bag for safe keeping. There it lied forgotten by all of us until yesterday.

Zoe was wandering around the exam room at the doctor's office while we waited on a test result. She was pulling things out of the diaper bag while Ian sat and read a book on the chair. Wow! There was the camera in the bottom of the bag. She pulled it out, turned it back and forth a few times and brought it up to her face.

The camera was almost as big as her head, but not so big as to cover up the huge smile on her face. I heard from behind the upside down and backwards camera, "Cheeeeeeeeeeeee!"

I wish I had my own camera to capture that moment of her discovery. Another lesson in parenting. Sometimes, the biggest joys aren't even the ones you envision. Oh, little Zoe...you just made that $15 camera worth every penny, even though it wasn't quite how I pictured it! :)

Beaufort Marina

Here's another post I had mentioned would be coming. I'm steadily getting to all the things I want to tell you! I looked back in my photos to see if I could find when Ian and I first visited the Marina, but I decided it was better to move along with what I had than become sidetracked in what would eventually be hours lost in looking at old pictures. After all, I think I am prone to forgetting what I was looking for to begin with in the midst of so many wonderful memories! Phew, that was a mouthful.

Anyway, Beaufort Marina is a great first stop on a tour of Beaufort. You have a wonderful equation of water, boats, shops, and ample places to sit and view all of the above!

The day I visited with Erin was a wonderfully windy day. The movement across the marsh grass is mesmerizing to me. I wrote something once about love being like grass in the wind. You are rooted in the ground, but free to move to and fro with the undulations of emotion. There I go on a tangent. Every time I get near the water, it's very prone to happen. :)


My point is that we are so blessed to live in the beautiful city of Beaufort. Every turn provides a new marshland view! It's easy to see why the British wanted to set up a city here. Gorgeous.

Interestingly enough, I wasn't able to find much information on the Marina specifically (at least with a quick search), but Beaufort itself was chartered in 1711. It's value lies in its convenient natural harbor. Many interesting sea vessels find their way to Beaufort. A mini-cruise ship? We got it!


You can sit on one of many benches lining the water. There are also SWINGS. There must be at least 10 of them, although I didn't actually count. But, what on earth could be better than sitting on a swing and looking out at the water?


Well, maybe actually being out on the water. One day, I'll go out in a boat and view Beaufort from that perspective. This boat was quite tempting!


Beaufort is a highlight because of the city's great drive to preserve history. Many old shops that line the waterfront have history that extends years into the past. It is a weaving of past, present, and future that allures the traveller. There are many spots to sit and ponder what it was like in years past...


...or maybe a little shopping. Or, ice cream. We walked through on a Sunday afternoon, and while most cities still see a steady stream of business on this day, Beaufort all but closes down. I think it's kind of nice having a true day of rest. There's no lack of things to see, even on an off day. And, shopping when the stores are closed is cheaper too!


This is just a sampling of what's to be seen down at the Marina. The horse-drawn carriages have a little spot in the parking lot, and we often say hello to the horses. There's also a wonderful little park that allows a water view and places for the kids to play with old buoys and cargo netting.

I love to watch the sailboats on the weekends. Although Beaufort now has a major tourism appeal, it's growth was due to significant military impact. A subsequent visit to the museum on Parris Island revealed how many posts and battles were impacted through the city. I imagine the waters have seen many military vessels pass through on their way to conflicts near and far.

Last but not least, I'll share Zoe's opinion of the Marina. Definite "cheese" approval.


I'd say if you had the opportunity to spend a day, a few hours, or even a passing walk-through, you should visit Beaufort Marina! We'll continue to visit and experience this lovely oceanfront view. :)

Memorial Day

Freedom. It's a word that's tossed around with as much care as the word itself implies. It has been called above the heads of warriors in battle. It has been chanted in the hearts of many in bondage. It has crossed the conference room tables and lips of the policy makers of liberty. It's an old adage, a cliche, and a rhyme. And it resonates deeply in the human soul. It's tied in to this day we call, "Memorial Day," and keeps crossing my mind.

Don't sugar coat it, stomp on it, or ignore it. Think about "freedom," and ponder what the gravity of ideals and passions create.

Giving your life for your country isn't a simple matter of making you an instantaneous hero. It doesn't make your intentions pure, your heart bright, your conscience clear. It doesn't make the cause you fought for the right one, and the enemy you fought a bad one. We all die, don't we? Dying for your country means you are one of the countless lives joined in purpose by the blood spilled for someone else. For me.

It means more than the word freedom or hero encompass. It's a complicated truth we stand on as Americans and human beings. Our lives are defined in part by the lives that came before our own.

I take a moment to reflect on all those lives and remember them. I wax patriotic of our successes as a nation and the lives we protected, and wane critical of the mistakes that caused others needless suffering. But, I remember. Because the individual that is too quick to look only to what is in front of them loses the most powerful lessons of all.

My way was built by a steady stream of humanity before me. My freedom is mine for the taking, but it was theirs for the making.

A fun evening!

A couple weeks back, when Erin was visiting, we had a wonderful dinner and spent some time having fun with the kids and each other. Some highlights of the evening.

Zoe discovered the toy box was not a bottomless one, as she had much hoped. It took a moment for us to place the muffled grunts requesting assistance.


Bella enjoyed being center stage for a few minutes, and even serenaded us. She's got moves to go with the singing, too. Forget American Idol, we've got the Bella Show!


Matt is always interesting...I don't know what was going on here, but it was funny. My guess is he's making fun of me taking so many pictures. :)


Ian even enjoyed flying an airplane on the Wii. Well, crashing it. Not an accident, he was enjoying the challenge to crash it, no matter how much assistance he had to fly over things. There's always more possibilities for a game than you envisioned.


Erin and I had fun taking 7 billion photos of everyone and everything. It's what we do. I learn a lot more about my lenses with each new situation I use them. Taylor provided the opportunity to capture some cute moments. I love how everything is engrossing to little ones!


I can't help it that I find annoyed faces so interesting either...and hardly a deterrent for more photos. I do know Ian loves photos though, because he begs me to sit at the computer and watch slideshow after slideshow!


Ian and Taylor had fun sitting at the table together. They took turns telling the funniest wordless jokes ever.


The best part about evenings like this, is having no particular plan and completely being ourselves. It's wonderful to have friends like this, and memories to treasure for a long time! :)

Two of the Widest Smiles

Here's the morning routine via baby monitor.

If Zoe wakes up first, I will hear her playing for a long time. She kicks her feet on the wall, reads books, and I assume flops or walks around the crib. Eventually, if Ian does not wake up when she expects, she will start yelling at him. "Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Dabee dabbeee aaaaaaaaaaah." Next, Ian wakes up and they start making noises back and forth to each other. Or, Ian says, "No, Zoe don't talk to me, I reading a book." He is quiet for a few moments, and then starts laughing at his sister, who still continues to yell at him from her crib, waiting on an acknowledgment.

When Ian wakes up first, he reads books for a few minutes (sometimes longer, depending on his mood), and then starts asking, "Zoe, you awake?" Not having much patience for such things, he will immediately start yelling at her to wake up. "Zoe! Time to wake up! Zoe! Wake up!" It usually doesn't take very long. I hear her rustling around, and then hear bouncing up and down (her good morning happy dance on the side of the crib). "Hi! Hi!" she says. Then, they begin their conversations and plans for the day.

I'm going to add at this point, that I will never regret keeping them in the room together. Their morning time together is something I look forward to hearing every day, and I know it means the same to them. If one or the other wakes up unusually early, I do come and get the alert party so the other can continue to sleep. It doesn't happen very often, they naturally wake up at about the same time.

Another added benefit is another 10 minutes of "snooze" in the mornings at least (often a lot longer). They entertain each other while mommy rolls over and sleeps those precious extra minutes.

This morning, over the monitor, I hear a new sound in the morning routine. Thud. Thud. I didn't think too much of it. Zoe was probably bouncing or kicked the wall...otherwise, there were all happy noises and laughing. All is well and normal.

When I went in to greet them, Zoe was bouncing in her crib as usual, saying, "Hi! Hi!" with the widest smile on her face. She looked purely radiant. And right there, in the crib to her right, was radiant brother Ian, with the widest smile on his face, bouncing right along. "Hi, MOMMY! Good morning!" I don't think I could ask for more. :)

Coming Soon...

So, is it wrong to write a blog about what I'm going to write about?

-Erin's visit & Beaufort/Savannah photography/historical tour
-Last MOPS meeting
-Ian's incessant talking and questions
-Zoe and her mountain goat ways
-Photography business launch

Coming soon, really! :)