WIth the help of rest and strengthening exercises, she is recovering from her injuries. Her dedication and love of the sport of gymnastics is evident.
Nine
Our daughter, getting ready for school on her first day of being nine years old. Time passes by so quickly!
Cartwheel in an empty room
Empty rooms are great locations for cartwheels.
Saying Goodbye
Over the past few months, we have known that our dear friends would soon be moving out of state. Simultaneously feeling excited for them on their new adventure and feeling the great loss their absence will create in our lives, I have found the need to document as much of our time together as possible.
What I will share below, are photos of the girls’ last morning together while working on a film project.
They began with a dance scene,
and took a moment to make sure that they got the shot before heading outside.
There was a lot of planning,
filming, laughing,
and viewing their progress.
I enjoyed watching the director’s vision take shape
as she used her own ideas blended together with those of her friends.
What delighted me most was simply watching the girls being together
and creating a fun, expressive way to say their goodbyes.
Although you are moving far away, we will always be with you in your hearts. We wish you the best of luck on your new adventure and look forward to sharing more stories, continuing our friendship, and to creating more memories (and to seeing the completed movie!).
The chandelier
For months, a momentous event has been underway in our family: my in-laws are moving out of the home they built and have lived in for more than 40 years.
As you can imagine, my focus has been on capturing and documenting as much of the move as possible through photos. I will share more in future blog posts; for now, I would like to share this moment from the move.
Upon discovering that the dining room was empty, our daughter said, “Mom, I’ve always wanted to touch the chandelier! Is it OK?” I nodded, focused my camera on her as she slowly reached up to touch the chandelier, and captured her excitement.
An empty house can be a wonderful place of discovery and adventure, especially from a child’s perspective.
Relaxing
This morning, I’m thinking of our trips to the Russian River and relaxing in the cabin!
Feeling nostalgic this morning
I’m feeling nostalgic this morning and have been spending the last hour looking through photos of our girls from the past few years. I am grateful that I’ve captured so many images of the girls at school, in sports, with their cousins, and especially in the normal everyday moments of their lives.
I connected with this photo today, just as I did with our daughter in the moment I took this photo more than three years ago.
Frames
When I looked up, I noticed these frames in just a little bit of window light.
The Eagle Card
At our elementary school, the students earn Eagle Cards for academic achievement, good behavior, and for going above and beyond. The kids collect these cards throughout the school year and are acknowledged for their hard work.
In the image below, our youngest (at the time in kindergarten) received her first Eagle Card; she had been waiting patiently all day to share the news with her big sister and finally it was her turn!
Although many, many Eagle Cards have been earned since this photo, this first achievement is the most special one. I feel fortunate that I chose to capture this moment in time.
Taking a peek
I took a quick peek over her shoulder to see what was so funny. I delight in seeing what our girls like to photograph.
keep opening doors 