When you look at that picture, what do you see?
Maybe you see the smile with missing teeth. Maybe you see the colored feathers in her hair. Maybe you see the sandy beach. Maybe you see the silver necklace.
Every picture has a story.
When I look at a picture that I've taken, I see more than the faces, or the accessories, or the surroundings. Every picture I take tells a little bit about where I've been. It's not just about what's IN the picture, it's also about HOW the picture came to be.
That picture above is my oldest daughter, Emerson. Maybe you glanced at it and thought, "Cute girl." But when I look at that picture, I see a story...
It was May, in Tennessee. The day was overcast, with only a peek of sunshine from time to time, but it was hot. I had only a couple of weeks before our move to Ohio, and I probably should have been packing boxes. Instead, I packed lunches, and sunscreen, and towels, and shovels and buckets and kids. That beach was an hour from home but worth the drive. It was a laid back day, filled with swimming and lounging and rock collecting and sand castle building.
And there was a photo shoot.
That picture at the top? That was one of twenty-five photos I took of Emerson in a span of about three minutes. Think Madonna, in "Vogue". Pose, click. Pose, click. Pose, click...
I've never had trouble getting Emerson to smile for the camera. But to have her want to smile for the camera hasn't always been the case. There was a time, not so long ago, when she was shy-painfully shy-and not just in front of the camera. Sure, from age seven to age eight she has grown in size, but her emotional growth this year has been tremendous. Some people might think all of the moving we have done in the last few years would be a detriment to developing friendships for the kids, but Emerson has embraced it. Somehow, she always seems to find herself in the center of it all.
With new friends in the neighborhood...
And with MORE friends in the neighborhood...
With family and friends at the pool...
With her Brownie Troop at a tea party...
With school friends at the Daddy/Daughter Dance...
If she ever runs out of friends? There is MORE than enough family to go around.
With cousins at the cabin...
With MORE cousins at the cabin...
With a cousin she gets to see quite often...
And with a cousin she doesn't see often enough...
And if the friends run out and the family is too far away? Well, there is plenty of entertainment to be found in our own little family.
From the big brother...
To the little sister...
There is always someone waiting to play...
I take a lot of pictures, more than a thousand per month. There are pictures of smiles, and frowns, and tears, and laughter, and silliness, and sleepiness. Each one tells its own story.
The story behind this final picture? It's on a new beach, in a new state, with a new photo shoot. It's a story of triumph. It's not just about Emerson surviving the past year, it's about how she conquered the last year.
Happy 8th Birthday, Emerson!
