Cookies and Milk

Blog post, photographs, lessons and assignments...sometimes such a dilemma as to what to post...other times, I hear the prompt and right away I know what the subject and photo's should look like...then it's just a matter of pulling it all together...Be Still...Lesson 16, was like that for me...Cookies and Milk.  Right up my alley since I have two little boys that love not only cookies and milk, but they love baking in my kitchen. Liam is somewhat of a pro now...but Jaxson, well, he's not one for being patient and still  for very long...but for cookies and milk, he was a willing partner.  So today, when he came over, he had his first cookie baking lesson and he passed with flying colors..I guess you just need to pick the right subject to hold their interest...below are the fruits of his labor and also his reward...I loved this lesson. Not only for the content but also because the boys are my life right now...fleetingly.  I know that more now than ever before...Liam is now in preschool 4 days a week until 1p.m...so we no longer have him for the full day...I do get to see him often, but not in the same way...and as Liam moves forward...we now have alone time with Jaxson for the first time...he's a trip for sure...so with only a few years left before they are both in school full time..they are my photo "props" and I'm o.k with that...so come along with Jaxson and enjoy some cookies and milk...

So with Jaxson it is not a lesson in flour and milk and mixing..it is strictly pull apart and drop on tray..what I love most about this photo is his intensity in getting the cookies apart...I can tell how hard he's working because, like all of us here, hard work means tongue out...like the tongue is helping to get the job done..

Helping Papa get the oven door open...then he steps back so Papa can put the tray in for baking.

 Jaxson is having a hard time waiting for the cookies to be done...so he has taken it upon himself to keep a good watch on what is happening in the dark hole where his cookie dough went...

He finally got tired of watching his cookie "grow" and came out on the porch to have a drink of his milk...that kept him still for about a minute...

 

Cookies are finally done..but now Jaxson has another problem..they are to hot to eat...oh my, more waiting time..

Well he's nothing if he's not a smarty...he takes matters into his own hands..enough with being patient, he stands up on his chair and gives those cookies several good blows and that seems to do the trick for him...problem solved...

Finally, after being very persistent and patient he sits down and really enjoys his cookies and milk as only a 2 year old can...ah, if only we could keep the balance as adults...enjoy the moment, have one cookie and a bit of milk...Life is Good...just ask Jaxson..as he enjoys the fruits of his labor..and for those who haven't noticed, the tablecloth is no long on the table...that is a chocolate, chocolate chip cookie.  Trader Joe's...it got high marks from both of the boys...

So proud of him at the end, when he had his fill, he shared his broken crumbs with Papa...and Papa also declared them, just perfect...

Milk and Cookies was one of the best lessons that I have done with Kim Klassen at the helm of Be Still and so much more. If your ever looking for a "prop" to help out with baking, life lessons or just an abundance of cuteness, go borrow a two year old...it will make any lesson in life much more fun...and actually chase your problems away...Great Job today Jaxson...here's to Milk and Cookies and love....

"Little boy, you remind me how so much depends on days of now." Alison McGhee

I love his smile, I adore his spunk, I melt into his squeezes and I'm so happy he's my Grandson.

"Little Boys are just Superhero's in disquise"

Looking For Papa

I'm not quite sure who is the most fortunate in the threesome of "boys"...is it the little boys or the one very sweet Big boy..I do know that their "game" is having fun.  Whenever they are together you can be sure Papa is right in the middle, not only taking good care of them but totally enjoying his experiences with them...It's like being a Dad all over again, without any of the responsibilities...as for me, I get to witness it all and take the photo's...and yes, I get my fair share of love also....but today is Papa's Day..and the boys are coming to Maine...and I can guarantee you...there will be lots of Papa request.. and he never says No...

  

Jaxson and Liam both know that if they have any problems with any toy, bike or something that needs batteries, Papa is the fix-it man...and you know what...he always gets it right...lots of times, during the day, I hear a little voice calling "PAPA"...and I know that a repair job is needed..I love that Jaxson looks on, just to make sure Papa knows what he's doing...and Liam also has his lists of request during the day also...Papa is a busy guy when the boys are around.

All Jaxson has to do is smile that smile and flash those baby blue eyes and Papa becomes putty in his hands...actually, we all do...who can resist such sweetness...He's a charmer and a manipulator for sure..

Liam learned to trust in the process with Papa...he is always there to catch him when he falters or leaps in the wrong direction..Papa's arms are always stretched out to comfort and hold them whenever a hug is needed or a story read.  He gives them the assurance that they need and then they move forward again..

The boys have been walking a path with Papa since Liam was a toddler...holding hands as they go, they navigate through conversation and trust...learning of life and of each other...comfortable in their stride and building beautiful memories...these moments are some of my favorites and I'm sure both Papa and Liam would agree...Jaxson, starts this year to be able to walk the paths with Papa...should be just as beautiful.

Maine the way life should be for both grown men and little boys...Freedom to be outside and experience all that is most prescious in life.  Learning how to steer the boat and swim...learning at the feet of a Grandfather all life's most important lessons...but mostly learning how to value time and love.  To smell pine needles and watch the sunset, to hear the cry of the loons...to toast marshmellows or make smores on an open camp fire..to run and yell and cook on the grill...all the time, with your Papa close by watching over you..and at night...two boys tucked in between a Papa and a Nana, storying telling...in the big bed.  Bliss

Wherever these two boys travel in life...I know that they will take all the love and lessons of a very special Papa with them...they are his entertainment and his joy...in the same sense, they are very fortunate to have such a loving and attenative Papa....a Papa who, like small children, doesn't know what the word No means when it comes to being a great Papa...yes, is his word for them, not matter what they want...

Happy Father's Day Papa....the boys are here.

"Great fathers get promoted to grandfathers"

"a grandparent has the wisdom of long experience and the love of an understanding heart."

Last photo taken by Jenna Barton of the boys...but I just love it...

Although my blog is used for all my photography, it's main purpose has always been a journal to my family. Some day..I hope that all of my children will have the desire to read it and understand my love for them...so please excuse me if sometimes it takes a more personal turn...on the other hand I love when anyone visits. 

When Old Is New Again

I am someone who gets caught up in all the latest gadgets, bells and whistle...I'm a gatherer by nature I think? If I read a review about a great book, I have to have it now.  When in France I loved the shoes there..oh I could have gotten the same brand when I got home, probably for less money, but no, I had to have them right then and there and I wanted them to be from France..the same thing happens when I listen to Kim Klassen tells us about all the great books she loves, or the props she uses and then she gives us the list in our on-line class, I go like crazy to research it and find it.  My photography community is wonderful..the people are great at sharing and answering questions..and if you admire someone works, they more than likely will tell you how they have accomplished their style...and then I sit and ponder and plot.. 

I love to take photo's of the boys..and I've used all kinds of lenses...as a matter of fact, recently I just bought the 24-70L 2.8 because it would be good for both still life and the boys...indoors..still not what I was looking for for outside shooting...it is however great for still life..along with my 35mm.  For awhile now I've been following two very creative and unique photographers of young children and the out of doors...their photo's were sharp as a tack...they had a great bokeh background and the photo's just popped.  I have faved many of their shots on Flickr and just love what they do...and always..I'm thinking tri-pod.  Well that is great if your kids stand still but I wanted to shoot them in all their daily activities...sooo, finally, I got up my courage (because I didn't know either one of them) and I wrote to them...and guess what...one of them wrote back.  We had a dialogue..it was informative and lovely...She told me that she used a prime 85mm...and that was how she got those shots..of course her subjects were cute and somehow she did get them to pose and her creativeness in composition was outstanding...I'll have to work on that. 

In the end we had a lovely conversation and I was really impressed with her sharing...and since I had recently bought the 24-70 I didn't think I could press for another lens so soon...but I stored the information. The problem with me is once I have the information...it never leaves my head until I make a definite decision.  Oh I let it sit there for about two weeks and bam...I was off to Hunt's and B&H doing my research...shocker...the prime 85L series 1.8 is around 2,000.00.  Well that wasn't going to work right yet...so I set in on that shelf in my brain...marked "ideas".   It has been there for awhile now but for some reason this week I started thinking about it again..so I went to my "lens shelf" and found my 35mm and took that outside..and shot the boys with it all day...really nice photo's, really nice, but not the look I was trying to capture...and then, when returning that to the closet I saw my prime 100mm macro...BINGO.

I took that lovely out and thought, well if an 85 is good, why can't I give my 100 a try...and I was off and running..I have used this lens many times for my macro work and I love it for that.  It's a prime lens, 2.8.  I have also used it for portrait photography...up close and tight shots...but on Tuesday I used it for every kind of shot and I was amazed at the sharpness, clarity and the bokeh that I love.  I went shopping in my own closet and found a treasure.  I have since culled those photo's and I'm sharing some of my favorites here today for Friday's Finds..and what I found this week is that perhaps we should take more time to check our own supplies before rushing off on a treasure hunt..I am so happy right now with my closet find..and I can't even begin to tell you how exciting it was to upload and view the boys through this new/old lens...the only thing that I'll have to work harder on is focus because the focusing field is pretty precise but when I got it...it was magical...all the photo's here today are mostly SOOC except for a bit of desaturation.  I wanted to share with you what the lens is capable of doing..not what I'm capable of doing in lightroom or Photoshop...that will come another time...so what about that 85mm lens...I can't say I'm done with the wanting of it or the researching of it, because my understanding is that it's a pretty fast lens, but I have put in on the back burner for awhile and I'm going to keep working with my 100mm...see how it goes, you know.  Maybe next week I'll start looking around here for photo props.  Who knows what I'll find when I start opening up draws and closets...and for sure there must be some boards I can steal out of Jim's workshop...

 

 

"You don't get the same moment twice."