12 Aug The First Day of School Picture
Becoming a mother was a life changing experience for me. Not just the obvious things changed (like never getting to sleep in EVER again, wearing spit-up as an accessory, and learning how to be a short-order cook), but so many other things changed too. Deeper things. There is a quote by Elizabeth Stone that I believe sums it up: “Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” Never has this been more apparent to me than this week while watching my daughter start Kindergarten and my son start preschool. On Monday Kylie was so consumed by her excitement that she leapt out of the car without as much as a look back or wave goodbye. Jake started his 2 year-old preschool class on Thursday. As I left him in the capable hands of his teacher, fully expecting him to cry out in vain for his mommy, his little eyes twinkled and he blew me a kiss. “Bye-bye Mommy!”
Really? That’s it? Can both of my kids really be that happy to grow up and venture out into the world – WITHOUT ME?
And so begins a new chapter for me and both of my children. A journey that will be just as challenging and fun (if not more so) than the first five years. I’m so grateful that I have events like these documented. Not only do I love pouring over my images of all these milestones, but I know my children will love doing the same thing when they are older. Not to mention all the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends that want to share in the joy. The first day of school is so amazing, and yet I know that in a few years it will be just a distant memory. And in a few more years, I will be watching (and documenting) these two beautiful kids doing bigger and more amazing things…… like graduating COLLEGE…… or getting MARRIED!!! *gasp* Enough about that! Get your camera out and take lots of pictures when your kids start school in the coming weeks. You don’t have to be a professional photographer or have a fancy camera to capture the essence of your children – just as they are – today. I still use my Canon S95 Point & Shoot camera all the time, as you can see below in the comparison shot of Kylie at 2 years old and 5 years old. Sometimes that is all I can do to get a quick picture of my son who despises my camera. I suggest taking lots of pictures and then just picking the top 5 or 10 that really speak to you. Then don’t forget to print them for everyone to enjoy!
Here’s my kids! Kylie on her first day of Kindergarten and Jake on his first day of Preschool. And there goes my heart…..
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