Quick Trip & Tip

We had a quick trip in February to visit Brandon's family in UT. I only took a couple of pictures. My sister-in-law said she was having a hard time getting her little Mariel to smile for pictures. So I offered to help.

 

I don't think I'm an expert, by any means. But I've found that if I can get a toddler to talk about the things they like, they tend to become more animated. Sometimes it's just waiting for them to warm up to you. For Mariel, she loved talking about princesses. When I took pictures of my nephew, I had to be silly. And I wore a Hulk mask so the Hulk could take the pictures. With Mason at the time, he LOVED Peek a boo. So I'd snap right once he took his hands away from his face.

 

Pay attention to how words end when the child says them. For example, words that end in 'Y' draw the mouth outwards. Like Candy, Silly, Mommy. Now say it in a funny voice and have them try to do it too. My nephew would say "Aaarrrrr" like a pirate, yet you'd have no idea from looking at the picture. (words may differ from with how each child talks, so watch their mouths as they talk).

 

Ryan's my analytical one. So I have to ask him how things work. That or tell him that "Charlie's hungry". If you ever saw the movie "Liar Liar", it's equivalent to "The Claw."

 

 

Really ANYTHING but asking them to "Smile." When I've done that, I get a forced expression that looks more like it's feeling pain than it is happiness.

 

Other times I think it's a GOOD thing when kids don't smile in photos. Childhood doesn't consist of a frozen smile on their face. There are frowns, furrowed bros, tongues sticking out, thoughts, sick days, and tears.

 

 

While I know those shouldn't dominate photo books, I still think they're important to record. Especially with how you can see that Lifestyle Photography is trending more and more (Something I'm very interested in developing more... like this picture of Aunt Susan with Mason)

 

So it might take more of an effort, but it will be worth it. Capture the moment. Capture their childhood. THEN capture the smile.

Keep Moving Forward

I didn't like the movie Meet the Robinson's the first time I watched it. Possibly because I had recently given birth to my first son and I could not understand why Lewis would choose to abandon his chance to meet his mother. But I gave the movie another chance. And even more chances as this is a favorite movie of my oldest son.

And I love the motto to "Keep Moving Forward."

It's a motto from Walt Disney, shown at the end of the film:
"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things because we're curious...
And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

 

 

There have been times when I feel like I have hit a wall. It has come in different aspects of my life: career choice, job search, as a mother, as a wife. The feeling of despair seeks to enter in. And I'll admit, I've had my fair share of low days. When I chose to see only the bad things. Then to let those negative aspects wear me down, to govern my mood.

 

 

Thankfully I have learned to Make The Change. To think positively. To see the good. And if it's still too dark, too recent to see the good.  I can instead have hope and faith, which bring light and truth. And as I do that, my load becomes lighter.

 

Last Sunday, the Bishop in our ward shared a video that is so fitting to where our family is at in our journey of life. Maybe you too:

 

 

 

Having two young children of our own, this video holds a warm place in our hearts. So many the words spoken by Elder Jeffrey R Holland ring true:

 

I thought perhaps I saw an old car, with a devoted young wife and two little children

 

 

 

I imagined I saw a young fellow...The weight of a young father's fear evident in his pace.

 

 

Don't you quit.

You keep walking.

You keep trying.

 

There is help and happiness ahead.

 

 

 

 

Some blessings come soon

 

 

 

 

Some come late. And some don't come 'til Heaven.

 

But for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ:

They come.

 

 

It will be alright in the end

 

 

Sure, we would love to be in the next job up, be in the one after that, then grad school, and then finally settled. To have a home. To have predictability and consistency. Those are not bad desires. But if I have the mind set of "I'll be happy when...", then I will never be happy now. What I can do instead is follow Elder Holland's counsel to:

 

Trust God

 

and believe in good things to come.

Mason's gift

One day when taking out the garbage, I found a hopeful surprise sitting on the ground next to the nearest dumpster: a standing toy, just like one I was looking at getting Mason. So I brought it up to the house while the boys were sleeping, and replaced the corroded batteries. And it worked perfectly. I cleaned it and it was just like new, minus one thing:

The story board was completely worn down.

 

So on Christmas eve Mrs. Claus got out some scrapbook paper, scissors, and mod podge and went to work. I'm really happy with how it all turned out!  And it was even better to see how much Mason LOVES this toy!

Linn Family Photos

When I was in Las Vegas for Thanksgiving, my brother and sister-in-law asked me to take some pictures for their family. I had a great time with them and hope you enjoy these photos!