First Haircut

I will never forget Aaron's first hair cut - mostly because there are pictures.  One before and one after.  The before: a smiling, happy, slightly shaggy one year old.  After: a crying, devastated, clean cut one year old.  He had the cutest little smile and animal hair cut apron on.  And he had no idea what was about to happen.

Emma, on the other hand, at almost 3 and half, has a much better chance at understanding what is going on.  She has watched her dad and brother both get numerous hair cuts in our bathroom and even got to witness me get an impromptu cut by one of our close friends, Robin.  And it was at that time that Robin let me know that our girl's hair really needed to be cut (and since she is a previous hair dresser, I knew she was right).  She said that her uneven length before ever having it cut was a tell tale sign that it was past time.  And while I can (mostly) place the blame on my husband for the first 3 years without a cut, certainly the last almost 6 months have definitely been the Momma dragging her heels.

Our girl was all in though.  There was nothing about the hair cut that was worrisome or scary to her.  She knew just where we were going and what was going to happen and was even looking forward to it!

 Once in, you could tell there was a tiny bit of hesitation - mostly because of the response of the children around her.  She was pretty sure she was in safe hands, but wasn't so sure about the kiddos' responses on either side.

 Even though Frozen was on for her enjoyment, you could tell that her eyes were really on the mirror in front of her - and I get it.  Whether because of being unsure or excited, keeping a close eye on things sure made sense.


Before we knew it, we were all done, and got a braid with butterfly clips to finish it off.

So, pretty painless.  No tears.  No devastation.  And a styling big girl to boot.  First hair cut checked off the list - and one more way our kids are growing up too fast.

Until next time,

Chalk Drawings

Ahh summer.  Days of hula hooping, sprinkler playing, and sidewalk chalk drawings.  The things that remind us that playing in the cool of the shade or the heat of the sun are both welcome pieces of what summer is all about.  And when your littlest one has been begging you to draw pictures of "our familee" and has started describing in detail the things she is adding, that is something you have to hold on to.

Little Ms. Independent right here.  I have no idea where she gets it from (wink, wink), but she sure has grown comfortable in her role.  (Side note - no worries about the shelf being pulled over - it is screwed into the wall behind.)

 After very little begging from my daughter, my son joined in.  She wanted him to help build the house for the family.  The teacher in him kept asking her about the number and things he should include.  I love that in looking at these, I can hear his voice asking her questions.

 Lots of collaboration to their project.  Necessities on the list included clothing and hair for each family member, rooms in our house, and our family pets (all 5 of our fish).  Their concentration was pretty intense and adorable.

As they drew, our daughter would look to the house for inspiration.  She added windows, doors, a car, and her brother gave her a street for the car to drive on.  It really was amazing to see and hear her little imagination working at a pretty quick pace.

 Brother got tired, but sister was going strong with the wind tossing her hair around.  I loved her determination and ability to shut out the world.  And that little mark of blue chalk across her cheek was the best.

I feel like my son's big lip above is a piece of how I feel watching them together.  I know they have to grow up, but man, why so fast?  It all makes me even more thankful that I can freeze these times forever.

Until next time,

July 5-on-5: Welcome Home

As our son is getting older, his summer camp opportunities are transitioning from day camps to overnight camps and from 3 day camps to week long camps.  While exciting to him, for us and his little sister, those weeks can really drag on, especially when they are sprinkled throughout the short summer months.  Good thing for us that saying welcome back is so much fun to do.  And we all know who is put in charge when it comes to fun.  Thanks to my husband, our son came home to a fully decorated house and plethora of balloons.

When you have a little girl as excited about your home coming as this one was, I am pretty sure big smiles and a slow jog are a requirement.

To say he was surprised would be an understatement for sure.  And thankful too - both to be home and to be celebrated.

 You know what time it is!!  Let's go blog hop.  Jump on over to Long Island Family Photographer — Luxe Art Images, LLC to see Eboni's wonderful documentary story.

Until next time,