Mini Vacation | Savannah, Ga Lifestyle Photographer

  So my husband was going to be away for a week training in Savannah.  My mom was going out of town for a conference in Texas and I had a window of time in between my photo sessions.  I was thinking of what I was going to do with the kids all week and then lightbulb!  Spontaneous mini vacation to the beach!  My daughter has never been, my son loves it, and I needed a change of scenery.

Our vacation was never dull and it usually isn't with littles in tow.  

  On the way home I was running through all that I was going to blog about.  How my daughter stood up in a nice restaurant and peed in her chair without warning, running away from mommy, screaming, mess making, fighting over mommy, dialing the hotel phone, waking our neighbors, on and on... My kids don't do well in hoo-tels (thats how Maddox refers to them.) Small, confined areas aren't really their thing.  So unless we were outside, things got a little crazy.  Even with a suitcase of toys, DVDs, and the promise to go swimming later.  I had jokes about likening being in a tiny hotel room with overtired littles to being caged with wild animals... but when I sat down and looked through these photos...  

I had a really hard time remembering all those crazy moments.  Sure they gave me a run for my money here and there, but if you think about the times spent being able to  play with our littles, those little stressful moments fall away.  I could only remember how my son and I built a fort out of sand and how he saved my daughter from the seagulls.  Livi bathed her baby doll in the ocean and Maddox enjoyed the waves for the first time.  Not only did I have a much needed trip to the beach, I got to photograph for myself too.  To stay sane and focused I believe every photographer should take pause and photograph the things that brought them to this art form in the first place.  I started off by documenting everyday life and artistically capturing ordinary objects.  In fact, I think this upcoming year I am going to schedule a few sessions with myself and my camera and I are going on some adventures.

On the last day of our vacation this is what we had above us.  

A reminder of His constant love and presence 

and that you can't have a rainbow without a little rain...

  Is it just me or does it seem like the kids only have to potty when there is no bathroom around for at least 15 miles?  On a populated stretch of road, every one insists they don't have to potty.... but as soon as we drive to Middle of Nowhere it hits them.  Helpful mommy tip*  when you are potty training & even when they are fully trained, bring the potty with you!  You never know when they won't be a place to stop and I promise you, you do not want an accident in the car seat.  Car seat strap assembly is my kryptonite so I like to avoid it at all cost.  Long story short- bring the potty.   

When we finally arrived after 5 potty breaks, 2 were false alarms... we couldn't get our suits on fast enough.  We headed straight to the beach.  I couldn't wait to see Livi's reaction to the ocean!  She came running, arms out, and laid herself down in the shallow water.  She laughed hysterically! 

So thankful that I have two water lovin' babies, because I honestly could live in the ocean or in a pool, I don't care as long as I am in the water!  

Something about it soothes my soul and its wondrous to see it within my littles.  

Seeing them play like that, takes me right back to my childhood.  Do you remember the beach as a child?  I could've stayed all day, all night.  I never wanted to go inside.  Now I am on the other side.  I still wish I could stay all day, but now its my job to think about sun exposure, getting some fresh water to drink, lunch, naps, no sand throwing, potty breaks, jellyfish, floaties...

Here are a few of my iPhone photos from our mini vacation.

 You don't want sand in your camera. Not a single speck. I shot all of my photos with sand free, dry hands with my camera poking out of a ziplock bag.  

Hubs called her a fish and she looked at him serious as could be and said "no, I a dolphin."  

My baby knows she is special.  :) 

  Perfection.

Another mommy tip* get one of this rolling carts.  It turns the walk down to the beach and back to the hotel into a breeze.  No armfuls of floats and shovels, just load it up and roll.  

#lifesaver

Gardening with the Littles | Senoia, Ga Children Photographer

There is nothing that says happy child quite like a mud covered child. 

 We love for our littles to play outside, but more than that we love our littles learning outside.  Through gardening we are able to teach them where real food comes from and some life skills.  

  We break up the earth with tillers, rakes, and shovels... look at the different shapes, sizes and colors of seeds.  Then we plant our seeds, feed them, and water them.  The kids get a lesson in how the sun and water work to grow and nourish the plant.  They'll see the seed transform into a plant, and then they'll see the plants produce fruits and veggies.  I can't wait for them to dig up carrots and there are definitely going to be pictures of them sitting in the watermelon patch.  

  My kids love helping us make meals, so I know they will be super proud of themselves for picking the food, washing it, and then cooking and serving it!

Quick Tip | Setting the Table

  Super easy way to help teach your little how to set the table!  I found some cheap place mats at the dollar store, used a permanent marker and some household items.  I traced where everything should go and labeled them.  
  I keep the mats on the shelves in the dining room & when its time to eat the kids can easily put one at each seat and then set it up correctly.  :)  My son loves having a "job" and being a helper.  These little things help boost his confidence. 

Helping with Snack Time

We are big on finding ways to involve our littles in helping and participating around the house.  They are a very important part of our family and we like them to know they play a role in our household.  Its a great confidence booster and exercises little hands (fine motor skills development- is super important).   

At the dinner table you will hear my son announce, " I washed those potatoes," "I chopped those leaves," "I helped stir..."

He is proud to have helped bring dinner to the table or to have cleaned our apples and grapes for snacking.

We learn a lot about nutrition this way.  We talk about what we are washing off of the food, how it grows, and this activity gets them familiar with working with fruits and veggies.  Plus, its just fun to play in the water! 

It also helps me out tremendously to have them distracted, scrubbing produce out of the kitchen while I am cooking the bulk of the meal. Its nice cooking without little people attached to you.

You can find these inexpensive scrubbers anywhere!  This one came from a dollar store.  Its got a handle thats just the right size for little hands and is nice and short so they can control it easier. 

I add water in the sink of their play kitchen (from Ikea).
There is still some great imaginative play happening- which is great for little growing brains!  We feel like imaginative play is one of the most important parts of our littles' day. 

I laid out a towel for all of our clean apples.  

I guess he worked up an appetite with all of that scrubbing.  My littles love fruit.

Super easy way to include the littles and get a chance to do your own cooking!  It doesn't always come out "picture perfect."  My youngest little (almost 2 years) will scrub a potato, splash a little, scrub another, then try biting the potato, then splash some more before she decides to dump the water out. :)
 My 3 year old does wonderfully with this task though.