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Post 345: Childsihness

~ silsurf ~ Leave a comment

I have never even considered that my mother had a childish side to her. It has always been locked away behind adult preoccupations.

Now she is 92 years old and I am amazed at how she reacts to Luke and Lily, joyous, playful, loving.

Yesterday I watched her play with Luke and a balloon,

and when Luke did his two favorite magic tricks she was suitably amazed.

  1. The missing finger sliding on the hand trick, to which she declared: “That one gets me every time!”
  2. For the levitating cup trick, she had no words, just “wow!”

All I have is wow for the whole thing, children rule!

 

Post 343: Time marches on

~ silsurf ~ 1 Comment

Luke is done with 1st Grade, Lily is just bursting with growth, everything seems to be moving and swirling to monumental moments. Its just kids growing up I know and it happens to billions of people, but still, how gorgeous it is to watch unfold.

We read about the cycles of equilibrium and dis-equalibrium that occur continually in a child’s life. Last night Mom and I were reflecting on Luke being in a dis-equilibrium Frustrated, doesn’t want help with anything, yet wants “something”. Argumentative, and filled with thought, a seven year old child filled with there own world of thought. Something that I have a hard time digesting, he is growing up.

Luke started the year unable to read or do any math, now he does multiplication in his head and reads to Lily in the mornings.

Lily is bursting with everything, language, motor skills, love, love, love of her brother. There is a constant merry-go-round of fun, play, fight, frustration and everything you can imagine in between for the two of them.

This morning as I got them ready for there first days of summer camp, both were so excited to put on there back packs and carry there lunch bags and put on there sun screen. We stepped outside, I took this picture and all they could say was “I love you” to each other. Not playfully, but completely sincerely. They said it many times throughout of drive to drop Luke off. Lily was at his side the whole way and Luke was so proud to have his sister there.

 

Post 336: Camerawork

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I have spent much of my life behind the lens of a camera, literally millions of feet of film have passed by my eyes.

When I was young I had this stigma about still photography, simply that when I saw a beautiful picture, I felt like, geez, I could have taken that if I was there at that moment? So what’s the big deal?

What I learned over the years is that the point is I was not there at that exact moment and did not choose to release the shutter at that very instant.

As the beloved photographer Henri-Cartier Bresson eloquently called, the decisive moment. 

I also know that the viewfinder through a childs eye can be a fun and often an insightful look into their world. There have been many times at work where we are trying to emulate what a child might want to see, the perspective of a child being so unique, and it is not easy to do. There have been many instances of wonderful photography done by children.

With all that said I gave Luke and Lily an old camera to do with what they wish. Lily took it to school one day and I just love the “day in the life” of her photographs.

 

Post 330: Lily talk

~ silsurf ~ Leave a comment

I love how everything Lily talks about blends together. Much of it driven by her desire to replicate “all things Luke!”. Breakfast the other day:

What would you like?

What did Lukey have?

Tortilla with refried beans cheese and an egg on top.

(Confused)

Kinda like a egg in the whole.

I’ll have an egg in the whole.

(I start to prepare)

Can I have it sandwich style?

Well, an egg in the whole is kinda like by itself , I mean the egg is already inside the bread?

(Silence)

Ok, soft boiled then.

Daddy (confused, but I just moved forward)

And don’t cut off the bones.

Post 329: Monopoly

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Just had been sick for about a week. Actually it started with lice, which led to the Hair Whisperer (true) and on the tail end of that a stomach bug. jeez.

He loves Monopoly and what I noticed in the games we have played in the last few days is how quickly his math skills are progressing. Three days ago he didn’t understand that if I buy a property for $280, I can just put $300 in the bank and take $20 back. Now he is doing exactly that without even thinking about it.

I was never much of a monopoly player and he has beaten me three times in a row, but I wanted to say thanks to Hasbro for being there when we are home sick and needed some well deserved math lessons.