9/52

This week's photo was chosen from those that I took for my last week of a Photo 101 class. I have been taking an online "Photography 101" class intended for beginners, like myself, with little to no experience in photography. I love learning so it's been a lot of fun learning the basics of how to use my DSLR camera. I am by no means an expert now, but it has been really neat getting to learn about manual exposure, composition, and such while shooting with natural light.

I just realized that Little M is wearing the same little outfit this week as last... Probably because it is my current favorite one of his. 

It has been a great week, and the weather has been beautiful here the last few days! Getting excited for spring break and our upcoming trip to Nashville only two weeks away!

"A portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2014."

8/52

The image I selected this week for the 52 Project post was taken by my lovely sister Ariel Axsom. We decided to make an impromptu trip to Orlando to visit Tia and Tio Axsom. I'd been wanting to make the trip ever since Micah was born, but at first it proved rather difficult to get away with a little newborn. Then once Micah hit two months, he bizarrely began HATING the car. And when I say hating I mean he would wail and work himself up into such a state that he'd be drenched in sweat from head to toe. Nothing would pacify him. Micah is an abnormally good baby, always cheerful and contented, so when this wave of hating the car began it was a very strange and alarming thing. As most first mothers know, people love to offer advice and informal diagnoses and remedies for these type of situations, but nothing worked. I had his ears checked, and tried all sorts of distractions, music, and much more to try to soothe him in the car, all to no avail. I began praying that it was a phase that would pass as quickly as it sprung upon us. He had loved the car for the first two months of his life... Thankfully, on Wednesday of last week, a glimmer of hope appeared as he didn't cry as we drove to volunteer at our church's youth service that night. As odd as it may sound, there hasn't been one car-ride that he was not completely dissatisfied in, in the last month. So even though it was just a short 15 minute drive in each direction, it was amazing that he seemed to enjoy or at least not be bothered in the car. The next day I decided to test it a bit more and make an hour drive down to visit some family in Wakulla county, and again he did not cry the whole way there or back. After these two consecutive days of him being content in the car, I decided it was now the time to test our fate on the road and attempt Micah's first road trip. Chris, my husband, was out of town so it was just Micah and I and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to up and go. I shared my idea with my mother, and we decided to make the impromptu road trip together with her and my dad! It was rad. Micah was amazing and enjoyable the whole trip there and back. It was a sweet reunion with Auntie Ariel and Uncle Andrew! The adventure was very needed act of spontaneity in my life. I'm on who appreciates doing things unplanned on a whim. It's refreshing. Exciting. Needed. 

So all that to say that these pictures below are a few of the wonderful moments captured from our short "weekend" in Orlando. It was such a wonderful time with my dear sister who I miss very much, and I'm so glad she got some baby snuggles in with my little man.

"A portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2014."

This last picture was taken after convincing my dad to pull over the car along I-75 to let my mom and I (with little M) run and take a picture by some wild orange trees that remain in an abandoned, overgrown orange tree orchard. They were beautiful, and I couldn't pass up an opportunity to take a picture with Baby Micah, my wild sweet Florida orange! And I also have to mention how much I love my mom who has always taught me to be an adventurer, and has instilled in me a great appreciation for the beauty in the world around me! She always taught us to stop and soak in and appreciate the beauty of creation and helped develop in me an awe for our awesome Creator. I am so thankful for this sweet, spontaneous, and beautiful weekend.

7/52

"A portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2014."

This week Micah has become quite a talker. Prior to now he would say one sound which sounded similar to saying "oww". We teased that he was telling on his Nana and myself for abusing him with too many kisses, and that expressing that "love hurts". But now he has progressed onto saying "goo" and making interesting gargling noises. I think this new communicating was enhanced or became easier with his extra mucus from his cold, which we're hoping is on its way out. I'm loving Micah's expressiveness, and sweet temperament. 

Here was another John Piper quote that I was encouraged by and resonated with my heart and recent thoughts about parenting.

"Everything we do from the time a child is born should be aimed at leading him to faith. Our warmth, our hugs, our laughter, our setting boundaries, our stern looks, our severe discipline, our mercy- all should be communicating who God is and that he is trustworthy. We should hope that our children never be disbelieving but will rather grow up trusting in the Christ of our family."

6/52

6/52

This week has been a challenging one in our home. The nasty cold and sore throat has passed along to our poor little babe, who despite feeling icky has been such a sweet boy. I know he feels really poorly, and it breaks my heart that there is so little I can do for him. He has also reverted back to waking up every hour and a half, which I'm hoping is due to this yucky cold and will pass as quickly as it came. Either way, although the sleep deprivation is tough, it gives me more time with this precious little gift, and I really do my best to love every moment. 

It was a little tough to document the week due to the little bug being shared around, but despite the yuckiness, this week has had its share wonderful moments and memories. This week Micah was dedicated to our Savior, and thankfully I was able to snap a few pictures of that special day. Our prayer for Micah is that he will grow up knowing and loving Jesus, as his Lord and Savior. That God will draw Micah to himself and that we can parent him in a manner that demonstrates the gospel to his heart in tangible, evident ways everyday. We pray that Micah will know how deeply loved and cherished he is by us, his parents, and by his Heavenly Father, who will never fail him, leave him, or forsake him. Below are a few pictures of his dedication day. 

"A portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2014."

I came upon this quote yesterday on the Deeply Rooted instagram feed, and was very encouraged. If you haven't heard of Deeply Rooted I highly encourage you to check it out. It is aesthetically similar to Kinfolk, and works to inspire and encourage women in their faith. But here is the quote that I was struck, challenged, and encouraged by yesterday...

"If you are a Christian woman who loves the Lord, the gospel is important to you. It is easy to become discouraged, thinking that the work you are doing does not matter much. If you were really doing something for Christ you would be out there, somewhere else, doing it. Even if you have a great perspective on your role in the kingdom, it is easy to lose sight of it in the mismatched socks, in the morning sickness, in the dirty dishes. It is easy to confuse intrigue with value, and begin viewing yourself as the least valuable part of the Church... At the very heart of the gospel is sacrifice, and there perhaps no occupation in the world so intrinsically sacrificial as motherhood. Motherhood is a wonderful opportunity to live the gospel. Jim Elliot famously said, 'He is no fool who give up that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.' Motherhood provides you with an opportunity to lay down the things you cannot keep on behalf of the people that you cannot lose. They are eternal souls, they are your children, they are your mission field... Giving up what you cannot keep does not [necessarily] mean giving up your home, or job so you can go serve somewhere else. It is giving up yourself. Lay yourself down. Sacrifice yourself here, now. Cheerfully wipe the nose for the fiftieth time today. Make dinner again for the people who don't like the green beans. Laugh when your plan are thwarted by a vomiting child. Lay yourself down for the people here with you, the people who [may at times] annoy you, the people who get in your way, the people who take up so much of your time that you can't ready anymore. Rejoice in them. Sacrifice for them. Gain that which you cannot lose in them... A true love of the gospel overflows and overpowers. It will be in everything you do, however drab, however simple, however repetitive." (John Piper)

5/52

I like these cold, gray winter days. Days like these let you savor what is sweet in life. Let you reflect and think. Let you remember and dream. Let you appreciate the moment you’re in. And these were especially dear but cold moments. We even had a “snow day”. Yes, a “snow day” here in Florida. It provided a sweet day to snuggle up by the fire and enjoy time with my little son. I know these are precious days. I know his littleness is fleeting. He’s already growing and changing so much. I love the days when I get to keep him in my arms.

These photographs were taken on our “snow day”, which was actually a bit more of an “ice” day. A great gray day.

5/52 

"A portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2014."

4/52

"The prayers we weave into the matching of socks, the stirring of oatmeal, the reading of stories, they survive fire.” 

Ann Voskamp 

Today I was able to have a bit of extra time snuggled up with this little one who was having an rare tough morning. Baby M is generally so calm, and content, but today he just wanted to remind me that he was in fact a baby. And some days babies just need to be babies. But being able to console and love on this sweet baby made my heart full. Full of gratitude and thanksgiving for his Creator, who knew I needed to just stop in the busyness of life and that despite our good intention of making it to church, that He needed my heart right where I was. Right in the middle of the chaos of life. I needed to stop and set aside my agenda to reflect, be prayerful, and offer thanksgiving. I am in awe and so grateful that God has demonstrated His transcending, perfect mercy and love in choosing Chris and I to care for this little one as his parents. We know that he is His child, his life woven together according to His perfect plan- knowing his present and future needs, desires, discomforts, and joys. My prayer as a mother is that God will extend to me the daily wisdom and grace I need to mother and raise little Micah according to His ways. So, little Micah, as quoted above, I weave prayers together for you as I experience the dailies of this adventure in motherhood.

4/52

"A portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2014."

"I want to see beauty. In the ugly, in the sink, in the suffering, in the daily, in all the days before I die, the moments before I sleep." (Ann Voskamp) 

Micah: having a conversation and sharing sweet smiles with Dada. This last week or so there have been abundant baby coo's and sweet smiles.  Little Micah is crazy about his Daddy. 

the 52 project

I have been immensely excited about participating in The 52 Project ever since I first heard of it through a friend, Kelly Kee. Through Kelly’s beautiful pictures, I was inspired to participate. Since then I was eagerly awaiting the day for my darling boy to arrive so I could begin participating in this project. Through reading Kelly's initial post I stumbled upon the creator of the project, Jodi Wilson, of the blog which was originally called “Che and Fidel,” which is now beautifully named “Practicing Simplicity”. Although we've never met, I think that Jodi and I are kindred spirits. My soul resonated with this project entirely. Her description of it is seemingly perfect, and I couldn’t express it any more elegantly so here is the heart behind The 52 Project:

"There's a common saying amongst mothers, first coined by writer Gretchen Rubin in her book The Happiness Project: “The days are long, but the years are short.” Indeed, our days of mothering babies and young children can be tiring and messy; a cycle of washing, settling, cleaning and playing. Sometimes they’re monotonous and seemingly endless. But then, without so much as a blink, the sleepless nights and mornings at the park are over, and we’re sending our children off to school, hesitantly cutting the metaphorical cord once again…I set about taking my children’s portraits as a way of documenting their fleeting childhood. I wanted tangible evidence of their growth and expansion; an honest account of their young, innocent lives. I took photos of [my son] sitting hesitantly on the side of the pool, hiding from the camera; his shadow an eerie replica, the twiddling of his toes - a family trait. [My daughter] was all round and soft in her first photo and as the year progressed I watched her limbs grow longer, her face more defined, her independence evolve. There are photos of her inquisitive eyes, her cheeky demeanor, and her top-knot; an unportrait of sorts that I’d probably nominate as my favourite… As 2012 came to a close I had 104 portraits - a story of [my childrens’] year. Imbued in each image is my story too; a tale of motherhood with all its exhaustion, frustration, joy and palpable, immeasurable love. It’s a documentation of ordinary days that I wanted to remember because they were beautiful - an odd collection of singular moments that would have otherwise gone unnoticed amidst the general busyness of life. Even when the days were too long to enjoy I can see, in retrospect, that they were a blessing.Beyond the story of this portrait collection lies a strange reality; I look through it and experience a profound sense of nostalgia for my children’s younger selves. I already miss them! I miss them with a longing that only a mother’s heart knows; it’s deep and raw and acts as a beautiful reminder: to stop, observe and document.”

So here’s to Stoping. Observing. Documenting. and Cherishing these small, raw, simple, beautiful, messy, real, tangible moments and keeping them suspended in time through my humble photographs.

As I mentioned above, I was eagerly anticipating my son’s arrival to begin participating in this beautiful project, but when that glorious day did finally arrive in November, I decided to wait until the New Year to start fresh. This decision was mostly due to the fact that I was hoping to receive a DSLR camera for Christmas and did not have anything aside from my iPhone to capture images on, as well as  not having a blog to publish these precious, real moments onto until now. So… Remaining true to who I am, I’m already behind in posting, so here’s to catching up.

3/52 (week of 1.19.14)

"A portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2014."

2/52 (week of 1.12.14)

"A portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2014."

1/52 (week of 1.05.14)

"A portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2014."