Messy and Out of Focus

I am still adjusting to my new camera.  It is an awesome camera but the operator has some playing still to do with settings before the pictures will turn out consistently just as I want them.  As I was reviewing the photos from today, I noticed two themes, messiness and out of focus.  You'll see what I mean below.

Sometimes our life feels that way.  Messy and out of focus.  We go through the paces of life not focusing in on the things that matter.  We focus in on what is in the foreground and miss the treasure behind it.  We see the mess and the projects that need to be completed and miss the life that is going on around it.   A few of my pictures tonight had that very problem.  Focused in the foreground and missed that sweet face I was aiming for in the background.  Wanting to delete pictures because there is so much mess.  But I am keeping the pictures anyway.  It is a good reminder to be intentional, switch our settings, and place that focus where it belongs.   Whether it is on the little human needing our attention, the lessons that need to be learned, or the sweet moments that need just enough pause to be set to our memory.

Today was a lovely day that allowed for yoga pants and a sweatshirt all day - which is really all I need to call it a win.  It is possible that I stretched the definition of "allowed for" but I am cool with that.  I did manage to show my face at a couple of basketball games, a sleepover for the big boy, and the grocery store.  And I probably should have been a smidge more bothered by my lack of polished look but I just wasn't.  Getting all six of us up, ready and out the door five days a week is enough for me.  Saturdays can be for yoga pants for this mama.  Don't worry, I brushed my teeth and hair.  In preparation for being able to write this tonight, I realized that I needed to get pictures off my phone and my big camera.  It was at that point that I realized that I had not taken photos off either one since December 2016.  Instantly, today became organize all of 2017 photos into folders.  So the focus of my day became the year that we have had.  What a great year it was. . . and when there is a day that I neglect to take any pictures, I will try to remember to do a year in review instead.

Here are tonight's pictures. . .

There was quite the Peppa Pig and Sesame Street gathering that had to be abandoned for her brother's basketball game.  I love that she is so good at playing with toys and using her imagination.

This is such a good representation of her 4 year old year.  She has begun to dress herself in all kinds of fun outfits and she MUST pack up a good portion of her belongings before heading anywhere (Her shirt is a 2T dress)  Her hair, no matter how many times we do it, seems to always be messy and falling in her face.  No matter though, she handles both with confidence and responsibility.  She is mighty, this one.

B began his day at his lego table that his daddy built him.  He isn't as likely to follow an instruction guide as others.  He can and he will when he is excited about the end result.  However, his true love lies in the freedom of creation on his terms.  He loves to create worlds and structures that are all his own.

Once it is built, it is time to bring the world to life.
He is my kiddo that can be equally content playing on his own, with his siblings or with friends.  But I can't help but feel that it is when he is lost in his own world that he is most at home.

Her day did not start out great and I am not sure it got any better.  She didn't feel the best today but on top of that, I think she just had a very 13 day.  Where emotions and impulsivity rule your heart and mind so much that you feel you just can't win.  Some days it just feels like the right thing to do to go back to bed and hide away; so that is what she did.  At least she had some festive lights to keep her company.  (And a pestering mom wanting a picture for her blog!  Ha!)

We are nearly ready to decorate this tree.  I had intended to accomplish that today but the best laid plans rarely roll out over here.   Tomorrow shall be the day.  . . I hope.  :)

K was helping by enjoying a "yogurt stick" (aka Gogurt) and looking for broken lights.

Rich takes a quick break to read the short entry from DPP Day One.  He keeps up on his reading.  He is very sweet about the blog and is so supportive of the time and effort that goes into it.  But that is just the way he is - endlessly kind and supportive.

Back to work replacing lights.   It is ONLY because of Rich that this tree still lights up.  Every year, he goes light by light replacing and fixing.  So our prelit tree is still lit and not requiring additional strands of lights.  The man has the patience of a saint.  Well, until k "helps" by breaking several additional lights that didn't need to be fixed.  She was given a supervisory role from that point on.

The light work must have gotten boring because lil b and k decided to take a break for playing 'school'.   Here, b is reading a story to k.  When k squealed at a part in the story, b reprimanded her quickly by saying, "Do you need to go to the principal's office for awhile to calm down?"  I couldn't help but be humored and mildly concerned all at the same time.  I also couldn't help but wonder, "Who is the principal at this school?"  (Not really, I am 99% positive that would be lil b too).

Today's post to DPP will be this pic.  Sometimes, when you are having a bad day, snuggling up your little sister for some kids Christmas movies makes the day a little bit better.  And it is in that moment that the focus is where it needs to be, on family, on her sister, loving and allowing others to love her.  And k gets the opportunity to pay back some of the kindness that E always shows her day after day.  Those moments really clear up so much of the mess that comes with being 13.