| Alabama Child Photographer |

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As an Alabama child photographer, I have to learn to do things a little differently... That's right, I am one of those moms who actually tries to clean house while the kids AREN'T napping! I'm the one who tries to turn cleaning into a game! "Whoever cleans up the Legos fastest gets to pick the next cartoon!" Yeah right! That works for like .0000005 seconds! Am I crazy, or can anyone relate? I run a household consisting of myself & my three children... Oh, I mean myself, Kyle & my two children..... Hmm. I'm not sure which is more accurate! ❤️ bless his heart.So, naturally, one would assume that a house full of boys would be very messy... You guessed right! I clean and clean, and they're always right behind me pulling everything right back out! I finally have the beds made by the time it's time to get back into them!So, once I realized I had finally gotten the attention of my two little monkeys focused on "The Avengers", I scurried to the kitchen to try to do a little cleaning! Before I knew it, I had the whole kitchen swept, with no interruptions!! WHAAAT!? So, I reveled in my awesomeness, for a moment. Then it happened. All good things must come  to an end. Andy (my 3 year old hooligan), decided that, plopped right in the middle of my dust-pile, was the PERFECT place to color with every art tool he could find while I was sweeping. Instead of getting mad, and telling him where he could take all those crayons/pencils/pens/markers, I decided to soak that moment up... Like a warm summer day's sunlight on my skin. This was my creation, doing exactly what I created him to do. And he was so beautiful, in that moment. I ran to grab my camera!Once I settled in with my *fave* lens, I started preserving this memory, so I could keep it, forever. I love this boy & I want to remember how precious he is, right now. I want something to look back on and remind me of his innocence when he introduces me to his first girlfriend-when he falls in love. I want to remember this when I am wrinkled and grey and he has built a life with his family and I especially want to remember this when he can no longer fit in my lap, and when he doesn't come to me every 5 minutes asking for a pick-up hug or for me to hang him upside down. So much for trying to clean. I am okay with a messy house, with a hundred piles of dust that never quite made it into the dust pan, so long as I can cherish these moments, while I still have them.Those skinned knees-I remember picking you up and cleaning them for you and ensuring you that I was there to take all the booboos away.... What happens when you have a broken heart? I only hope that Dr. Mom can sew it up once that time comes.After a few minutes of silence, Noah, my 6 year old genius, realized we were no longer watching The Avengers with him! Of course, he hunted us down and decided to join. There is no moment more perfect than watching your sweet baby, in awe, except watching BOTH of them. Noah has come a long way since his preemie birth. He wasn't ready when he came into this world, but he did it, anyway, and he has made it 6 years & shown me how important it is to keep pushing forward, no matter my failures and hurdles. He is bold, and brave and full of creativity! " Who needs a coloring book, when you've got FEET!" he squealed as he un-capped his marker. And Andy followed, in suit, by painting his hand with washable markers. They got this brilliant idea that there was nothing more exciting than to color each other! I mean... I was jealous. I'm an only child & never had a sibling to decorate with Crayola!I can still hear the chuckles! "That tickles, Andy!" These two miracles are best friends and I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful family. Messy... but Beautiful. Never take these moments for granted. You will never get them back. You are their world, just as they are yours. Don't speed through life and forget to put on your cape, every now and then. To them, you will always be the hero, as long as you are there. <3  

Thank you for reading ;)