Posts Tagged ‘Kids’
Lunch Money at RCPL
Last weekend, I joined the groupies of the coolest kids’ rock band around at one of the hippest locations in town. I’m talkin’ about Lunch Money, and I’m talkin’ about the Richland County Public Library. Seriously, how many single locations can you think of where your kid can (1) get story and sing-a-long time, (2) watch a play put on by local actors, and (3) hear an indie-rock concert all in one morning before you pick up your favorite brain candy on the way out? Oh yeah – and all of this is essentially for free, not to mention the bonus of a child ready for nap time once the excitement has come to an end. J.P. and I don’t have kids yet, but I’m taking notes.
Here’s Lunch Money. They will rock your socks off!
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Lunch Money at RCPL
Last weekend, I joined the groupies of the coolest kids’ rock band around at one of the hippest locations in town. I’m talkin’ about Lunch Money, and I’m talkin’ about the Richland County Public Library. Seriously, how many single locations can you think of where your kid can (1) get story and sing-a-long time, (2) watch a play put on by local actors, and (3) hear an indie-rock concert all in one morning before you pick up your favorite brain candy on the way out? Oh yeah – and all of this is essentially for free, not to mention the bonus of a child ready for nap time once the excitement has come to an end. J.P. and I don’t have kids yet, but I’m taking notes.
Here’s Lunch Money. They will rock your socks off!
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Family Photography: David & Susan Faith
This is an especially special post for me because I absolutely adore the people and the story behind it. OK, so take a look at David and it’s pretty clear that he’s adorable:
Yeah, I told ya’.
What’s not readily apparent is that David was born with a large ventricular septal defect and a patent ductus arteriosus–congenital heart defects that kept his blood from circulating properly and, thus, kept his body from getting the oxygen it needed. This was keeping him from growing the way he ought to. Fortunately, at the end of October, David went down to the Medical University of South Carolina where they were able to surgically repair the problems with his heart. This little guy was bathed in a lot of prayer and, as you can see, he’s coming along quite nicely now.
While recovering from his surgery, David wasn’t able to go out in public, and as I followed his story I kept wanting to see better pictures of him, so I got in touch with his mom, Melissa, a friend of mine from back when I was in high school, and asked if she’d like Wendy and I to get some pictures of David and his big sister, Susan Faith. She liked the idea, and so here are the photos!
This is Susan Faith with her mom. She has the cutest little nose!
Susan Faith and her dad.
Boys + bonnets = unhappiness
Finally, I thought I’d close with a shot of what David’s parents call his “zipper”, the scar from the surgery that has allowed him to grow and develop those adorable rolls you see over the top of his diaper.
To learn more about David’s story and the wonderful people at MUSC who helped to make it one with a very happy ending, I suggest you check out his Caring Bridge site. His mom also has a new blog about children, books, and children’s books called Growing Up Reading. (Susan Faith taught herself to read before she was twenty-one months old, so I’d say Melissa is someone’s advice you might want to consider when it comes to children’s literacy.)
Wendy and I are so thankful to have gotten to play a tiny part in David’s story and we look forward to seeing the wonderful young man he’s going to become.
Thanks for hanging out with us for this week of blogging! There are some cool photos in the pipeline and two shoots coming up this month we’re really excited about, so check back soon!
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Christmas in Maryland
We have delayed far too long in posting pics from our Christmas visit to Maryland. After waiting out one of this year’s infamous snow storms, J.P. and I finally made it to the home of my big sis, bro-in-law, and favorite kids. Get ready for the cuteness!
Meet Ethan. Ethan loves to read and play, and he insists on giving you a full tour of the toy box as soon as you walk through the door.
I love this next picture Loren took of Ethan watching J.P. juggle some blocks. At the time, I was helping my mom prepare for our family photo. Just look at those bright eyes and that smile!
Here he is opening up some cardboard blocks that took the adults about half an hour to assemble (actually, I’m not sure how long it took us, but those blocks are not coming apart again for some time… too many little cardboard teeth).
Ethan wasn’t as excited about the shark poncho we picked out as he was the blocks, books and puzzles. I can’t blame the kid, but I sure am glad we got this picture out of it.
This is Brooke, Ethan’s beautiful baby sister. She is sweet and sociable and thinks Ethan is the funniest thing around. Brooke’s laugh alone is enough to make my day (this is what I’m talking about).
Here’s Poppy snoozing with little Brooke…
…and Pop holding Brooke after her nap.
Ethan is a wonderful big brother who will frequently bring his little sis toys to hold and even try to make sure she’s present for story time. But even the best older siblings will sometimes compete for attention…
The trip was awesome! Mainly, we lounged around, played with the kids, hung out with Betsy and Loren, and ate their food. My mom and dad were there, too, so we had some bonus family time consisting of caroling, continued eating, and of course a family photo shoot.
Betsy and Loren are amazing parents and, honestly, first class human beings. They are family and friends we continue to look up to.
Currently, Loren, Betsy, Ethan and Brooke are reunited after Loren’s recent trip to help out in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. You can view some of his pictures from the trip here. Welcome home, Loren! We love you!
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Baby Pictures: Sophia
The last time we saw Sophia was in Wendy’s maternity session when she was rounder and not nearly as expressive.
Now Sophia has joined us on the outside and is busy growing, eating, and generally being adorable. Her mom got in touch with us about taking some baby photos of her and we were more than happy to oblige.
Like I said, significantly more expressive.
Sophia is very fond of her changing table. Wendy (my Wendy) and I were very fond of the green wall as a background!
We decided to spend a little time outside since it was a gorgeous, warm, South Carolina November day.
Even Sophia’s canine siblings hung out with us for the shoot.
Then, since the sun was starting to set, we went inside for a few more pictures.
One more change, during which Sophia tried to eat her mom’s ring.
Speaking of eating, I believe the technical term for what’s going on in this next picture is “Nom, nom, nom.”
Now that’s just cute. I don’t care who you are.
We had a great time spending the afternoon with Wendy, Anthony, and Sophia. Apart from just being delightful to hang out with, Anthony shared his recipe for white beans and leeks with me and they were delicious. So, cute baby, cool parents, and yummy soup all add up to a pretty fantastic day. Thanks, guys!
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Lake Eden Arts Festival
LEAF is an annual festival that takes place in Black Mountain, NC in the fall. Lunch Money played there this year, and I got to come along for the ride… and the entire soul soothing experience. :) If you’re not yet familiar with Lunch Money, you need to be. The band: Molly Ledford, Jay Barry, and J.P. (my J.P.). Molly writes the songs, which have a playful yet cerebral quality. Her lyrics always throw me back to my own childhood. This is music that adults love just as much as kids!
The band rocked out both Saturday and Sunday afternoon, and an audience bundled in coats, mittens and hats couldn’t help but move with the beat.
During the Lunch Money show, Lucy kept shooting me these adorable smiles and then trying to hide behind Henry’s head. Finally, I pulled out the camera and caught her!
Henry, Lucy and I got to spend some quality time together while the band was setting up and breaking down. We had faces painted and heads adorned in balloon hats. We also visited the dress-up tent to try on masks, swords, feather boas and sparkly fairy wings. Henry was thoroughly enthralled with the instrument petting zoo, and Lucy was delighted to skip through the kid market. Bubbles and bonbons seemed to be floating everywhere. There was plenty around to keep a kid happy all day.
LEAF was a wonderful time to experience art, nature, good food and great music. It was, however, freezing cold. Fortunately, our next post (three posts in a week!) contains the perfect solution to chilliness. If you’ve ever wanted to stay warm without raising your heating bill or longed to join a cult, the next post is for you!
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