Family Photos

I had the privilege of photographing such an adorable family the other day. All girls except for the baby. Each of the girls had such a contagious personality. My favorite line of the day was from the oldest daughter. We were shooting her portrait and she had created her own pose. "I have a lot more poses we can do," she explained. She was such a delight! As were each of her siblings. Mom and dad were great -- laid-back and so patient.

Here are some of my favorites...

For more of my work visit www.momentsbykathleen.com

Bidding Farewell

My mom bought her first sewing machine in 1971. A year before I was born. In the day, it was the hottest thing around. The best Viking Husqvarna on the planet (or so my mom would tell me) She loved that machine. And so did I.

At age 6, I sat under my mom’s sewing machine, playing with scraps of fabric while my mom sewed me the most amazing book bag. It was a tan satchel type bag with applique letters spelling my name. She wasn't quite done when school was starting. I talked her into letting me stay until she finished my bag so I could take it with me to school. But, before she was finished, I pressed the pedal down and sewed right through my mom’s finger. She didn’t even get mad at me and finished my bag so I could take it to school – albeit late.

A few years later, when I was 9, my mom made me the most amazing coat I ever had. The first time I saw the fabric I hated it. I was so appalled at the idea of having to wear THAT in a coat – to school!!! But then, the fabric magically blended together into the most beautiful princess coat I have ever known. Warm with fabric and love.

By the time I was 12 my mom was tired of me leaving messes around with my “toilet paper Barbie dresses” and turned her lovely machine over to me. I don’t remember her using it after I commandeered it.

I began with making clothing for my dolls. I loved the praise I received for making something but I hated it when my mom would point out that I had sewed something on backwards. She never made me go fix it though. She would just say, “well, if that’s how you want it to look, then leave it be.” Of course, that was all it took for me to pull out my seam ripper and start again.

By age 15, I was making most of my clothes. Since I had to buy them myself, I was looking for cheap ways to get a wardrobe. I would go shopping with my friends, then head to Hancock Fabrics and by that same night, I had copied what my friends had bought for only a few dollars.

I made most of my formal dresses – some of them turning out quite hideous actually. I found the fabric for my wedding dress for $40 and decided that I was going to make that as well.

As soon as babies came along, I began sewing blankets, jammies and outfits for them. To earn a few extra dollars I began sewing formals and wedding dresses (and everything in between) for others. I made wedding dresses for family members to save them a few dollars.

All of this was done on the same old Viking machine my mom purchased in 1971.

Finally, in 2005, I decided to “upgrade” to the newest Viking Husqvarna – the best in the world I would tell you.

And my mom’s machine was retired.

I kept is oiled and ready to use for emergencies. In its whole life, it has been serviced maybe four times. Its always worked. And its always been there.

Until now.

My little, old Viking, that I inherited from my mom, has bit the proverbial bullet. At 40 years old. To repair it would cost more than it is worth – more than most machines are worth.

I can’t rid myself of this machine. It holds too many memories. It is part of me.

But a machine like this deserves a fond farewell. And I will give it the best storage spot in my house.

My Sweet Children

So it’s  3:00 am. I am having yet another sleepless night. And yet, even though I am so sleepy I am typing with my eyes closed, I can’t actually fall asleep. Funny how that works.

My thoughts are on my children, as they often are on sleepless nights. I have such beautiful, wonderful children. I have been so blessed. Each is presented with his or her own struggles, each with his or her own strengths. And I love them for it.

This young man here just turned 16. He has entered a world of driving and dating and being mostly grown up. I am not sure I like it at all. I still remember bringing him home from the hospital. His chubby little self depending so fiercely on me for his existence. It’s hard to accept that this sweet boy is actually not very dependent on me any more. But, with all that teenager-ism brings, he is still such a tender young man. He conveys an emotion when he plays the piano that can only be called a gift. He is a natural in computer programing and writing. Always protective of his infant siblings, helping them grow. Of course, Ms. Princess has his heart. Those two have such a priceless bond. It’s so wonderful to watch. I miss him as a child, but love watching him grow into a man.

 Then there is Staff Srgt. Huzzah; who earned his name for being so encouraging of his family and friends. “You can do it” and “Way to go” seem to be his mantra. He often plays with his younger siblings games invented by his comprehensive imagination. His large stature houses a bigger heart. The Staff Srgt is always making someone smile and feel better about themselves. He has a natural gift of humor. This kid is so FUNNY. Turning 14 next month, he is beginning to find his place in life; beginning to learn about the things that give him confidence and bring him joy. The Staff Srgt is always ready with a hug and a kind word.

Spiderman is smack in the middle of this craziness. Sometimes he gets over-spoken by the older boys but if you get him alone, he can talk your ear off. He is fascinated by weather and maps… ever since he was a pre-schooler, he has been helping us find our way on vacations with his maps. He is turning 12 in just a few days and I find myself wondering when that happened. Seems like just barely he was a chubby little baby; so chubby, the doc said, that he couldn’t even roll over. Spiderman is a friend magnet.  Partially because of his obsession of PLAY and mostly because he can make anyone feel like they are his best friend, Spiderman always has an abundance of friends. There is such a gentle tenderness about this boy. I can tell he is meant for great things. I know he absorbs and feels more than I realize. He is quick to access the "feeling" in a room and can just as quickly feel the Spirit.

This little man is my last boy. After I had decided that there were not going to be any more little ones in our home, I felt his spirit urging me to decide otherwise. I can’t describe it other than to say, I knew he wanted to come join his brothers – badly. The Gladiator has always amazed me with his ability to identify his feelings. As soon as he could talk, he was telling me that he felt “so happy” or “really mad.” He feels things on a huge level. And I love him for that. He was born with a green thumb and a love for all life – even the furry kind. Sometimes he stops what he is doing just to give me a hug. With his 9^th birthday approaching next month, I fear those days of spontaneous hugs will become less and less frequent. And this boy’s faith! It leaves me speechless. He is so innocent and honest in heart. It is no wonder that our Savior beckoned us to “become as a little child.”

Finally, Ms. Princess. Turning 5 mid-September, she just barely missed the cut off date for kindergarten. So, we took the test and she passed.. Of course she passed, she is too smart for her own good. She can count to 100, do addition and subtraction, identify the whole alphabet, she is beginning to read and she can comprehend an unsettling amount of information. She got nervous before her test so she said a prayer. I can feel Heavenly Father smiling at her when she prays and I know for certain He hears her! Even though she is “ready” for kindergarten, I am not sure I am. I am going to miss her immensely. She has been my shadow for so long, I am not sure what I am going to do for 7 long, lonely hours without her. She has picked up sewing already – with a real machine. True, some of her “projects” are difficult to identify right now, but she loves it. And I love her loving it because sewing is so much a part of me. I know Heavenly Father loves me, because he sent me her. The sweet little cherry on top of four different flavors of rich ice cream.

I am sure many moms feel this way, but I often wonder why Heavenly Father entrusted me with such wonderful children. I am in awe of them daily. I pray that they will grow into the people they are meant to be, in spite of my misgivings.

 My life and heart are full!

He'll Carry You

This song was sung on Sunday in Relief Society. So beautiful! So meaningful!
It's sung by Hillary Weeks. Absolutely love it!

The Frightening Case of the Run-Away Rodent

See this little guy? Well we actually have two of them. TWO!! However, this is not OUR hamster. (the photo can be found here) Mostly because our hamsters bite first then run away faster than my sister to an Old Navy sale (Sorry, LorLor but you know its true).

These two little rodents joined our family on a whim. It took about 20 minutes at home for the children to become disenchanted with the idea of cuddling them close. So these two little guys keep themselves company. When the cage starts to smell like goat cheese, I put it outside on the patio until I can talk Spiderman into cleaning it. (I think he secretly loathes the day he swore to always clean the cage if we only got the hamsters)

Somehow, after the last cleaning (which was much too long ago, thankyouverymuch) one of the little tubes to the cage was left off. Of course, we were oblivious to this until, by some small miracle, Staff Srgt. Huzzah saw them scurrying past the piano. After much effort, only one of these little guys was caught. The other was left to 5700 sq ft of hamster paradise.

Two weeks later, after losing all hope of the hamster’s survival, HHOBL shouted that he found the other one. ALIVE! And running through our room. Now, Ms. Princess and the Gladiator were sound asleep on our bed, but all thought of them was gone as Spiderman, Staff Srgt. Huzzah and HHOBL attempted to chase that creature through our room. This is when I entered the room.

HHOBL was racing around with sweat dripping down his face; Staff Srgt was squealing that he couldn’t catch it and Spiderman? Let’s just say he was living up to his name as he flung himself around the room. And still, with all the bravery these men had, this ROBO hamster eluded them.

After moving the sleeping children to the quietude of their own beds, I joined the chase. I scootched under our bed only to have that infernal thing race between Staff Srgt’s legs on the other side. As I started to back out from under the bed, my breeches snagged on a loose nail in our bedframe, anchoring me quite securely to that spot. Eventually I freed myself only to see that $15 fuzz ball run past HHOBL under the rocking chair. Spiderman flung the chair on its side while I, with a hole in my pants, threw a towel over the hamster.

On the count of three… we were going to lift the towel and scoop of the terrifying creature. One. Two. Three!!!

We missed. But not before EVERYONE of us screamed like a little girl.

This time it raced under my hope chest, then towards the door. Which, even though it was shut, we were sure would be the escape for our furry friend.  With the reflexes of a cheetah – ok maybe a hippo – I threw the towel over it again. This time, Spiderman was able to place our “trap” in the exact right spot and before our eyes even focused, our hamster was caught.

He is safely in his cage now with his brother. After a few minutes of territorial battles, (and some pretty clever behavioral conditioning on my part – ifIdosaysomyself), he is content as can be.

But you know what bothered me about this whole thing?

How on earth did that thing survive in my house for two weeks? What did he eat? What did he drink?

The only conclusion I have come to is that I must not really know what’s under the furniture at my house. And, after a hamster survived two weeks on the Unknown, I have decided I don’t want to know.

EVER.