For the first time in their young lives, my children are interested in politics. Of course, that’s not too much of a surprise since they’re only 8 and 6 but still I find their interest in it exciting. My own political and religious views often surprise my children and we have many, many conversations about things that would probably shock a good number of people we know. For instance, I told my children that I don’t believe in God, not in the traditional churchy sense anyway, but they do believe. It’s not up to me to discourage their belief in it so we talk about why we each believe what we do. I feel like I really know them and they really know me. Politically, I’m not affiliated with any party because not one of them has it all right. This year for me will be a vote of the lesser of two evils but my kids are excited about Barack Obama. They are thrilled when they see him on television and will sit, enthralled, hanging on his every word. They have both said countless times that they hope he wins for President and this too has caused many a conversation about what Obama stands for and what I stand for and what the boys think are good things for our country.
It’s times like these that I am so thankful to have them home with me for without them here, it would be easy for me to isolate myself with my thoughts and never challenge my thinking on any given topic. But with them here, I find myself explaining certain things which in turn leads to them explaining things to me. It will be interesting to see how things progress as the election grows closer. Also, the conversations I’ve been having with the boys has caused me to sit and reflect on how easy it is to discount the opinions of children, strictly because of their age. I don’t want my children to ever think that their opinion doesn’t matter because they’re “too young”. It’s so important to involve them, especially at a young age, so they will alway feel that they have an important contribution to make.
On a completely different topic…the other night, I invited the boys to come downtown with me to take some photos. Sean was busy studying and it seemed like the quiet our absence would bring would be greatly appreciated. Off we went on our downtown adventure and we really had a lot of fun! It was a tad bit chilly but the boys were good sports and we stayed down there for almost a half an hour. At one point, we had gone down an alley that led to some shops when Ryan just spontaneously burst into a dance routine. Iain and I were SO cracked up but I managed to get some shots of the young Denny Terio in action:
And, I don’t know why but I just love this one:
I’m still considering going into the photography business but am taking it very, very slowly. Right now I’m just trying to build my portfolio so I have pictures in there of folks that I’m not related to so, if you’re local and you’d like to have some portrait work done, please email me at the address at the top of the page. 🙂
Hope all is well with you and your world!
THAT LAST ONE! Oh it is beautiful. I could so see it framed in a gallery.
I wish I lived closer……
Thanks, Mama P.
I wish you lived closer, too. 🙂
I’d happily let you practise away on my kids – coming this way anytime soon?
The dancing pics are just priceless, but this last one has a simply gorgeous aatmosphere to it.
You get better and better at your craft with every post Evie!
Cate, I WISH I were coming down there soon! I wish we were moving there.
I’m glad you liked the photos and thank you so much for your encouragement! I practice every day, if I can.
Awesome. I really do come hoping to see your incredible pictures with every post. If I was in your neck, I would hire you in a heart beat. Honest.-K
Mama K, that is SO sweet!! Thank you very much!!!
That last one IS beautiful! I love all these…crisp and clear subjects with great joy and emotion coming through!
What camera do you use???
First, I’ll get the camera envy out of the way…the crispness of your pics make me want to throw a fit, chuck my meager digital camera, and get me a for real camera…with lenses and everything. So gorgeous.
Second…your gift for capturing moments with the camera is really really amazing. Really great.
Third…love the boys dancing and laughing! The last picture is so great. The baseball caps and overalls make it feel like this was taken in the 20’s–and then the crocs and “M” for mario kick in. So cute. What a moment on film.
Love it!
I saw these pictures on flickr. I can’t remember if I commented but I thought they were great. I share some of what you are saying. My daughter is my “religious child”. She loves Sunday School, church, the Bible, etc. I wish I had such strong faith but I don’t. I don’t have many discussions with her but I support her beliefs. I feel it is good for her. My son is a doubter like myself. We do talk about it.
Also, daughter is excited about Obama, too despite her politically conservative father! In our house, we certainly have a lot of varying views on issues.
Maria, I’m using the Canon Rebel XTi, aka the 400D. If it weren’t for digital I wouldn’t have gotten into this as a hobby! I’m glad you liked that last pic, too.
CP,
No need to have camera envy! I saw your latest pics on flickr and they were looking pretty good themselves! Also, thank you so much for everything you said up there. It was really nice to hear it!
Joan, my kids don’t go to church but they did go to a church-based preschool which is where they got their exposure. They’d probably enjoy church, too, if they went. It’s good that you all have relationships where these things can be discussed, whether it’s religion or politics. My parents are very rabidly against Obama and democrats in general. I think I’m actually going to have to ask my dad to quit talking politics when the kids are around because he has terrible things to say and I don’t want the kids to hear that. I think it’s great that you guys have such eclectic beliefs!! Difference makes the world go round.
evie
As usual, GREAT photos! It’s so great that you were able to capture such a fun and joyful moment. How in the world were you able to keep the camera steady while giggling?
Wow, those pictures are beautiful. They almost look like 3D pics.
Ahhhh, fabulous pictures as always. I love the last one too. The boys look like they are sharing a secret or having a serious talk. You have such a gift! I am semi-local!
Yeah, I am not liking any of the choices this year in the election. Ian actually asked us lots of good questions though when we went to vote in the primary a couple of weeks ago. That surprised me that he was really thiniking about it at 4!!
Have a good day, friend.
Marin
Great photos! Good for you – letting your kids think about things and form their own opinions! It is amazing what we can learn from our children!
Your photos are simply fantastic! As a mom of 4 boys…I LOVE and appreciate these captures. 🙂
Carri, It was tough! I certainly didn’t capture every move he made but thankfully I was able to get the ones I did. He’s a real character!
Freckles, thanks very much! I was really surprised by the 3-D’ness of them as well.
Marin, they were so cold. LOL They were probably complaining about me. I’d love to take pics of your Ian! I just never think bout it because you’re so talented at photography yourself.
Pearls and chocolate, I definitely want to encourage them to have their own minds and not be little parrots of whatever I tell them. Thanks for the encouragement!
Melody, thank you! I love my boys and hope to capture the essence of their personalities as much as I can. They grow up so fast!!
evie
wow…i feel so out of touch with everyone on the net now! I got lost in real life for a bite and just now making rounds again…i missed so much over here!
Those are fabulous pictures…I especially LOVE the last one…that should definitely get blown up and framed….its just too great not to
deeg! welcome back!!!
I’m planning on getting that last one on metallic paper!!! I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Evie
Great pictures. The street they are on is great. Looks sort of old townish. Maybe something European. That or I seriously need to return to the states.
Oh my, Evie! That last one is just gorgeous!
I am a total sucker for the B and W’s! The contrast is PERFECT! 🙂