Gracie: 100 Days Old

My family has a tradition of taking a baby's photo at 100 days old. Although I don't know what the significance is, I do know celebrating a baby's 100th day is an Asian tradition. My parents had my photo taken, and since it's really the only tradition to be passed on, I decided to continue it and was delighted when my son and daughter-in-law wanted to do so as well. So, my daughter and I teamed up and did a photo shoot with Gracie.



Gracie was asleep when we began the photo shoot.



I couldn't resist getting a closeup of her pretty little mouth.



When she awoke, she was ready to go! So we started with a pose to try and match her daddy's.





I thought it would be cool to get a shot of her daddy's and my baby portraits with her. Her daddy's portrait on the left was taken by Beltrami's, and my portrait on the right was taken somewhere in Okinawa.



At one point, Gracie rolled off the pillow from her tummy and onto her back. It seemed to pleasantly surprise her.



The pink scarf tied into a bow was my idea, but her daddy laughed, because it was so big. He said it looked like a turban. We all laughed until I was in tears. But don't you think she looks adorable?



Her mommy then dressed her in a pretty outfit handmade by Jean, a dear friend.



This is the setup. One studio light, natural light from a window, a mirror to the right (not shown) to bounce some of the light, and a softbox diffuser on my on-camera flash. Gracie's mommy helped direct Gracie's attention by shaking a soft flower rattle, while Gracie's daddy fixed a cup of coffee for her mommy. Working together... it's one of the things that helps keep family traditions alive.

If you like these, check out her sneak preview pic: Sneak Preview: 100 Days Old

A Family Is Like a Ship

Yesterday was Memorial Day.  For some it was merely the beginning of summer celebrated with a BBQ, a trip to the beach, or a ride on a boat.  For others it was a day to remember those who have served our country in the armed forces and have given their very lives for our freedom.  And for others still, it was just another day like any other.

This weekend brought to mind an article I'd read several years ago.  Although I don't agree with everything he teaches, I found the article Jumping Ship (Part 2):  Stagnant and Unpromising  by Michael Pearl very intriguing.  He likens the family to a ship with a captain and a crew.  Each ship may be different, but in order to keep its crew, it needs to have a clear purpose with each member involved in fulfilling its mission and reaching its destination.  And it must provide some source of entertainment along with rewarding labor.  If the crew sees other ships passing by that appear to be going somewhere while they just float along or remain stagnant... or if they notice the crews on other ships having fun while they seem to just work or have nothing to do, the captain risks having them jump overboard to join other ships that actually appear to be enjoyably going somewhere.

How's your crew?  Are they looking to book passage on a different ship, or do they have the confidence to believe their ship is going somewhere and doing something worthwhile?

Passing It On

“That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:  That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God...”  --Psalm 78:6-7b

My daughter-in-law is now five months pregnant with my first grandchild.  She and my son already sing and read to their unborn baby... a girl?  It’s never too early to start.  Studies have shown that a prenatal baby’s developing brain is stimulated by the sounds, which helps them develop.  After being born, hearing those familiar sounds, stories, and songs can help to calm the baby.

It warms my heart to know that both my son and daughter-in-law share the same beliefs and are working toward the same goals.  How difficult it can be for children when there is no clear sense of direction... or hope.  Who should they believe?  By having to choose one, they are essentially forced to reject the other... or both for that matter.  “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”  (Amos 3:3)

Having pretty much raised our children, I know they won’t always believe exactly as we do.  But that’s okay, because we’re still learning, too.  God is still working to open our understanding and mold us into the likeness of His Son.  So, what’s important is to have a firm foundation in what we believe and pass it on.

Working Together

Mmmm... can you smell the apple sweetness and spices?  My daughter and I worked together to make shepherd’s pie for dinner a couple of nights ago.  She wanted to have a bottom crust, but since the pie crust recipe was for a double crust, we had leftover dough.  She asked if we had any apples, because she had seen a recipe for mini pies made in a muffin tin, and she wanted to try it out.  So I peeled and chopped the apples, while she worked on the sweet, buttery, cinnamon sauce and rolled out the remaining crust.  Aren’t they cute?  And oh, so tasty!

 

I wanted to be sure to get a photo of them, and I was delighted when she wanted to once again work together.  I’m so glad she did, because she is more creative than I am.  We have turned my married son’s bedroom into a sort of mini studio.  It has a nice exposed brick chimney in it, so we used it as a backdrop.  I used my son’s 60mm macro lens to create the blurry background.  One of the things I’ve learned when composing a photo is to have an odd number of objects, rather than an even number.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe it has something to do with the Golden Ratio?

My daughter thought you might be interested in seeing our unorthodox setup:  one of the shelves from a bookshelf, a couple of wooden bowls, a paperback book, a box of tissues, and a box of old flatware.  Hey!  Whatever works, right?

Part of the Family

“For the body is not one member, but many... And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.”  --1 Corinthians 12:14, 21