carter and the changing seasons

carter wasn't discontented by the chill in the air. he didn't mind that we were dragging him to and fro, plopping him down on cold rocks, damp earth and chilly benches. he was happy. intrigued. and thoroughly enjoying the leaves. i must briefly thank mother nature for this- the golden, red, hot pink and orange hues of autumn- it's probably the prettiest time of year in my opinion. i think carter thinks so too. he thought the leaves were not only good for crunching- but also munching. organic living at its finest i suppose. not much more than a month ago, i believe i saw summer leaving. she was walking down richmond road wearing a paisley hat, shaking her head at the chill in the air. but if she had just stayed a little bit longer she could have caught randall cobb play almost every position on the field on a crisp night in commonwealth and she could have seen carter zaluski enjoy autumn at its finest.

autumn is not just a great time to take pictures, it's a great time to reflect. i wax on and on here on this insignificant little blog and send my thoughts out there to the great unknown to get one very important point across. i take pictures, not for the sake of taking them, but because they are important to me and i have to assume that they must be important to you too- or you wouldn't have paused to read this blog.

they are important, just as the seasons, to capture how we change, how we interact, how we grow and what makes us tick. that's why i don't use the backdrops, or the umbrellas. i prefer the leaves in the mouth. the blanket on the ground. the ball that's been bounced a thousand times. the hand holding. the laughing. the pictures you get when you least expect them. the pictures that show the change, the growth, the love, and the happiness of our short time here on earth.

take a cue from this happy little boy in the picture above. drink it in. examine the leaves. in a blink, those leaves will be replaced by holly berries and evergreens. earthy green will hibernate until summer returns donning her flip flops and shorts. don't miss any of the in between. i know carter won't!

jg.

happy birthday madison!

fun, quadrupled. madison lambert had her 4th birthday party this past sunday...and what a party it was. no mistake where madison lives- we just turned on the street with the enormous inflatable birthday cake and took our cues from there.

this sweet birthday princess was the tangible happiness of the age of four. the bouncy, energetic, carefree persona that represents our own youth. she was everywhere! running, jumping, sliding. she had no idea that it was a chilly 58 degrees because she was fluid motion.

here are just a few of the "still" pictures of madison. so many pictures left to edit- friends, mom, cake, spongebob and a few other characters. once i finish my piece of birthday cake, i'll be sure to post some more.

jg.

a brief recess from pictures and a moment for reflection

september 10, 1996 will be forever etched into the synapses of my brain and scars in my soul. the day my father--the greatest man to ever walk the earth--departed this life for the great thereafter. r.i.p, dad. i miss you.

death isn't one of those things that we are without. we are conditioned at a young age to expect the unexpected and to prepare for a passing of a loved one. why must we prepare? my guess is that we must prepare so that we don't miss out on the little things in life (i.e.--a hug, a handshake, a story, a family meal, a lesson learned, a laugh).

i often do soul searching to find out what kind of person i am. i can honestly say that i would not be half of what i am today without the guidance, the wisdom, the patience that my father had. i learned from the best.

rest in peace, dear dad. and as the legendary cawood ledford said at your funeral, "may the lord hold you in the hollow of his hand."

jg.

too much... is a good thing

more persons, on the whole, are humbugged by believing nothing, than by believing too much

-p.t. barnum

and isn't it true? we get caught up in who we are too often... or maybe, it is better to say that we get caught up in who we are supposed to be too often. afraid to be naive. afraid to not be what others expectations require. and so we wake in the morning and bathe ourselves in apathy-the indifference of adulthood that gives us the facade we need to protect ourselves from the humbugged world.

sometimes too much is a good thing. too much joy. too much innocence. too much child-like wonder. too much lollipop on the one sunday of the year when the circus came to town. today we reveled in the too much. we caught it on our way downtown and it followed us all the way to section 32, row L, seats 1, 2 and 3...and for three hours three people ages 3 to 34 believed equally, wondered communally, laughed heartily and loved enormously. we grabbed too much by the tail with our trunk and successfully created a memory that we have now promised with our pinkies that we will each year enjoy together.

p.t. barnum wasn't wrong. and today we treasured the greatest show on earth and were humbugged by nothing.

jg.

the first of everything..Karson Little

how do you describe the first moments of life? breath one, hour one, day one? indescribable moments of joy via the tiniest of features. Karson Little provided a canvas of firsts. first breath, first day, first cuddle with big sister Kaitlyn.

hospital moments are usually not photographed. when hospitals are involved, the occasion is typically grim. save one. the happy birth of baby brings joy unimagined. the hospital, sterile and cold, is somehow transformed into the shelter for a mini family reunion.

these pictures were so much fun- standing on the fringe of a happy family and capturing their joy together.

Thank you Ben and Tara, Kaitlyn and of course Karson- and by the way, Happy Birthday!

jg.

where there is a will, there is a way

will loves bubbles... and his bright green ball. he definitely does not like the feel of tiny pebbles beneath his bare feet and he prefers that his hand not be held in the arboretum. on the hottest day of the year, in the sunniest patch of green- we photographed will and his mom and dad. it was hot. it was humid. it was unlike the former summer months with cool breezes and mild temperatures. it was not a good day, really for anything, save a swimming pool or a tall glass of ice water.... and yet, where there is a will, there is always a way. we snapped happy and busy and playful and aside from the occasional reddened cheeks, you would never know that the heat was stifling.

thank you jenny and dan for sharing the hot afternoon with us! you were both a delight and we so enjoyed capturing will.... and his way.

jg.

state fair

grab a tub of popcorn, some cotton candy and surrender your soul to the memory of a happy day. soon the state fair will be here! complete with the tenfold talents of youth and sage. ten days of nostalgia, achievement and sensory overload.

there is something about a fair in general that suspends time. where the advancement of technology and the evolution of intellect pauses briefly, allowing the simplicity of life to shine through. where battles are fought in quart jars of jelly and bragging rights are given to the hand holding the lead of a blue ribbon dairy goat. where the smell of hay and feed and cattle mix with carmel corn and funnel cakes. this is life abundant. this is every grandfather grasping the sticky hand of boyhood and showing him the efforts of a year well-spent.

timeless are these days, as proven by our recent photographs of will. will- whose grandfather wore this very state fair shirt. will- whose reddened cheeks showed evident the hot august day. will- who will no doubt save this piece of legend and give it to his own one day.

thank you will- and thank you to your grandfather- for allowing us to view the essence of happiness, spent in the heat of youth in the greatest state of being.

jg.