Wednesday, July 20, 2011

but it's beautiful

camp keeps getting better. i turned on the sprinklers for a few this morning. kids got to dribble through them before they scored.

here, they are taking a break in the middle to munch and marker their way through their soccer journals.
Photobucket

avery's sportin some shades during soccer hokey pokey.
Photobucket


begin random tangent:

so, sometimes bloggers get a bad rap for falsely advertising their lives.

Photobucket


and i get it, i do. life isn't all splash parks and rodeo parades.
Photobucket

but i read kelle hampton today (she writes with such zest for life, after perusing her site for a bit, you'll want to work on a house project, break to do sidewalk chalk with your kid, and then have friends over for a stellar bbque. girl knows how to do life.) and i amen'd my way through her post. she says:

And while some may view beautiful photos, poetic descriptions, or blogging in general as skewed representations of reality--and I get it, it's selective writing, a pie slice of our lives--for me it's another set of eyes, a different way to look at things. I draw insight on a variety of perspectives and believe the raw, unpolished and exposed truths of misfortune are important and need to be heard. But framing sun flares and zooming in on hidden smiles runs deep in my blood. It's what I do. It's what I want to do.And I say this all because yesterday was a hard day. There were tears and hugs and phone calls. But tonight, I am looking through pictures of these past two days. And I am reminded, these are not glorified moments amid a tarnished reality. These are real. This is what really happened, and I'm so glad I have pictures or I might have missed it.

Photobucket

the fact that you have hard moments doesn't negate that fact that you have stunningly beautiful moments too.
Photobucket

like, we really did take the kids to the splash park. we really did have a fabulous time. and i really did put these crazy girls in matching swim suit covers (thanks Tosha!) because i think they look so darn cute when they match.
Photobucket

there is always chaos and stress and frustration that weave around, through, before and after these beautiful moments, but capturing those beautiful moments and sharing them with friends and family is a certain fuel for me, a privilege, therapy even.

this is our life. it's unique, complicated, hard.

but it's beautiful.

10 comments :

Anonymous said...

put the camera down and actually enjoy your kids and be in the moment with them instead of constantly taking pictures. there is some advice.

david houle said...

thanks for the advice. what's your name?

Heidi said...

Was that anonymous comment a joke? Cuz it sucked & I loved the wisdom in this post.

Sandi Elsberry said...

I love that I can be close to you during this time of your life. I love being with my grandchildren - you are an amazing mom and I love how your post pictures.

cmc said...

Great post, M. Sometimes the camera catches so much more beauty than the eye could ever glimpse...in fact, it often documents the heart - through the lens of a machine. Muah!

Amanda said...

I totally agree! Day to day it's easy for me to only remember the stress, crying, and chaos - then I look back at the pictures and realize all the amazing and beautiful things that really did happen. Sometimes it takes looking back to recognize that they were there.

Matt said...

Love that you take .1% of your time to snap a picture or two to let those of us who are "far-flung" enjoy your kids (Our nieces and nephew) too. I think it is incredibly selfless of you...

Mama Vincent said...

I lost sleep last night over this comment...you are such an amazing mentor and friend to so many of us. Your blog and pictures inspire me to be a better mama. I am so thankful for you dear friend.

sandi said...

Mandy, your blog helps me to lean more into my Lord Jesus & His love for me. Thanks so much for posting "Real Life"!

You just can't beat it & you just can't script it.

Even the difficult things in our life, though painful @ times, are part of the wonderful tapestry that end up being this thing we call life.

Your Daddio

Anonymous said...

Dear anonymous, put down your computer and actually enjoy your own loved ones instead of making cowardly comments and someone elses page. There is some advice.