Personalities
When you are growing up and you are the oldest, it is sometimes all you can do to put up with the silliness of siblings and cousins.
Perhaps you remember.
If you were one of the children in this photograph, you would be able to use this and other related photographs from the birthday celebration to remember the day.
There is no doubt that Tally’s patience has just about run out, even though the Princess is reassuring him.
What can we learn from this photograph?
Tally doesn’t like princesses to hug him. Tally does like scientific things for his birthday. Princesses like to dress like princesses as these sisters attest. Little brothers like Holden are usually clowns and are annoying. Really little people like Afton, have no idea why they are sitting on the blanket in the first place and just want to get away.
New Baby
When you have been waiting patiently for a little sister, and she is born and everyone is fussing over her and your mommy is pre-occupied with her it may be hard to hide the way you feel. That is what I saw from across the hospital room after I gave my daughter a kiss and my new granddaughter a snuggle.
When you have been an only child forever, the adjustment is probably very difficult and when your mommy is very happy about the new baby, you might wonder what is going to happen to you.
For now, Afton is coming home with me and I have photographs to prove it.
Somewhat Spontaneous
When I saw my granddaughter arranging the newly harvested pumpkins on the ground and humming, and making up a story, I knew that I would wish I had my camera and my magic far-away lens.
Soon I found myself rummaging through my Halloween box for “props” to go with the story Afton was creating and among the things I found were two witch hats.
Soon, it was clear that all Maya wanted to do was pull the hat over her face and so I will have to tell you that Maya is under the hat and behind the carefully placed pumpkins, which she wants to move around and which her big sister wants to stay where she put them.
Apple Day
Afton had to work harder because she only had a few teeth but thankfully they were in the front and Holden had plenty and so he ate his apple in no time.
All of the photographs I took this day are about eating apples. Sometimes they are sharing or eating two or throwing them around or trying to get a cat to eat the cores.
I made a little book about a beautiful fall day, picking apples and sharing.
Sundown
This and other photographs of harvesting pumpkins were taken with a telephoto lens at my favorite time of day. It is easy to get beautiful photos as the sun is going down and things are highlighted.
I find sentimental significance in this and other photos like it from the abundance of the garden and orchard, and Holden’s use of Grandpa’s garden gloves to pick and carry the pumpkins.
If we give children a chance, they will look at photographs like this one and remember how they felt and how things looked at Grandpa and Grandma’s house when they were small.
I can tell my family about things we have done and how things looked but without some photographs, time fades things for them and us. Photographs of people, places and things of sentiment are priceless and stop time.
-Grandma-