Personal
We are a multi dog family. I know it’s crazy since we also have 3 boys, a cat and an aquarium full of finny friends, but we are. And just because we love the (usually happy) chaos so much, we added a third pup. Yes, a puppy. Meet Liv! She’s a 3 month old Brittany and like Brittling pups she rarely stops moving, exploring, chewing, jumping and being a full-steam-ahead sort of girl.
I’m not a pet photographer, but she could have me rethinking this, lol!
School has started and the first hint of fall is in the air. (Along with all things pumpkin!) This can only mean it’s time for Becker family apple picking. Now, like all moms I dream of some bucolic scene where we’re virtually skipping down rows of organic apple trees laden with heavy, delicious fruit. The reality looks more like equal parts logistical juggling and embarrassed drill sergeant. See proof below that even photographer moms don’t always get the perfect image. When they’re all picking noses and making faces sometimes I just roll with it and save them for blackmail later.
Our favorite spot is a no-frills and equally no-crowds orchard in Libertyville. Heinz Orchards is a low spray orchard, which makes my hippy mom heart happy, and is a simple operation. You give them cash and they give you a bag and send you into a giant field of beautiful trees. The kids run and play and not-so-slowly fill up their bags. After we get home I get to play domestic diva and turn them into pies, crumbles and rustic tartes. Wish I had a picture of that, but it was gone in less than an hour!
I'm going to get a little dark on you. When was the last time you held an actual photograph in your hands? Until a couple of years ago I was one with the digital age. I loved my cloud storage, prime storage, external hard drives, etc. Until my Gramps passed away. Don't get me wrong he lived a full and happy life, probably fuller than 90% of us can ever imagine. But in the aftermath when we were working to grieve and heal one of things we did was comb through boxes of old photographs to create a story board of his life. Not surprisingly we had boxes of albums of the family, but then fewer and fewer as we got closer to current. Finally, we were searching through iPhone storage, the Clouds, etc. trying to find images of him, or more preciously - him and us - and send them quickly to the 1-hour printing lab.
My memory is terrible. You'd think I'm trying to repress my life it's so terrible. But while we were searching through those old albums and boxes, I could remember. Each little print was a filed away memory that someone, probably my Granny, saved away so we could share in their joy decades later. And this is what I want for my kiddos. I want them to have little glimpses into our happy life and their childhood. I want them to have tangible pieces to hold and share that will never be lost due to failed hardware, expired subscriptions or obsolete technology.
Now each month as I finish editing all my favorites photos from the month prior, I print them. Not just the 1-hour photo lab, but I send them out and have them printed on quality, archival paper that I know will still be fresh and bright long after our (my) memories have faded. I’ve even gone one step further and started planning displays around my home with these prints. My littles love seeing themselves in portraits used as decor. Often they will point and say, “remember when we…”. I think it makes them feel important and reminds them of how loved they are. And in this way I leave a legacy for my kiddos and family.
A major life-pivot moment happened this month.
I. Quit. My. Job. Yay! I'm now the most estatic SAHM (that's stay at home mom for the uninitiated) in the world. I'll spare you the soul searching and angsty bits and just say I'm so excited to leave the high heels in my closet and adopt my new uniform of yoga wear and atheleisure footwear! My family is prepared and waiting on the upcoming flood of artwork and photos of my littles and I celebrating and documenting their childhood.
Everyone else on my social network...you've been warned!
For the second annual family vacay (twice makes it an annual thing, right?) the Beckers headed south to Hilton Head Island for a weeklong fest of visiting, eating and slowing life down to beach-speed. If there's one thing Beckers enjoy it's eating. We have a saying of "Eats like a Becker" that can be applied to all the guys in the family, baby elephants and hordes of locusts.
With no responsibilities aside from making sure the kidlets didn't float away in the ocean I spent my time working on my speciality - napping! Seriously, I'm almost 8 months pregnant with 2 small boys and a full time job, naps have been in short supply, but oh so needed! When awake I spent my time doing my other love; pointing my camera at those I love!
My recs for what to do in Hilton Head:
Eep! And just like that my first baby, the one I waited 4 long years for, graduated from preschool. This preschool is a special place where the kids are loved almost as much as at home and allowed hours of outside play and healthy, home cooked meals. It's a smaller school and the class size is perfect for them to really get a grasp on both social manners and academics. I know K will truly miss his teachers and his friends.
If you ever are looking for a daycare or preschool, I can't recommend First Steps enough, they are the most loving, wonderful ladies. We attended Miss Gabriela's wedding this summer and the kids were so excited for her they spent the evening dancing like fiends and partying with their friends.
Mother's Day is a super special holiday for me. Not because of a special relationship with my mom and she's definitely still among the living...but because there was a time when I wasn't sure I was ever going to get to celebrate with little people who called me 'mom'. Having come out on the other side of that sad and stressful time with not one or two, but three (!!!) littles following me around with a near constant chorus of 'mom mom mom mom mom...', this holiday is a time I celebrate them and take the time to be even more grateful for this opportunity to wield the best title in the world - Mom.
My guys doing what they do...
The first bite of lobster roll sends a warm shiver of joy down my spine and at last this craving is tamed! Each of my babies have turned my normally healthy, whole food loving self into an alien fixated on a food that isn't normally on my radar. This little one wants lobster...a lot!
Best lobster roll in Maine at Eventide Oyster Co.
So what's a girl with a serious lobster-monkey to do? Beg her wonderful husband to take her to Maine and eat as much and many of the critters as I can find! Seriously. Every. Single. Meal.
Turns out Maine is April is still pretty chilly. We step off the dinky little plane and I reach to zip my coat - only to discover that my 24 week belly is already too big. This means just one thing...time to go shopping! Double luck, we were just around the corner from the first LL Bean and while this isn't one of my usual clothing go-tos, they had plenty of warm, wool sweaters perfect for a rainy, Maine spring. For bonus points we scored a few new pieces for Drew who is notorious for being both excruciatingly picky and hating to shop!
Check out this moody gloom:
Portland Headlight in Cape Elizabeth - Maine's oldest lighthouse.
With this being only our second kid-free trip since we had Kit, I wish we had taken more selfies together. I think this is our only one of the whole weekend! With Baby #3 coming in a few short months, I'm so grateful for the much needed Ali/Drew time without any outside demands.
New LL Bean turtle neck sweater totally being rocked on the cliff walk in 40 degree weather with rain!
My favorite travel companion and meals from our first Babymoon!
