Pressing reset

We have been in a season of sickness lately. For the past 4-5 months (just typing that out made me realize how insanely long it's been), someone in our family has been under the weather. On a constant rotation. Viruses, earaches, allergies, colds, achiness and stuffiness and weariness all around. And when one kiddo recovers, a few short days pass and we find that he/she has passed around those germs and now someone else is down for the count. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

My heart aches for a reset. A clean slate. 

It seems to be running through my subconscious lately. I am seeking solace in precious quiet time in my home, puttering and straightening and moving things around. I am ever more strongly drawn to finishing projects around the house, wrapping up all print orders, purging the excess, clearing out the unnecessary, and scrubbing the house from top to bottom. I'm going through my home office and paring down what fills my shelves to only what I truly need to keep to bring me joy. I'm filling our home with succulents and houseplants to provide a fresh breath of air. We are starting a mini-garden of berries and tomatoes alongside the house. Terra cotta pots filled with basil and rosemary and mint are sunning in the kitchen window. Fresh. New. Life. 

And speaking of fresh starts... Parker and my dad were baptized last week. Together, side by side, in the Gulf of Mexico. You can't get a cleaner slate than that one, can you? :) I have to tell you, I've choked up every single time I've looked at this photo. It's worth many more than a thousand words to me.

Have you had a fresh start yet this spring? What have you done to reset and recharge lately? I'd love to know what changes you've made to your routine, what books you've read that may have inspired you, and what things bring you a little joy this time of year. And if you are in a slump or if it feels like you and your babies have been sick nonstop like the Woodses ;) then what do you say... let's reset together! 

Maybe Tomorrow

The dishwasher is humming as I type. The yardwork is done for now, the house is being cleaned and disinfected due to little and big ones being sick at home this week. Charlotte is in daycare for the first day all week, the older two kids are at school, and the day ahead looks so productive for me! I have my coffee in hand, Pandora on, and my to-do list ready. 

//

I kid you not... I typed those words above and then my phone rang. "Charlotte is sick again." So off I went to get her, and now she's snuggled on the couch with an ice pop and her blankie and Baby Ariel.  

And I am snuggled beside her too, because now I'm not feeling well. Doesn't that just figure? It comes with the territory I suppose.  And here I was so relieved that I'd fought it off the whole week.

Maybe tomorrow will be better. Maybe tomorrow will be productive. Maybe tomorrow I'll get caught up. Maybe tomorrow she won't ask to take her nap "in yuh ahms, Mama," instead of in her little bed, and I'll miss it terribly. 

Ace and Charlotte

From this morning... 

I walked into the kitchen to find Charlotte stooped down over Ace, giving him another hug. My office is just off the kitchen, so I doubled back and grabbed my camera. He was perfectly happy to lie there and let his littlest girl love on him. 

For those who have asked, Ace is a labradane. I didn't even know there was such a mix, but he has the friendliness and coat of a labrador, and the size and temperament of a great dane. We rescued him back in December from the Pinellas County Animal Shelter, and he had just turned four years old the week prior. I don't know his history, but I can't imagine why his previous owners would have given him up. He's a gentle, amazing friend to the kids and makes us laugh all day long. He doesn't really love to fetch; instead he'd much rather run down the street to chase squirrels. We have to watch the screened porch door (the kids are forever leaving it open!) because he slips out behind them and sprints down the street at lightning speed. (Have you ever tried to chase a 140-pound dog on a squirrel mission? Forget it.) His sheer size absolutely terrifies the small dogs in our neighborhood, and they all go to pieces yapping when they see him coming... but in all reality, he's the gentlest giant you could imagine and he only wants to sniff them. Not eat them. :)

If you want to keep up with our adventures with Ace, I'd love it if you followed me on Instagram. You can also click on the hashtag #rescuingAce to read our rescue story from the beginning! (Also, don't you cringe a bit when others hijack your hashtags? Bah.)

The Del Bassos: A Family Session on the Beach

This beautiful family was an absolute dream. If I could photograph them every day, I would. Adoring, brilliant parents. Crazy-smart kids. Fantastic senses of humor We met one recent evening at the Hyatt Regency on Clearwater Beach, but of course it's Spring Break here and we didn't want to fight the crowds (read: shoot around a hundred people in bathing suits). So we hopped on over to one of my favorite quiet beaches just south of CWB. Sand Key Park is one of my best little back-pocket beaches, and I love sharing it with my families. I can get so many different looks from one beautiful place. Things like that make a photographer immensely happy.

You know I adore documenting the connections between the people in my portraits. So one way I get families to think more about each other (and less about having a big camera in their faces) is to ask them questions while I shoot. Often when shooting pairs (mom with her son, dad with his daughter, etc.) I will ask the kids to tell me one thing their mom or dad does for them that makes them feel special. Or tell me one thing they love about their mom or dad. And it's a great way to find out their love languages too! See for yourself...

So I gathered that one of Mom's love languages is Physical Touch. I'll bet you noticed too? Her contented smile when she reached out for her children (and her husband) melts my heart every time I look at these. You can see that her son shares her language because when she reached out to tousle his hair, he closed his eyes and just enjoyed it. He also said that he feels loved when his dad encourages him to do his best at everything. (Words of Affirmation for the win!) And love that Dad put his hand on his son's neck too, as they were walking. The littlest one was really snuggly with her mama this evening... made my heart nearly burst. As did the sweet way daddy and his middle daughter laughed together as he was tickling her and throwing her into the air. She was delighted to be center of attention and have her turn in front of the camera, and I'd be very willing to guess that one of her love languages is Quality Time. :)

Truly, what a gem of a family. I am so very blessed to have spent this evening being inspired by them and getting to know their hearts.

XOXO,
Stacey 

Love Languages: A New Blog Series

I'm starting a new series on the blog, entitled Love Languages. I've always been intrigued with how people give and receive love, and it is one of my favorite things to witness when I'm photographing people: how they show love to one another. 

I've you've never read the book, The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts, then I highly suggest you click over right this minute and grab a copy. It's not just for couples; there is a wonderful version for children that is so insightful. I think about love languages every time I'm with my own kids, when I'm planning sessions with clients, and when I'm actively shooting and talking to them from behind my camera. 

The five love languages are: 
Quality Time
Physical Touch
Words of Affirmation
Receiving Gifts
Acts of Service

According to the author, we all have one primary love language that we cannot do without. In addition, we may have secondary love languages that we enjoy as well.

My own three kids each have different love languages, and it's a joy to be keyed in on their individual brands of heart-speak and to be able to love them how they each need to be loved. When I'm loving them in their love language, that's when they feel it most... why would I want to love them in any other way?! So during this forever-ongoing blog series, I'm going to show you what love looks like between myself and my own sweet babies, for me as a mama/wife/sister/daughter/woman, and for my clients and their families. I hope you'll join me... I cannot wait to share this insight with you!

To start us out, I thought I'd share one of the love languages of my daughter: quality time. She's an amazing little girl with a heart of pure gold, and it is my pleasure and great honor to love on her! Lila sweetly says that she wants to stay home with me every single day, even though she loves school. To make her feel loved, all I have to do is simply spend one-on-one time with her. Doesn't matter what we do, as long as it's together. We braid hair, we take a walk, we bake gluten-free goodies together, we ride bikes, skip down the sidewalk, read together, snuggle in bed, I have lunch with her at school, we hold hands or play games or go shopping together. Just the two of us.

I also find that when I love her the way she needs it most, I fill her little love tank to its brim. And with that, she is more open with me in return, more patient, more well-behaved, more helpful and cooperative. (And in our house, friends, we high-five and call that a win-win.)

Interestingly enough, Lila's love language to me is often acts of service or giving me gifts. She writes me letters (check out the hashtag #lilawrites on Instagram), leaves me little notes, she does extra chores to help me out, even tells me I'm beautiful when I don't wear any makeup... she is just a delight. She is so kind to her brother and sister, and loves her daddy like no other.

So tell me, dear friends... how do you find yourself giving love? What does your spouse do that makes you feel adored, noticed, beautiful, appreciated, loved? What do your children do for you that makes your heart light on fire? Let's find your love language. Then find that of your significant other and your children. Spend this next week consciously showing love in the ways that your family receives love best, and see what it does for their hearts... and yours!

Love to you,
Stacey

Let Them Help: Breakfast Cookies

One thing I love about my mom is that she always made us, umm I mean let us, help her when we were growing up. No matter what she was doing, there was always a way for us to give her a hand. Oh I despised having to wash dishes back then, especially during the time when we didn't have a dishwasher. But cooking? Well that was so much fun we never fussed about it. And to this day, my mom always lets her grandkids help her in the kitchen. She just scoots over and makes a little space for them, and gives them some of the easier and more fun jobs, like dumping the ingredients into the bowl, stirring the batter, or spreading butter on the rolls.

I don't know about you, dear mama friends, but my girls can't stay out of the kitchen if I'm in it. Lila used to ask, "Can I help make?" and now Charlotte just drags over her chair and informs me: "I wanna hay-ulp." And I usually let them. Even though it takes me eleventy-billion times longer.

But let's be honest. Baking with kids is crazy photogenic and such a fun memory to document. 

So you know those tried-and-true recipes that are your saving graces? The ones that never fail you in a pinch, the ones that please the masses (read: the picky kids) every single time? A recipe that's simple enough for the kids to help without making a huge mess. One that is nourishing and healthy, and makes you feel like you are all of a sudden back in contention for Mother of the Year?

This is one of those recipes, friends.

There is no flour. No butter. No sugar. No eggs. So it easily satisfies the gluten-free, the dairy-free, the vegan, the sugar-shy and the nut-allergic. And it's especially satisfying to the kid who wants to eat chocolate for breakfast... he thinks he just pulled a fast one on his mama, who also thinks she's pulling a fast one on her kid by getting him to eat oats and bananas with a smile. It's a win-win.

We made Breakfast Cookies this weekend and enjoyed a brief, lazy morning before a soccer tournament finished up in perfect Florida weather. And I felt great knowing that my kid had healthy fruit and grains in his tummy instead of those oh-so-healthy Cocoa Pebbles he pours for himself before school during the week. Ha. 

In case you didn't know this about us: we give plenty of grace in the Woods house and we don't judge tired parents for the Cocoa Pebbles. ;)

Anyway, I wanted to come share these with you because I know that you're all busy mamas like I am, and maybe these cookies can come to your rescue on a frenzied morning. 

Breakfast Cookies

from Shauna Niequist's beloved, wine-splashed, coconut-oil-stained book Bread and Wine,
adapted from Nikki's Healthy Cookies at 101 Cookbooks

3 large ripe bananas
1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed just a little so it isn't solid
(not a problem in Florida summers)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal (or all purpose gf flour if you're out of almond meal)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup crumbled, unsweetened coconut chips
1/2 to 3/4 cup chocolate chips or 6-7 ounces chopped dark chocolate
(or, if you're me, just a great big double-handful)

In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork (Charlotte is great at this part), then add in coconut oil and vanilla. 
Add the oats, almond meal, salt and baking powder, and stir until combined. Add the coconut and chocolate chips and stir again.
Drop heaping tablespoons of the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for about 14-16 minutes. They will be ever-so-slightly golden brown on the very edges and very moist and soft inside. 

Makes about 12-16 beautifully guilt-free cookies.

Shauna adds 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to hers, but my kids don't like nuts so I never add them.
The original recipe calls for cinnamon, so I add a sprinkle or two if I think about it.
You could also substitute dried berries and almonds and a drizzle of maple syrup if you wanted.

So now let's talk... do you let your kids help you in the kitchen? What are your favorite ways to let them contribute? Have any go-to recipes to share? Want to book an at-home session so you can cook with your little ones and have it documented beautifully for you? (wink, wink) 
I'd love to continue the conversation in the comments!

The Good Stuff | Tampa Bay Lifestyle Photography

I just delivered prints to this family, and then I realized that I hadn't shared them here on the blog. :)

I absolutely LOVE this type of session... in a client's home, relaxed, with plenty of time for snacks and snuggles. Cuddled up in bed with blankies for soothing, thumbs for sucking, and goldfish for nibbling. A newborn baby in Mama's arms, and toddler tickles and funny faces with Daddy.  These are the days, aren't they?

I hope these two darling brothers will always know how much they are adored. 

Big Sea, Little Fish

Do you ever feel like a really small fish in an enormous pond? Goodness, I do. Motherhood, life, managing a household, running a one-woman-show creative business, and just being a citizen of this world often feels so overwhelming that it's hard to see past what is happening this very moment. 

But you know what? If you throw a stone into a pond... even a tiny pebble... ripples form at the surface and below. And eventually, the rest of the pond feels that little wave you created. Even the still water all the way on the other end. 

As Richie Norton says, "Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others' choices make us."

Today, I'm inspired to make HUGE ripples in my pond. 

How about you?

(And let me just say... isn't her sweet little fish face the cutest thing ever? We were playing around with a fisheye lens last week. I just love her.)

Good morning!

Or not.

Make it a good one, friends. 

Love to you.  xx

Mine | January 2015

So in 2014, my "main camera" for my own family was my iPhone. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for it and I'm super glad to have had it. I firmly believe that the best camera is the one you have with you. But in trying to create my own family's photo books for the past couple of years, I was sad to realize that I don't have very many "good" high-quality photographs taken of my own children. Let's face it, you can only blow up an iPhone snap so large. 

But.... Hello, 2015. You are a year of fresh starts in so many ways. One of them happens to be portraits of my children.

So in 2015, I vow to create portraits of each of my three children (at least) once per month. I'll try to feature them here on the blog to keep myself accountable. It might be quick shots of everyday life, we might be out and about, or it might be a quiet moment at home or an orchestrated full-on photo shoot. I'm leaving creative freedom open to do whatever I want. I just want them DOCUMENTED. Tantrums and all. It's why I became a photographer in the first place, years ago.

So this is Installment No. 1. January 2015. My babies, the way only I can see them.

And maybe a few extra. ;)

This is for them, just as much as it's for me. Because they need to know.

Love to you.  xx