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

Beautiful Monday

Hello Monday. I'm determined that you're going to be a beautiful one. Coffee in hand, babies at school, music on, running shoes laced, orders placed, some fun 2015 plans mapped out, and sweet-smelling cleaning supplies in hand. 

How do you start your week? I (kind of) like to scrub and tidy up on Mondays, just to help recover from the weekend's messes and to serve as a "reset" for the coming week.

I hope you take a little time for yourself today, just to stop and see the beauty in something or to appreciate something in your surroundings. And if you can't, well then I hope you make your surroundings lovely so that you can. I see this little starfish charm from my kitchen table, and it always makes me smile. Even over the messy table. :)

Love to you. xx

Rescuing Ace

If you follow me on social media, then you already know.... we got a dog. :) But not just any dog. We rescued a sweet boy from the Pinellas County Animal Shelter on Friday morning. He'd been there for a little over a month, and I know in my heart that he was just waiting for us to come get him and take him home. We visited him Thursday morning and Thursday evening, and the kids cried when we had to leave him there. So I went back first thing Friday morning and stood outside the doors for 30 minutes until the shelter opened. 

And I brought Ace home. 

He is our Clearance Puppy. He was $12 on sale during a promotion the Pinellas County Animal Shelter is having all month long. Twelve dollars... that is all it took to change his life. I've bought candles that cost more than that.

And he couldn't be more perfect for our family. He's about four years old, and seems to be a Labradane, a cross between a Labrador Retriever and a Great Dane. He's massive, but he is a love. He wants to ride everywhere with us, and he lets the kids hug him a thousand times a day. Lila fell asleep in the floor with him, his first night home. He woke up but refused to move because he'd have to disturb Lila. He sleeps quietly by Parker's bed at night, knows basic manners and commands, and he walks really well on a leash. It amazes me that anyone ever let him go. 

But we are glad they did.

Prepare for an influx of dog photos here on the blog, and on Instagram and Facebook. And maybe even a hashtag. ;)

The Diaz Family's Beach Session on Honeymoon Island

This moment, this day at this beach, with this sweet family. The way he's looking at his wife. The way mom is leaned in close to her little girl. Those little toes curled in excitement to be in her daddy's arms, safely above the waves, her arms wrapped around his neck.

It seems like every day, our lives change like these tides. Our happiness ebbs and flows with our circumstances. Phases end and different ones begin.  Goals are reached and fresh ones are set. Struggles that weighed on us last week are lifted, and we are free for a while, until the tides go out and bring us something new.

But these days, these moments. It sounds utterly cliche, I realize this. But that doesn't matter to me. At every session, my goal is to see a spark of magic. Sometimes it's obvious and sometimes I have to look closely to recognize it. But still, I watch for a moment that jumps out at me. A moment that, if captured on film, might one day serve as a visual reminder of the things that truly last.

After everything fades away, love is always there.  When she heads off to college, when she has a family of her own, she will still have this photograph and will always know how much they completely adored her. 

Holiday Mini Sessions 2014

Procrastinators rejoice! Friends, I have ONE last-minute spot open tomorrow evening 10/11 at 5:30pm if time passed you by and you forgot to sign up for holiday mini-sessions. I also have a sunset time slot that just opened up for next Saturday 10/18 if you'd like to jump on it!

We'll be at Honeymoon Island for these special sessions, and I'm so excited I can barely stand it. Hope to see you there!!  

xoxo,
Stacey