Walk like the animals...

She had not quite figured out walking yet and I got a kick out of this mode of transportation. Silly girl!

Listen...

She LOVES music! She'll sign "music please" every day because she likes background music while she plays. :) You can see that she doesn't bang on the piano, but listens carefully to each sound...trying out different registers. Recently, I had her in my lap while I played a few songs. She happily did all the motions. So cool that she recognized them from the melodies without anyone singing words.

Surrender...

Shot for the challenge of "sadness":

Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and then, when you have accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake." -- Victor Hugo

Sadness... What a difficult concept to photograph! All of us have our own story of deep sadness, too complex to adequately capture through a lens. I can't imagine how to portray the private pain that is "sadness". I chose instead to focus on what I discovered through my own most intense season of sorrow... There is a treasure in the trial. Through painful experiences we come to learn what is really important, what is true and real, and who we can trust and rely on. In the wake of personal tragedy, my heart was consumed with questions. It was my "mission" to understand why. What I learned is that some questions won't have answers this side of eternity. But, somewhere in the journey, "why" lost its importance. I know Who healed my heart. I trust Him and it is enough. There is great peace in that, which I tried to represent through the one green leaf.

However narrow...

Shot for the challenge of "narrow". This is one of my faves. I really love experimenting with focus and dof.

More bench shots...

Having too much fun!

Don't you wonder what she's thinking?

No sitting allowed...

There is a group on flickr known as Bench Monday. You can only post bench shots on Mondays (duh), but here's the twist....no sitting on benches allowed....only standing. :) There are some pretty creative shots in this group. I get a kick out of the conversations about what constitutes a bench too! At any rate, here's my first Bench Monday shot. Nothing like little curly baby toes!

Everything is beautiful in its own way...

Shot for the challenge "In the mirror". I know you must think I've gone crackers shooting all these toys! In my defense, it's hard to come up with a new idea every day! :) I at least tried to put a little meaningful description with this one. lol.
This started as a little joke, but it got me thinking. Let's face it...we spend too much time worrying about the things we perceive as imperfections. In reality, those are what make us unique. Psalm 139:14 says; "I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Good words to remember. My friend has a modern variation of that on a sign in her kitchen. It says "God does not make junk!" We are God's masterpiece, so it's time to believe it and embrace who we are.