Lost Balloons

"I remember as a kid having a balloon and accidentally letting the string go and watching it just float off and into the sky until it disappeared. And there's something about that, even, that feels very much like what life is, you know, that it's fleeting, and it's temporal."

-Pete Docter-

Pete Docter knows a thing or two about balloons. He wrote and directed Disney Pixar's Up. To a kid, a balloon floating away is the worst thing that could possibly happen to anyone. I believe we should feel the same way about life. Are we devastated when we realize we spent hours on the computer or watching reality TV, missing out on our own lives in the process?  Do we take the time to enjoy each day, or are we always saying, "When such and such happens, then I'll be able to enjoy it more." Life is so fragile, so precious. It is indeed temporal. Let us use these pictures to remember how to value the little things we so often take for granted. Let us value the small kisses and the peanut butter covered hands that then proceed to spread their joy on everything they touch. Because it's who the hands belong to that matter. 

Joy in the simple things...whatever this is...

Contributed by: Natalie Hansen

So sad...

Contributed by: Natalie Hansen

Taken by: Addie Hansen, age 6

Siblings cooperating is definitely photo worthy

Taken by: Addie Hansen, age 6

Computers are amazing any way you look at it... 

Contributed by: Natalie Hansen

 And so are MOMS!

Contributed by: Natalie Hansen

Thank you so much for everyone who has contributed to this blog. As always you can have your pictures in our next post by emailing them to whereismycamera@yahoo.com. And may you find the small joys in life every day...

Imitators

"Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate."

-Anonymous-

Are we ever surprised at what our children take pictures of? Do they take pictures of themselves because they are confident and like what's on the other end of the camera? Are they imitating our own self-confidence? I hope so. I hope that I am more confident than I feel, more fun than I suppose myself to be, and more loving than I realize. I hope that all the wonderful things I see in my children are things they see in me. And without further ado, here are our latest additions. 

Selfie by: Bear, age 5

Portrait of a Dog by: Bobby, age 5

 Can you guess what it is? Comment below!

By: Chloe, age 1

Portrait of a Dog part II by:

Bobby

Diaper time is fun!

By: Bobby

I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do. Happy Picture Taking! And don't forget to submit your own photos to whereismycamera@yahoo.com. I'd love to see what YOU'RE child finds important and picture worthy!

Any Real Chance of Fun

"Only where children gather is there any real chance of fun."

-Mignon McLaughlin-

This quote absolutely resonates with me. My husband pointed out one night that he thought at least half of our conversations consisted of us mimicking our children. Most of the time this is us relaying something funny they said/did throughout the day. Our children bring so much joy and love into our lives and we consider ourselves so blessed to have them. We have more laughter than we could have ever imagined because of the innocent craziness of our children.

And without further ado...this week's kid pics!

A very VERY close up on Bobby's face. If you couldn't tell.

I hope we washed that plate afterwards...

Bobby's new little sister, Chloe. She is one of his favorites to take pictures of

A creation to be remembered

A vintage picture of our old kitchen. 

Question: What are some of the instances of innocent craziness in YOUR life? 

And remember to send in your kid's pics to be featured in next week's post! 

The World Through A Child's Eye

You've had that moment. You can't find your camera anywhere. That's when you discover your three-year-old in the next room holding it. And about 50 new pictures. If you are like me, I used to delete all of them right away. I mean, all of those close ups of the floor, TV, and whatever else my child found interesting, are taking up memory.

But then I realized I was holding in my hand what my child thought was important. These were things that he thought, "Hey, this is so cool I have to take a picture." Some of them are actually quite artsy. A lot of them aren't. But it is what it represents that I find so important.

The world looks different from two feet closer to the ground. And I want a place to share that world. Not only does it look different from different heights, but also from different maturities, and different genders. I will post pictures taken from my own small children, but that is only two worldviews. And frankly, my 18 month old isn't quite ready to be trusted with a camera. I would love for others to send me their pictures so we can experience an unending supply of worldviews together.

I'll get us started with a few of my own that my four year old son took.

A nice view of our old couch and the interesting stuff that collected on it

I'll be honest. I have no idea what this is a picture of. But it's kind of cool, right? Kinda?

Part of one of our Christmas decorations

Another part of the same Christmas decoration. He really liked this one.

The interesting assortment that has collected on our old kitchen table

Feet are so interesting, especially when they are your own

I'm glad I made the cut for what classifies as photo worthy

What do your children find interesting? I'll be posting on this blog once a week, and I'd love to see your pictures next! Contact me via the right sidebar and we'll change the world together. One picture at a time.