School is out, the pool is open and I am ready for lazy summer days. Well, not so lazy I suppose; rather, priorities shift in pleasurable ways. Today was all about shuffling activities around pool time and even with a packed day there was time to linger over the season's first fudgesicle purchased from the ice cream truck. (Note: when you hear the bell it is best to assume your child will demand a frozen treat and it is better to accept the inevitable lest you end up running down the street chasing the truck. Which rolls at a un-leisurely pace when it is hot and you are out of shape!)Naturally summer is a season tinged with memories, but for our family it also is the season when we became a family. For this week's 52 Photos Project the theme is a memory and I cannot help but be thinking about our first weeks with Cowgirl, discovering the large personality hidden within her small frame. This August we will celebrate the fifth anniversary of our becoming a family and yet those days seem so recent and fresh. One memory that stands out is Cowgirl's relationship with water.
The first time we gave her a bath she shrieked with all her might and it seemed she was one giant mouth atop skinny legs. Bath time was traumatic for all. Go figure the solution to soothing her fears was to take her into the hotel swimming pool (yes, green parents but sometimes ignorance pays off.) She loved it! Our Chinese guide tried to dissuade us: "Chinese babies do not swim!" Thankfully, we were too shell shocked to take in her advice. Once Cowgirl experienced the vast waters of the pool, she was hooked. She has loved swimming - the pool, the ocean, lakes, any form of water - ever since.
in China, August 2006
August 2007 - did i mention she is fearless? (not quite 3 years old here!)
with her best buddy, July 2008 (those hats! is there anything sweeter than preschoolers in bathing suits?)
July 2009
August 2010The theme of memory is also fitting as retrieving these images has been no small feat (2 separate back-up drives, a photo album and a few flickr photosets!)
I don't think I will ever tire of this face, this goofy expression of pure joy.
kindergarten graduate - June 2011(Watch out when you ask a mother with multiple cameras for a photo memory!)
such a summery and happy post. cowgirl looks like so much fun to be around - i'm sure she fills your days with joy.
ReplyDeletewonderful!!! Fearless She Is :)
ReplyDeleteand yes, I had BIG plans for my "memory" post but I changed my mind soon after realising what kind of effort it will be to find these photos ;) finally, I retrieved only one.
It may have been time consuming to assemble this but look at the lovely result! Love your bathingsuit in the 2010 shot! And what do you mean school is out?! I have summer vacation envy! We still have another three and a half weeks and I'm ready despite still having to work my part time job.
ReplyDeleteoh your sleuthing efforts paid off splendidly! what a great treasure, these memories. sweet! enjoy the splashing this summer, and creating more memories. :o)
ReplyDeletethis makes me feel so happy! and oh that last photo...stripes everywhere and GOGGLES and adorable smile!
ReplyDeleteSo much fun to see a picture from each year! I love going back through our photos on the computer, but when I have to find a specific one, it is a very frustrating experience. We still have no organization method for our pictures. I would love another beach photo with Cowgirl- guess we'll have to plan another vacation to Cape Cod soon. This year we'll have to make due with a picture of the kids playing in a creek.
ReplyDeleteAwww, what a sweet post! She is beautiful. :)
ReplyDeletexo,
melissa
I dont know why,Lis, but it made me cry when I saw these early pics.I've seen them before but there I was looking at them last night tears rolling down my face.So beautiful :)
ReplyDeletepassing you a hankie angela :) I too get all squishy seeing these pictures ... it is amazing to look back and knowing what I know now, recognize how fully formed my girl was from the beginning. Personality may be influenced by environment, but she is my proof of karma and reincarnation ... and it is such a privilege to see her unfolding ... having the space to blossom fully. A gift and a responsibility to preserve that spark. And now I know I have to shift through 2 years of digital images to make photo books! Sigh.
ReplyDeleteLis-Ohhh! I just loved seeing these pics! What a treasure!It makes me so happy but sad all at once (do they have to grow up??)And yes...those hats + swimsuits are adorable!!! I try to take as many pics of Tara so I can document her unfolding. xxx
ReplyDeleteah...i know what you mean...i stumbled across a photo of Savannah from only last year and i was blown away at how much she's changed only in that short span of time....*sigh*
ReplyDeletei may have overdosed on animal crackers {and yes, it was me who snuck in and raided your Nutella stash} -- listening to those podcasts, i have been gloriously unproductive.
i love being aimless...
xoxox
wonderful memories, great photos. found you on 52 photos!
ReplyDelete