June Portrait

It is a Saturday morning in the summertime. We load shovels and buckets, beach towels and sunscreen, chairs and an umbrella in the back of our car. We eat breakfast while we drive in the early morning light down Folly Road. Happy summer music plays on the stereo. We park at 9th Street, cross the one-way street to the walkover and take a deep breath. Only a handful of people arrive before us. We select our spot and kick off our shoes. August and I immediately walk to the water where we fill a bucket and a blue dump truck in the waves. Daddy and Boston get to work with the shovels. We are soon covered in salt and sand and laughing.

See our other monthly portraits here.

Summertime with Friends

Our weekend evening beach walk was pure magic. I am so thankful for lifetime friends who feel like family and bless me time and time again. 

Like Father, Like Son

We spent last weekend on Folly Beach. The temperatures dropped to the 50s at night and August had a slight fever but we did not let that ruin our mini-vacation. August loves the water as much as his daddy does. Every time we let go of his hands, he walked deeper into the waves. Summer 2014 is going to be sandy and salty.  

Happy Birthday, Lulah.

Today is my mum's birthday! We try to get together every Thursday, but this week ended up a bit disorganized. We heard they've been dredging for sand out at Folly and the water has turned the most gorgeous shade of turquoise. On Tuesday, we packed our bags early and headed out to see for ourselves.

August had a wonderful time; he dug in the sand and played with the toys on the blanket quite happily. After we were all warm and ready to cool down, we walked to the put our feet in the water. August sat right down and laughed every time a wave came up and washed over his lap. 

We are looking forward to a summer filled with beach trips, sandcastles, sunscreen and popsicles. Folly Beach will always be home to me. I am delighted August is finding his way there too.

Pictures taken with my iPhone that has a spot on the lens I cannot get off. 

Anyone else had this happen? Any advice on what to do?

October.

 I've been taking monthly photos of August on his birthday. I keep meaning to post them all here for posterity sake. This is August: 6 months old.

Mum, August and I took a very last minute, very quick trip to Starke to meet baby Owyn and to hug Emily's neck. Ali came to surprise us all too! The gathering of women to snuggle babies, drink coffee and share our hearts is one of my favorite things. 

Lilah and Owyn

Lilah's eyes!

 We started giving August fruits and veggies on my birthday. (I thought that would help me remember the date.) Since then, he eats anything we give him. Carrots, peas and pears are favorites. He likes avocado if its slightly warmed (odd!) and zucchini with garlic and basil. Feeding this boy is such fun. (I was really dreading the "solids" stage but have been surprised to find it easy, laid back and simple.)

In mid- October, Roman and Jenny visited for a long weekend. Off to the pumpkin patch we went...

Jackson (2), Mairn (4), and August (6 mo.)

Justin and Andra visited too! What a fun cousin month we've had! Their children have never been to a big, sandy American beach and they were enthralled. Brandon is working on a little film project that will capture our weekend and their excitement more than my photos...

Andra, Justin, Jonas (7), Anna (5), Evie (2)

 For small group, we took a night to eat chili and yummy cookies and carve pumpkins. Here are some of our creations...

Will, Sam, Kaitlin, Bran and August

 Finally, a current favorite of my boy in his Wild shirt.

Lightroom Love

When Emily asked me to help with Brandon's wedding, she recommended I try her 50mm lens and Lightroom. I am head-over-heels in love with both of them! Her lens doesn't shoot in auto-focus on my camera and my Lightroom trial has expired but let me tell you... I am saving my pennies to purchase both in the VERY NEAR future!

Just to give you an idea of the delights of Lightroom:

SOOC

After slight Lightroom Adjustments

Can you see the difference? The before shot looks nice capturing the blues in the waves and the child-awe for father and uncle. But, it also seems to have a haze over it. It is just not crisp and clear. After really slight adjustments in Lightroom, the image is a truer picture of the Florida wedding beach day. When I say "slight," I mean it! I hardly had time to learn the program. I am anxious to buy the program so I can see what "intense" adjustments look like :)

Thanks, Em, for pushing me into this and for encouraging my passions. Thanks for the advice and tips and camaraderie.