Welcome to week 31 of Project 52–Joy!!

I have felt lately that while I love taking photos, I haven’t necessarily wanted to carry my camera with me everywhere for a couple of reasons.  First, I feel like many times I focus on taking pictures instead of enjoying the moment with my kids.  Second, I’m a bit overwhelmed by the volume of photos I have on my external hard drive, and yet, I haven’t done much with them.  When the boys start school, I want to use some of my “free” time to organize, cull, print, share the images trapped in the little black box on my desk.  Third, I sometimes feel myself comparing my work with other people’s work and not feeling up to par or on the same level.

So for this week’s theme, which is JOY, I am sharing images taken with my iPhone.  I have a waterproof case for it and decided to put it to the test.  This little guy is beyond excited that we now have a pool and that he can swim in it every single day.  He’s pretty much a fish and has practiced holding his breath in the bathtub since he was at least two.  We’ve been watching the Olympics all week, and he seems to think he’s now an Olympic swimmer, thus the swim cap.  While he practiced his swim moves, I held my phone under water and hoped for the best.  We had so much fun playing and laughing at the pictures we wound up with.

While the “quality” of the photos isn’t the greatest, the “quality” of the time was.  It’s that divide between the two that I’m struggling with right now.  But for now, for today, I will take joy in being able to share this moment with my little man.  I can’t decide what I love the most:  his gap teeth, the swim goggles, the swim cap, or the sheer joy on his face.

Please head over to the talented Melinda Meredith Photography HERE to see here take on joy.  Join us next week for “street.”

After almost two months on the road traveling and moving from Massachusetts to Tampa, I’m finally able to rejoin the group!  I’ve hated not being able to participate, but being on the road, staying in other people’s homes, living out of a suitcase–well, these all made blogging a bit of a challenge.  And while I took tons of photos on our journey, I’ve decided for today to focus on some shots of the boys playing at a park in our new neighborhood.

While my pictures may not be a literal representation of “reflections,” they do reflect the versatility that our children have.  You see, they are military brats just like their mom and dad.  They have now lived in four states in their five years of life.  They have moved three times in the past three and a half years.  They have learned the heartache of leaving friends and places they love.  They have traveled.  They have seen places that most kids their age don’t even know exist.  They are outgoing, engaging, curious, aware of the world, observant, moody, active, self-assured, hesitant, and so much more.

As a military brat myself, I know first hand the range of emotions they have experienced as little ones moving.  As a mom, I wish I could take the negative feelings associated with moving away for them.  But, I also know that at this point, the moving is their “normal.”  They have learned how to adjust, make new friends, settle in to a new bedroom, find the familiar in a different place, make connections between where they are and where they were.

For this resilience, I am thankful.  And for these marvelous, messy, loud, boys, I am beyond grateful and truly blessed.

Now head over to the wonderful Melinda Meredith by clicking HERE and see her take on this week’s theme.  Join us next week as we take on adventure.

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