My Norma Jean

“Look, mommy! Look! Look at my dress!”

My first thought is, How absolutely adorable! I must take a picture! My second thought?  Please, God, don’t let her turn out like Marilyn Monroe! I often think about them all grown up.  Who will they become?  What am I doing now that will make them who they will become?  And while the look of Baby Love standing in front of a vent with her chubby little legs posed perfectly in high heels and her dress flying up is the sight of innocence and life and all things wonderful, I worry where that innocence will go…and when.  And I pray.  I pray a lot.  And for a lot of things.  But I probably pray the most for my girls…especially now.

I used to think being a part of the beautiful people would make my life so much better.  There would be so much less that I’d have to worry about.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that the beautiful people weren’t all that beautiful anyway and they had the same struggles and problems that I did.  In many ways they had even more.  I hope that my girls will be blessed by their beauty and that their “beautiful people” will be on the inside.  Surely, no other beauty really matters.

 

 

 

A Snowy Day

The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found? ~J.B. Priestley

Although I really hesitate to call it a snowy day because there was more slush than snow, all children see is snow. They don’t care if it’s slushy or icy or dirty or beautiful. They only care that when they arose in the morning, their world looked so very different from when they went to bed. But for me, unless it’s a beautiful white snow that makes the world outside quiet and I can cozy up on the couch with something hot and watch movies (only to go outside when I desire), then I’m really not much of a snow person. However, 3 crazy kids+1 large dog+snow+ a mere 1000 square feet of house = the 4 of us bundling up and heading out.  And all in all I think our day was pretty successful…despite the fact that my socks were drenched and my feet were numb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

State Fair

Oh, how I love the State Fair!  I’ve been going since before I was born.  My mom was walking around the State Fair when she was 10 days past due with me!  It’s in my blood.  Anyway, going to the Fair is always a nostalgic time.  It’s always around or on my birthday and it always reminds me of childhood, of whimsical fun, and being fancy free.  I can eat what I want.  It’s the only place and time that you can cram yourself full of every ounce of junk food and do so to your detriment and it be considered “normal.”  It’s the only time you can act like a kid and people won’t look at you funny.  You can scream like a girl and it’s ok.  You can spend $3 just for the chance to win a giant overstuffed prize that will soon go to the charity shop.  It’s just fun.  Add to that the bright colors, the smells of fall, wood smoke, and all sorts of food, and you get bliss!

We had a great time this year!  By the end of the day we where tired, dirty, and somewhat ill-tempered as we made our way inch by inch through the mass of people to the exit.  But even that was fun.  It’s part of it.  It’s what you sign up for when you go.  And when we finally made it to our car with a backpack, cotton candy, two candied apples, a stuffed bear, a stuffed car, two handmade rag dolls, and two children who hadn’t quite made their way to their second wind, we knew we had had our fill of that State Fair bliss…until next year.

The girls loved the ferris wheel!  I was a bit nervous to be quite honest.  We got stopped at the top.

View from the top…at least the best one of the lot.  I was kind of nervous to hang out over a dangling car without a camera, much less with one.

 

 

 

 

 

I loved this guy and his music!  He walked around with a of this stuff attached to him all day!  And he would get the kids involved too.

 
We waited in line for about an hour for these Hamster Dance balls!  My mom, Sam, and I would switch out in the line.  It was worth every bit of waiting and the $14 we spent on it!

 

When I wasn’t waiting in line for the balls ride, I might have stopped here.  And I just may have had a huge funnel cake with powdered sugar and hot fudge.  And I might have eaten all of it (except for a couple of bites that dad took) by myself.

 

 

 

We got lunch from a church place this year.  We usually do the sausage or steak subs.  This place was good and less expensive

 

I discovered the fish eye edit on my camera!  I’m not sure how.  But I did.  And it paid off.  Because I got this.

 

 

 

 

 

Avery and Anabel both got a lot of ride time!  They road the roller coaster as well but the pictures are on the rough side.  We were all surprised at Avery’s willingness to go on some of them.  Anabel, however, surprised no one.  We all know she’s the daredevil in the family!

 

My mom and I rode this together!  I thought it was kind of funny that it was in Kiddie Land.  We sat next to a little boy of about 7…LOL.  We screamed.  He didn’t.

As we walked through the crowd, on our way to the gate, Anabel apparently fell asleep…sitting up.  We didn’t even know it until we stopped at the Village of Yesteryear.  The wagon was worth the money spent!

 

 

 

 

Happy 30th Birthday

We used to paint puddles in the sky,
Jump around on trampolines and never go inside.
We’d wake up in the mornin’ and decide
What we would do for the rest of our lives
But the rest of our lives came quickly…

Oh my darlin’
Oh my babe
How long will it take
To be carried away
To go back to the younger days…

Katie Herzig, “Oh My Darlin”

Today I have left my 20′s.  In so many ways I’m excited about the rest of my life.  But in many many more I am not.  I wonder what I’ve done with the ten years that were supposed to be some of the most exciting and vigorous of my life.  And I long to go back and try again.  To do things differently.  To make better choices.  My life is so crazy, so full that I haven’t actually had a chance to reflect on who I am now.  The person I see in the mirror is not the same in real life as she is in my head.  Somehow, some way, I must figure out who this Liz is and what she stands for.  And maybe by the time I’m 40 I will long less for the younger days.  Maybe by then I will be more comfortable in my skin and I will be better able to embrace the me that is real and cast out the one that is not and never will be again.

Or maybe…quite possibly…I will have a similar post waiting.  Maybe I will discover that the person in my head is really who I am and whether she looks 18 or 80 she will always be that person.  And that’s quite ok too.

For Future Reference:

There is so much that I’ve learned from having two children as opposed to one. So much that I need to remember in case we ever have another one. So much I just feel the need to share with those that only have one but may have another.

1.  If it’s been found in or under the furniture or on the floor and it’s not moldy, it’s probably still edible.

2.  Whatever non food product they ate will probably come out the other end eventually.

3.  Glade Plug Ins are nontoxic.

4.  Siblings fight.  As long as no one is bleeding or unconscious, they’re probably fine.  Let them fight it out   They’ll  be hugging again in a few minutes.

5.  Just go ahead and buy two of everything.  The principle of sharing can be taught in other ways.

6.  Plates, cups, and eating utensils should all be one color.  Less for them to fight over.

7.  Someone will be crying at least once a day (usually it’s me)!  Especially if you have girls.  It’s normal.

8.  If giving my kids food off of my plate (because “it tastes better”) gets my kids to eat, so be it.

9.  They will do something to surprise and/or embarrass me in public every single time we’re out.

10.  Generally whatever that embarrassing thing is will have something to do with me a) not having any money b) not being fair c) yelling “don’t spank me!” at the top of their lungs d) other peoples’ disabilities or e) all four.  And it will always be said loudly.

11.  It doesn’t matter how many times she tells me she has to pee and we go to the bathroom and she doesn’t go.  We still have to go try each and every time.

12.  Kids will always suddenly get hungry and thirsty and/or have to go to the bathroom the second you leave the house, even if they’ve eaten or already peed.

13.  It is absolutely inevitable that someone will overhear you saying something to your children that will make them want to call social services.

14.  You will respond to their glaring stares by offering that they take your child home (while she’s screaming at the top of her lungs and throwing herself on the floor).

15.  Traveling anywhere with two or more children is a nightmare.  Get used to it.

16.  With one child, I would totally take her in to the gas station to pay for my gas, never to leave her in the car alone.  With two, I lock them in the car, go pay for gas, grab a few snacks, and pray that they don’t kill each other before I get back.

17.  When she says she feels like she’s going to throw up, it’s too late to get her to the bathroom.  You’ll just have to clean up wherever it lands.

18.  It’s almost always projectile.

19.  If you’ve heard your name called 100 times or less in a day, it’s a good day.

20.  There are three things that you simply cannot force your child to do:  eat, sleep, and be quiet.

21.  There will be days when you think a) you wish your name wasn’t “mommy” b) you had a day job (if you’re a stay at home mom that is) c) I would switch with my husband in a heartbeat. d) we are never having any more children.

22.  You almost immediately change your mind because despite all the things you’ve learned about being a mom that you kind of wish you hadn’t, it’s still the very best and most important job in the world.

Princess Rock Star

“We find a delight in the beauty and happiness of children, that makes the heart too big for the body”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I figured that Big Girl has had several posts devoted to her (and she’ll have another one at the end of this month) and feel like Littlest Munchkin deserves some super bloggy attention.

She is the epitome of life. She asks me if she makes my heart super happy. And I answer that she does.  She makes my heart super duper happy. She dances in our living room with wreckless abandon in a princess outfit and holding a guitar. Sometimes she closes her eyes, holds out her arms, and just sways to the music, her guitar rocking back and forth with her body. Sometimes she’s covered head to toe in nothing but bracelets, necklaces, rings, and crowns.  She’s definitely got a way about her.  She wakes up my senses in ways that no other can. Each of my children do.

I think every child a mother has is loved equally as much but in such different ways. Avery is so very much like her father, in almost every way. If I hadn’t bore her, I don’t think I could actually claim her as my own. Anabel, however…well, she’s so much like me, but oh so much better. She’s hot tempered, passionate, independent, a leader, mischievous, diva, princess, angel, sugar and spice, and everything nice all wrapped into one short, yummy little package.  She is my go-anywhere-do-anything-at-least-once child.  I was like that.  I kind of still am…just a little bit more inhibited than I was.  But Anabel is not.  She is uninhibited.  And it. is. beautiful.  I think if I loved her any more, my heart would simply pop.

Avery’s Birthday Part 2

Avery’s birthday and birthday party were a smashing success!  Thank you to everyone who helped make it so fun and wonderful not just for her, but for all of us!

We went to the lake with some friends the day of her birthday.  It was rainy, but we had a blast!

The gift!

The first cake.

My parents got her a big box full of Zhu Zhu pet stuff.  She loves it!

The “birthday party” cake!  Delicious!

The birthday girl and her daddy at the pool party.  They are so cute!

The next group of pictures are courtesy of my dad!  Thanks dad for taking such wonderful pictures and for being there for Avery’s 5th birthday party!

And just as her party was winding down and all the cake-filled, wound up children grabbed their balloons to go home, it started to rain.  It was appropriate really.  The end of the party, the end of the celebration of Avery’s birthday.  The moving forward.  The downer after every high.  As I packed up all of our things in the truck, the rain trickled down my cheeks and face like random teardrops and, while I was sad that I was then forced to accept that Avery had turned 5 (as if I could have stopped it anyway), I was also content in knowing that she had a very, very happy birthday.

Young Love

“I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way.”

Pablo Neruda

As a photographer, it is my job to watch people, to anticipate their expressions, their interactions, in an effort to capture even a minute glimpse of who they really are. I’ve been watching this couple from afar for a while now. For a while I wasn’t even sure they were a couple.  I’ve seen them in church and at the pool and, while they do act lovingly towards one another, it is so subdued that it hadn’t really occurred to me that they really are more than friends.   And since these two were leaders at our church’s Vacation Bible School recently, I watched more.  On the last day of VBS, they wore these shirts.  You can’t tell it from the pictures (which I hope they will not be too disappointed about), but when they get close together, the hearts on their shirts light up!  When they are apart, the hearts’ lights go out one by one the farther apart they get.  I couldn’t take it one bit longer.  I boldly asked them both if I could take pictures of them that day, and they gladly agreed

What’s important about this story, though, is that I realized that the reason I didn’t initially see that they were in love isn’t because it was that subdued.  It is because what I see every day (or many days) as “in love” is physically displayed between two people.  Kissing, hugging, flirting.  Those are all characteristics of a couple in love.  These two are so very inspiring to me because they don’t do those things, at least not in public.  And that, my friends, is a godly relationship.  Whether they know it or not, they are representing God with their relationship in a way I haven’t quite seen before in such young people.  The exude love for one other, but it seems so pure and sweet and clean.

So none of this really occurred to me until I had them in that little alleyway behind our church.  For 10 minutes I was in their world and it was such a privilaged 10 minutes.  I got to see up close and personal something I never had as a teenager, something many many people never have, a young, godly relationship and love.   It is always amazing to me that there are young men like him and young women like her still in existence in today’s world, and they give me hope that my girls can have what they have one day.  These two may get married.  They may not.  But what’s important is what they are reflecting to the world right now.    They love each other without pride or mystery or lies.  They love each other because they just do.  They love each other because they know no different, because they know no other way.  God loves us because he is love and knows no other way.  And I’m sure his heart lights dim when we are not near him, and, believe it or not, ours do too.

Louisburg Events: Larry Frick (and band)

When my mom called me on Saturday evening to tell me this band was playing at our new vet’s office here in Louisburg, Acoustic Pets, I jumped at the opportunity to go check it out!  I stopped cooking supper and told Sam I’d be back, grabbed my camera, and practically flew out the door.  There’s something super special about small town festivities like these.   I’m sure small towns all over America have little festivals, community gatherings and the like just like my small town does, but there’s something even more special, I think, about a small town gathering in the South…in the summer.  It’s hot.  The food is delicious.  People are sweaty.  You can smell the heat and the sweet summer grass.  Kids are crying and laughing and just hanging out.  The locals are colorful and from all parts of the town and all walks of life.  The music is generally from a local band like this one, and seriously, only in the South could you have a concert at a restored 1890′s purple house which now houses a pretty rockin’ vet’s office!  People are friendly and talk to one another.  They may dance in the street or sidewalk.  Some of these pictures will be part of a special project I’m working on, but I couldn’t help but write a post about this awesome band and a summer’s eve in our small town.  While I am not a huge country music fan (not really a country music fan at all), this band was “frickin” great!

I love the look on this father’s face…the look so many parents often have after their child has talked to them incessantly for an extended period of time.  And the look on the little boy’s face is still as excited as it probably was when he awoke that morning.

This couple was dancing in the street!  I don’t know their names, but I know they have been married only 4 years and seemed incredibly in love!

No small town gathering is complete without a face painter

I have so many more that I would have loved to share from this event, but these are my very favorites!

All images on this blog are copyright of Liz Cooper Photography.  Please do not use these images in whole or in part for printing or online (facebook, website, etc) without the express permission of Elizabeth Cooper of Liz Cooper Photography.  Should you desire these images, I will have a disc made available for purchase upon request.  Thank you.

It’s Independence Day!

I couldn’t write about today (July3rd).  It was so wonderful and there are so many words and none of them are right to describe this day.  I did, however, write some thoughts I had tonight on the way home from the fireworks and finished it off with quotes that represent how I feel about our country.

On the way home, it was dark, and the wind was cold in the bed of that truck.  As I laid down in the bed, I put my head in Sam’s lap and looked up at the stars as we sped down the back roads of our small town.   No street lights, no noise.  Just stars and pastures, fields, interspersed with houses with little lights glowing in the windows.  Wood smoke in the air and the smell of a summer eve, and for a very few brief moments it was perfect peace.  For a few moments life slowed down.  Even though we were traveling fast, for me the world seemed to almost stop.  All was right with the world and I thought that there is no place on earth where the smell is so sweet, where the wind whispers my name so fondly, or where country roads go on forever as they do right here in America… my home.  I can visit a thousand countries, the most beautiful of lands, travel the seven seas, see the Northern Lights, the Seven Wonders.  I can watch volcanoes erupt, swim with dolphins, and eat all kinds of delicious exotic food.  But I don’t think I would ever want to leave my home, my country, America.

“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.”

Erma Bombeck

Yes, my friends, that is my husband.  He is wearing England’s rugby jersey with the English rose on it….while we’re celebrating independence in America.  It’s a free country. 

“The true meaning of America, you ask? It’s in a Texas rodeo, in a policeman’s badge, in the sound of laughing children, in a political rally, in a newspaper… In all these things, and many more, you’ll find America. In all these things, you’ll find freedom. And freedom is what America means to the world. And to me.”

Audie Murphy

“I believe with all my heart that standing up for America means standing up for the God who has so blessed our land. We need God’s help to guide our nation through stormy seas. But we can’t expect Him to protect America in a crisis if we just leave Him over on the shelf in our day-to-day living.”

Ronald Reagan

“You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.”

Winston Churchill

“We’ve gone astray from first principles. We’ve lost sight of the rule that individual freedom and ingenuity are at the very core of everything that we’ve accomplished. Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.”

Ronald Reagan

The girls were pretty bored waiting for the fireworks to begin, but I think they felt it was worth the wait!!

I love this man!

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness….”

Declaration of Independence