Sundance with the Smyths

I had the good fortune to journey to Park City, Utah last week for the Sundance Film Festival. Well, kind of. Mostly I went to Park City to see our dear friends Sarah and Eric, their kids Grace and Will, and to meet their new baby, Owen Robert Smyth. The fact that we just so happened to time it for Sundance and Sarah scored awesome tickets for several premieres did not hurt. No, I will not be sharing my Sundance photos here on my blog. But don't be sad, the pictures of the Smyth family are way cuter. We'll start with the star of the show. Baby Owen. Here he is as I first met him.


He is - in a word - delicious. I sort of made it my job to pick him up and hold him whenever I could. I just couldn't resist. He got used to me (especially once I put the giant camera down) and would coo at me and even smiled at me. He's incredibly advanced where smiling is concerned. I refuse to believe it's gas, because when he's in his Mama's arms, he flashes her a smile that is not in any way connected to his GI tract. It's all flirty love for his favorite person.


He enjoys his siblings too. But more importantly they ADORE him. He is their favorite toy. The newness hasn't worn off at all and they spend almost all of their time looking at him, touching him, kissing him, helping Mom with him, etc. It is so incredibly cute. Here he is with big sister Grace and brother Will.

And let's not forget Dad. Eric is every ounce of Proud Papa that you'd want and expect. You can just see him dreaming of the day when he's out on the river teaching his sons to fly fish.


Here are some of Owen from my last day there. It was shocking how much he changed in just a few days. He is curious, an explorer at heart, very studious. He actively studies how his little body works and how to do his new tricks over and over again.


And I can't believe it but I actually got Will, age 3 and a half, to be still for a moment so I could capture him. Will is funny, sweet, sensitive, focused, loves his Mommy, and is very mechanical. This picture just makes my heart melt.

And then there's Grace, or Collin's betrothed, my future daughter-in-law. We'll call her Little Mama for now. She pours such joyful loving energy into Owen. I have no doubt that she will always be there for him, to guide and protect, maybe get him into trouble but never set him up for it. She is active, energetic, and very cool. Grace starts her day in the car with her shades on, singing and dancing to pop music on the radio. I have no doubt she'll be Most Popular, Homecoming Queen, Best Athlete, and all the rest. She loves people and people love her. I know I do!


All in all it was an incredible trip. I needed girlfriend time, and Sarah, like her daughter, is also one of those gals everyone loves. It restored my soul to hang out and be with their incredible family for a few days. I'd do it again in a heartbeat even without Sundance. Thanks for everything Smyths. Love you!

Doodle & Biscuit 2008

This is my year in review. It's not a complete story of course, there are hundreds of things not photographed. But these are my favorites from the year.

This is Sadie. Also known as The Biscuit. She is as joyful as this photo depicts.

And Collin. Also known as Doodle. Appropriately shown in action. He doesn't slow down much. His energetic temperament is the opposite of Sadie's.

My favorites from our spring shoot. Such patient models.



They both love to play the piano though they don't take lessons. Collin is very serious, wants to be taught and can remember songs and practices them over and over until he gets them right. He also is very hard on himself when he forgets or hits the wrong note. But his mistakes only fuel him to work harder. Sadie is an improviser, tender and gentle. She plays and sings quietly. Not for lack of confidence, it's almost as if she's listening to the song the piano is asking her to play.

Summer was an exciting time around here. This was the last day of school and both kids were overjoyed to be together all day again.


Sadie at Chicago's famous BEAN.

All dressed up and fancy at their very first grown up wedding. Collin was so proud that I was reading in the ceremony. Sadie was captivated by the bride. Both behaved extremely well and it was a thrill to share the evening with them. Even if it meant we didn't close the reception down. (Although we all did much better than you'd expect!)

Collin coming in from the beach at Lake Tahoe.

We had a whirlwind road trip to the East coast and somehow, even though we had an entire van to store stuff, we forgot a stroller. Sadie, not the active one, doesn't usually ride in one which is how it was so easy to forget. But Boston and New York and amusement parks are very pedestrian places. And that was a lot of walking for Sadie. Too much. Which meant a lot of carrying by Mom & Dad. And even Collin helped us out. But they were laughing so hard most of the time they didn't usually get very far.

The ONLY thing Collin wanted to do over the summer was go see the Statue of Liberty. Which is funny because he wailed and whined almost the entire time. He hated it! Well, that's not exactly true. He loved the boat ride. And the statue. It was the waiting he had trouble with. Lines! Such long lines! All the waiting! It took forever!


Sadie had a pink princess birthday party and this was one of her gifts. She does enjoy dressing up but she's very particular about her clothes and the way they feel on her body. No pants, ever. Only leggings. Dresses 98% of the time. Summer dresses as often as possible. Even in winter. So when she dresses up it's usually in shoes. Sorry, glass slippers. But she was enamored by this outfit as was I obviously.

This is Collin playing fall soccer. He was in the wrong division. He was "that kid". When he was in he dominated the field, scored lots of goals, blocked the other team from ever getting the ball. And when he was on the bench, the other team actually got a chance to play. What can I say? He takes after his Dad.

This was a day at a Pumpkin Patch this fall. These are 2 common faces we see the kids making. This is Collin's dinosaur face. There's kind of a hissing, crashing T-Rex sound that accompanies it. And this is Sadie's incredulous face. Usually preceded by "What what what?!?"

These are my most recent pictures. What they look like right now. Well, what they looked like on Christmas Eve. Collin so handsome and dapper with his Christmas tie. He gets kind of a shy amused smile when he presents himself. Then collapses into me in a rare and cherished hug. As overwhelmed as I am by how grown up he looks and feels.

And Sadie all dressed in her "fancy party dress". With her "fancy black shoes" and "sparkly tights". She twirls and dances, which is more of a waist wiggle in front of her mirror once dressed. Then slowly and carefully approaches people with the look on her face that says, "Aren't I the most beautiful girl you've ever seen?" Yes baby, you truly are.

And here they are with their Daddy, the fabulous Mikie D. Without whom they would not be possible. You see here 2 kids who worship their Dad and appropriately so. He plays games, reads stories, tucks them into bed and showers them with attention and devotion. We're all so lucky to have each other.


Love,
Momgun

3C Ranch - the people

Don't worry, there won't be a test at the end of this post. But I'm going to sketch out my family and how we all fit together in these photos. Some background might give some of the pictures their proper perspective.

My grandparents Forrest Sr. and Emilie had three kids: Forrest Jr, Connie and Martha. Here they are (in reverse order just to keep you on your toes) Martha, Connie and Forrest.

Between those three kids, they have five kids. So my grandparents had five grandchildren: Cherie, Kerry, Trevor, Emi, and Joe Ben.

This is Trevor (my brother), me (Emi) - we're Forrest's kids. Trev & I are here with Joe Ben, Connie's son. Not pictured because they weren't there for Thanksgiving this year are Martha's kids Cherie & Kerry. Still with me?

These are the Outlaws

God bless 'em they married into the Clark family. They look fun don't they? Trust me they are. They share a bond not unlike soldiers in arms....

This is Erin and her son Blake. Erin is not an outlaw, technically, but she is one of us. Her Dad is married to Martha. Which puts Erin in a unique and special category all her own.


This is Erin's Dad Gary. Also Martha's husband. Come on, follow along now. He's pictured here with my Dad Forrest. And quite frankly Gary is married almost as much to my Dad as he is to Martha. These two are best friends and dream and hatch plans for the farm on a continuous basis. They do a tremendous amount of work together. I count on Gary to keep an eye on my Dad and thankfully he does.

This is perhaps my second most favorite photo. Gary looks like he's said something a little racy to Martha, which would not be a stretch to assume. What I love about the picture is how much Martha enjoys him and what he whispered in her ear.

Connie was without her boyfriend Randy this year as he was at his own family reunion. I was glad only because Randy is 900 feet tall and I was a little nervous about how to fit him compositionally. We missed him though and I wish we had a picture. But I do love this portrait of Connie, one of the most well read, civically minded people I've ever met.

Connie and Martha are sisters and couldn't be more different. And yet are also profoundly alike. They have a way of combining their strengths to produce incredible results, especially where gardening is concerned. I've always loved watching their relationship as sisters and they model the best that word means.


My Dad takes his role as big brother very seriously and serves as a gentle guide for our entire clan. He has a presence about him that inspires peace and togetherness. It is through his vision that we all gather together in love at the farm. And my Mom supports him unflailingly. I've never witnessed two people more devoted to one another. Their awareness and acceptance of one another is masterful and incredibly kind. There is no better example I've seen of how to be married. Their love for one another is the greatest gift I've ever received.


This is my Mom's step sister Dana, who once was lost but now is found. Literally. I met her for the first time after I had already had my kids. But she and her brother Stephen felt like family to me immediately. I love the stories she tells from the old days and she has a great spirit of playfulness about her that is mesmerizing.

I'm veering off course just a touch to introduce Elizabeth, David, Coan and Grayer. Elizabeth's Mom is a cousin of Forrest, Connie and Martha. And when you're a Clark that's not just family, that's kin. Elizabeth has been such a blessing to us! She lives near the farm and she and David help us out whenever we need it. Plus she is a baker extraordinaire. Getting a picture of all of them was a challenge so here's the best of their family in bits and bobs.

Elizabeth and Coan

David with his boys, Grayer and Coan.

We all made a point to take portraits this year so here's what we've got in the family album for 2008....

Joe, his wife Jamie, their daughters Sierra (standing) and Naomi.


Trevor, his wife Kim, their daughter Emilie. These are the three people I would take with me to a desert island by the way. Most days they'd be selected before my own family.


Now do you see why I'd take my brother and sis in law over this grumpy crew? Pictured are yours truly, my darling husband Mike and our two charming children Collin and Sadie. I couldn't resist sharing this photo because it cracks me up! What you see here (rather obviously) is the remnant of a major meltdown and a total unwillingness to take a family photo. Mom is still optimistic however that the kids will flash a smile for the camera and is doing her best to look READY! Oy.

That's my family. The people who have shaped me into who I am and who I cherish and treasure. Boy, you really worked hard to follow along. Great work! Now you can stop reading and just enjoy the eye candy.