Little Helper

           There's a point every single day when we hurry to get our household chores done. We have better things to do than folding laundry, picking up toys, cleaning up messes and scrubbing the dishes. We often times hurry our kids to the living room to eat a snack or to watch their favorite tv show so we can do these things quickly and in peace. What we often forget though is that our kids are smart and capable. They watch our very move, learn quickly, and most times want to help.
          One night my husband was doing the dishes and I happened to notice our daughter wasn't playing in the living room like she normally would be. As I walked back toward the kitchen in search of her I hear Daddy giving her instructions on where to put the silverware. Sure enough, Emma was helping daddy put away the dishes. Carefully taking out the silverware one by one to place them up in the drawer which was far above where she could see. She was also great at grabbing the dinner plates and handing them to daddy to put away in the overhead cabinets. She was being the best little helper and I knew I couldn't pass this moment up without getting a few photos, so I grabbed my camera and headed back to the kitchen. When all the dishes were put away she then decided the dishwasher door doubled as a jungle gym and climbed on top. Sitting there looking cute all I could think of was when she gets older she will look back at these photos and laugh. One day she'll show her own kids these photos and show them how silly she was. Maybe she'll even take photos like this with her own kids.
           After the dishes were done and she closed the dishwasher up I was glad I captured these few minutes. Even though this was a simple, every-day task, it was made special by involving Emma and helping her learn something new. I was able to capture these moments to look back on for myself and also for the generations to come to remember us by.  It might have been a simple thing, but to me she made it special. 
            Do your kids like to help out with chores? If so, which ones? I challenge you to do something new with them this week and to make something ordinary a little more special. 

Straeter Family Lifestyle Session

Sarah and her gorgeous little family live on the perfect piece of land, complete with a garden, woods, tons of yard space and gorgeous access to the river. Our session began at the barn down the road as we HAD to see the chickens, feed them and collect the eggs. I've never seen a kid as fearless as miss Nora. She walked into the chicken coop so confidently and without flinching chased a chicken around and scooped it up, wings still flapping and all. She smiled the whole time. She also had to pick up and show me each chicken and knew all their names. I was pretty impressed. Haha! Little Elena even wanted to hold a chicken too with a little help from mom and dad! Next stop was back to the house to gather some fresh garden vegetables! Fresh picked tomatoes are delicious by the way! After playing outside on the swing set we headed in to have pizza for dinner, and then to the bath to wash away all the days dirt. Teeth brushing and story time was next and a great way to wind down and complete the day. The kids loved reading the books and sat so still and were so enthralled with them. I remember Sarah telling me how every Tuesday they went to the local library to get books to read to the kids every night. I thought this was so special and something the kids will remember when they are older and see these photos. I can't thank this family enough for sharing their time and allowing me into their home. They were so welcoming and sweet. We had so much fun!