No, You Don't Need a Head!

I always see these photos, They're everywhere. Anyone who has a photography blog has one. "The feet only shot." You know what I'm talking about. You've seen them, too. Courtney recently wrote a post about them HERE. Up until the past few weeks, I've wondered what the deal was with those. I mean, I bought my camera to take pictures of my kids; To remember how the were, not what shoes they wore. When I actually worded it like that, I FINALLY realized what the big deal is!

I was over come with emotion.

The same one that drove me to take this with my iPhone over a year ago:

Jake, Sadie and Alistair
3 small pairs of shoes. My 3 biggest reason to get out of bed!

The same emotion that drove me to tears when I was organizing Alistair's old clothes and shoes to be available for Ronan.

The flood of memories. Who bought what outfits for him. How much I loved the baby Robeez shoes with the soccer balls on them because they prevented him from pulling his socks off. How those low-top "Chucks" were his 1st walking shoes. How much I LOVE (and his daddy HATES) those tiny green Crocs.

Then, the flood of tears.....He will never wear these shoes again. He will NEVER be that little again. Those days are gone. He's not a baby anymore. Where did the time go? Did I enjoy it enough while it was here?....

But almost immediately, I felt a calm come over me.

God has given me a precious gift. TWO precious gifts. And part of the gift is the change. The grow, they learn, they become their own people and in the process, I grow, I learn, I help lead them on their path as people.

I LOVE those little shoes. I LOVE the boys who wore (and will wear) them. I LOVE these blessings and this life.

So, when I was having some calm time in the yard yesterday and Alistair ran out to join me wearing his fireman boots. I couldn't help but smile and I couldn't help but take this photo.

Now, this day will be a memory attached to these boots.


I recently read this post by Jess at Not You Average Mommy and she put into words what I have been feeling:

"Everyday is profound. Everyday is a gift. Every little shoe that comes in your house is a treasure from God. 

Somehow these meager words and descriptions only scratch the surface of what this little shoe caused me to feel. It was as if the miracle of that first moment when they were born happened all over again, only in my kitchen, because of a shoe."

Here are a few more shots from our walk around the yard:

Such a beautiful day!

Ralphy and Frank!

Our Japanese Maple

I walked past this bush at just the right moment!