Tuesday's Top 5

Can I do it? Do I honestly think I can narrow it down? Only 5?

("What on earth is she talking about?," you ask.)

My top 5? Really? Well, okay, I'll try. But I reserve the right to change my mind.

THE TOP 5 PHOTOS OF 2010 (maybe):

5. I love this family shot that I captured just a few weeks ago. We had worn the little guy out by this point, but the yawn is just so yummy.

4. I know I probably shouldn't use one of my own little guy, but I truly adored his Halloween shots this year. He was the perfect baseball player and we were shooting at the perfect time with the perfect light. So this is love.

3. I loved everything about this session with Sofia and Gavin, but this is definitely my favorite (except for my 6 or 7 other favorites, but whatever). Letting kids do their thing = Awesome.

2. Confession: I found this sheet at a church rummage sale for .25 cents. I promise I washed it in HOT HOT water before I put little Michael down on it, though. I just love what the bright but not too busy pattern brings. A nice diversion from the traditional simple newborn shot.

1. I'm at #1 already? NO WAY! Honestly, this was never going to work. But if I must pick a #1, I suppose I would pick this shot from our family reunion this summer. "Jump off the dock all at the same time," I said. And they did. Perfectly. Ah summer....

Seriously, I cannot stop at 5. Here are a few more oldies but goodies that you may not have seen before:

p.s. Now that I've started, it's hard to stop. I'm sure I'll be back soon with more favorites.

Christmas. Now.

I am loving Christmas right now. And I don't mean to say that I don't always love Christmas. I do. I really, really do! But right now, while Max is in all his almost-three-year-old glory, Christmas is perfection.

We got our tree last night. By the time we got it home and in the stand, it was too late to let him stay up and decorate it. We let him put a few ornaments on and then sent him to bed. Consequently, he came down stairs to a transformed house this morning, and said (no kidding), "Wonderful! Oh! Santa! The tree! The tree!"

So yeah, ask me how Christmas is right now? Christmas-right now-is something really special.

Tuesday's Top 5

Something a bit different for today:

THE TOP 5 REASONS TO MAKE MISTAKES

5. Mistakes Are Funny. What? Mistakes are funny. And sure, maybe you're not laughing now. Maybe it's mostly just me and your other friends laughing right now (and laughing hard), but one day, you'll laugh about it, too; because, really mistakes are funny. Most of the time.

4. Mistakes Make You Humble. Mistakes keep you from getting that big balloon head that you (and me and you and you and you) get when we've been on top of the world for awhile. Hey, we all need our bubble burst every once in a while, otherwise we'd really be insufferable.

3. Mistakes Are Learning Experiences. When was the last time you made a mistake that you didn't say, "Oh yeah, I should have done that instead."? And if you didn't say that (or some incarnation of it, please see number 4 and then come back to number 3). Seriously, I think some of the best photographic lessons I've learned have come from times when I've royally screwed up first and had to think through fixing it. This logic applies whether you're a photographer, an accountant, or an underwater basket weaver. Mistakes = Knowledge!

2. Mistakes Begat Greatness. Sometimes mistakes turn into accidental greatness. Okay, maybe not for you or for me, but that happens sometimes, right? Yes! The chocolate chip cookie, the slinky, and Velcro are all results of mistakes. Hope springs eternal.

1. Mistakes Are Just Mistakes. And finally, mistakes are just mistakes. I mean, not so much if you're a doctor or an airplane pilot, but for most of us, a mistake is just a blip on the map; something we'll look back on and laugh, reflecting on how much it taught us and how humble we are as a result. So don't sweat those little mistakes, because (after all), tomorrow is another day! (Sorry, couldn't resist).

What mistake will you make today?

This is the face of blog neglect

This is also the face of a photographer who let her two-year-old take her picture while she was on vacation and had not washed her hair or put her contacts in.

(Yikes! I can't believe I shared that!)

This is the face of said two-year-old.

This is the face of the same two-year-old on a sled with his Dad.

Forgive me?

Be back soon!