monkey time

This afternoon I spent with my two bestest monkey kids in the world and our awesome cousin Sophia at the Old Cider Mill in Glastonbury. This place has been around for-EVER, like back in the day when I was in Brownies and my Mom was the troop leader she brought us there. Yeah, it's old. I have a few weddings left to get caught up on but I had to take some time to be with my kids and not on our 'regularly scheduled night' usually Wednesdays. See, I can totally be spontaneous when I need to be. And I needed to be- my kids are totally missing me and I them- it's been quite the transition for them to have Mom go from kind of part time to definitely part time to totally not part time to completely full time to where the heck is MOM time. But some great things have been coming up as a result- Jack has asked me if 'only girls can have studios or can boys have studios too?' I told him to go meet Steve or Paul or Justin and then ask me again. That was totally lost on him, for sure, the kids five but when I was little it was always my Dad in 'the studio' painting, practicing with his band, working on his photographs. My Dad always had some art opening or another that my Mom would bring us to to support my Dad. I always loved it- the feeling of having people there for MY DAD and his super cool ART. What an impression that makes on a kid! I was bowled over by that. And then it hit me, last week my kids were there at MY opening! Not that they really got it or anything but I did. Or I do now, thinking back on it all. Very cool.
There is a photographer I met named Davina Fear (now how cool is her name?) who had the best short video that I have to find and link here soon. It really touched me for so many reasons- as a parent, mostly for sure but even more as a daughter. I cry every time I see it because it's a beautiful concept- and it shows her family and how much she loves them. But it also made me really reflect on how loved I was by my Mom and how much I miss her. It also touched me as a photographer- that she showed such a personal side of herself. I have to find it- Davina if you read this email me! :)
Partly because of that slide show I got to thinking and realized I had to post THE REASON(s) I do what I do, and why I am what I am. It is for my happy nutty little family. I love what I do and I am so lucky!!
And yes Davina, I DO have a picture of that!! :)