Summer has a bit of magic that swirls around the fringes of complete insanity. Just when I think I'll surely hole up and die of exhaustion, there are teeny moments of pure, well, magic that revive my soul enough to complete another task… another chore… another harvest.
While I was snuggled up to Sally's flank, watching the milk fill the bucket, I felt some little fingers on my shoulder from behind. I turned around to see this face:
Oh Georgia. When, oh when!, did you get so big. When did you start to develop into a mature little girl, full of thoughts, opinions, and desires?
All summer she's been surprising me with her requests and imagination. Yesterday, it began with baking a “special supper for the kitties” – which involved chopped up weeds, milk, egg, cat food, pieces of fat from our home-smoked ham, and water. She served it in a fancy dish after “baking it until golden”.
Seriously. It's killing me! I just want to squeeze her!
After getting my attention in the milking parlor, she asked if she could borrow my camera. I'd lugged it down to the barn in hopes of snapping a few new pictures of Lyle for you all (which, by the way, is extremely difficult!). Calves are faaaast. And he was extra flavors of rowdy last night.
I hesitated to grant her request because my camera is expensive. And on top of that, it's heavy, big, and requires looking through the view-finder and manual adjustments.
But then I thought to myself – hold your denial horses, self. This is what she sees you do. She sees that you love this and now she wants to love it. Nurture that.
So I set the camera best I could for her, handed it over (strap around the neck, of course) and sent her off to explore.
What's even better than the shots that came out of it was her attitude while she was taking them. Her enthusiasm was through the roof and she kept telling me to hold things out or stand in a certain spot. After she's take the photograph, she'd say something like “Oh, that was just bewtiful.” “Oh Mom, you look great!”. “Oh, how cool!”
We wandered back up to the house – Stu took the silky, raw milk inside and Georgia and I gathered eggs from the hens and a few ripe tomatoes from the greenhouse, all of which she insisted on capturing.
I wanted to share the photos with you. These are completely unedited – straight from the camera.
I couldn't stop smiling as I flipped through – this is the world that Georgia sees, of her choosing, from her perspective. Her little brothers were already in bed… or I'm sure they would've made the cut as well.
The World As Georgia Sees It
Also – can someone please tell me when I started to get those weird wrinkles around my eyes?
When did that happen? Was it the first child? The second? The third? Must I just submit to the adulthood that has enabled such a photographer to grow out of my first child?
Regardless, the world as Georgia sees it is a place I want to be. Giant wrinkles and all.
And Amen.
Melissa
This is so special! My heart is so full from thinking about Georgia’s sweet perspective and it reminding me of my own little people’s view of their crazy farmlife in a child’s eyes world. Thanks for sharing this:)
Megan Klauer
Wow! She has such a great eye. Love her perspective.
Pamela
Megan, I agree wholeheartedly!
Shaye, your wonderful ‘little’ has a fantastic eye for photography and life! Continue to nurture that! It’s a true talent and a beautiful way for you and others in her life to see things in a different light, while being given a glimpse into her heart!
Blessings!
Denaye
LOVE this. Good job Mama!!!
And I know.. the wrinkles… I wondered the same thing as I grimaced through the pictures we took on our anniversary get away… I hope people see them as smile lines…
Lauren
These are stunning photos! And good for you for overcoming the “automatic no” and giving her the opportunity to shine! I struggle with remembering to say “yes” sometiimes. So great to see what wonderful things can happen when you do say yes!
Dania
So so beautiful! Thank you for sharing and reminding me. ❤️
Tracey
Thru the unedited eyes of a child. Those are the best pictures. She is a gifted young lady. <3. So glad you let her share her views with us.
Beks
She’s a good little photographer! Definitely nurture that!
April @April Tells All
This was beautiful. Thank you for sharing!
Camille
Nice of you to let her use the camera. My mom always had an expensive one, that we were allowed to use, with the strap around our neck. The rules were never let it go and remember that this is mommy’s youngest baby and to be very gentle with it lol 15 years later I still remember how important i felt that she trusted me to use her baby.
Nikki
Too sweet! I always love to see the pictures when I hand over a camera to the kiddos. I buy disposable cameras for them sometimes. By the way, I have a sweet blonde haired little seven year old girl named Georgia also, (an old family name).
Dotsy
Absolutely LOVELY!
Jenna
I couldn’t possibly love this more!!!!!
Rachel E
Great pictures! Your girl is beautiful and appears to be a great help.
Tell me, how long does it take for you to milk that cow?
Shaye Elliott
Milking takes like 15 min, but with all the prep 20-30 min.
Vanessa
Wow…that girl can SHOOT! Well done, G!
Gabrielle
Beautiful post! Very touching!
Life Breath Present
Awww, how sweet! And I just love her photographs! What a special 5th in our children are, constantly amazing, delighting, and sometimes frustrating us all at once! 🙂
Kathey
I really like the ones that ‘show off’ her height as a photographer… the dinner plate on the table especially.
li
Really sweet. Since I almost always take my camera on our outings, I was only a matter of time before my little babe wanted to take her own. We found a $3 wooden camera at Goodwill and she loved it! She was bending her, taking pictures of this and that, oohing and aahing over them. My husband turned it into a great game one night, directing her to take pictures of things around the house, like a scavenger hunt, and she was thrilled to do that for a good 30 minutes.
Barbara
Very sweet. You have a budding in-house photograhpher.
Nicole the Weaver
She did a great job! She definately likes patterns, doesn’t she?
Chris
These pictures are great. You should pick out a couple to frame for her room. That way she will always have a reminder of this wonderful experience you gave her. By the way, the one of Mom and Dad is pretty awesome!
Kathy Albright
Second that!
Lara
How beautiful! I love seeing the farm through her eyes. Such a cool perspective and how awesome of you to hand your camera to her. I hope she wants to keep shooting b/c I’d love to see more 🙂
Kara
This would be a great regular feature. You could buy her a nice cheap digital point and shoot since she isn’t into lights and focusing and such. Beautiful pictures. She certainly has the ‘eye’
Katherine
Beautiful pictures! She has a great eye for photography already. You look beautiful as well! After having three kids your belly is flat! I have 4 kids and am constantly fighting the belly bulge. What’s your secret?!
Katie
Beautiful pictures! I have a 5yo little boy and he amazes me sometimes with the thoughts he shares. I wonder how he got so grown up, he’s maturing into his own little person with his own unique personality. I forget he isn’t a baby anymore
Nicole
My heart swells!!! You are doing this RIGHT, mama!!
My favorite picture, by the way, is the one of the chicken wire with the few broken strands.
Katherine Tedrow
This reminds me of my sister. She started very young with a little Kodak I bought for her at a yard sale. She’s a momma now with four little ones and a serious passion for photography! Good job momma! Great pictures Georgia!
Lisa
These photos are absolutely wonderful! She has such an eye for detail. The chicken photo is great, and you holding the tomatoes in your shirt is certainly worthy of a magazine.
Ashley Crowe
Great job Georgia! You take such beautiful photographs!!
julie
This is the best post I have ever read, . . . from any blog EVER! Thank you so much. God bless your little one.
5WarVeteran
Excellent photography Georgia! Thank You!
Jacque C
Wow! That made me a tad emotional…could be my 32 week pregnancy hormones too. The one of the sunset, just beautiful! Seriously, if they have a place for it in the county fair, enter it!
Betty Crockett
This has GOT to be the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. Thank you for sharing this special moment!
Christina
Great job Georgia, you keep the camera rolling!!
Thank you for sharing…oh the wrinkles..I’m in my early 40s, yep I have them also…oh, the more you smile the more of the lines you get…isn’t it great smiling 🙂
Jayne Hyatt
Beautiful. I smiled all the way through this post. The joy shines through and I got to share in it. How wonderful is that?
Elaine Sarchet
Loved Georgia’s photos and your thoughts behind it all. Made me smile all the way through. Thanks to both of you.
Tracy Nault
Miss Georgia certainly has an eye for beauty! Good job Mom for encouraging it:) Might we see a “gems from Georgia” section on your blog???
Blessings to you all and thank you for sharing her wonderful pictures:)
Camille Olivia
FANTASTIC idea! I second the motion! More from Georgia please!!!
Cheryl
Thank you so much Georgia for the wonderful pictures!!
I look forward to seeing more from you.
Sarah McLain
This is just wonderful!! Good job Mama 🙂 It would be really hard for me to let go of my expensive camera, but what a great reminder that our littles are capable of seeing the world from a surprisingly different and beautiful perspective!
Camille Olivia
Do you realize how incredible her photos are? I mean, for just one second, put your “mom” hat aside and look at those shots! She has a remarkable “eye”; the shots of the fence, the one with the piece of twine, and of her daddy’s strong arm carrying the milk, the sprig on the tree, the dogs….GOODNESS, she really, REALLY has a talent! I think ALL the pictures are wonderful, and I do hope you’ll share these many kudos with her. Your Georgia is as beautiful a Human as I’ve ever “met” online. I know it was scary giving her your expensive camera, but I am oh-so-thrilled that you decided to trust. DO nurture your budding photographer, Dear One. Hers is a talent that canNOT be taught. It appears that God has blessed you in ways you don’t even yet realize. I wish I could tell you how my heart is swelling at this moment. I’m at a loss (hence this long-winded comment. oops!). Anyway….thanks for sharing. Thanks for trusting. Thanks for the amazing rush of love you sent through this Human’s heart. Blessings and cheers!
Kristy
Seriously!! The love I felt from these photos made me tear up!! “Bewtiful”!!!
Shelly
Absolutely loved her perspective of things! Following in her mom’s footsteps for sure!
Chinny
This reminds me of all the things that caught my interest as a child and makes me long for the simplicity of it. The height perspective is interesting too – at her height the dogs look quite tall and reminds me of a time when i was convinced that EVERYTHING was bigger than me! Bewtiful shots Georgia. Thanks to mama for letting you share this with us 🙂
Mimi
She’s a better photographer than me haha.
Lin
This is the second time I have read this and it brings joy to my heart. How beautiful!
Thank you Shaye and Georgia!
Ashley Adamant
Perspective. Little ones are so good at giving you perspective, and changing the way you view the world. Thank you for sharing your little one’s very own and truly magnificent perspective on homestead life.
secret
So sweet. A true budding photographer