Since Nate was a young boy, he could maneuver his body into some strange positions.  However, this one I caught is classic.  He looks like a one-legged, headless photographer!  Good thing he didn’t split his pants!

Despite the rain we have accumulated over the past weeks…it is summertime!  My house is full of kids (and not just mine) on a daily basis.  You wouldn’t believe the amount of food children can consume.  But we are having a lot of fun.  I have such fond memories of summer.  I hope my kids will too!  Here are some snapshots of the local gang…

What is the saying…the shoemakers children are often shoeless?

Well…a professional photographer rarely has a chance to work on personal images.  Nate and I took these images on our trip to Hawaii nearly a year ago.  He just got around to editing them!

We were on top of the highest peak (10,000 feet above sea level) on Haleakala in Maui trying to make it appear as if we were floating through the air.  Nate succeeded much better than I with his Aladdin-like pose.  I look like a cross between a Van Halen wannabe and an outdated cheerleader.

I have finally begun to edit a years worth of family images that have been stockpiling on my hard drive. This is my favorite thus far.

One free Sunday Elin, Helena, and I took an afternoon trip to Stuckey Farm to pick apples. Elin loved it! She would take a bite out of any apple that came into her path. It did not matter if they were rotting, had bite marks from the previous taster, or had been freshly picked from the many trees.

This image makes me look forward to another summer with my little apple eater.

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Axel Gordon Karl R___
Weight – 9.6 lbs / 4253 g
Length – 22.25 in / 56.4 cm
Head Circumference – 14.5 in / 37 cm

I was sad upon Axel’s birth that my Grandfather Gordon did not live to meet his Great Grandson. While my Grandfather was laying in the hospital a few months ago, he awoke in a very aware state (this was a rare occurrence in the last 6 weeks of his life), looked me in the eye and asked, “What are you going to name your son?”. Not knowing the sex of our future baby, I told him the names we had chosen for both a boy and a girl. With disappointment in his face, he said Axel sounded like a mechanics name. I think he would be happy to know the two share middle names.

He was so confident in his question, I left believing he had had a premonition while I sat by his bedside. From that day on, I knew we would have baby Axel.

I will remind Axel, and with the size of his head this should not be too difficult for him to remember, to always treat his mother with great care, respect, and love. Her valiant bravery and steadfast effort in extracting him were difficult to witness. After three hours of strenuous pushing she got his noggin through however. The nurse after measuring his 14.5 inch head, shook her head and winced (a 13 inch head is considered large).

Mothers are truly amazing creatures. With all of the torment they must endure to bring each and every one of us into the world, it is a marvel they ever smile again or let a man near them. It is truly amazing to witness the marvels of the human body and its resilience. He are some images of our boy. Check out the hair!

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