52 Week Photography Challenge- Week 4, Portrait: Headshot.

Yes, you see that correctly. I have skipped week 3, as I have not found anything inspiring enough for the challenge requirement (red). When I find something, it shall be posted.

Another week down, another week behind and another week were the rain seems to not want to go away. Something about the rain, really makes me not want to do anything. Pair that with only 1 or 2 days of sun and it really is taking its toll. BOOOOO! Whoever keeps doing the rain dance, you can stop now. Thanks a bunch! :)

Week 4's challenge was Portrait- headshot. My muse was going to be my, ever so photogenic, daughter. She loves having the camera on her, while her brother has started to despise it. But today, my subject changed. Here's a little back story:

When TK was just over a year old, we took him to see his first movie in a theatre. He was so excited and felt like his was the biggest kid ever. We chose to watch the newest kid movie, WALL-E. Both Mr. S and I wanted to see it, so we thought, what the heck. This theatre had a cry room, so if TK decided he didn't want to sit still or be quite, I could go in there with him and still enjoy the movie. No wasting of money, no wondering how the movie ended and no bothering the other patrons (I think we ended up being the only ones in the theatre, if I remember correctly). Now mind you, TK was always a pretty well behaved kid, especially for his age. I don't remember needing to leave a restaurant, fear grocery store tantrums or anything of the like. He was a calm and easy going little 1yo. It could have been the movie or his sheer need to be our "big guy," but that boy sat through the ENTIRE movie. Not one peep, movement or panic to change a diaper.  He loved it and so did we (the movie and the possibility of all the theatre movie watching to come.)!

TK's first movie, WALL-E.

After watching his first movie, he wanted everything that had to do with WALL-E. I don't remember when, but we broke down and bought him a fleece WALL-E blanket and the movie. That's when the "one picture to describe TK" started. He'd never done it before, but from the moment he got that blanket, he had to have a certain part of the blanket in his hand, under his nose, at bedtime. That blanket went with us everywhere he would be sleeping. He didn't need it during the day, just when he went to sleep. The blanket moved with us to England before it meeting its demise. The first ever blanket died on a Space-A flight to the states after TK vomited all over it, himself and pretty much the entire plane. This happened at the beginning of a 9hr flight, so it sat soaking in vomit tied up in a trash bag for the remainder of the flight. We had no place to wash it, so he had to say goodbye. I think I was more heartbroken then him. Luckily, we found the replacement blanket at one of the local Wall-Marts and the rest is history. Mr. S took this as a sign and ended up ordering a few more of "the WALL-E" online and now we own three. His little niche went from sleeping with it, to sitting on the couch cuddled under it.

The FIRST picture of WALL-E, where it all began.

Moving to England!

Showing M how to snuggle under WALL-E.

WALL-E making the trip to meet cousin Rory.

We have since moved to Okinawa, where the blankets have continued to be a part of everyday life, just a part of him. While he is attached, it's not an obsessive one that creates issues. He can sleep at friends houses without it, find other blankets to sniff and patiently wait as they all get washed. He still holds the same spot to his face. I've asked him numerous times, why that spot? His reply has always been that the "WALL-E" words smell different then the rest of the blanket and he likes it. You bet I have smelt the blanket and of course, I don't get it. haha But, it's his thing, has always been and will probably forever be.

WALL-E will always make the boy feel better when he is sick.

Our most recent adventure. WALL-E goes to Australia.

Fast forward to yesterday. Since it's been raining a lot, we've spent a lot of time watching movies or netflix. Last night, out of the blue, TK decided to turn WALL-E on. I can't tell you the last time we watched it, but I think its been longer then 3 years. During the movie, the kids bedtime alarm went off and we told them they could finish it after school the next day. To much grunts and squished faces, they agreed and headed to bed. We woke up to rain and the kids went off to school. It's been raining all day and it's no surprise that when we got home, TK turned WALL-E on, curled up on the couch and found that perfect yellow spot on the blanket to sniff.

As I sat there on the couch next to him, that's when it hit me. I need to capture this moment as my Portrait for the challenge. The window was open, letting natural light come in and he was sitting there so entranced. I knew that he would probably glare as I tried to take his picture and then move, so I had to be quick and sly. I grabbed my camera out of the bag, moved around him as if I was doing nothing out of the ordinary and began to push the button. To my disbelief, he sat perfectly still. Again, I'm sure it was the movie. The movie that started the love of everything WALL-E, which led to the buying of the blanket and in turn the blanket obsession. There he sat, perfectly still, so I could capture the moment. I snapped a few, then he looked over and I snapped another. Perfection. In this one photo, I captured everything I see in my boy. My heart fills with the overwhelming feeling that is only a mothers love. This boy, that blanket. He is everything I could ever wish for in a boy, my first child. He has changed my life in remarkable ways and I can see all that when looking at this one picture. To other's outside of our everyday life, it'll be just a photo of my son with a blanket in his face. But to everyone that has watched this boy grow up, it is the quintessential photo of TK.

I don't know when the blanket will finally leave his world, I hope not anytime soon. When it does, I know a little part of me will die. The day this happens, will be the day that he will have changed from my little man, to a man. His affection to his mother will change and it'll be a lot longer then 3 years before we watch WALL-E again. He won't be around to gripe about the photos being taken of him, he won't have time to be my big helper and then before I know it, he'll have his own little one. When that day happens, I'll anxiously wait to see if the "TK" passes on. Or, the blanket will never leave, he'll be the same big helper he has been since he was born and I'll get to snap more pictures of him without any scrunched up noses. The life of a parent, never knowing what the future holds. Hoping nothing changes, but wanting nothing by the best for them. So, here I'll sit, just taking in as much of my family as I can, while we are all together.

TK, 2016. Still watching WALL-E and sniffing his blanket. <3>

Until next time...