Artemis

DYLAN Dylan was the last of my kiddos to be added to the mix. He hasn't been here too long and he only comes part time, so I feel like I'm just starting to really know him. At almost 17 months old, he is definitely one of my most energetic. All the kids love him, especially Greysen who watches his every move and Bennett who copies everything Dylan does. Probably my favorite thing about Dylan is that he's a copier. Sometimes he copies actions and sometimes words, but he always gets sounds down-pat. And not just sounds humans make, sounds animals make. Like when Ellie (my parents' dog) whines, Dylan whines. When Ellie barks, Dylan barks. Once when I babysat, his cat came out to taunt him. He had been scratched pretty bad that day by her, so when the cat came near, Dylan hissed at her. Clearly what he had heard when he was being attacked by the cat hours before. It was hilarious. He's been a nice addition to our crew.

CAMERA A couple weekends ago I got to use a nice digital camera. I can't remember the last time that I took so many photographs and it felt great. I don't take as many photos as I used to because I have a film camera, which I still love, but finding a place to develop and print the photos isn't as easy as it used to be. With camera in hand, I remembered quickly that photography really is my passion, what I love doing more than pretty much anything. It was 5 years ago this summer that I attended photography school and left with a Certificate of Professional Photography. And after that weekend with a borrowed camera, I fully intend on making use of that certificate. So next step is, as soon as financially possible, to buy my own digital camera, spend time getting to know it, then restart my photographic journey. It was a long time coming and I'm glad I was reminded of what I really want to do with my life.

BENNETT As a nanny, you always hope that you make some sort of impact on the child's life. It's easier to see it when the child is older, but when they are a baby, you just never really know. Bennett was the first I started to care for in my nanny share over 8 months ago. At 11 months old, he is a ball of energy and still as sweet and adorable as ever. He doesn't like it when Mom or Dad leave, but he still smiles when he sees me and gives me kisses and hugs throughout the day and laughs uncontrollably when I chase him. Those things would have been enough to know I'm making some sort of impact on his life. But the icing on the cake: he's trying to say my name. It started a few days ago, when he would say "Mama" I'd say "Cassie" and we went back and forth. Then he managed a "Ca" a few times. Two days ago, he said "Ca-da" twice and then would giggle when I applauded him. Since then, there have been many varitions, but always...

ABSENT I have been absent from the blogging world for awhile. So as a way to get myself to post on a more regular basis, I am going follow my sister's lead in the blogging challenge that she does with her friends. I am going to write a post for each letter of the alphabet. Will I finish this by the end of the month like the challenge intends? No. But this will finally give me something to write about. So here I start with A.