It's a New Year, So Get Moving!

Neither Michelle nor I completed half the things we wanted to during the holidays, though the kids seemed to have had a really good time. It's almost as if, as parents, one sacrifices one's own desires for that of one's children...

Anyway, now that the first Monday of the year is around the corner, it's time to get moving on a few projects:

• Revamping the Phat Baby Photography website in the wee hours of the evening when the kids are asleep.
• Auditing my books and then crying as I see how expensive it is to run a seemingly simple photography business (e.g. licensing fees for music, permits, insurance, oh my!).
• Determining which charities I'd like to work with this coming year. Historically, I've done a number of school fundraisers but to be honest have felt a bit mistreated of late and it hasn't resulted in me feeling any closer to the community. If anyone has any ideas let me know. My preferences are organizations that work with kids (for obvious reasons) and that appreciate the professional work.

But all that pails in comparison with what awaits on the parenting side of the equation:

• Teaching Aidan to read, Zoe to speak.
• Teaching the two to treat each other well and stop poking fun at each other.
• Teaching them to be a good steward of their resources and that the money in their possession is not their own. This frequently means holding off on my own purchases - there goes the lens I've been eyeing.
• Comforting Zoe when she can't do the things her brother can because of her height/age (e.g. amusement park rides).
• Asking for forgiveness for the many ways I fall short as a father and providing forgiveness when the fruits of my parenting ripen.
• Pointing to the ultimate Father so that when I screw up any of the above, my kids still have an example of what to do and more importantly why.

Technical Baby Photography Note: My buddy Aidan is surprisingly quick, but probably no quicker than your little one. In situations like these, you gotta use the AI Servo mode on your camera which is a fancy way of telling your camera that the subject in focus is moving. Typically, your camera focuses on a subject and then exposes the photograph. In AI mode, the camera will focus on the subject, track the motion and predict where the subject will be when you actually depress the shutter. This only really matters if your kid is running away or toward you. If he/she is running along the plane of focus (e.g. across one end of the soccer field to the other, while you're on the sideline), well the focusing distance doesn't change and you're good. And of course, if your kid is running toward you, be careful not to get tackled or run over (just a hypothetical warning).