So you all know by now just how much I love taking photos. I enjoy the excitement of trying to get that perfect shot that captures the emotions of the moment. I have taken classes and continue to try to improve my skills. It is a humbling blow to the ego then when I hand the camera to a four-year-old or a seven-year-old or a 10-year-old and they take shots that just naturally do what I've been trying to do. It is also an awesome experience. The camera teeters, they crouch down low and you worry that they'll drop that expensive piece of equipment that you sold your soul to get. They forego the strap, touch every button but the shutter button with very sticky fingers, but these photos are the result. Maybe not as focused as they could be, a critic could certainly offer some critique, but Tori, Avery and Raine, the nieces and nephews responsible for these shots, certainly caught the moment. Tori took the shot of me and Vader the week before he died. Her mom was away and we had these special moments when we took Vader for walks (in a baby stroller!) and she would ask me how long until Vader goes to heaven as if he was preparing for a grand vacation. Raine took the one of Alfie and me last night and his brother Avery caught the trio of us -- Tori, Alfie and me. I love these photos not because they are perfect but because they are perfectly realized.