Kamee June Photography

something to add some dazzle to your monday!!! hope it’s a great one!

love you dazzle baby!!!

to school, school boy!!

and you need to keep going,

and going,

and going for the next 13 years, then 4 years in college plus 2 years maybe 4 additional getting an mba or a masters, maybe two masters degress, or a phd, or even a law degree, or if you want to be a doctor or something fancy like that then even more years.

just keep going gun, and don’t stop.

just keep looking ahead and being happy for what you have an where you are at.

be grateful for the good friends you already have, and for the new ones you will make along the way.

braden and gunnar have been friends since they were born. shannon and i kind of made it that way. ;) it was a blessing for gunnar to have his buddy in his kindergarden class. i really do feel that made the first day much easier for him. that’s just human nature: we are always more comfortable with a wingman. i wonder what these two will do when they are comfortable with their new teacher and new class…

be grateful for the people you leave at home each day when you go to school, gun. they miss you when you are away.

be grateful and proud of who you are because what you are is good and nice and really, really cool! ;)

i was filled with emotion on the first day of school, like most parents, but was a bit more emotional over gunnar. he’s an anxious kid with some worries, like most, but his are significant. i just wanted him to immediately feel safe in his new place. we got everything he needed, prepped him over and over, visited the school on occasion, and talked and talked about the new adventure called, “real school.” we had done all our homework to prepare his little kindergardener’s mind for what was going to happen. the night before we had everything ready: snack packed, backpack prepped, gift for teacher packaged; we were set.

i tossed and turned all night anticipating the morning; he slept peacefully. thank goodness.

when we got to school he saw some friends from preschool. that was good too. reduced the anxiety another level.

this picture will be priceless someday:

and they talked excitedly about, well, i am not sure, but it was sure exciting.

we waited…

and finally the bell rang, and my heart started to shake. i just didn’t know how the next part was going to play out.

remember how cool it felt to have a “cubby” and to have a desk with your name on it?

gunnar felt cool, really cool. and that was good.

these make me laugh. loudly.

you will not, pick up any girls, son, if you look at them like this. you just won’t. learn that now. they like it when you at least smile at them.

i was close to tears, ok, i hit tears, a couple of times during the morning, but what really started the water works was when we were asked to go home and gun walked over to me and said, “i guess you can go now, mom.”

i think i cried when he said that, not because he wanted me to leave, but because he was ok with me leaving.

i kissed that boy good and hard on his cheek, told him to be a good listener, a good friend, and a good boy. and then i walked away, and started sharing my boy with another lady, who i know will teach him great things, i just know it.

gunnar, be good to your teacher; she works so hard for you!

gunnar, it’s been said that all you really need to know about life you learn in kindergarden. i believe that advice to be true. in that case, you better get to learning.

we love you son, and are so proud of you and everything you are going to learn this year both scholastically and about yourself!! we will always be excited to hear about your day.

love you!!!!

carpe diem, gunnar!

sieze the day!!

make your life extraordinary!

here’s to you, my school boy!! love you, mom

my boy starts school tomorrow. like real school. recess school. homework school. teether ball and four-square school.

i am excited for him.

the teacher in me is jumping out of my skin for him. the mom in me is feeling some tugs on the heart strings. not sure why. the teacher in me says this is so cool and such an awesome time. the mom in me agrees, but feels like time is still going way too fast.

the teacher in me says, “let him stretch; he will grow.” the mom in me wants to hold him, five forever.

the teacher in me knows he is going to do so well; the mom in me does too.

a full report and more from gunnar’s kindergarden shoot after his first day of real school, which happens in 9 hours and 45 minutes.

i love you son; i can’t wait to hear about everything that happens in kindergarden. xoxo mom

we bought all of gunnar’s school supplies yesterday. it’s hard to believe we are here. it’s really hard to believe i am old enough to have a five year old going to kindergarden.

to my son:

i love school. i know you will too. i know you will be good at it; learning will be one of your gifts. so will befriending those who are sad, or slower than the rest. your heart is tender gunnar, but your spirit is strong! i have had so many moments with you lately that i have wanted to paralyze, to freeze, and hold for just a little bit longer, but time makes them slip through my fingers like sand. i cling to each grain recording its texture. i capture them with my memories, and will keep them safely there, and will one day tell you the stories of a little boy i once watched grow. a little boy who fills my heart each day with so much warmth. tonight during family prayer you leaned over and kissed me on my cheek. i clung to that second of time, relished in our closeness, and whispered my own silent prayer of gratitude for you. i am lucky to be your mom; you are such a blessing in my life. i can’t wait to see what you do with all of those supplies we bought you today. i love you, son.

kissing your sweet sunburnt cheek right now, mom

ps larkee only made a small cameo appearance here. my girlfriend alissa came for a visit and to shoot a wedding with me a few weeks ago. gunnar really wanted to have his pictures taken by her and i wanted that to happen too, but when we got down to the taking of pictures he was too busy with other things. alissa did, however, manage to capture of few of my diva divine. you must see them. when i got word they were up i rushed to her blog, and almost immediately started crying seeing my baby. alissa reminded me with her magical lens of the beauty that is before me each day. she gave me a very precious gift. run to her blog; you’ll see what i am trying to say.

by the way, for those of you needing a new blog to stalk hers is the one for you! her talent is non-paralled. seriously. she is so gifted. and if you are ever in or near wyoming you should book a session with her immediately. she’s incredible. head on over there, and check out my baby. i can’t wait for our next visit and hopefully some pictures of the gun-man this time. ;) can’t wait to return the gift alissa; thank you again from this mother’s heart!!

i believe in a lot of powers: the power of god, the power of one, the power of family, friends, and neighbors, the power of love, the power of rest, the power of words, the power of silence and quiet, and the power of the unexpected surprise.

the unexpected surprise, i believe, has the power to make people feel so special, so loved.

it always, makes me feel that way.

this unexpected surprise showed up on my doorstep a few days ago. i felt special. i felt so much love.

thank you, from my heart!!

and, could this unexpected surprise be any more kamee june’d? ;) (these flowers will show up again in the lesson on branding! ;))

so incredibly beautiful, thoughtful, and kind.

after you read this think of an unexpected surprise you could do for someone else, and do it. it’s pretty powerful! ;)

gunnar’s got a best buddy named caden. these two were born two months apart (it was totally planned), and are seriously brothers, from other mothers. for gun’s bday we had caden over for a few nights of drop down on the ground pajamie jamie jamin’. i interviewed gun the other day about his bff. i was in stitches then and am again now, reviewing his candid responses.

gun loves his buddy so much; we do too.

this was my interview with gun about his best friend. his responses were completely unprompted or solicited. i just asked and wrote and laughed inside and loved everything he said about his buddy.

who’s caden?

caden’s my friend.

what’s your nickname for him?

cadbear

do you ever call him that?

no, but i will.

what does he look like?

sometimes he has spiky hair. sometimes flat. sometimes no hair. sometimes he be’s mellow. we just color all the time.

what color eyes does he have?

i don’t know. blue?

what do you like best about him?

he always has sleep overs.

what does he do that’s funny?

he makes me laugh when he’s in the tub and says, “kookkook kawk.”

what do you like about caden’s house?

april lives there, and he has the same scooter.

what are the two of you going to do this summer?

watch the trash truck and eat ice cream.

what do you think caden is good at?

jumping up and down on the rug. riding a bike without training wheels.

what food do you like to eat when you are at caden’s house?

chicken and salsa (april and matt…he know’s what’s good for him! ;))

what do you like to play with caden?

transformers and bakugons

favorite thing about him?

his spiky hair

what’s caden’s favorite food?

toast

where do you like to go with caden?

the pizza place and ruby’s

if you were fin who would caden be?

ferb

if you were a pea, what would caden be?

a poop (hahahahaa!! i loved that pun!! he thought i said pee…so good!)

what’s caden’s favorite color?

blue

what’s caden’s favorite show?

spongebob (i think he started answering for himself.)

if you were ironman who would caden be?

cadenman

do you wish caden was your real brother?

oh, yes mom, i do. (this is when i started getting emotional)

how would you feel if he was your real brother?

happy in my heart.

why?

because i love him

do you want to marry his sister addison?

NO! i WANT to marry YOU! (another point in an essay on the oedipus complex; feel free to use this one too.)

what do you want to tell him?

i love you. i miss you. i want you to come and spend the night for three nights.

what else do you want to say?

i like snuggling him. (since they are both 5 let’s not worry about that one right now. :))

cadenman!! we love you so much!! can’t wait for your birthday and some time with you! we are so grateful for you and your parents and your sister!! we love you guys and are so happy that our families have each other!!! thanks for being gun’s wingman and bff forever!!! ;)