Spring Tulips

The tulips have sprung in our garden which meant it was time to get some pictures of the littlest girl. It has become a tradition in our family to present the new baby to the wonders of spring and the simplistic beauty of tulips. It began with Leah when I took her to the Netherlands Carillon in Arlington, Virginia, not far from where we were living. It was my vision of my first baby with flowers exploring nature that motivated me to form this wonderful tradition. Now a decade later another baby similar in age was put next to some tulips. Her tiny fingers grasped the delicate soft tulip petals allowing the texture of something new be discovered.

I love the first picture. I love it because I know that Adelynn was in a terrible mood just minutes before it was taken. She was cranky and fussy making me wonder if taking her picture would be worth a try. I went ahead knowing that she enjoys the outdoors so much that being outside would change that mood. It did. One look at that first picture and her tiny little smile will tell you how happy she is to be in the garden. She sat a moment taking it all in. The flowers surrounding her, the sunshine above, the gentle warm breeze and the chirping birds. As she sat she began to notice those tulips and curiosity took hold of her. She turned side to side looking at the tulips until she finally reached out to take a closer look. The benefit of being in our own garden is that I didn't worry about the destructive curiosity. Those three tulips that were crushed by her hands were not going to be missed here. All that will be remembered are those tiny hands, that smile and the time she spent learning about the beauty of springtime.