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And here they are, in their 15, 12, 9 and 6-year-old glory, respectively.
Oh, and a porg (bottom pic). My youngest does not leave the house without a stuffy or two and this was her companion of choice today. The porg with his sweet face and aggressive teeth fits really well with her personality.
Charlotte Rose is the baby of our family.
Early this morning she crawled into bed with me and said, “Mama, I go to work with you.” And I looked over at my last baby with her chubby hands touching my face and I said the most logical thing:
“Of course.”
Charlotte is the baby of our family. Although she’s small, the soul of a strong woman is wriggling away inside of her! Unlike her older brother, Bruce (the previous baby of the family and always agreeable to the day’s plans), Charlotte has clear expectations and assumes that life will align with her ideas.
Since she’s the baby, who can resist those giant blue eyes and bouncy, wriggly walk? Jack and Clara and Bruce and Daddy usually give the lady what she wants.
There’s only one Non-Conformist in Miss Charlotte’s perfect little life- the person with different plans.
Any guesses? It’s me.
You see, I am also a woman who also has specific outcomes in my mind, and I daily find myself in conflict with this much younger, smaller Version of Me.
However, the little me has more energy and, in God’s special way, He designed her with an extra scoop of legendary Stephens stubbornness to make things a little more exciting. (The Richardsons aren’t stubborn- we see resistance and quickly dart down a different trail before it makes eye contact). Not the Stephens family! They sink their boots into the dirt, cross their arms and calmly prepare to resist. While this is a truly lovely quality in matters of national security and theology, in matters of wardrobe- ehh, not so much.
Charlotte insists on dressing herself every day. Usually I let her, because she’s the fourth kid and life is short and I have no desire to waste it arguing with a toddler. I only intervene when she’s not dressed appropriately for the weather.
Fortunately for me, today’s outfit was pleasantly photogenic. A black t-shirt that used to be Clara’s, black leggings, and a trench coat that’s been handed down through every kid since firstborn Jack. Pus her favorite green boots.
She does this ONE THING, every time, to her leggings. She pulls them up to her knees! Without fail. Even if it’s 30° outside. I’ve asked her they itch, if they’re too tight; and she won’t reply other than, “I like it like this.”
So here’s Miss I-Like-It-Like-This, in her knee-length leggings, hanging out at work with her momma. Two women and we both have plans.
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It was late in the evening on a Wednesday night. I had just finished cleaning up from dinner and the kids were playing quietly with Legos and reading books. Apparently, the self-destructive part of my psyche decided that this Peace Should Be Interrupted and I should drag one of the kids to the studio to test another lighting idea that had been running through my brain.
Bruce happened to be the cleanest (surprisingly) so I grabbed some fall hand-me-downs from big brother Jack and off we trotted to the studio.
Bruce wanted to know if he would get paid.
Once I agreed to his terms (payment as soon as we arrived back home), I set up against the olive wall to see how many different looks I could get with a five-minute attention span (normal for a five-year-old). You can see the progression of his interest in these image. Serious and ready to work for a few minutes- then his native weirdness takes over… then he’s done. The last smile was only because I said the word “poop.”
All poses are Bruce’s own. I told him the general vicinity in which to stand; he supplied the rest. Do you have a child that brings his own life to the party?
Here’s Clara and Charlotte, my two little ladies, modeling patiently for mama while I do a lighting assessment in the studio. If I give them enough ice cream, they’re usually willing to help me out.
Side note: black is always a classic color to wear for portraits. It keeps the focus on the face and eyes and never looks dated.
No matter how “classic” their mama dresses them… they will always do this. 😬😛