Through a child's eyes

Well, hello! I haven't written in, oh, two years or so, but who's counting? Since my last post, I now have an 18 month old son, Michael, and am expecting a second in March. My, how time flies!

Fast forward to now. I am just recovering from what I'm convinced was the Plague, and I am pretty thrilled to be amongst the living again. And what better reason to start blogging again?

Speaking of thrills, one of the more thrilling things for me as a parent is watching Michael experience the world, in particular, art and design. Matt and I used to like museums in our non-parenting days, but now that we're parents, museums are one of our go-to places to fill the time between naps. I have gone to more museums in the past 18 months than I did in the decade I lived here before Michael came into our lives.

Michael, two months old, at the Met Brueur; July 2016.

I started taking Michael as something quiet and air conditioned to do while I was on maternity leave in the dead of summer, and I expected him to sleep through the whole thing. But look at this guy! He LIT UP when we were inside. From that moment on, I was hooked on the feeling of seeing Michael see art and space. Everything he sees, as he sees it, is a WONDER, and it's a wonder for me to watch.

Michael, nine months old, at the MoMA; February 2017.

Michael, nine months old, at the Met Breuer; February 2017.

Michael, 14 months old, and Dada, at the Whitney; July 2017.

Lights have long been a favorite for Michael. Have you ever taken the time at a museum to look up and see all of the lighting? It's amazing!

Michael, 14 months, and Paw Paw at the Nelson-Atkins, Kansas City; July 2017.

Michael, 17 months, at the Met Breuer; November 2017.

Michael, 18 months old, running around the lawn of the Nelson Atkins in Kansas City; November 2017.

Now that he's running around, the world is SO much more exciting. Matt and I took him to the Nelson-Atkins -- a must-do if you're in Kansas City -- when we were home visiting my parents for Thanksgiving this year. We did a holiday card photo shoot and let him run wild, exploring the space. It was such an INSPIRATION to see him SEE in a way that can be hard for adults to do. In my recovery time from the plague this weekend, I used that inspiration to do our holiday card, and I'm pretty excited to see it in print. I had a little too much fun working on it!

That magical space between reality and imagination is a place we often forget to visit as adults. Kids remind us of that.

If we pay attention, we might just see the whimsy and wonder in the everyday - through a child's eyes or our own.

kk