capture.

word of the day:capture \ˈkap-chər\ to emphasize, represent, or preserve (as a scene, mood, or quality) in a more or less permanent form

I got a new camera this week.  Nothing was wrong with my previous camera (other than the fact that we are not entirely certain where it is.  Our suspicions tell us it resides somewhere in Europe although it's anyone's guess at this point.  Needless to say, it didn't quite make it all the way to Africa with Jake a few months ago).  

But that's old news (and a rather good exercise in the "they-are-just-things" game).  The new news is that I have a new camera which is exactly the same as the old.  But if it's possible, I love it even more.  

One of Jake and Lily's favorite things is to play outside together, so last night, I sat on the porch and broke the new camera in.

 I cannot get enough of these curls.  

Or that face for that matter.

And then there was this one.

 In case you can't see the delight on her face, here's a zoomed version...

 I read in an NPR article recently ("Overexposed? Camera Phones Could Be Washing Out Our Memories") that while taking pictures makes us think we're preserving memories, it actually could have the adverse effect.  Instead of preserving the memory, it takes us out of it.  Apparently, when you're more concerned with capturing the perfect shot than being in the moment with the people around you, the memory is not as defined.
It's something I know I'm guilty of (flashback to Lily's first birthday) and also something I've been working to balance.                

I think what I love most about the pictures I captured last night though is that it wasn't really my moment in the first place.  It was Jake and Lily's, and I got to sit on the porch and soak it all in from behind the lens.  To capture it for them.

They're something, those two.

Maybe the balance comes from realizing which memories are mine to preserve.  Or maybe it's just putting the camera down from time to time (within eye-sight and away from potential thieves, preferably) and submerging myself in the moment.  The slide show is far greater in my mind than anything I could begin to capture on camera anyway.