Beth Helen

Today is Beth's 38th birthday.

Beth is our 5th child and our 3rd daughter.

She a very important part of our very large family.

A very important part of this smaller large family that started it all.

And an extremely important part of this wonderful family.

I interviewed Beth a little while ago over the telephone.  Here's how it went:

How does it feel to be 38?  It feels like I'm getting old.

Do you have any special plans for the day?  Yes, I plan to do nothing except edit photos in my pajamas.

And that's special for you?  The pajama part.

What has been the highlight of the past year?  I don't really know.  It was not my favorite year so it's hard to say.

 

What are you looking forward to in the year ahead?  Hopefully spending more time with my family.

What do you like most about being a mom?  I like everything about being a mom.  I like how my kids need me and love me and want to be with me no matter what age they are; and I like that I feel the same way about them.

It's really a wonderful, loving relationship that needs nothing else except us.

What do you find the most challenging about being a mom?  Well, one of the hard things is when you have four and they all need something different on a daily basis.  It's like trying to be a lot of different things for four people and I'm just one person.  And the most challenging thing is spending quality time with each one of them.

What do you like best about being a daughter?  Ummmm.  Hmmmm.  I like being a daughter now more than I did when I was younger.  I like that I have my mom around and I feel very lucky that I do.  I know so many people that don't have that and it helps me realize what an amazing gift it is.

How many children do you want to have?  4

What has been the most difficult time of your life?  Well right now is probably the most stressful. Trying to balance a family with running my business and making the business successful without completely depleting myself of personal time is very hard.  I want to bring in enough income to support my family and remain optimistic about my business so that my kids see that you can make a decision to be what you want to be but it doesn't have to control your life.

Right now I kind of feel that my work is in charge of everything.  I am so happy to feel successful but I wonder at what point I will be stretched so thin that I won't enjoy any of it.

And what has been the best part of your life?  Having my children and watching them grow into great people.

If you couldn't be a photographer, what would you be?  I would like to be a nurse and I would like to mentor women starting new businesses.

What's the best thing about being part of such a large family?  Goodness gracious.  There honestly are so many wonderful things about it that it's hard to pick a best.  It's that when we're all together, anywhere we go, we're always surrounded by amazing, hilarious people who are always thoughtful and loving.  It's not just being part of a large family - it's being part of this large family.

And the worst thing about being part of such a large family?  Not being able to spend as much time with them as I'd like.

What did you like best about our holiday in Gulf Shores.  From a family perspective, I love that we can all get together after not seeing each other for so long and there's no awkwardness - just happiness that we're all together.

So the Bing Bong skit that you and Sarah do from SNL is not your favorite part?

No, LOL.  My favorite part of that week was the dance off with Dan and Dave on my dance team against Sarah and Amy.  (Note.  That might have been everybody's favorite part.  It was epic! Who knew our kids could be so creative?)

What else can you tell us about yourself?  I make my bed everyday.

I like my house to be clean but I pretty much fail at that everyday.  (Not true.  Her house is always clean.)

If it made sense, I would probably have more children just so I could meet them, have fun with them, and watch them grow - not so much the diaper changing stuff though. 

 

I like to wear leggings and I like to smell things.  And I listen to music at some point everyday.

When I think of James and Jake I'm so sad but there's a feeling of peace because I'm so grateful to have had them in my life.  I don't think of it as a negative thing.  Of course I would give anything to have them sitting next to me right now but I can't. 

  I love the fact that they existed in our lives and I feel that they're with us and are a beautiful part of my life that I love.  I feel lucky to be their mom even if I can't see them or hold them right now.

And that pretty much concluded our interview.  But there's oh so much more I could tell you about Beth.  First of all, in honor of James and Jake she has raised many thousands of dollars to the March for Babies in the hope that someday all babies will be born healthy.

 And, she is probably THE most conscientious person I've ever known.  She doesn't do anything half way.  She's loving, kind, thoughtful, and very empathetic to the feelings of others.  She also doesn't hold back.  You'll always know where you stand with Beth and I love that honesty in her.  As I went through her pictures for this post I think I saw the key to her success in photography.  It's not just all the hard work she puts into it.  It's also the love.
She loves the newborns that she photographs.

And all the non-newborns too.

And she loves the work.

Beth gives everything she has to everything she loves.  She works tirelessly and conscientiously and she's one of the best people you could ever hope to know.  We're so proud of her and we love her extraordinarily so we're wishing her the best birthday ever but one only half as good as the many more to come.