© Tim Pannell Photography

Last week, my youngest daughter moved away from home to start her Sophomore year at college and ripped my heart out.

Today, my oldest son ended his summer visit and left home to begin his Junior year in college and stomped what was left of my heart into little squishy pieces.

What a week!  He went to college right out of high school for a year, went to Cambodia for 2 years as a missionary, came back and finished his Sophomore year at college and came home this summer for 4 months.

Having everyone home for the summer one last time was a treat for all of us.  I’m so glad we had this time together.  (cue Carol Burnett)

© Tim Pannell Photography

It’s funny to watch the big changes in life as they come at you screaming at the top of their lungs.  The 2 of them leaving for college within a week of each other signals a major shift in our lives and our family dynamic will never be the same.

I’m not saying it’s a bad “thing”, it’s clearly not. We’re thrilled our kids are heading out, growing up,  setting goals and making plans.   It’s just a different “thing”, a different stage.

Now we’re preparing to downsize out of our “dream home,” the home we raised all 5 of our kids in.

We only have 2 left at home and it’s just too big of a house for our needs.  It’s been a great home in a wonderful neighborhood, with neighbors that are more like family members.

This has been one of the most difficult decisions we’ve had to make in our lives.  Kids leaving home, starting a couple new businesses, continuing the old photography business, packing, de-cluttering, I’m exhausted just writing it all down.

Clearly, we have a lot on our plates at the moment and the emotions my wife and I are feeling are all over the board.

As part of the overall “clean up” I was going through countless boxes of transparencies from my 24 year career.  Many of my best selling images over the years have  been shots of my kids.  One minute I’m helping my 22 year old son pack workout stuff, a guitar, design and art supplies and the next minute I’m looking at pictures of him when he was 4 years old playing basketball.

© Tim Pannell Photography

The beauty of photographs is the crispness of the memories they actually preserve.  As I look at all these pictures of him tracing his growth from a baby to young man I can clearly remember so much of the events surrounding those images.

I can remember the stores we went to together shopping for props or wardrobe.  I can remember the bribes I occasionally had to use to get some shots.  I can remember almost complete conversations we had  at the time.

I’m so glad we have all these photographs to remember all of our family’s adventures together.

My wife and I have quite a few friends that are in their 20′s and 30′s, starting their own little families and I’m envious of them.  I would love to have another chance to document and make art out of a family’s journey together.

I guess that’s why I’m so excited about the Photo Mommies Workshop.  It’ll give me a chance to help others get the same amount of joy that I’ve received over the years taking pictures of our kids.

There’s nothing quite as cool as catching that “perfect” moment with your baby or toddler or teenager.  That shot that captures who they really are, you know, when you just nail it and can look at it forever.

Today’s technology makes it easier than ever to capture these moments.  When our kids were little, we used film cameras and that got so expensive.  The digital age has changed the entire landscape of family pictures.

© Tim Pannell Photography

Once you have a camera and a computer it doesn’t cost you a dime to shoot.  Take advantage of that.

Shoot your kids like crazy.  Take it from me, they don’t stay little forever.  You may have a 2 year old today, but you’re going to blink one day and they will be driving off in a fully loaded car to another state, going away to college.

You’ll be so happy and excited for them, and yet at the same time it’ll be breaking your heart.  The ultimate “bittersweet.”

I’ve written enough.  Now I have to go and look through more of my “old school” transparencies and stroll through memory lane with my kids.

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