A visit from our Grandparents is always special in our house. Our families are spread out across the map of Australia. There are days when I wish we lived closer. I have wished and wished. But mostly I  accept that this is just the way it is. We are grateful for every visit. We make sure to  catch up on all the hugs, and kisses we miss during the year. Last weekend, there was much excitement in our house as my parents and my husband’s Mum visited at the same time. It wasn’t planned; it just worked out that way. We never say no to a visit, and so our house was full and over flowing. It was lovely.

We decided to visit Bobbin Head, which is located in Ku-Ring-Gai National Park. Bobbin Head is our one of favourite places to visit. It is close to our home, and we find something new to visit each time. It is a jewel in the city of Sydney. The weather was chilly, but we wanted to get out of the house for a while and explore together. We went for a simple walk.

As we walked, I realized my children are growing up. I know, they are growing all the time. We buy new clothes, and shoes as they grow out of the old ones. Sometimes, we just unpack the shopping bags with new shoes, and they say the shoes no longer fit. We see our children every day.  But then we really see.  It kind of knocks you off your feet, and you feel winded. It is not a bad feeling, more like “HOLY GUACAMOLE BATMAN!”  We see that they are as tall as their grandparents. We see that they no longer need to reach up to hold their hand. We see that when they hug each other, my children’s arms are wrapped around my parents, rather than the other way round.

As we walked, the memories of our adventures when my children were much smaller came flooding back. I realized the dynamics in my family have changed. It is a natural evolution, and one that is beautiful. My children stand shoulder to shoulder with my parents. Even the little ones are no longer babies. We are past the baby/toddler stage. We are in tween/teenage stage. I know many of us are scared about this stage, we face it with fear and foreboding. But I truly love it. I love the conversations we have. I love the laughter and jokes we share. Of course, we have our days of squabbles, and fighting. But on this day, we walked. I breathed in this moment. This moment that was just a walk with our grandparents, but meant so much more to me. I know the images that I take the next time we walk together will be different. I know the stories we share will be different, but for now I breathed in this moment and enjoyed 30 minutes in the life with a walk.

Now follow the link to see what happen in the world of  Sharleen N. Stuart Photography / South Florida Photographer this month.

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May 26, 2015
wow! nailed it, as usual, my friend. i love the b&w of your daughter with the rim lighting. and the blue-hoody shot right beneath it. and the gorgeous color shot of your daughter walking away, centered, through the spikey green plants. just amazing. i'm in love with the scenery y'all have there!!! and i can absolutely relate to the excitement of having grandparents visit -- it's beautiful and magical. hope you had a great visit!!
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May 26, 2015
How awesome that you could have the grandparents visit. I wish my kids were able to do that as well. All of them are dead except Richards mom who lives in Melbourne and she says she is not traveling anywhere. Enjoy every minute of the time you have with them. My favorite image is the 4th one down. Oh to hug my mom again.
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Such great images Cindy!! I know your children will cherish these images with their grandparent for years to come!
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colleenphoto
May 26, 2015
Cindy!!! These are fabulous :) I love that you had your entire family with you for a lovely walk -- and these photos are such great memories of that! The two photos where you focused on the rocks in the foreground with your kids climbing above are knock-your-socks-off-good!!!!!!! Love them :)
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May 26, 2015
Cindy, these are amazing! I love every image. What a gorgeous place. I am with you about the age of the kids and how they are growing. It is bittersweet.
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May 26, 2015
Stunning work as always Cindy - and your words are as beautiful as the imagery.
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hayleyhay
May 26, 2015
Wow what lovely happy memories you have captured here. These images will be cherished in years to come, looks like a beautiful spot that you went to and I love your photos…so cool!
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May 26, 2015
Cindy, I love all the blurry and pictures taken from the back. It makes me feel like I am a creature who lives in this forest and peeking out at the visitors. :) Truly magical!
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May 27, 2015
Cindy these are beautiful!! I especially love the riverbed shots!
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