A half-day documentary session? Yes. At the Museum of Nature? YES. With butterflies?! Ummmm… YES please!
This session was full of laughter and eye rolls and a tiny bit of mischief. Charlotte is a bundle of energy and chatter and movement, so putting her in a museum environment was hilarity in the making.
There’s something you need to know about Matt and Ash that makes this whole day make sense: they completely skipped over the baby talk with Charlotte. They talk to her like she’s 10 and she responds in kind – almost with a vocabulary to match. They’ve encouraged her independent play, her self-expression and practical problem solving.
With that in mind, Charlotte’s need for a pee break en route to Ottawa presented exactly zero problems. A roadside pee stop on the on ramp with enough breeze to practically dry her off, and we were back in the car, still giggling. Children really have no modesty and I find it hysterical. Charlotte proceeded to adopt my lens cap as her latest toy and tell me all about whatever was on her mind at any given moment (hint: ALLLLL of the things. They’re all on her mind. All the time. :P) We arrived at the museum and went straight to the butterfly exhibit, with Charlotte chattering – and stumbling – along.
Little did she know what was in store for her once we passed through the plastic curtains.
It turns out that Charlotte didn’t love the butterflies. I mean, she really didn’t love the butterflies. In comical fashion, she had an epic meltdown right in the middle of the exhibit because she was terrified of them. After a big pep talk and a brief exit from the room so that they could watch everything from the safety of the entryway, they made their return and stuck it out with some modicum of bravery. (Charlotte now insists that she isn’t afraid of butterflies.)
We explored the rest of the museum, touched things we probably weren’t supposed to, had a good laugh with the polar bear, and then decided it was time for lunch. A quick drive over to Lone Star meant tacos and nachos and drinks with which to say “Cheers!” after a great outing.
Afternoon is nap time for most 3 year olds, right? Not this one. I laughed quietly as a certain Little Miss chattered most of the way home, stating quite clearly that nap time wouldn’t be happening. When there’s that much excitement in life, who wants to waste any of it napping? ;)
Here’s a look at our day at the museum.
I’m Ang – a Cornwall, Ontario documentary family photographer with a passion for capturing light and photographing natural moments in life as they happen. My goal is to capture memories that you will cherish once your children are too grown up to curl into your lap for cuddles and the house seems oddly quiet at night. I love meeting new families in their natural environment and getting in amongst the bedlam so that I can document the perfectly imperfect realities of daily life. Think you’ve got the perfect idea for your own half day documentary session? Head over here to find out more about the sessions.
