December 31, 2010 - The End

Since New Year's resolutions are often a list, I will look back on 2010 in list form (in no particular order):

In 2010:
Owen turned 1
We went to Washington D.C.
My baby brother-in-law got married
We took the baby to Vegas
And San Diego
We found out we are expecting another baby!
We decided it's time to move on from this house...but not yet.
I picked a football team - Go Colts!
I started this blog - a 2010 resolution

We have some fairly lofty goals for 2011, here goes:

For 2011:
Welcome a healthy baby boy
Get a new house that is more suited to us
Keep taking pictures, share them in some form
Get organized, think ahead
Take a couple of awesome vacations

We have had a great year and we have a lot to look forward to in 2011, I can't help but be excited to see how it unfolds.

About this blog: Since I'm gonna have my hands full with Owen and the new baby, I'm not committing to another Project 365. I'm considering a Project 52, one photo a week, because I like the structure of having a project to keep me going. Or I might just go willynilly on ya and post whenever. But there will be more photos of Owen, of Michael, of my home and, of course, of the new baby. And if I'm really lucky, my wonderful friends will let me keep using their special moments and beautiful families to practice on.

...And so ends my Project 365...ish. I hope you and your family have a wonderful and exciting 2011...I know we will.

December - Bowasaurus

I made a Christmasaur ... he's a Bowasaurus! Rawr!

December - Baby's Second Xmas

And he wasn't really that interested in this one either. I think the sheer volume of presents and wrapping paper strewn about was overwhelming for him. He liked the bows.

December - Pane-ting

I got Owen markers for windows. Was this a good idea? Ummm...probably not, but he loves them! And I don't mind giving him a very washable spot to express his creativity. The only drawback I can find is that his work, like many installations, is only temporary and can't be saved to look back on. I predict many pictures of this window covered in Owen art.

December - Another Completed Project

I just finished editing my friends' family photos. This was one of my very favorite shots. And although I'm the only who loves this vintage filter, I love the way it looks like this (don't worry, I made it regular color and B&W for their mom). Have you ever seen two more cherubic children? Except for mine, of course, who looks like an angel, but oy.

December - Spanning Generations

Owen and his grandpa - "Grumps" - spend some post-Xmas frenzy downtime checking their iPhones. Who knew an almost 2-year-old and a 66-year-old would bond over...iPhones?! I'm pretty sure they're facebooking each other, too.

December - Bonding With the Babes

Editing Day 2: A special moment of super fun between mom and daughter.


And because it's obvious dads have them too ... another tender moment.

December - Fun & Photos With Friends

My friend, Erinn, asked me to take some photos of her family. Like moms everywhere, she's rarely in pictures as she's usually the picture taker. I was happy to do it and really just to spend time with my old college friends and their great kiddos. It was a fun afternoon of me trying to coax the sun out from behind the clouds, trying to coax smiles out of two little ones at the same time, and trying to coax a little ease out of a dad who wasn't quite comfortable in front of the camera. It was good to be outside, to be moving, to be with friends and to be doing something I love to do.

December - Christmas Came Early

My niece will be spending Christmas with her dad this year, so my sister-in-law threw her an early family Christmas. She handled it marvelously for a 3-year-old. There was lots of excitement, but also a lot of thank yous and some genuine glee at her gifts. We'll miss her this Christmas, but it was fun to share in her special Christmas Day.

I'm doing a friend's family pictures tomorrow and I'm really really nervous. I've shot friends, I've shot pictures. I know I can do this, but as always, something about capturing someone's moment, someone's family, someone's loved ones makes my stomach feel a little yucky. I love to do it and it will be lots of fun just to be with my friend and her family, but it still gives me the jitters a little. Don'tletmefuckthisup, don'tletmefuckthisup...

December - Camera Man

My kiddo is fascinated by the camera. He'll pose for a second and then he'll run around to look at the picture. He recently figured out that if you hold your face up to the back and push the silver button, it makes a picture...he's using his third eye to see here, but he'll get the hang of it eventually.

December - Redecorating Elf

My little elf loves to touch the tree. He wants to move all the ornaments around and he's obsessed with the ones that sparkle. So here he is with the ones that got away.

December - A Spot of Color

We got a dumping of snow yesterday and so I took Owen to play. He loves being outside and he adores water, but he was unsure of the snow. Cold...not wet...just badness in general. He stuck close to the door and then wanted to go back in. Maybe next time.

November 21 - A Lot Like Christmas

I drove by this lot earlier in the evening and it stuck with me, so I made Michael go back with me to take pictures of it when the traffic died down. There is something kind of enchanting about this empty tree lot. The precursor to Christmas, maybe. I don't know. But there are a lot of things I love about this picture, something William Eggleston-esque. It's something I would be proud to put up on the wall in any of the photo classes I took. So while I'm out of practice and standing in the cold isn't quite as much fun as it used to be, I got the shot I set out to get.

November - Sunday Snooze

Naps like his dad. Snores like his dad, too. We were trying to wake him up because it was too late in the day for a nap, but to no avail. And so for the first time in many months, I picked up the camera instead.

I know I've lost a few months, so it's a Project 3...eh. But I'm gonna try to finish the year out strong. I miss taking my pictures and in my egotistical little head, I imagine you miss viewing them.

November - Bigger Than a Breadbox

It's a boy! And we're naming him "the reason mommy doesn't blog anymore." It's kind of long, but he'll get used to it. I was pretty sick, then sleepy and now just busy getting ready for the holidays with limited energy. But excited and eager to meet the new little guy.

October - Glowing Reviews

If you know me, you know that I look forward to Balloon Fiesta all year. You know that I start dusting off the ol' camera to get ready for the big event weeks in advance. You know that I proudly post pictures year after year and try to get everyone I know to come join the fun. Balloon Fiesta is my VERY FAVORITE thing. This was a night glow, and while it ultimately got "canceled" due to lightning (a show of its own), we did get to see a lot of balloons inflate and glow. It was a great night with very little wind and the pilots were as excited to be there as I was.

October - Last Sprinkle of Summer

Sweats and not shorts, the plants are getting ready to hibernate instead of just waking up, but my little guy still loves to get out there and get wet. We can only play for a few minutes because he gets cold, but he enjoys it so much, it would be sad to keep him locked inside. So we play in the water for a few minutes and then hop into a warm shower wash off the chill. He doesn't know it's not summer anymore. Soon we will wrap up the hoses and pull out dried stalks, the grass is already yellow and the flowers are blooming their last blooms, but Owen still loves being outside. I'm hoping he'll want to bundle up and run around in the snow come winter (well, what little snow we get) and he'll be as eager as I am to see the warm golden sunshine of spring return.

September - Thinking spot

Owen found a thinking spot...or really a TV-watching spot. He likes the window and that the chair rocks. He uses the ottoman to get in and it's a bit of a precarious climb...than ends in a fall more often than not. I appreciate his willingness to keep trying and his ability to focus steadfastly on a task. He's a stubborn little boy, but he works hard and I love that about him.

September - Along Came a Spider

And then I realized the lizard had been waiting for this spider to make her move. She didn't. Michael tried to drown her. I didn't work, but we did find out our windows aren't water tight. Indoor waterfall...awesome! She did disappear into the flower bed never to be heard from again...so maybe that lizard got a snack afterall.

September - Lizard Lounger

For two days this little friend stopped by for a visit. It's not unusual to see lizards in our yard, but this one just seemed to be hanging out waiting for something ...

September - Egg on His Face

Eating is full-body experience for Owen. Nothing like trying to get banana, egg or pasta sauce out of baby hair. I think he gets his love of lunch from his dad.

September 19 - My Newest Friend

One of my high school friends had a baby and I did some newborn and family shots for her. This is baby DJ. It was so nice to finally meet him.

(The second set of maternity pictures I did, are of this little one's mama.)

September 18 - She Shoots, She Scores

Saturdays are Soccer Days now. My cousin is the player in front. She scored two goals in a row, we were so proud!

And if you have a keen eye, you realize that I used Soccer Saturday shots for three days. I'm trying to keep up, I'm trying, I'm trying!

September 17 - Armed and Ready

My family doesn't go anywhere without our arsenal of cameras and lenses. This is my cousin, she's having TWO babies. Maybe we should name them Canon and Nikon.

September 16 - Pick Me Up, NOW!

This is what a whiny begging to be picked up child looks like. Good mommy mocked him by taking his picture.

September 15 - Nailed It!

There is something almost biblical about this, but really it was a blacksmith at the fair. Michael was so excited to see them work and the man was so nice that he gave Michael a nail he made. Yes, Michael, not Owen. My big kid :)

September 14 - Curl Up and Dye

This was a display of old-time curlers and clips. My mom used to have those curlers and used them on my hair when I was little.

September 13 - Tiny Toes

They aren't tiny baby feet anymore, but they sure are cute.

September 12 - Take It All Off

Owen figured out how to get his PJs off. That's them around his ankle. I was greeted with diapered freezing baby in the morning. If he learns to take the diaper off though...

September 11 - Red, Blue and Goal

Ok, so we've learned I'm not a sports photographer. My cousin Ella (center and looking right at her wildly loud cheering section) had her first game today and she scored her first goal! That's her score in the net. She was proud, we were proud, the coach was proud. It was very exciting. The whole thing was kind of fun. I liked getting out in the sun, hanging with my familia and the kids were super cute. Ella's team, the Blue Diamonds, held their own against the Fire Barbies.

Now a fun story about my family. We are a kind of subdued bunch. We laugh, we enjoy each other, but there is no dancing on tables, fights or raucousness of any sort. When I graduated from college, my whole family - and I mean my WHOLE family - came to Las Cruces to see me walk. So as I was sitting on the floor, I kept seeing this wild, waving, LOUD family to my right at the top of the stadium! They were shouting and cheering and I was REALLY jealous, because I was sitting there wishing I had a wild fun family like that. So after it was all over and we were on the big field talking, I said "where were you guys sitting?" and they all looked me like I was smoking crack and my mom said "we were at the end of your row, all the way up...you had to have seen us, we were cheering REALLY loud! You were looking RIGHT AT US!" Um, yeah, that was MY LOUD, cheering, wild family! I was so proud.

September 10 - To Top It All Off

It took me as long to knit this hat as it does to knit a blanket. But it came out cute, and after a failed-to-fit-my-kid's-massive-head first attempt, this one fits...but probably won't by winter. Also, I love his baby hair. It's getting kind of long in the back; it's a baby mullet, but I can't bring myself to cut it quite yet.

September 9 - And We're Back!

Obviously, I didn't take this picture. I woke up to find my mom was here, taking pictures and cleaning my house. While I was sick, Owen and I did a lot of this. I'm happy to be back on my feet and thank you everyone for making sure we were alive and still taking pictures. I missed you, too!

Out sick

Been away for awhile as I've been death on a stick for the last week or so. But hopefully I'll be back up to shooting speed soon. Thanks to everyone who is keeping up (and checking to make sure we are still alive over here).

In the meantime, enjoy a few shots on my iPhone photo blog:

http://camerainmypocket.posterous.com/

August 17 - Look What I Found

I took this with my phone in Vegas and then promptly forgot about it. I've long been fascinated with the place where blue-collar work meets uber high brow elitest fine art. And here it is. This janitor is cleaning the floor of an uber elite Chihuly gallery.

When we were in DC I stopped to talk to a guard at the National Gallery. I asked him how long he'd been there and what he thought of all the work. Sure, I love me some uber frou frou art, but on this day a different interest kicked in, and I was more interested in stopping to talk to this man about his experience being surrounded by that art all the time; what he thought about it, what he saw when he looked at it, if he thought it was as important as those of us who make a pilgrimage to look at it think it is. And he said to me "Well miss, I've been here for 25 years and I've seen just about everything in this museum. I like some of it and I don't like some of it." And then it occurred to me that I've studied art, I've seen much of that work in books and studied the history and purpose behind it ... and I like some it and I don't like some of it. Maybe we're not that different after all.

If I had been able to stop and talk to the janitor in this gallery, I wonder what he would have told me about Dale Chihuly's world-reknowned sculptures and paintings.

August 16 - The Mini Cleaning Crew

He loves the pots and pans, and now he loves the Swiffer. He also really digs laundry. Obviously he is not ours.

August 15 - Baby Bowling

Ok, yeah, this is a cheat. We have a lot going on right now, but not much of includes leaving the house or being photoworthy. We are still coming down from vacation. So here is my fave shot of the day, my own little bowler and the only thing that he was interested in.

August 14 - Birthday Bowl

It was Ella's brother's birthday, but she had a great time bowling and she looked so darn cute. I can't believe how big she looks here and yet there are times when she's still a baby to me.

August 13 - Peekaboo!

Playing with mom or dad is fun, but playing with Grama is more fun! They have such a good time together.

August 12 - On a Boat

Kids' boats rock. Too bad Owen was napping or we so would have gone on one. This is the kind of water ride I can handle.

August 11 - More Pictures Than Days

There was something about the way this guy was standing there looking out into the water that caught my attention. A few minutes before, he and a girl had been kicking water at each other and horsing around. But she ventured back to the beach and he just stood there in this great moment of solitude that I had to steal for myself.

We came back on the 10th. I ended up with more pictures than days for my blog...but it's ok because I hardly picked up my camera at all in the first few days back. So you get vacation overflow.

August 10 - S'mores on the Beach

There were fireworks too, it was awesome. But my brother-in-law by the fire with the Del in the background was the only night photo experiment that worked, so go with it, right?

August 9 - Flower Garden

If only I could have brought all these colorful pots home with me. They would have looked awesome in my yard!

August 8 - Owen Takes on the Ocean

No fear, my child has no fear whatsoever.

August 7 - Alexis & Spot

My niece and her new friend, Spot. This was the first of many adventures that Spot joined us for. She was a quiet companion, which is good because she gives Lexi more room to talk.

August 6 - On the Waterfront

What is it with me and water? I'm a Libra, an air sign...and I don't even know how to swim!

August 5 - Not in Kansas At All

Colored lighted water tornadoes in a tube...AWESOME!

August 4 - I'm Kind of Cheating

The thing about a 365 project, along with the fact that I'm a little OCD about some things, is that a picture a day isn't always fun. This was a Vegas picture, and it's not that I didn't take a picture on August 4th, I just didn't take one that I liked this much. So my vacation pictures are a little muddled, and I tell you this in the interest of full disclosure.

August 3 - Everyone in Vegas is Made of Plastic

Remember that movie Mannequin where Kim Cattrell comes to life at night? Well, I'm pretty sure this one is Celia from America's Next Top Model - Cycle 12.

I love this picture. I can't help it, I'm really freaking PROUD of this picture. That I saw it, that I took it, that it came out well. I just dig the heck out of it.

August 2 - And With That, A New Sister-In-Law

My baby brother-in-law got married in Vegas. This was as much as I saw. Owen totally lost it and we spent the rest of the wedding in the hallway...I was crying because I hate to miss things, Owen was crying because he was hungry, I think Michael probably wanted to cry because he was dealing with crazies while missing his brother's wedding. But other than that, it went smoothly and we were all happy to get the heck out of Vegas.

August 1 - Great Balls of Water

There is no place more whimsical than the Bellagio conservatory. This was a summer theme.