Week 7 - Signed, Sealed, Delivered

I'm feeling very sentimental toward my child. He's wild, he's loud and sometimes he's very very stubborn, but I'm just so moved by his mere existence each and every day. It's probably the hormones, I won't lie. I'm kind of weepy about everything right now. A Hallmark commercial can turn me into a blubbering mess.

We sat down to do Valentines (I let him add his own special touch to the back of each one) and I tried to let him have full creative control...TRIED. He liked the stickers, got bored with the markers and was pretty amused with the plastic covering his high chair. I'm too Type A to just let him be...I think we'll save craft projects until he's a little older, really for his own sake. I want him to enjoy it and I'm just not sure he did after the first five or so. By next year he might really be into it...right? The came out really cute though.

Here's Owen's Valentine:

Week 6 - For My Valentine

My tiny valentine with his big big heart...makes my own heart swell just looking at him.

Week 5 - This Teeny Little Piggy Went to Market...

Two tiny little people filled up a great big space in my heart.

Week 4 - Got Ya Covered

My cousin, seen in the picture from the week before last, is having TWINS! This has been a source of great excitement in my family. And because she thought she might be done with kids and these two were a fun surprise, I know that they are extra special. Also, since I'm pregnant as well, it's been a fun shared experience for us. Belly bonding. She had a shower in December, but I was up to my ears in Xmas and exhaustion, but I finally got to make her the gift I wanted to give her all along. I made blankets and burp cloths for each of the babies. It was a fun way for me to say "welcome to the world little ones, we're so happy to meet you!"

Week 3 - Daddy's Helper

Week 2 - Backyard or Bust

My cousin is expecting twins. She's in for an adventure. And I was so proud and honored that she let me be a part of it by shooting some maternity pictures for her. It was a challenge. She's on bedrest, so we had to stay close to home ... which meant ... home. I'm not a lithe as I used to be, which is saying a lot because if there's one thing I'm generally not it's "lithe." My kid was running around, her husband was brewing beer, her kids were running around, the DOG was running around...it was wild, but you'd never know it to see the serene look on her face here. I think she was thinking "come out, come out whoever you are!" We are all very excited to meet the new babies and I'm excited to share her pictures with her.

Week 1 - Big Shoes to Fill

There are moments that need to be captured and Owen trying to walk in his daddy's shoes is one of those moments. It was sweet. The light was bad, the angle was worse...I barely got three shots off before he got distracted, but I got it! This year is gonna be about family. Lots of babies being born in our family, ours included, and I think the camera will be trained on the littlest members of our little clan.

Happy New Year! Happy New Blog Project!

So here it is, the beginning of 2011...and a new project. There are a lot of great projects out there this year, and I've contemplated taking on each and, at times, all of them on ... but alas, I'm trying to be practical, so I'm gonna do a Project 52 ... that might develop into a Project 104. One photo a week for each week of the year. I'm already behind...doesn't bode well.

If you feel inclined here are two AMAZING ideas for projects you should check out and maybe try on:

Alison over at Mocking Bird is planning Twelve - a monthly project based on a word or theme. She's hosting it on her beautiful site. If nothing else, you should head over there and look at her stunningly beautiful pictures.

Another fun project is This Moment - capturing a moment for the week. It's a beautiful idea and something I think anyone who has a photo blog tries to do, but it's nice to set out to find THAT moment. (This idea is brought to you by Ellen Benson via SouleMama! And the letter Y for Yay!)

So here we go ... Project 52 ...

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!