Week 18 - How Do I Measure Up?

Inspired by Susannah Conway's call for honesty in blogging and a quote my friend Janelle found about motherhood, I've been thinking a lot about motherhood and being an artist, and the things they have in common.

First the quote:

"I figured that motherhood would be something that descended naturally, the same way my milk came in - a little painful, a little awe-inspiring, but part of me now for better or for worse. I waited patiently... any day now, I told myself, I am going to wake up and know what I am doing." - Jodi Picoult, Keeping Faith

And that's true for me...I always feel a little like I'm faking it. I felt that way in art school, too. And in both motherhood and in art, you take little pieces of your soul out of your body and you put them out into the world for all to see and judge. If people "get" what you're doing they will praise you; you are a good artist, you are a good mother. But if they don't understand, they will rip you to shreds with smiles on their faces.

Week 17 - Love That Face!

Week 16 - Soul Food

Week 15 - Water World

We went to the zoo for Owen's birthday. The pictures of the kids were just ok, but these giant goldfish were more photogenic.


And in our quest to turn the new baby into a beach lover like the rest of us, we gave him a bath. He liked the sprayer on the sink. I think he might actually like water more than the rest of us.

Week 14 - The BIGGEST week EVER!

We had a BABY! Dane joined our family on April 3. I didn't take this picture, of course, my mom did. But it was definitely captured the week best.


And in other news: Owen got his very first haircut. He hated it, we were just happy he finally had enough hair to actually cut.

Week 13 - Pasta Facial

Owen loves pasta...it's a full-body experience.

Week 12 - Room for One More

In other preparations for baby, we moved. We bought a bigger, more user friendly house. It's exciting and stressful at the same time.

Week 11 - Getting My Ducks in a Row

To prepare for baby, I needed to have a baby shower. And because I'm Type A, I wanted to try something creative. So I made 3 dozen duck cookies for my own shower. It was a tremendous amount of work...but they came out AWESOME! So worth it.

Week 10 - Welcome to the World Zoey

My "art" and my life are one. And while most of my pictures are the captured moments of wonder with my own kiddo - soon to be kiddoS - there are moments that belong to someone else that I'm just happy to be a part of. My baby brother-in-law has had a big year...married and now a kiddo of his own. We were so honored and giddy to be invited to meet our niece Zoey Mckenna just hours after she was born. She's a doll...serious, soft and kind of loud for such a little thing. We adore her already and it's only been a few days...heck we adored her the second we saw her little newborn face.

Week 9 - Satisfaction

Week 8 - Pictures of my kid

It turns out most moments during each week are captured goofy times with my kid. This blog really probably should have been called "Project 52 - 52 pictures of my kid."


So here are two of my faves. Enjoy :)

(I'm also fairly certain I can't count and my year might end up with 53 weeks...but whatever.)

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.