child's play...february edition

Last month I read a BEAUTIFUL post by Jude Wood (one of my FAVORITE photographers). In this post she talked about how she's always taking her kids to do all kinds of activities like swimming, sledding, going to the park etc. One of her children pointed out that she didn't spend time playing with them. She said "came as quite a shock to be honest. i was certain that i was doing a good job. to a child, to play is to imagine. none of those activities involved imagination" So one of her goals for 2013 is to play with her children for 15 minutes everyday. This post really hit home for me. I'm am TOTALLY guilty of this myself. Since reading that I have made an effort to play with my children 15 minutes a day!. Hasn't happened every day BUT it has happened ALOT more than it was before. The best thing about it is my kids LOVE it. Some days it is hard for me to drop everything and get lost in their world but some day's it is PURE fun. I can tell it is helping build stronger relationships with my kiddos! Imagination is a powerful thing and I want my kids to have TONS of it! So when Jude asked me to join her I jumped at the chance! It's avery important project called "Child's Play"...it's a project less about perfect pictures (because it's hard to play and photograph at the same time) and more about documenting us truly playing with our kids! One of this little gal's very favorite things to do is play "tichen". We dressed up in big sister's dance costume (or part of it), we washed our hands (a lot), made soup, washed dishes, made cupcakes, sang happy birthday, and blew out the candles!

Now go visit another SUPER talented lady and friend Ginger Unzueta who will show you her version of "child's play"!

"letters to our children" february edition

It's time for the second "Letters to our Children" post! I am SO grateful for this project. It forces me to write down all the little things about my children that I love and that I know i will soon forget. Pictures this month are from warmer days (last summer) that I have been meaning to blog for MONTHS (imagine that). This project is also helping to become a better blogger. YAY! Be sure to follow the circle (link at the end of this post)! Oh my little Wy-man,

How are you already 5? It seems like just yesterday I was toting you home from the hospital wondering  how I was going to do it all. But you made it easy. You have always been my tender-heart. Even at one year I old recognized what a sweet soul you are. There is just always been something about your amazing spirit that radiates kindness and joy and innocence. When I'm sad or not feeling well you are the first one to notice and the first one to tell me you love me and give me a hug. It melts my heart. And it's not just my mommy goggles that see this. I have had numerous people comment about how you "just have a kind look about you" and you do. It's other worldly almost and it's my very favorite thing about you. BUT there are SO many other amazing things about you . You are funny. When someone says your name I picture you laughing with the biggest most genuine smile. You especially think potty humor is hilarious and nothing makes you laugh harder than streaking across the house with nothing but your birthday suit.

You seem to really like to push people's buttons. You find it funny. I have watched you pester kids at the playground that are 2 times your size but always with a smile on your face. It's like you can sense who the serious and tense people are. Then you make it your goal to loosen them up. Sometimes it works and other times they just find you completely annoying but you don't seem to care. And when you can tell they have had enough you happily skip away with a smile on your face. It makes me smile but I worry it will get  you into trouble one day.

You are my cuddler...you cannot get enough hugs. I think every night before Dad puts you to bed you must give me at least 5 separate hugs in between every bedtime step...put on your jammies and you come hug me "goodnight Mommy", brush your teeth and you come running "goodnight Mommy",  get a drink of water and you come running "goodnight Mommy" and hug me.  Then it never fails after you are all tucked in you come back upstairs for one more hug. Sometimes when I'm tired, it wears me out and i think you are just stalling bedtime but when I'm in the moment and present I know it's more than that. You have so much love in that tiny little heart.  I could learn a thing or two from all that love you have.

You are quite adventurous and fun loving and almost always up to try anything. Maybe it's because you are child number 3 and are trying to keep up with the older two but sometimes you fearlessness scares me. I can hardly watch you at the playground. You are a little monkey swinging from the bars, hanging upside down, flipping, shimmying up poles and jumping down. I always want to tell you to stop but I hold myself back because you love it so much and you are SO proud of yourself after you do a trick. I can't bear to crush your excitement. So I try to turn my head and only stop you if I feel like you are REALLY going to hurt yourself. When we go to Disneyland there isn't a ride you won't go on. In fact last time you were so sad that you couldn't go on California Screamin and do the "loop te lou". I can still picture you skipping/dancing through the park humming with with excitement as we ran from one ride to the next.

You are obsessed with cars...all type...the cars characters from the movie and matchbox cars...you usually have a couple in your hands or pockets at all times. You can make a road of anything...a wall, a blanket..a windowsill. I'm sure our furniture has all kinds of scratches from all of your car driving.

Since you were a baby old enough to crawl, you have sat on my lap everyday while I blow dry my hair. I think you like the warmth of the blow dryer. You are starting to get too big to do it without getting hit by my brush and blow-dryer but you still try. Usually you just put your head in my lap now.  You have even convinced your younger sister that sitting in my lap while I do my hair is the coolest spot to be. She is starting to take your place there (the two of you often fight over it) but I will always remember those years with me, you, my brush, and the blow-dryer. I may sound a little sappy (and I am) but the thought of you on my lap while I blow dry my hair makes me feel all kinds of love.

You are the kind of kid who makes friends everywhere you go but you have s shy side too. When you get really excited about something you do the funniest, cutest thing that I noticed for the first time back in September when school started. I took you on our annual Mommy and son date and took you to lunch and to buy new school clothes and shoes. We go into your favorite shoe store and you picked out some awesome shark Vans. When the gal who worked there  brought them out and you put them on you smiled SO big it overtook your face.  When that happens you get so embarrassed that bow your cute little face and head and tuck your chin into your chest to hide all that joy. You do it every time you are really excited...trying to hide that big huge smile...it's like you know it's more joy than the rest of us feel!

Everyday when you come home from preschool, I know you are going to walk in with a gummy bear stuck on the top of your nose and big giant smile...it never fails. You lick the gummy bear Ms Molly gives you and  stick it right on the bridge of  your nose. On the days I'm not driving you have enough will power to make it all the way home without eating the candy just so you can show me for the 100th time that you have a gummy bear on your nose. sigh...I love you kiddo. I'm one blessed momma to have you in my life.

xo,

Mom

Now go visit Elaine Melko and see what kind of awesomeness she has in store....

and in case you missed last month's circle you can start it here!

"11 on 11" february cradle rock edition...

It's the 11th so that means "11 0n 11" time. In case you missed last month's explanation of what that even means...on the 11th of each month I post 11 pictures from my day and the 11th is supposed to be a selfie. I think I'm in SIX of the frames this month but whose counting? What you are about to see started out cute and calm...with only little sister in the crib! Then big sister jumped in. They were cute and played and hugged...then they got a little crazy and wild and goofy...then I (the big giant adult) jumped in! Yes I did and please don't act like you've never done it! We laughed and danced and laughed and danced to the music in our heads. Good thing the trusty crib that has slept all four of my babies didn't break. Sigh...looking at these images makes me happy. I really resist getting in the frame sometimes but I'm sure glad I did! I'm betting these will be treasures for years to come for both me and my girls!

And don't forget to follow the circle to see some serious eye-candy!

What do you know? I actually had fun getting in the frame! Now go visit Tonya Teran aka superwoman who just had a baby 2 days ago and posted her "11 on 11" from the hospital! Yup...she did and I think that is pretty amazing. I'm betting you'll see lots of her new little guy who is fresh from heaven!

and in case you missed last months circle you can start it here!

"10 on 10" february edition

Here we go for another "10 on 10" and here we go for more snow....and it's not going away anytime soon I'm afraid. I'm not going to lie, I'm over it. I'm even a little bored by seeing it in pictures at this point BUT it does make for pretty ones. :) Maybe for my March 10 0n 10 we will be able to see the grass (fingers crossed)! I'm calling this months edition "10 on 10 at 10am" because it's not the glimpse into our whole day the "10 on 10" typically is but it is a glimpse into a good 30 minute chunk of it. That'll have to do this month!  Enjoy and be sure to follow the circle to see some eye candy!

Now you must go visit my friend Rebecca Leimbach whose work is unmistakable and inspiring...she's got talent, beauty, wit and is an amazingly good person as well...yup all that wrapped up in one cute little package. :)

AND in case you missed last month's circle you can start that here!

sibling love...

As a mother there is nothing that melts my heart more than when my children are kind to one another and spontaneously do things like this...and on this day  I just happened to have my camera in my hand...this image is sure to be a treasure for years to come!

Now go check our more "love" entries over at I Heart Faces...

"what ______ looks like" february edition

So excited about another month of "what _____ looks like". I am loving this project not only because I am proud to be in a circle with such talent, but also because the topic gives me complete freedom to shoot WHATEVER I want. This month I am giving you a glimpse into toddler bath time and it's just not any bath. It's her latest obsession. In her stocking for Christmas she got Crayola Tub Tints. I kind of have a love hate relationship with this product. On one hand it's fun to have colored bath water but on the other hand my girl is OBSESSED with the pink ones. Now pink bath water is expected around here and if the water happens to be well just clear or heaven forbid another color that comes in the package like blue or yellow....oh man...total and complete two year old meltdown. Sigh...I'm told I'll miss all this someday and I'm quite certain I will so I'm trying to just embrace it. SOOOOO this month I'm showing you "what a pink bath looks like". Hope you enjoy it as much as she does and DON'T forget to follow the circle to see "what _____ looks like" to everyone else. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Now go see "what ____ looks like" to leah zawadzki whose beautiful and soulful images always stop me dead in my tracks...

and if you missed last months circle you can start it here where you will start with "what playing in a snow filled front yard looks like"!

the winter blues puppet theater...

Okay...I'm trying not to be too obsessed with animations...trying but not succeeding! We have been quite housebound the last few weeks. It is bitter bitter bitter cold. My master bathroom shower pipes have been frozen and not working for two days now. It gets a little depressing BUT it makes us be a little more creative too..me with the light  (dark basement) and us with our play....play kitchen turned puppet show theater.  Fun fun fun...

"letters to our children" january edition

This is a project that has been in the making for several months now and one I have been looking forward to. But I have to admit that when Amy Grace approached me about it, I was a little intimidated.  I decided feeling out of my comfort zone is a good thing so I am joining a group of uber talented photographers in a project called "Letters to our Children". On the 15th of each month we will all write a letter to one of our kids along with pictures of course because isn't that what photographers do? The picture part is no problem for me but the writing...well it's not my strongest suit so writing this I feel like I am putting myself out there a little bit. It's a good thing though. I actually started writing letters to my first two kids every year on their birthdays. The plan was to give them each a book on their 18th birthday with the letters. Well after the third  baby came so did some chaos and so the letter writing got pushed to the side (very typical of me starting projects and not finishing) So here I am embarking upon this once again...better late than never right? Oh and don't forget to follow the circle by clicking on the link at the end of my post...

One more thing...please disregard any grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors...don't judge people...don't judge. hehe

Oh my dear Little One,

Where do I even begin with you? Two years ago you came into our crazy family as child number 4. I was a bit overwhelmed with it all but you were a breeze to take care of (thank goodness). You were the MOST adorable baby with a head full of hair. I remember how I felt in those quiet moments in the hospital as clear as if it were yesterday...that feeling of pure joy and overwhelming love. I would just sit there and hold you and hug you and smell you..yes smell you..oh that smell of a newborn baby is my favorite smell ever. We brought you home to our organized (well kind of) chaos and you fit right in. You were immediately surrounded by your brothers and sister and they smothered you with love and attention.

I can't believe two years has passed...on one hand it breaks my heart because there will be no more babies born in our family (if I have any say in the matter) and I love babies. I am absolutely in a different place with you than I was with the others. Because I know you are the last, I savor every stage just a little bit more and want to hang on to it just a little bit longer. On the other hand I am excited that time is passing because I LOVE the little girl you are becoming. Your personality fills our whole house. You are the most happy (when you aren't throwing fits) and expressive little girl. I have to admit you can be a little dramatic. Even the way you brush your hair (that is almost always messy) out of your sweet little face has to be accompanined by a funny little sigh and a slow dramatic sweep. It makes me smile every time.

You love to dance. I watch you in awe as you spin around the room to the point of diziness and then lay on the ground and kick up your legs..then get back up and do it again...humming as you go. You are SO independent for a two year old. You can go in the playroom and occupy yourself for longer than I think is normal for your age. When I peek in on you I see you and  playing with your dollies and talking to them...making them kiss. You are already VERY imaginative. You like to call me Clarabelle (yes the cow) and you take it very serious..."Clarabelle, I do you hair" and then we sit as you brush my hair and curl it with your pretend curling iron. If anyone calls me "Mom" you qucikly correct them and say "no you Clarabelle and I Rosa" Yes Rosa. You like me to call you Rosa. Not sure where this came from but it makes me laugh. And again if I slip up and call you Lola you are sure to correct me "NO, I Rosa Clarabelle." You are delightfully random (as a lot of two year olds are) You love to pretend you are sleeping and it's always in the funniest places...like outside in the grass or while in the bath. And while you fake sleep you make funniest fake snore. You are a bit of a free spirit and don't see the point in wearing anything but your diaper (unless it's a princess dress). It has been FREEZING here (like the temperature as I type is -7) and still..the minute you wake up you want your jammies off and it's a fight to get you to wear anything. When we go out you will not fight me but the minute we walk in the door you are back in your diaper. Then you walk around saying "I cold Mommy"

The last month or so the princess phase has kicked in. You will wear a princess dress for little spurts thoughout the day. And then you beg for "cinnnabella hair" which means a messy bun on top. Of course as soon as the dress comes off you insist on undoing your hair as well. I guess you like to be in full charater. I ususally have to only refer to you as the name of the princess whose dress you are wearing and boy do you know your princesses. And boy do you get mad if I call you the wrong one! :)

You've started to develop a little bit of a temper recently (i guess the terrible two have begun) It's hard to take your temper and dramatic grumpy faces too seriously because the scowl usually turns to a smile in no time.  Your cute little voice can often be heard singing something. Christmas carols are your favorite...in fact I have been singing "HO HO HO" (or Up on the Housetop) to you every night before bed for over a year now. You will not let me sing anything else at bedtime. I'm always shocked at how well you pick up lyrics to songs and hear you singing them (althought not always correctly. Yesterday you were singing your ABC's and you ended with "next time you can't sing with me". When I tried to correct you you just pointed at me and said "NO Clarabelle. You not sing it"  Every time we get  in the car, you beg for me to turn on "Ho Hey" by the Lumineers. That song was pretty much our summer anthem this past year. All the other kids in the family are SO sick of it now because of your constant request for "HEY" as you yell it and put your fist in the air (have I said yet that you make me smile?).

I cannot believe how blessed I am to have you as my daugther. You bring such joy into our home and are quicky becoming the family clown. We all smile and watch all the funny things you do. Most days I just want to stop time and make you stay two forever, (two might be my favorite age) but then I would miss out on the wonderfully, awesome, funny, creative, and independent girl that I know you are becoming…I love you my little one and couldn't be more grateful that I was blessed with such an AHHHMAZING daughter. And as you say to me every night as I am putting you in your crib...lubyousomuch...and I really really do!

Love,

Mom

Hope you enjoyed seeing all the ups and downs of a two year old. (hehe) Now continue the circle and see what the wonderfully talented Carey Pace has to say to her daughter.

xoxo,

Summer

"10 on 10" january edition

I'm joining yet another SUPER talented group of photographers for a "10 on 10" project. Every month on the 10th we post 10 images of our day approximately one every hour. I'm not going to lie, this was a stretch for me. I'm breaking the rules already and posting more than 10 and I'm not apologizing for it HA! So have a look at my day and then be sure to follow the circle and click in the link at the end of my post...so here we go! we woke up...

we ate breakfast and some of us licked our plates clean...

we played with a balloon...

we bathed....

we hugged (and played the ipad at the same time)

we went outside in the freezing cold snow (for two seconds) and of course ate some...

we went inside and tried to get warm...

we sucked our thumb (and by "we" I mean she)

we played dollies...

we watched Tangled and fell asleep soon after...

Hope you enjoyed the peek into our day...now you  MUST go visit the talented Rebecca Leimbach and she what she's been up to...I certainly can't wait to see...

what playing in a snow filled front yard looks like...

So I'm starting a new project this year called "what ______ looks like".  I get to fill in the blank with whatever I want every month. The cool thing about this project is that I'm working with a SUPER talented group of photographers. I'm frankly humbled and honored to be asked to be a part of such an AHHHMAZING group. So be sure to follow the links and complete the whole circle. I promise you won't be disappointed! It has been FREEEEEEZING around here. I don't think it has been above 25 degrees for almost 3 weeks. Time spent outside is very limited these days but my little guy doesn't seem to be as bothered by the freezing cold temperatures as my other 3 kids. He LOVES to play in the snow. And as you'll soon observe, he loves to eat it even more...bordering on obsessed with eating it. It makes me a little crazy. I worry he's filling his little body with all kind of pesticides and fertilizer...maybe acid snow? Haven't heard much about acid rain or snow since I was a kid but if it exists, this kid has ingested it. I've given up on trying to make him stop. Now I just watch him and revel in his enjoyment of it (and hope he's not poisoning himself). I have given him the dirty and yellow snow talk and he seems to get it although I'm not sure even that would deter him from eating the stuff....so here is my "what playing in the snow filled front yard looks like". Hope you enjoy yourself!

Geesh, that was a loooong post for this lazy blogger. Now go visit my super talented and inspirational friend Kate T. Parker | Atlanta Area Family Photographer. She seriously rocks and I can't wait to see "what _____ looks like" to her.

oh to be six...

The life of a six year old...man wouldn't it be nice to not have a care in the world?

once upon a summer evening...

Summertime is when childhood magic happens. It's running around barefoot, picking leaves & flowers, and laying in the grass. It's being bathed in sunlight and laughing without a care in the world. It doesn't matter what time it is or if you get really really dirty, or if  you have messy uneven braids. Oh summertime, I miss you and wish you were here all year long...

What boredom looks like on a two year old...

All I can say it this one is a crack up. She is SO expressive whether she is happy, sad, or bored. I LOVE it. As a photographer an expressive child is a dream and she's mine and I get to see this stuff all day long! What a lucky Momma I am!

how about a little drama?

as she is most days of her little life..

as she is...

My messy faced, messy haired little girl...as she is most days of her little life. All is as it should be. This is childhood at it's finest! :)

She gave me 5 minutes in the snow...

The weather is CRAZY. The day before this snow came it was almost 70 degrees outside. Talk about a shock to the system! As soon as she got home from school I begged her to let me snap a few photos in the snow. She gave me 5 minutes and that's all we needed. Five minutes of fun in the snow for both of us....then we ran as fast as we could inside to snuggle up under the covers and get warm! These are the things life is made of! :)

the little red wagon...

 

This little wagon has provided hours of fun to all FOUR of my kids! It's not the prettiest thing but I love it so much! So many memories made on these wheels! Not sure why I chose these to blog today (of  ALL the images that are long overdue a blog post) but I did. They are such a peek into our lives that I just couldn't resist. All taken on an uneventful walk across the street to the park. But it was one of those walks that the feeling of it all is somehow burnt in my mind and in my heart...the light, the wind, the laughter, and mostly the love. I won't soon forget it!

Attempting to be a better blogger! I literally have SO many images that need to be blogged. My facebook page has made me a little lazy. I can post and run there... HAHA...but I love to tell a story with my images and it's hard to do that without a post. So here's to working on being a better blogger! :)

the little leaf collector...

I am SUCH a bad blogger...so much to blog and so little time...maybe someday I will get caught up! Here's a little something from the other day. She is OBSESSED with picking leaves...everywhere we go. And at home I find little piles of leaves all over my house in the most random places...makes me smile!

Light, Life, Love, Flowers & Naps...

I set out to do an assignment for the Finding the Light workshop I am doing right now...she wasn't very cooperative as many two year old aren't. I didn't get shots in all the kinds of light I needed to for the assignment BUT I do love these and her and this light..and ummm the last one..well I guess I wore her out? HA...it's her thing lately to pretend she is asleep. She finds it to be SO funny and so do I!

the little explorer..

and she's always up for anything...love this girl!