week four recap

drinks and tapas with my girls
the bearded lady makes her 365 debut

dinner with my mom, aka Jojo

new old toys and a dinner party with L&F

lunch time walk about

date night
hanging out with the kids

monotone

It's funny, when I first started shooting photography I only shot black and white film. This had to do with the fact that I had access to a dark room and would process my negatives and photos myself. But since I purchased my digital camera, I rarely convert my photos to black and white. Despite this shift, I love the effect of the monotone as much as when I first started down this path of photography.

There have been a couple of challenges over on Flickr over the past two weeks to post process in the monotone. I like that this is getting me seeing differently as well as trying out new processing techniques.

Here are my results thus far...

As you can see, I don't have a set rule on how I process in black and white at this point. What I like is that you can vary the tones and color hues so much depending on the feeling you are trying to get across. One thing I have found and have been fairly consistent about is that I like a wee bit of texture overlaid on my b&w photos to give them a hint of 'film'.

~~~

PS I am thinking about separating my photography from my personal 'family' blog- what do you all think? The blog activity has been way down lately (not a lot of commenting, which is okay but has me wondering if "is this thing on"? and also, how different the world of blogging is now compared to when I first started.) But I don't really want to stop blogging about family because this is my journal/baby book etc. I have also been thinking about turning off the comments and just leaving it as a space for me to put my thoughts down. The idea being if people want to get in touch about a post they could email me directly?
 Thoughts?

week 3 wrap up

I find myself a bit tired and maybe a little melancholy at the end of this week. I have been trying hard to find motivation, but feel trapped in space that really lacks. Perhaps it's just the winter blues, perhaps it's just being over tired, or maybe it's just one of those weeks where I have to allow myself to let things bubble to the surface and attempt to find my groove again.

It actually was a pretty good week, so I need to just snap out of it!
This week was inadvertently centered around food for many of my photos I just realized...

We had a feathered friend visit the yard,
breakfast at 5th Street Bakehouse,
lunch date at Archie's with my man
lunch date/picnic with my mama downtown and a little walk along the river
Fifi takes a ride in the bouncer, big bro shows her how it works (and yes, he HAD to get in there when she was done, he totally bottomed the thing out)
Just another evening in the kitchen
a forgotten memory card, but drinks and tapas with my girls-a much needed mommy date.

My boy

I sometimes wonder who this little kid is running around our house. One minute he is spitting pterodactyl (I can't wait for this phase to be over), the next a screaming me-me who can rattle my ears until they ring and the very next a giggle puss who can't contain his laughter and spreads his happiness faster than snot across his face.

He is full of life, energy (oh the energy), and creativity. I love watching him in the play room, setting up intricate train track configurations or at the table with 'his artwork' (really just foam letters that he can peel and stick, peel and stick, peel and stick).
 He is also full of 'O-isms', little sayings that I find myself saying after a few days. "happy cake", "friend fries", "dip-dip toast", "oh", "um, um, yes" to name a few. His latest, "Yes. Yes, Mommy?" With the most serious of expressions on his face. He mostly answers in this way when I ask him what he is up to and he knows it is mischief.
The other day he was standing in the kitchen standing on his library stool, with only a diaper on and a mug in his hand and asked for coffee. His coffe mug sticking out at me as he looked at me in total seriousness. Had it not been almost 8pm I would have given him some, straight up with no sugar/honey or milk. Just to see the reaction. My luck he would have loved it.



There is also a whole lot of sweet in this boy. More than once last month the teachers at school told us stories about him, one had to do with nap time and a serious 45minute case of the giggles that had the entire staff tearing up in an effort to not bust up along with him. "OPEN YOUR EYES!" one of his class mates told him as he was falling asleep for the afternoon anp... and with that he coudln't stop.
His bff recently had a hernia fixed (is that the right way of saying it?) and when he saw her at school yesterday he ran right up to her asking if she was okay and did her tummy still hurt? Then gave her a big hug before pulling her off to play kitchen. I think I only mentioned the fact that she was having her belly 'fixed' once to him. He amazes me with his memory and consideration for his friend. I am so glad they have one another, just like her mama and I had/have each other.
He can test me in the most amazing ways as well as make my heart swell and my eyes well up in joy.
This mamahood gig is a pretty amazing roller'toaster' ride. I think I will throw my hands up, feel the wind in my face and the rush of my heart in my throat and enjoy the ride! 

wrap up 2

Week two wrap up of my 365 project.

This past week has been hectic and a little nutty. Daddy-O worked late 3 of the 5 work nights so I was flying solo with the kids for most of the week.

Fifi turned four months,

we cheered on the Pack as they played in the Kraft Bowl and had pizza with the crew.

Girly-girl had her well check on Monday,
and I hit the grocery store after work in an effort to keep the fridge stocked with food.

Tuesday I had a cling on who was passing out lubbin'

Wednesday meant fresh sheets on the bed.

I got my hairs cut on Thursday,

and Friday I spent my lunch break lost in the fabric store.

wrap up 1

So 14 days ago I started on a journey. I decided to give the project 365 another go. I did this before but only made it to day 101 and had set out to do a self portrait every day. This time I am going at a little bit differently. I have decided to take a photo a day, of whatever I feel wraps up or was needing documentation. I will be turning the camera on myself weekly, continuing my 52 weeks project, probably a weekly "Homeschooling" assignment and monthly you will see our family photo pop in there too.

But here's the thing. I have been adding my photos and writing every day, but they only seem to make it to Flickr and then not over here. I thought about how to deal with this and decided to do a weekly wrap up on the blog. So here is week one...

chalk board fun,

making each other giggle,

pumpity-pump pump,

a happy face on a lunch break,

finding the color in winter,

"my" moon in the walmart parking lot
puzzles before bed.

9:365

It was one of the laziest Sundays on record. I did manage to mop the kitchen floor, but didn't get out of my PJs until 4pm.

Once showered, we put on our best silver and blue Nevada gear and met up with the fam to watch the Pack in the Kraft Bowl Game, eat pizza and share a pitcher. The kids ran wild at the pizza place.

GOOOOO Pack!
(we won by the way, 20 to 13)

Four.4.four.4

Today I woke up to a chirping (and coughing) little infant who smiles more than cries, who honestly seems so surprised and pleased that someone has come to take her from her crib, every single morning. Fifi continues to wiggle her way deeper and deeper into our hearts and today this she is four months old.

This month has been full of firsts...

Rolling over, from belly to back and every so often back to belly, much to our surprise.

Giggling, mostly at Daddy-O and big brother (he is hysterical, by the way) and sometimes at nothing in particular, like at the polka dots on the curtains in the nursery.

Cooing and singing, and pretty much finding her little voice-she has to keep up with a certain two year old who is pretty loud.

Sitting in the bumbo and in the bouncer/exersauser.

Grabbing and holding things with intention (not just the random fist fulls of hair while nursing, which still happens much to my dismay)

First fever and cold (not a fun first)

First holiday season (whew, that was busy)

Fifi is wide awake to the world around her- taking in all there is to see and hear in this family of ours. I really love this stage when they start taking notice of the world. When she is awake she usually has a finger/fist or both hands in her mouth and when she nurses on my right side, she often rubs her head or puts her hand over her right eye in the most dramatic and adorable fashion. When she is full she unlatches herself and nuzzles into my elbow to doze off to sleep.

Bath time has gotten fun, I have started to put her in the actual tub lately instead of the little seat tub. She kicks and smiles and coos. It's pretty much adorable. It will be so much easier to have regular bath times when she can sit up and hold her own in the tub with O.

She has put her self on a pretty regular schedule at night, letting us know that by 7pm she is done and I can easily give her a top of snack and she is out like a light, most of the time for the night. She is such a better sleeper than O was (and is) I'm not doing anything different then I did with him- which really leads me to believe that it is the kid, not the parents when it comes to sleep, they do or they don't and you just have to hang in there for the ride.

This little girl of ours really is a light full of joy. The gals at the daycare agree, even when she is upset you can get a smile out of her. I know I have probably said it before, but I just feel so lucky to have his sweet little baby in our life.

*Little Girl is getting big- she is weighing in at 14lbs 12oz and is 26inches long. 75% for both height and weight. She took the immunizations like a champ more pissed off about it then anything, but I do tear up every time no matter what...

pick up game

down town today.
it was cold and clear, but the sun felt good on my face.

day 4, happy

He was just waiting there with a big old golden retriever smile on his face, fogging up the back window of his human's Westie. I love how goldens 'smile'.
I have always wanted one of these buses, and the green is perfect- it's all part of the gypsy in me I guess.

last day of the year (two days after)

on the last day of the year we hung out in our jammies until 10am.

then we piled into the car and went to go see where Daddy-O works.

we rode the elevator eleven stories up and down long hall.

one of them helped daddy with his work,

the other zonked out watching sesame street songs.

we rode the elevator back down

and watched people holding hands on the ice.

then we got hamburgers,

chocolate milk shakes

and "friend"fries for lunch.

we kept a close on a girl who had a fever

and a runny nose.

I got a massage

and am still sore from it,

in the best possible way.

we visited with family

wore silly wigs

and hid in a fort.

we made it to mid-night,

but just barely.

and watched the fireworks shooting off

downtown

from the bedroom window.

it was a really nice end to the year.

365:1

let the journey begin.
a photo a day for the next 364 days.
may it be filled with creativity and play.
~~~
happy 2011