I walked out into the garage this week and saw our summer tires sitting there and couldn't resist.
Even more amazing women have joined our project this week. Click on the links below to check out what 'tired' looks like to them.
If you want to join in, send me an email or comment below and we'll link to you next week. Our theme for next week is 'sleep'.
15 comments so far
If you're new to my blog you can read more about my Our Year in Photos Project here and read all related posts here.
At the end of each month I create an album layout out of that's month's photographs so that at the end of the year my album will be ready to go and not require any work on my part to get it ready for printing. I also choose two (or three or four, but I try to keep it at two) favourite photographs from the month that weren't from the project. Sometimes those photographs are just random ones I've taken of our family that I love and other times I use those two photographs to include an event in our album that I don't want missed - a wedding, a birth, etc.
My album is a 12"x12" album and it's going to lay flat when you open it which is why some photographs look like they're going right through the spine of the album.
For my favourites this month I had to include some photographs of our trip to Mexico - one of my sister and new brother-in-law and one each of the kids doing their thing at the pool and beach. Gracie loves her gymnastics class and her favourite thing is to swing off the high bar. When we got to the pool and she saw this handrail in the shallow end, all the she wanted to do was swing off it.
5 comments so far
Your sister is beautiful! At first I thought that was you... and I was like... why is Jenn getting married to a new guy?
VERY confusing... and distressing. ;)
Oh my gosh, Gracie's swimsuit is SOOOOO cute! Where did you get it?!
And love that photo of your sister and BIL. Her dress is beautiful.
This book is going to be so awesome, Jenn.
Great pages! You'll be so happy to have everything all laid out at the end of the project so you can just send it off to be printed. I've aspired to that level of organization but never reached it!
I love that you're prepping everything as you go so you're going to have a whole year of memories as soon as you're done. Your kids are so you...absolutely adorable!
Join me as I take one photo a week for the next year, each one capturing a specific aspect of our family life and my kid's childhood that I want remembered. You can read the introduction post here, an FAQ post here and all related posts here.
It's the fourth week of the month so this week I'm photographing more of the details of our life.
Assignment 30: Photograph their height.There are so many ways to go with this one but your assignment for this week is just to photograph your littles any way that shows their height today.
When I first pulled up my calendar to see which photo I had planned out to photograph this week and saw that it was 'height' I immediately wandered down the pinterest path of growth charts and got lost for the next three hours. For some reason when I read that prompt, I envisioned a jagged little pencil line marked on a door frame with the date and each of their names written beside their own little line.
Except then I spiraled into thoughts of how we'd never be able to paint their rooms because their little growth charts would be on their walls and then we would never be able to move from this house because then we'd be leaving their growth charts behind which is how I found myself on pinterest looking for inspiration on creating my own wooden growth chart that I could nail to the wall.
And it was after those three hours that I remembered that the whole purpose of this project was to capture the details of our everyday life, not the one I suddenly need the feel the need to create after being on pinterest.
So yesterday after church I photographed them using their dad as their measuring stick. I love how Angelo comes up to his elbow and Gracie comes up to his wrist and how you can see their height in relation to each other. How he is cuddled up next to his dad (his favourite spot) and she is performing and wiggling and can't wait to break away and dance. The perfect reminder of exactly why I started this project.
8 comments so far
Ha! You are wise. At our old house we had the penciled growth chart on the wall in our closet. When we moved I got all panicky. My husband actually transferred the growth chart onto a long roll of paper and made me a wood growth chart to transfer all the info on for the new house. Blah. It still makes me sick to think of their baby hands and feet that are pressed into concrete at our old house. ;) I love that your shot has them measured up against dad. :)
I love how you photographed this! What a great way of capturing their littleness in contrast to an adult. My son is almost as tall as me now!!!!!!
Your solution was brilliant and simple! Congrats on staying true to the goal of capturing everyday life. We have a growth chart that gets around the "what if we move" issue - Sophia's grandparents painted a wooden board with her name and measurements and the board hangs on the wall in her room. We measure her on every birthday.
What a great way to capture their growth! I am always kind of keeping track of how tall is next to me. Is already half my height (i'm only 5'4") and he's only 5! Stop growing already! We got the Pottery Barn growth chart that looks like a big ruler. I have yet to put his growth marks on there, but at least I know I can take it with me if we ever move. ;)
I love that you chose to "measure" them against dad. I totally want Grace's tights! I love that she's a little firecracker. :)
So smart to use dad! I had the same idea about making something to take their picture next too and then quickly realized that was CRAZY :)
love this. such a great idea - totally thinking outside the box. i'm struggling with this one.
I was really nervous this week because (a) photographing food is not my forte and (b) I don't cook breakfast. I told a friend of mine that my kids were lucky to get some peanut butter slapped on a piece of toast. I'm pretty sure that, when she laughed, she thought I was joking. I wasn't.
If you're new to my blog I'll mention something that I've mentioned several dozen times here before. I love to bake but don't love to cook even though I do cook every night for my family because it's important to me that they get home-cooked whole food from scratch. But our breakfasts, lunches and snacks are much simpler - usually some sort of bread with some sort of protein and some sort of fruit and/or veggie. And when they do get treats they both know they need to eat the healthy stuff first. :)
Anyway... this friend suggested maybe I could just whip up some breakfast on the weekend. We needed to leave the house fairly early on both Saturday and Sunday this past weekend but I'm an early riser so I rose to the challenge.
I had seen a recipe for cinnamon brown butter breakfast puffs that looked really good but I had imagined more as a special snack than a breakfast being as they're really more cake than anything. But what the heck, if my family was actually going to get a hot breakfast, I might as well go all out. I slipped down the stairs, quietly closing doors along the way and not putting on my slippers until I got downstairs lest that extra bit of noise wake up the kids.
And as I started to get ingredients together, I realized there was no way they would sleep through the sound of the mixer. So I did what any mamma who cherishes her quiet time in the morning would do...
I carried the mixer down into the laundry room so I could mix away without waking anyone. Of course the time I'm trying to be quiet is the time I drop the teaspoons on the floor, crash the muffin tins together as I'm looking for the one I want and somehow topple over everything in the drawer I keep my mixer paddle in.
And, this is the result when you give your child a glorified doughnut for breakfast. At least I made them eat some apples along with them.....
We've added another name or two to the linked 52 project. Please check out their links to see what 'breakfast' looks like at their house.
Michelle, Heather, Tracey, Stacey, Andrea, Jessica, Kristin, Amanda, Amanda, Sara, Janet, Carla, Lena, Rose, Naomi, Tracy, Rhonda
Let me know if you're playing along and we'll add you to our list for next week.
17 comments so far
LOVE it! I'm just like you-- I don't eat breakfast and I fail every time I try to photograph food. Those puffs look amazing-- I think you done good, mama!!
Hahaha, I can just imagine the noise, while trying to be quiet.
Good job with breakfast.
i hear ya on the love to bake, hate to cook front....
and on the simple breakfasts and lunches....
and on the let's keep the kids sleeping as long as possible attempt!!!
i am totally going to make my family glorified doughnuts too :)
i love this. everything about it. you rock for getting up earlier!, for mixing in the laundry room (I often grind my flax in the basement for the same reason), for taking photos of this and for making your kids such a yummy breakfast! i bet they were thrilled. A sure looks happy eating them. :)
Ha! I can't believe you carried your mixer to the laundry room! The picture in my head of you making a ruckus totally cracks me up. Well done on the fancy donuts!! :)
"I love to bake but don't love to cook even though I do cook every night for my family because it's important to me that they get home-cooked whole food from scratch." Yep! Can soooooo relate. Though I am trying to improve upon the "wanting to cook" part. :)
Laughed at you bringing the mixer into the laundry room! And I am that mom that brings apple slices to McDonalds so I understand the need to put the apples with the sugared muffins. It's about balance right???
I love that you took your mixer to the laundry room. Lol! I know all too well about keeping quiet so as to not wake the kids. This sound like a yummy breakfast treat. I sometimes do the peanut butter on toast thing. Today it was cinnamon toast. :)
That is funny. The things we do to get quiet time. Looks like Angelo approves. Love his sleepy eyes:)
So funny you brought the mixer in the laundry room! I would too. like you, I LOVE to bake and dislike cooking. I have such a sweet tooth! Hence, the bars. :) Ill give you the recipe! Where would you like me to email it?!
I love this post! I so get the "cooking" thing. In fact, my last post was about that. I'm not a morning person so breakfast is a challenge at my house, too.
Okay, so this is kindof weirding me out. We had the same (ikea?) cup in our post. And we have the same mixer. Not to mention (as previously discussed) the same kitchen. Maybe you are my long lost twin? :-)
Love this post. Love that you wanted to do something special for your family. I don't cook breakfast either, I leave that up to my hubby. :-)
Love the photos. I can picture you downstairs mixing away while the kiddies sleep. Angelo appears to love the end product. You can see it in his eyes!
Good morning, I am the late poster for this week. I am also new to the link. These look pretty good. Might have to try them. Have a great weekend.
I am new to this project thanks to my friend Kristin. I look forward to this and lucky to associate with all of you talented photographers. I am VERY amateur!
And I think I need to try this recipe!
Those look so yummy! I love the smile on Angelo's face while he's eating them. :)
A note to my clients: Valentine's cards can be ordered up until the end of the month. Any clients from last year who would like to order Valentine's cards with one of your session images, email me for info.
Aren't they cute? They're little flat 2.5"x3" double-sided cards. We're going to tape a lollipop to the yellow polka-dotted side with some washi tape and Angelo can write each of his classmate's names on the back.
And while we were taking the photograph to use for his Valentine's day card, I think I took two of my favourite photographs ever of my two amazing little people.
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Did you use a backdrop of do you happen to have access to a perfect wall!? Love these!
Love those photos! What a gift you have, Jenn!
Adorable photos! Angelo looks like he's so old! And I love Grace's face!
oh my, that valentine is SO stinkin' cute! and those photos of your 2 are absolutely amazing.
i'm curious about the background too because it looks perfect.
Join me as I take one photo a week for the next year, each one capturing a specific aspect of our family life and my kid's childhood that I want remembered. You can read the introduction post here, an FAQ post here and all related posts here.
In the third week of each month I'm photographing part of our daily routine.
Assignment 29: Photograph your mealtime.I chose a weekend lunch so we were all eating together and the light was pretty. :)
I've been looking forward to this one for a while because I've always thought it's funny that we don't sit all across from each other.
Jim and I sit closest to the kitchen so we can run back and forth throughout the meal for whatever we need. Angelo sits on the other side of the table so he can see everything that's going on, otherwise he spends the whole meal turned around trying to see whoever is in the kitchen and inevitably ends up knocking something over. Gracie sits in her highchair at the end of the table because we keep her highchair in that little corner between the french doors and the kitchen so we just push her over to that spot so we can all see each other while we're eating.
So here I was thinking it's funny that we don't sit two facing two at the table, when my friend Heather posted a photograph of her family eating last week and they sit the exact same way.
And now I'm curious. How do you all sit for your meals? If you're playing along comment below with your link or send me an email.
8 comments so far
You guys are so efficient. We have an oval table that seats 6. It drives me crazy because we are a family of 4. My husband used to try to take an end seat but it drove me bananas because then the sides of the table were unbalanced.
Now I forbid people from sititng on the end. We sit girls on one side facing the boys. I face my husband. HE is closer to the kitchen than me which shows my brilliance. ;)
Love the shot. Can't believe how tidy your house is.
Such pretty light. I am amazed that your small children sit during mealtimes. Mine never did or would. I am looking forward to getting to this one, mealtimes are such an important part of family bonding. Nice capture. Your children's expressions are priceless. Looks like they are loving the attention:)
I keep looking at this photo and all I can think is that you have a really beautiful dining room! I am so impressed. And that light is so lovely too.
I can't get over how clean your house is! Man, I'm jealous.
Love seeing how other people sit at their tables too. I sit on the end so I'm closest to the kitchen too. But we have one person on either side of Silas or else it would be impossible to get him to sit and eat - wait a minute, it's nearly impossible as it is. ;)
Such a great idea for a photo. I totally want to take one of us in the middle of the day - will have to wait until the weekend to do it.
wow Jenn, everything looks so calm at your house during mealtime. I will have to see if I can capture our typical mealtime. Thanks again for the challenges, it's lots of fun, even thinking about what to capture.
What great light you get in that room. So pretty. And I echo what Heather said, you're kids actually sit for meals? Max is constantly getting up and running off to get something and then sitting back down and getting up...and oh it drives me batty!
we totally sit facing either other with lots of kids in between so that each of us can reach at least one kid.
Do you think when Grace is out of the high chair she'll sit across from Jim? I love the way she's looking at him. Is she a daddy's girl? Same with the way Angelo is looking at you. :)
This week we all photographed 'cold'. Angelo was on a sleepover at grandma's house so Gracie and I had a bit of girl time. We went to the lake to visit the ducks and ended up staying for hours. Gracie could watch them for hours.
She turned to tell me what the ducks were doing and the sight of her cold little red nose made me smile. And mumble under my breath about how she won't keep her hat on for more than five minutes but that's another story.
The group of photographers participating in linked 52 has grown! Please check out their links to see what 'cold' looks like to them.
Michelle, Heather, Tracey, Stacey, Andrea, Jessica, Kristin, Amanda, Amanda, Sara, Janet
If you'd like to play along with our Linked 52 project, please comment below and we'll be sure to link up with you next week. Next Friday's theme is 'breakfast'. I am so excited to see my friend Heather's photograph for next week - she is hands down the most talented food photographer I know (and she makes her family pretty great breakfasts).
12 comments so far
oooohhh what a little sweetheart. i love her expression in the photo on the right.
one on one time with our little munchkins is so wonderful.
what a special day you got to spend with her.
Ok. She is too flipppin' cute! Look at her litte Stay Puff Marshmello Man jacket and her little legs and her little boots. I want to reach in there and pick her up and hug her. Oh, and her little clip in her hair...adorable.
these photos are SO cute. she is adorable. and i'm cracking up at your comment of about not keeping a hat on - we have a one of those in our house too. love your interpretation of this theme.
and you are so stinkin' nice to me. that little shout-out made my day. :)
She is such a doll. That close up paired with the fence shot is just perfect. I LOVE this. Love how you applied cold to Gracie. :) So adorable. I could watch ducks for hours too. I laid on the dock next to our sailboat this summer and lured the ducks with potato chips. Eventually I had them eating out of my hand. Gracie is my kind of girl. :) p.s. I LOVE her scarf.
She is really really cute, especially all bundled up in her bright pink. Super sweet.
Cute cute cute. How old is she? 2ish? I love that age. She is adorable. And my littlest NEVER wants to keep on his hat! What is it with that?? You'd think they would be freezing without it!
She is a doll. And I love the scarf! Perfect for those chilly days.
I love the rosy cheeks and noses on little kids.
She's so cute!
Makes me a little sad mine are big.
Love the crop on the first one! What a doll! And HEATHER....No pressure for next week or anything!
I am so in love with those lips---perfect! Love the pink poof and serious...."I am cold" look--makes this shot.
But on the other hand, as I mentioned last week, I just love the start of the new year. It feels so fresh and full of so many possibilities. I love the feeling of newness and all the potential of the year to come.
So with that said, I don't necessarily have resolutions for the new year, more I have intentions.
In 2012 the kids and I are going to get outside more. We spend pretty much the entire late spring, summer and early fall outside. But in the winter, when it's cold and rainy, we huddle up in our cozy home. I recently picked up 15 minutes outside: 365 ways to get out of the house and connect with your kids and since I'm a sucker for starting (ahem.) any sort of daily project, the subtitle appealed to me in a huge way. I love the little prompts to get us outside in the rain on days we might otherwise not venture outdoors (and have entirely too much pent up energy by 3PM). And I especially love the way the February chapter starts: resist hibernating on even the darkest days.
In 2012 I intend to write more. I am a voracious reader and have always loved books, but I've always said I'm not a writer. I think it's one of my biggest weaknesses. But I'm pretty sure I do myself a disservice by saying I'm not a writer, because that means I don't even have to try. This year I'm going to start, I've already started. I'm playing around with 750 words and I'm working way through Writing Motherhood but if you have any great writing tips for me, I'd love to hear them.
In 2012 I want to be a more intentional friend, wife, mother, sister, daughter, etc. I intend to be kinder. I intend to serve more. With those I'm closest to I fall back on being sarcastic. And lately, I've been lazy and tend only to reach out with a phone call (or more likely a text or an email) if there's an invitation that needs to be made or a question that needs to be asked. I've been reading about being a Proverbs 31 woman and that's been rolling around in my mind lately too.
And at the same time, all my talk of more makes we tired. Because it's not like I'm sitting around for hours on end wondering what I'm going to do with all my 'extra' time. I just started reading Praying for Strangers and the first chapter starts with this about New Year's resolutions.
"Every year I see them as a way to complete myself, to make up for all those things I haven't accomplished in a lifetime but can now master in a year."
So to this list I add being more gentle - with our house, with the kids, with my husband and especially, with myself.
What about you? What do you intend for 2012?
4 comments so far
First off, I am totally with you on the resolution comments. That's why I don't make them. :-)
I love your wish to be more intentional. This was a goal that I strived for last year and have made it a continual thing. It takes practice!
Also love your goal for writing. I love to write, although I feel like I am not very eloquent or poetic in my words. What I've found is that if I just start....if I just start typing....the words come. They might not be poetic, but they are real. And I guess that's what I'm going for. :-)
Oh boy! I'm hear you on this entire thing!!!
Last year, I made myself go outside every single day. (didn't always, but that was my goal) because I found that I would hunker down and then oddly end up unhappy. Outside is good for us.
I am with you on the being a better friend, too. Oh how I wish you lived close to me. I'd bring you a loaf of homemade banana bread and we could talk about all these fabulous books you're reading. Sigh.
I've got intentions or goals as I also like to call them. But they are balanced by grace. I've learned not to quit if I miss a day (or 12). But to embrace the shift in momentum and celebrate what can be celebrated as I make the changes.
I love your blog. :)
I'm with you about getting my kids outside as much as possible. I find that making intentions is good, but it's when I put it in my schedule that my intentions actually happen. So I am putting "outdoors" as one of my daily routines with the kids-- whether it's a park or the woods or the beach or just a walk. Your photo is beautiful.
i love your list of intentions, jenn. and something i always remind myself of every year is that i don't have to be perfect, i just have to try and i think making goals/resolutions/intentions is a great place to start. plus trying is better than not trying at all.
i'm excited that writing is on your list. that makes me happy because i love learning more about you.
i love that you added being more gentle. i should add that one to mine too.
LOVE IT! Totally smiled, Jenn. Fantastic. :-)
OMG---you catured tired! I love this post, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!
PERFECT!
this totally made my smile this morning jenn!
seriously great job!
hahaha :)
Ha! This is great! Looks like he enjoyed it (just a little bit, huh?)
haha great shot. I was thinking it was winter - whoops :)
you rock, i would have never thought of going this route. way to think outside the box!!
you rock, i would have never thought of going this route. way to think outside the box!!
I actually wanted to do a literal TIRED shot like this, too. Sadly we have no spare tires in our garage. :( You did this PERFECTLY! The background makes it so lovely and simple. A+!!!!
OH, I love it! I love how outside the box this is. Way to go. Thanks for the smile. Such cute kids! :)
oh my gosh, are you kidding me?! this is PERFECT. absolutely PERFECT.
LOVE!! What a creative interpretation of the prompt this week! :)
Ha Ha I LOVE it! What a great interpretation
BRILLIANT! I LOVE IT! TYPING IN ALL CAPS TO COMMUNICATE JUST HOW MUCH I LOVE IT! What is the backdrop?????
BRILLIANT!! I LOVE IT!! TYPING IN ALL CAPS TO COMMUNICATE JUST HOW MUCH I REALLY LOVE IT! What is the backdrop??
I'm so in love with this!! I love that you thought outside the box. Especially that first shot. Just adorable.