Archive | 52 project

Gil’s 1st Birthday!

January 27, 2014 at 3:50 pm

Well, folks, we have a one-year-old! He might be the cutest little guy I’ve ever seen, too, but of course I’m biased, haha. We had a fun day celebrating off and on, mixed in with a hike with friends, delicious naps, and plenty of playtime. I followed Gil around with the camera for part of the day to capture that first bite of cake, the joy of play, and moments with each of the members of his family.

For full disclosure, the day wasn’t perfect, and actually began and ended with meals that looked like this:

Yep. So I was glad to get some of the happier moments in between, like the ones that follow!

They shared beaters covered in cream cheese frosting as I frosted his cake. I made two: one “smash cake” for him to enjoy on his own and one entirely massive snowman cake (his “real” birthday cake) that I am basically polishing off by myself now. Too. Much. Cake. Anyone want some cake?!

We tried to get a picture of Mama and Son, but that mission failed. I like these two photos, though, because they show what I do most of the day: facilitate my children’s play/sense of adventure/lives and try to keep them from killing themselves! Ah, motherhood.

For Gil’s birthday, he and Lena got absolutely adorable matching “jammies” from my parents, but, try as I might, I couldn’t get a good picture of them together. Can you imagine why? Always on the move around here.

And then I came around the corner and saw this in action… and that looked picture perfect to me!

And finally, since I usually post portraits of my children every Monday, here is one of Lena I took this morning. The artist (and reader!) at work! She after she finished each marker or crayon, she lined them up. And then we read two huge stacks of books during Gil’s nap, a typical activity for us because I am lazy and would rather sit and read books than do craft or learning activities. Oh well!

6 :: in 52 project, Baby Numero Due, Gil

3/52

January 20, 2014 at 4:49 pm

the 52 Project:: a portrait of my children once a week & every week in 2014

Lena: She loves to color, but only with someone else, and really she prefers to watch the other person coloring instead of coloring much herself. I took the photo during a rare few minutes when she was content to continue on her own. Her need for interaction is exhausting, but I’ve been trying to tell myself more lately to be grateful for it because pretty soon she’ll be 18 and in college. Right??

Gil: He is Mr. Independent these days, and he is also determined to start walking ASAP. His new thing is to grab any object light or small enough (chair, riding toy, small table, my legs…) and push it in front of him as he toddles around as quickly as he can. He had just scooted this wooden box to this pole, and I snapped the photo as he dove headfirst into it to pull out some wooden blocks. His tiptoes and determination had me laughing out loud.

——–

How was your weekend? It’s been alternatively sunny or pouring rain (and hail!) here, but I’ve managed to get outside with the kids every day, and that helps my sanity. Learned that important lesson over the holidays!

For reasons I can’t share yet, this week is a long and tiring one for me, and I find myself praying often for patience and grace with our little children. There is so much I aspire to be: a faithful wife and friend, a creative mother, a fabulous cook, a maturing Christian. And yet so often the little ones’ needs and requests become the sum of my entire day, and then the day is done, and then the cycle starts again in the morning.

I love that Annie Dillard quote: “How we spend our days is, after all, how we spend our lives.” How we spend our moments, too, is how we spend our days. I long so much to be able to look back and know that — even if my “achievements” were lost in a hubbub of snack making, outfit changing, and book reading — I lived these moments of these days with God-given patience, mercy, and thoughtfulness.

But oh patience! how elusive you are! A little boy is crying for me after his nap, so I’ll have to end here, but… any tips on how to cultivate it?

9 :: in 52 project

jumping on the 52 project!

January 13, 2014 at 4:04 pm

Last year I was inspired by Bleubird‘s beautiful images for her “52 project”: a photo once a week for an entire year. She committed to take a portrait of her children every week, and the result was a stunning portfolio. With my own children growing and changing every day, my goal to learn my camera, and my excitement about this book (currently in the mail!), this seems like a fitting photography project for the year.

So here are my photos from 1/52 (just whatever I could find that I took in the first week of January!) and 2/52 (which were a little more intentional):

Lena 1/52: From a trip to the farm below our house, where she snuggles with “Wilbur,” a little puppy that we first found in the pig pen and have since considered adopting…

Gil 1/52: He’s learned not to touch Siena’s food after dumping it on his head a few times (yuck!), but he still loves to watch her eat. And his oversized pajamas just get me every time!

Lena 2/52: She recently told us that she wants to be “a dancing doctor for cats and dogs and lions” when she grows up.

Gil 2:52: After church on Sunday, flashing one of his signature smiles.

Now what to do with all these photos besides post them on this blog?! Any good ideas? Printing them out is not my strong suit. I made photo calendars for my grandparents and parents this past two Christmases and they have loved them, but I have yet to print any for us or put them in a book, photo album, or even on the wall….