Day 30

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Some of our friends who had a baby took his picture in the same chair every month for the first year of his life. I loved this idea, so we are doing the same thing with Gemma. This is her 3 month photo. She's already changing so much!

The cute outfit is compliments of Gayla. I love that green color! I'm definitely a brights person, even when it comes to baby clothes. Bright baby clothes can be hard to find, so I'm gearing up and getting my elbows ready for the upcoming consignment sales next month. (Just kidding!)

But I am seriously glad she is fitting into all the cute 3-6 month clothes she has. I didn't know if she was ever going to gain enough weight. Now if I can just slow her down a hair so we don't waste any of the 200-some diapers we just bought. Seems she didn't decide to gain weight until the order went through!

Day 29

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The Challenge: Create a mini slideshow, compliments of Picasion.com

I took the kids to their cousin's basketball game this morning. Gemma slept through it while Will fixated on being afraid of the fire alarm that went off while we were there. I enjoyed taking photos of my favorite (and only) nephew. Way to go Josh!

FYI, you've got to try Picasion.com. It's so easy!

Day 28

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January is the time of year for photographers to think about booking weddings, especially since Christmas and New Years are popular for engagements, not to mention all the January wedding shows. Today we announced that we are giving away a wedding on our website, plus a $100 referral bonus for anyone referring us wedding business. So with all the talk of weddings, it makes me nostalgic for my own. When I feel that way, I pull out my dress. This is a photo of the beading pattern. I am glad I have my dress to look at, though if I were getting married today I would totally do a trash the dress session! Now that would be something to look at!

Day 27

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When we first read about Will, we found out that he loved TV. The box for liking to read was not checked off. Being a reading teacher, I was a little concerned. So I made sure when he came home that he had more than the recommended 15 minutes a day. After all, he had a lot of catching up to do. By now I think he's read more than most teens.

Will LOVES to read. When we go to play with the train set at Joseph Beth, he spends most of his time running around grabbing books to read instead. Like his daddy, he thinks that one of the coolest places on earth is the library. He got a Tag reader for Christmas and it was already reporting low batteries by the third day.

This is a photo of Will staying up to read way after he should have been asleep in bed. I guess there are worse vices to have.

Day 26

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A View from the Back

As I mentioned before, there doesn't seem to be much of beauty immediately around our doors in the winter. But the snow makes everything beautiful, doesn't it?

Day 25

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I finally got new glasses today! I won't tell you how old my last pair was, but they were years past the "expiration date." Looking through my old lenses, I beheld the beauty of China. I watched my husband love me unconditionally. I gazed into the eyes of my first two children. I glimpsed some of my hopes and dreams slip away while others formed anew.

I wonder what I will see through this set of lenses?

Day 24

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Another cheesy Valentine Photo for your viewing pleasure. There will probably be more to come!

Truth be told, this is one of Gemma's outfits that she has outgrown. I cleaned out her room today and packed up all the clothes that are now too small. I set aside the ones I need to squeeze her into for a photo!

This 365 project is such a great way to force me to make the time to take all the photos I have been meaning to take. I have lots of ideas, but seem to run short on time. Not anymore!

There were a few cute outfits that I meant to take Will's photo in, but it never happened. One in particular comes to mind. I think I will always regret not having his photo in it. Maybe someday he will have a little brother who can do that for me...

Day 23

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I love these. I wish I had done one of Will when he was littler, but I never thought about it. Wonder what it would look like with an almost 4 year old???

Day 22

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The Challenges: A Sequence Collage and a New Processing Technique

Will at the Little Gym, at least for a few minutes! We'd been trying to get there for a year. We finally got there a few minutes before they closed yesterday. Will fell asleep just a couple minutes before we got there. Then he went in and stood by the wall while I talked to a former colleague who now owns The Little Gym. When I went in to encourage Will to play, I said, "Will you play if Mommy walks with you?" He very angrily said, "Grrr. Yeah. Look at all the mommies and daddies playing." Then he waved his hand around the room to indicate all the mommies and daddies playing with their children. A horrible mommy moment, realizing my little boy wasn't playing because he was waiting for me and feeling like the only one who's mommy didn't want to play with him. But then we started playing and had a good time, if only for a few minutes.


Note to Self: Be careful how I handle my little tender-hearted boy whom I love with all my heart!

Day 21

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The Challenge: Picture Winter (revisited)

The empty boots are a reminder of all the cold snowy days this year when we decided to stay in. It was just too cold and we all took turns being too sick. Now we are starting to get cabin fever.

My boots are a few years old, reminiscent of Uggs, but bought long before Uggs were even popular. (I'm fashionable before my time. If only my pocket book could keep up!)

Gemma's boots are also Ugg look-alikes, a wonderful consignment sale find..super adorable, just like the label says! Look how tiny they are in comparison.

The boots are sitting in the dining room where, strangely enough, I have started keeping our things to grab right before we go out the door. It's part of my resolution to be early, though I seem to fail at this almost daily.

And so our boots sit here in our semi-warm house, waiting for their next venture into the cold and snow. According to the forecast, they won't have to wait long.

Day 20

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The Challenge: Picture Winter

Nothing says "winter" like cuddling under a quilt with my Sweetie!

Day 19

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Will was named Cubbie of the Week at Awana tonight. He got to bring Cubbie Bear home. At the end of the week he is going to write about their adventures together. I use to do something similar in my classes. It was wonderful to see how excited Will is to have Cubbie here this week. Now what kinds of adventures should we have together???

Day 18

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A few things I am looking forward to this year...

Day 17

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Today was the first day I could get Gemma to smile for the camera. Isn't it an adorable grin!?!

Day 16

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I was trying my best to get a great Valentine photo of the 2 kids together (you've got to act early for the holidays!), but as most parents know, the more kids you have, the more difficult it is. They may not both be looking exactly at the camera, but I thought it turned out pretty cute. It was way too late to keep trying! I need to resolve to do my photos earlier in the day!

Day 15

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In spite of what it may look like, I am not totally fascinated with pacifiers. I just think it looks so cute when you look right in Gemma's mouth while she is sucking on them! This wasn't exactly the photo I intended to get, but I thought it was pretty cute and the best I could do with the wiggly little girl late at night! Maybe I should start a series on pacifiers. I have visions of scrapbook pages dancing in my head.

Day 14

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My husband turned 40 today. Just as I remember my parents saying when I was young, 40 doesn't seem so old now.

I happened to find 40 candles when I opened the drawer, intending to put just 1 on the cake. In a moment of insanity, I decided to put all 40 candles on the cake. No, 40 doesn't seem like a big number now...until you feel the heat coming off of 40 small candles, breathe in the aftermath of smoke, and see what a big mess the candles made!

Love you, John!

Day 13

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I'm trying to take advantage of the beautiful snow we are having this year. It's not every year we have all this snow. As a matter of fact, I don't ever remember having snow this frequently and I love it! So I revisited the snow, the negative space, and the color in winter challenges. The result was kind of a rule breaker, but there was something I liked about it anyway. Rules were meant to be broken!

Day 12

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The Challenge: Find Beauty in the Mundane

We swore we would never use them, but that was before we understood the natural sucking reflex of children. We just didn't want to shove one in her mouth every time she made a noise and we didn't want an older child dependent on one. We're using one at this exact second. We FINALLY have some silence tonight. It's definitely beautiful!

Day 11

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The challenges: Negative Space and New Processing Techniques

I've seen lots of images of color splashes in snow during my recent photo blog browsing, many of which are quite beautiful. But Will's truck called to me. Although not beautiful, it's a good representation of life right now--immersed in toys and all things children. When I look back at my 365 in 2011, I need to remember the life, not just the photography. Hence the Tonka in the snow.

Day 10

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No special photography tricks here. Just a snapshot of some of my favorite girls! Thanks Bible Study girls! I love you!

Day 9

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Our booth at the Lexington Perfect Wedding Guide show. I was snapping a quick photo with my point and shoot. I know I said I didn't want to do it, but I also didn't want to keep up with one of my good cameras there all day. It was hard to get a good angle without climbing on someone else's booth, so here are some pictures within the picture-our proof bowl. The light spots are on the metallic prints--LOVE metallics!

Day 8

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We are always excited to see snow around here. So when we woke up this morning, I hurried to grab the camera. I wanted to get outside and grab my daily shot before the kids were awake and in need of attention. I thumbed through the recent issue of Popular Photography at the snow shoot tips and headed for the door only to find what I already suspected was true...there really isn't anything that beautiful around here that I want to photograph! No flowers sticking up, no gorgeous houses, no interesting line patterns not messed up by distracting backgrounds. Nothing.

Then Will poked his head out the door. There was my thing of beauty! I also got to follow some of the tips for making the snow whiter and catching snowflakes as specks when they fall. What more could a photographer mom ask for?

Day 7

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I took a photo I love at Half Price Books today. Will was immersed in books and oblivious to me. He doesn't even flinch at the flash of my camera anymore. But to me, aside from the memories, this project is very much about about growing as a photographer, so unless I am in a pinch, I don't want to even think of posting anything not taken with my SLR.

After we got home, Will watched his first ever episode of Jimmy Neutron. Jimmy took the gang to Egypt and brought some mummies back to life. The mummies were a big hit with Will and he talked about them all night. At dinner, John started telling Will all about the mummy we saw in China. This prompted a trip down memory lane, so we pulled out the computer and began showing Will various pictures of himself in China while we searched for the mummy photos. And thus this photo was born.

John was the only family member not yet featured in the 365, so at least his eyes are now represented! Nothing lights him up like talking about Will and our adventures bringing him home. I think here you can see it in his eyes...but you can see it much better if you enlarge the photo.

Day 6

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Meet Kevin. Some of you may know him. He's from the Island of Sodor and hangs out with a guy named Thomas. I have absolutely nothing against Kevin--except his price tag.

So today when my little boy told me he wanted him, I tried everything I could to talk him out of it. I told him he had a birthday coming up, that he could wait for a coupon, that he could even have a smaller Kevin. Nothing worked. Since Will is an excellent saver and only spends his money when he really wants something, it was impossible to say "no." To me it's a cheap piece of plastic and wood. To Will it's the most awesome train in the world, just like the one at Birkshire Trains, who is also a crane. You just can't beat that. Then I thought of all the scrapbooking and quilting gadgets I have that are just junk to most people. So what did I do? I let Will come home with a very pricey piece of plastic and wood. Priceless.

Day 5

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Bokeh: a fancy word for blur.

This is a new photography word I've picked up this year. It was also today's challenge. I've decided it works best on images where lots of light is an important part of the image. I first tried to capture a cupcake in bokeh, but it just wasn't doing it for me.

And so we arrive at the Christmas tree. Yes. It is still up 5 days into the new year. Perhaps it was waiting for this photo. Now maybe the Good Christmas Tree Fairy will come take it down?

Day 4

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Repeating shapes is suppose to be attractive in photos. When Gemma is swaddled, I think she looks like the Glow Worm that Grandma Apple gave her...2 peas in a pod(or pods!). I grabbed this shot on a rare occasion when she fell asleep long enough to tease me into thinking I was going to get a nap...didn't happen!

Day 3

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I may be late posting, but I took the photo early that day!

Will loves to play by the window in our guest/computer room. We tell him all the time not to for fear it will break and he'll fall out. I caught him at it again and he looked so cute silhouetted against the light that it had to be my picture of the day.

Day 2

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The challenge today...a self portrait. I was hoping for something a little more modern. But no matter what I do, I still look like me!

Day 1

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If all goes according to plan, these feet will take their first steps this year.