Days 286-292

The following pictures are from the week of March 14-20.

Day 286: Too Cool for School

Katie loves those sunglasses.  She wore them during her entire visit at our house today. Too cute!

Day 287: FAIL

Oh guys...saddest day ever.

I forgot to take a picture yesterday.  Completely spaced it!  I remembered around 3pm TODAY that I never took one.  I double-checked my phone, my iPod, and my camera for stray pictures, but there was nothing.

So SAD!  But since I'm so very close to the end of my journey with this project, I've decided to keep going anyway.  So here is a picture I took this evening that I will use as a filler for yesterday's screw-up.  I call it: Walk on By

Day 288: Headless

Self portrait number...whatever.  I still feel awful about missing yesterday's picture so I'm portraying that frustration by cutting my head out of the shot here.

Day 289: Old School

The two most used cook books in our house: Grandma's Betty Crocker cook book and the Better Homes and Gardens cook book we've had forever.

Day 290: One of These Things is Not Like The Other

I didn't stage this.  I found the cans perfectly lined up like this in our food storage shelves.  Pretty cool.

Day 291: Fun and Games

Hyrum and Esther trying to play Foosball tonight at the family dinner.  It's a good thing they're both on the same side because they were slamming those rods back and forth and were sure to poke somebody's eye out.

Day 292: Movie Food

Yum!

Day 259: A Flying Leap

Hyrum showing off for me. :)

I dropped by RoseAnne's house tonight to get her help on altering a dress for me.  After we pow-wowed quickly on what to do to the dress, I left RoseAnne to do her thing (she is an amazing seamstress) and I played with the kids.  At first I felt guilty for just hanging out with the kids while she did all the hard work, but after a couple of reminders from her that I was - in fact - helping a great deal by keeping the kids away from her working area, I settled into it and enjoyed their company.  We read a few books together and then I got out my camera to take a few pictures and they started showing off.  It was so fun!  I love these guys so much!

Also, the dress turned out so cute!  I'm so excited with what RoseAnne did with it!

Day 206: Christmas Eve Party

Becca

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!  I had a great night with the family tonight.  We went over to my sister Sherry's house for Christmas Eve dinner, and it was great to have some time with the family.  Usually when we get together, we fill to bursting whatever house we are in, but since half the family is out of town for Christmas this year, we had a comparatively small party.  It was nice to hang out and open a few early presents.

It was especially nice because I'm out of time on the present issue, so now I just have to let go the stress and enjoy myself.  Usually that's easier said than done, but I'm feeling pretty good right now. :)

Day 194: Strawberry Shortcake

Esther.

I love my nieces and nephews!  RoseAnne and her family came over for dinner tonight, and it was so fun to hang out!  I was being a bit of a recluse for most of the evening because I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, but I did hang out a little bit, and I got to hang out with the kids downstairs.  Because we won't see RoseAnne or her family before Christmas, we exchanged gifts tonight (I wish I had realized this, because I'm not finished making my gifts yet).

RoseAnne gave me these awesome homemade soaps, and mom gave the family a card game.  Mom also gave each child a coloring book and it was so fun to see their reactions!  RoseMarie was my favorite.  She kept hugging her book of Minnie Mouse coloring pages and saying, "Ohhhh!  I love her!"  She thanked mom at least twice for her Christmas presents.  It was adorable!

Hyrum and Esther loved their coloring books too...especially the stickers in the coloring books.  Esther's coloring book was of Strawberry Shortcake, and RoseAnne told Esther it was a coloring book just for her since she was Strawberry Shortcake.  The second RoseAnne said this I realized just how much like Strawberry Shortcake Esther actually is.  She's got the hair and the cute personality to boot!

What a fun night!

Day 193: Holiday Parties

Little D, enjoying a sucker.

This morning was our ward Christmas party.  It was so fun to watch all of the kids playing the nativity, and hanging out with the ward members during the breakfast.  It was nice to get out of the house and do something social.  Especially after this weekend when I didn't basically nothing but knit and watch Christmas movies.

This is the season for parties, so I'm trying to enjoy them while I can, because I know my social abilities will only go so far.  Soon, I'll get too overwhelmed to hang out with people, and I'll have to hide out and act the social outcast until I can recover.  But until that hits, I'm trying to get out and show my face.  Maybe if I hit enough social events before I become catatonic, no one will notice when I disappear for a while.  Maybe...

Day 187: A Case of the Sundays

Lauren

Today is quite possibly the closest I came to quitting the photo project.  Not that I was contemplating failure in any way today.  I simply didn't feel like picking up my camera, and when I did pick it up, I couldn't bring myself to take anything.  I completely spaced the fact that I have to take a picture every day to keep up with this project.  I would have been lost completely if I hadn't taken one, pitiful shot of Lauren tonight when her family was visiting.  I tried to take better, clearer shots of her, but like I said, I lacked motivation.

That's not to say that I didn't have a great time with Lauren around.  In fact, I think I was so busy cracking up at her playing house with our toys and making up stories that I forgot about my camera.  Shocker, I know.

At any rate, I did survive the photographic lethargy of the day, and I'm still on track with the project!

Day 172: Play Time

Maleah (sp?)

"Take a picture to me!"

That's what she kept pleading as we sat on the stage in the cultural hall today.  We were waiting for her brother and sisters (and the other children) to finish their Primary activity, and she was so happy to be running around and playing in freedom.

Every time I took her picture she would want to see it on my camera, and then immediately start again with her plea, "Take a picture to me again!"  It was so fun!

When I tired of taking pictures of her with the same expression on her face, she got tired of me and moved on to Christine.

"Do airplane to me!" she cried, and Christine would swing her into the air and spin around while she had her arms spread wide.  She giggled and squealed and grinned against the wind as she spun over and over again.

What a joy little children are!!!!!

Day 141: Bunnies

Emily's Halloween costume.

Celia came over tonight to show us Emily's costume for Halloween this year.  She was ADORABLE!!
She just stood in the middle of the room with her arms away from her sides, stiff as a board.  No matter how much coaxing we tried on her, we couldn't get her to move at all.  She looked at all of us with interest, and even cracked a smile, but wouldn't walk anywhere or move her arms!  She reminded me of the little brother in A Christmas Story with his snow outfit so stuffed that he couldn't move his arms.  So cute!

Mom finally got Emily to sit on her lap, and that's when she relaxed a bit.  And that's when I got the money shot.  I showed her the pictures on my camera, and she stiffly extricated herself from Mom's lap and walked over to me to get a better view.  She tried to point at herself as every young child does when she sees herself in a picture, but her little bunny mittens prevented her from actually pointing or touching the screen at all.  This proved to be rather funny as she mutely tried over and over again to touch the screen and move to the next image.  She never got upset, just kept trying with perfect determination.  :)

Day 140: Awe

Cassie.

One of my co-workers came back to the office this evening to pick something up and he brought his daughter with him.  I just happened to be at work still, trying to make up for yesterday's lost time, so I got to hang out with cute little Cassie for a minute.

She was at my desk playing with something I had given her when another co-worker rounded the corner just as she came running by.  Luckily a collision was avoided, but the look on Cassie's face when she saw the very tall Lon looming above her was priceless!  I captured this shot just moments after she (almost) ran into him, and she's still got the remnants of awe on her face.  Classic moment!

Day 135: Junior Chef

Esther helping her dad make sandwiches.

I went to visit RoseAnne today, and I got some great shots of the kids just being kids.  But more importantly, I had a great time just hanging out.  I'm not the type of person to drop by unannounced.  I get extreme anxiety just thinking about texting people back half the time...let alone visiting or calling.  But with family it's always a bit easier, and with RoseAnne it should be easier still because she's the type of person who loves spontaneous visits.

And I've got to say...it's REALLY fun to just drop by for no reason.  I don't feel an invisible presence pulling me toward the door, or making me steer the conversation a particular way so that I can get my business done.  I'm so neurotic sometimes, that I can't ever enjoy the moment if I know there's a goal that is not being met. :)

Anyway, enough about that.  I'm dead tired and I wanted to be in bed BEFORE 11pm tonight.

Oh well.  At least I'm close this time.

Day 124: Bright Eyes

Jack and Christine.

Well, thanks to all for the supportive comments.  :)  I was being more than a little dramatic last night when I wrote my post, but that doesn't mean that I wasn't still frustrated. heh...

Anyway, I was planning on skipping the whole "bling" idea tonight, but when I looked through the pictures from today and saw this one of Jack I realized I wouldn't have to.  I love taking pictures of children!  I wish I had more opportunity and less inhibitions because they are my favorite subjects. My nephew commented tonight that I could probably make money taking pictures of babies and children, and I responded that it might be possible if I weren't so shy around children who aren't related to me.  Nowadays you have to be so careful with other people's children because of all of the sickos out there who abuse and mistreat children, so I'm always so afraid to approach someone else's child if they aren't family.  Even though I have the best of intentions.

But then again, it seems I live my life by fear, so that's not really news.

Still, I never take as many baby pictures each month that I'd like to because I only have 3 or so nieces and nephews in town that I can photograph.  And I have unspoken rules in my head about how many times a month I can take a picture of someone before it becomes excessive.

I'm so neurotic sometimes.  Ha!

Day 114: Play With Your Food

Lauren hamming it up for the camera.

Birthday party for Dad at the Pizza Pie Cafe:
Lots of family, laughter and noise.
Hyrum kept us entertained with stories of invisible frogs leaping around the room.
Esther held court at the head of the table, and wouldn't move.
Baby June captivated all the women with her wide eyes and attentiveness.
Most everyone played musical chairs as they traveled from one conversation to another.
Dad soaked up the family fun and had a grand time opening his presents, surrounded by great-grandchildren.
Lauren kept Ashlie busy with her cute high-pitched voice, and her fascination with food.

And every time I put my camera up to my face:
  Lauren would grin from ear to ear
  RoseMarie would look away
  Hyrum would accidentally cover his face
  Mom would accidentally frown
  Baby June would stop smiling
  Christine would look mentally challenged
  And Dad would have his mouth open and his eyes closed


I got a lot of pictures of Lauren and parts of Hyrum's face. :)

Day 103: Hanging Out

Hyrum walking Charley Chaplin style.

I was going to start my theme for the week with today's photo, but in all honesty, I don't think I'll have the chance to take a picture of a different child every day this week (I've got a full schedule this time), so I'll start my theme tomorrow.  I'll also decide tomorrow what theme I'll do. :)  If you don't know what I'm talking about, read this post and it's comments.

RoseAnne came over this evening to drop some stuff off, and I was so excited because I haven't seen her in the longest time!  We got to chat and hang out while the kids played in the living room, and I got to grab a few shots of the kids before they left.  Also, we had a regional stake conference today, and it was awesome!  We got to hear from three general authorities!

As usual, it was a great Sunday.

Day 98: Dancing

Katie.

I looked out my window this evening to see the neighborhood children running and skipping back and forth on the sidewalk outside my house.  They were all in such a good mood and being so cute, that I decided to try and capture it.  I got this shot of Katie, who was so happy dancing and twirling and skipping along that she didn't notice that the other kids had passed her by and gone on to another house.

Oh, the unabashed joy of children!

Here are some lessons we can learn from Katie:
*You only look foolish if you feel foolish
*Sometimes you need to let loose
*Enjoying the simple things in life will make you happy all the time
*You don't need to follow the crowd
*Never be afraid to dance with reckless abandon - all by yourself.

:D

Day 81: So Tired

My neighbor's daughter, after a long weekend.

Sometimes you've got to let yourself feel tired.  As adults, we forget about that option.  We're always running late for something or trying to get 10 things done at once, and it's exhausting but we don't stop to allow ourselves to feel it.  Admit it.

Sometimes, we've got to give ourselves a moment to truly feel just how tuckered out we are.  Let our hair frizz out and our faces hang.  Let our shoulders droop and our backs curve.  And once we've given in to that moment of self-actualization, we can take a deep, cleansing breath, slap a smile on our faces...and fake it until bed time. :)

Day 78: Lauren

Lauren playing with her mommy (Ashlie).

My niece is a constant source of joy for all of us in the family, but especially for her mom (and dad).  No matter how much time I spend around this little girl, I can't get over how cute she is!  She's got the brightest eyes and the happiest smile.

And she LOVES the camera!  Almost every time I whip mine out in front of her, she starts making faces and putting her fists under her chin in little poses.  It's just so dang adorable!  I only got to see her for a few minutes this evening, but it was by far the highlight of my day.

I only wish we lived closer to each other.

Day 73: Camping?

Emma, fishing.

So I didn't think I'd have the chance to update my blog for the next few days since I'm "camping."  I may be camping, but I'm definitely not roughing it. I never knew KOA campgrounds had WiFi, but there you go.

Our camp spot is literally on the banks of the Yakima river, which is pretty cool.  The river is a steady flow here, and the sound is so soothing.  And watching the river is hypnotic, so I'm feeling very centered at the moment.  :D  Which is good, because...

Tomorrow we go rafting! (Keep me in your prayers, I'm just sure I'm going to die.)

Day 62: Month Two Complete!

My cousin's daughter running up a hill.

So today was the last day that I was able to attend my other family reunion.  I have work in the morning, so I had to skip out early.  It was so fun watching all the family just visiting with each other today.  I walked around taking a lot of pictures of small groups of people just chatting and laughing.  As I said before, we really love to laugh in my family.

Towards the end of my day at the lodge, I got to observe a water balloon volley ball game.  It was very short-lived because almost every shot was missed, and they didn't have enough water balloons, but it was still fun to see.  I was far away from the game, so I was able to observe the cutest group of little kids and toddlers sitting on the hill next to the volley ball net, cheering everyone on.  They were so attentive for such a young group!  I caught this shot of my cousin's daughter (whom I will not name since I didn't get permission to post this on the internet) running up the hill after the game to tell her aunt all about it.  So cute!


...oh, and this is officially the first day of month THREE for me!  I can't believe I've made it this far without forgetting a day.  And in case you were wondering, the days that I've missed posting a picture, I've only missed because I had no internet connection.  I still took a picture every day.  ...just so we're clear.

Day 60: Family Reunion #2

Hyrum showing off his muscles to Michelle

July is the month for family time!  My immediate family reunion finished yesterday, and today launched my extended family reunion on my Mom's side.  There's just so much love to go around.  I was so anxious and tired getting ready for this second reunion.  I wore myself out at the first one, and I've got no recovery time.  But when we got to the lodge and saw all the family there, my anxiety slowly faded, and as long as I stayed on the couches, my body aches stayed at a minimum.

But what really clenched it was the kids.  OH, the kids!  We have so many little kids in my extended family, and they're all so cute!  I had a great time observing them and laughing at the cute things they said.

Love it!!

Day 59: Tired

Esther had a long couple of days.

Tantrums are no fun for parents, but they provide endless amusement for photographers such as myself.  Luckily for everyone involved, Esther's little tantrum this morning didn't last long, but it lasted long enough for me to get this priceless shot of her.

Today was the last day of my family reunion, and we had a blast!  However, I am so worn out now that I feel like my legs might fall off during the night.  I can't believe how easily I wear out sometimes!