January in photos + some thoughts

A Project 365 is scary and daunting, but I'm determined to make it work for me this year. I'm trying to keep the BIG PICTURE in mind, which is to document our everyday. The in-between moments. The small snippets of our life.

It doesn't sound like much, but a photo a day is harder than you would think. This project has definitely been more challenging than I had imagined. We are usually up and out the door before the sun is all the way up and then are creeping back home as the sun is setting. That doesn't leave much "time" for well-lit photos. I've had to rely more on ambient lighting than I ever had before, but you know...it's working out just fine. Our life doesn't just occur when the lighting is nice and pretty and perfect and capturing those moments is what this project is all about. I'm learning to make the most of the time I have and am trying to appreciate all of the little ins + outs of our day. 

You can keep up with my Project 365 by clicking the "Project 365" at the top of my site, or by following this link. 

The Bloom Collective - Low Light

The photo prompt this month for The Bloom Collective is low light. I have to admit that I do struggle with low light. My camera is usually tucked away nicely after the sun goes down and I typically don't bother to "document" our evenings. That sounds SO horrible to say because SO much of our life happens after the sun goes down and before it comes up. Sometimes ambient lighting is the only thing you've got + I promised to cut myself some slack this year with my Project 365. I'm embracing and loving low light these days and I'm so grateful for the team at The Bloom Forum for continuing to push me creatively!  

I took this image right before we kids were going to bed. It was pitch black outside and the only light on in the room was the lamp on their coloring table. It was just the coziest little set up and I knew I wanted to capture them together like this. You can stop by the Camera Mama blog to see my tips for photographing with ambient lighting. 

And be sure to check out The Bloom Collective to see more from this month's prompt - low light. 

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The Bloom Collective - Simple

This year I'm participating in a collaborative photography project hosted by The Bloom Forum. I'm always looking for new and exciting ways to push myself creatively and I'm excited to see what this year (and project) has in store for me. The work of the photographers in this group is phenomenal and I feel so blessed to be a part of this group.

I took this image during our recent snow fall. It wasn't much, but seeing those white flakes falling from the sky sure was pretty. Drew was standing at the window watching it come down and I loved how peaceful, simple and still he looked framed between the curtains. I stood on a stool behind and placed my focus on his sweet hands. It's always the little things, like hands, that I love the most. 

Be sure to stop by The Bloom Collective to see more from this month's prompt - Simple. 

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He, She + Me - January

HE: started making his Christmas list January 1 • mountains > beach • prefers to eat cool whip straight from the canister • got a wart removed on his foot and barely blinked an eye • eats only the white of a hard boiled egg • has a crush on Amelia in his class and blushes every time we mention her name • is still obsessed with Pokemon, Pokemon cards, hit points and damage (whatever that means) • still yells for me to wipe his bottom (when does this ever end???) • says our dinner prayer most nights 

SHE: is the social chair of our family • hates waking up in the morning, but cries if you leave the room without her • sleeps in her bathroom and headbands and leggings • counting down the days until her birthday + making her birthday list as I type • wants a morkie • is a little obsessed with texting her friends from my phone + taught me how to send videos and drawings via text • hasn't played with one.single.thing she asked for for Christmas • missing her friends from school

ME: rejoicing that my Christmas tree is down + my house is starting to look "normal" again • cleaning out closets left and right • pretty sure I threw away a Dolce + Gabbana bag Scott gave me for Christmas (OMG) • putting together puzzles and finding it both stressful + relaxing at the same time • wondering if I should start Whole 30 again to get my body back on track • reading everything • hoping for snow, snow and more snow 

Project Mama + Me is a monthly project created to remember all the little bits + pieces of our everyday. Follow #projectmamaandme on Instagram.

Project 365

So I'm giving this 365 thing a go this year. I've done a number of different photo projects over the years, but I have ALWAYS been terrified of a 365. I mean, that's SO much pressure. But, instead of talking myself out of it and thinking of all the million reasons I might fail, I decided to just give it a go and not look back. I'm being very lenient with this project. My goal is a photo a day, but if that doesn't happen, oh well. My goal is to push myself creativity, to think outside of the box and to capture the mundane of our everyday. Wish me luck, lol! ;)

Follow along with my 365 here on my blog!

1/365: The quiet.

2/365: Morning sun + movies.

3/365: Steamy sunsets at the mountain.

4/365: Hot cocoa + sunflare.

5/365: Adventuring in the clouds on a mile high bridge.

6/365: Home.

7/365: Flurries.

8/365: A quiet break from the sledding.

9/365: Checking out the snow.

10/365: Those eyes. My heart.

11/365: Cozy.

12/365: Daily finds.

13/365: Looking down.

14/365" Jumping. All day. Everyday.

15/365: She sparkles.

16/365: Cozy conversations.

17/365: A boy + his dog. 

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A Mountain Getaway

We always try to squeeze in a mountain (or beach) getaway at the beginning of the year to rest, relax and basically just unwind as a family of four. It's always a little hard to leave home with everything still in "frantic holiday mode", but once we get there, we remember it's so worth it.

This year we traveled to Mountain City, Tennessee and stayed in an awesome mountain top log cabin. We had the place all to ourselves and I can't even tell you how many hours we spent reading books and putting together puzzles. The kids had their own loft area and we basically had to beg them to leave.

There is something so refreshing about mountain air and being away from everything. We had no cell service or no internet and it was so nice to disconnect and just "be" for a week. It was the perfect start to the new year! 

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Around Our Clocks - 10am

Happy Monday and welcome to this month's edition of "Around Our Clocks". This month is all about the 10am hour. On a typical day, my kids are usually in school while the rest of us are at work, but for December, things change a little since they are out for the holidays.  

With that said, though, 10am looks different on different days. Some days we are all still in our pajamas with books in hand; and other days we are rushing out the door to some event or gathering. Today, my kids spent some good time jumping on the trampoline and then came in for hot chocolate to warm them up. Just a simple shot of my sweet daughter and her hot cocoa snuggled under a cozy blanket. Ahhh, the joys of December break. 

Hope your Monday is off to a cozy and warm start, friends! Thanks so much for stopping by! To continue on the "Around Our Clocks" blog circle, click on over to Anna-Liisa Nixon's blog and see what her 10am looks like! 

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Christmas 2016

The anticipation of Christmas morning was crazy here in our house. My kids could not have been more excited about Santa coming to down our chimney and they pretty much begged to go to sleep around 6:30. I'm pretty sure it's the only time in the history of forever that they've requested to go to bed. The were jacked up on sugar + a Santa high anyway, so we knew there was no way they would fall asleep early. We snuggled, watched ONE more Christmas movie and then Anna read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to us before turning in.

Christmas is always magical and seeing the joy and excitement in my children's eyes makes it even more special. I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas! Lots of love from our family! xo

The anticipation of Christmas morning was crazy here in our house. My kids could not have been more excited about Santa coming to our house and pretty much begged to go to sleep around 6:30. I'm pretty sure it's the only time in the history of forever that they've requested to go to bed. The were jacked up on a sugar + Santa high anyway, so we knew there was no way they would fall asleep early. We snuggled, watched ONE more Christmas movie and then Anna read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to us before turning in!

Christmas is always magical and seeing the joy and excitement in my children's eyes makes it even more special. I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas! Lots of love from our family! xo

'Tis the season

We start December with a bang. December 1st is Drew's birthday and from there it feels like we are on a spiral of crazy activity. I am so very thankful my kids get out of school a week or so before Christmas so we can all take a deep breath, make cookies and sit on the couch and watch Christmas movies.

This truly is the most magical time of the year. I used to think that being a kid at Christmas was the best ever, but now I know that having kids at Christmas is the icing on the cookie. Just five more sleeps until the big man comes down our chimney and I think I'm more excited than they are. 

I hope your home has been full of holiday cheer this December! I know ours sure has! xo

Around Our Clocks - 3pm

Happy Monday, friends!
The "Around Our Clocks" blog circle continues and today we are all sharing a glimpse at what our 3:00pm looks like. I should have just pasted a picture of a tornado on my post today, because we are usually just fresh out of school and on our way to one of many activities at this time. Gymnastics, art, fitness clubs, Girl Scouts....the list goes on and on. Today, we stopped by my kids very favorite place - the library. We come here at least once a week and I usually have to drag them out...especially Anna. I'm pretty sure she would just sit and read at the library all day long. I love this library so much because it's never crowded at all and it's so darn quite (as a library should be, I guess).  It's a great place to sneak away from the craziness that is our week. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today! To continue on the "Around Our Clocks" blog circle, click on over to Camille Arner's blog and see what her 3pm looks like! 

Bath Time Fun

What is better than a bubble bath?? Nothing really, right??

I know the days where these two splash and play in the bathtub together are numbered, so I'm trying to savor every last giggle and soaked floor. They might fight me when I tell them it's bath time, but it really is their favorite. Then they beg for "just a few more minutes" every single time I try to get them out. And their bath time fun is the reason my floors get "somewhat" clean every week. Thanks kids... ;)

Finding Magic

What a surprise!! We found a new Christmas tree stand just down the road from us and were greeted by some new friends when we got there! These horses were the highlight of our trip and I'm pretty sure we picked out a tree in record time just to be back over by the horses. 

My kids LOVED petting the horses and these pretties were so darn friendly and sweet. The sun was setting in the background....and oh man...it was just magical! What a glorious day! It just goes to show that you really can find magic just about anywhere. 

I hope your weekend has been wonderful. We are super busy over here with loads of Christmas activities, photo editing, parties and more! Wishing you all the best, friends. xo

Giving Thanks

We've hosted Thanksgiving at our house for the past two years and we couldn't be more grateful for family who is willing to travel to us. We love having everyone here and the countdown for their arrival begins weeks in advance. My kids LOVE their cousins and we all love watching them together. Our Thanksgiving was very relaxed and simple this year. Lots of laughter, yummy food and tons of fun. I'm so thankful for our family and hope they know just how much they mean to me and us. 

My top 10 list of Thanksgiving favorites:

1. Having all of our family here for days on end! I love the early morning coffee, papers and talks, as well as the late night movies and Whirly-Pop popcorn.
2. Endless hours of jumping on the trampoline. Our kids barely came inside this week.
3. The "drippy" gingerbread turkey decoration
4. Celebrating Drew's birthday a few days early with a birthday song sang as loud as possible and bowls of whipped cream + sprinkles.
5. Black Friday shopping at Target and Barnes + Nobles....and introducing my mother-in-law to the dollar section at Target!
6. Giggling non-stop at Bad Moms and then concocting our plan to be "Bad Moms" for the rest of the weekend (fyi - our plan didn't work...we couldn't pour the cereal straight from the boxes into our mouths...).
7. Listening to Anna and Drew tell stories and read books together on the air mattress in our room.
8. Conversations around the fire pit.
9. The "talent show" complete with drums, dancing and a guitar solo the kids put on for us on Thanksgiving day.
10. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law cleaning my kitchen NON-STOP all week. Please come back. 

Thankful

I have so many blessings in my life, but these two make my world go 'round. I am so grateful and honored to be their mama and I couldn't ask for a better role in life. I know our life isn't perfect and we definitely have our ups and downs, but I choose to look for the good, focus on the happy, seek out positivity and strive for contentment...remembering that each day may not be great, but there's something great about every single day. 

Happy Thanksgiving, friends. Warmest wishes from our family to yours. xo

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.

Author Unknown

Afternoon Delight

There is nothing better than just hanging out with these two. Every afternoon is a delight when we have nothing on our agenda really other than coloring and watching the sunset. 

We braved the cold and wind this afternoon and ventured out to a favorite little field of ours for some giggles and fun. Fall is barely hanging on around here. All of the leaves on our tree out front blew off this weekend, so we can tell that old man winter isn't too far away. And my husband finally let me turn on the heat, so yeah...it's pretty chilly out there. 

Their school closes for the entire week of Thanksgiving (yippee), so I get to snuggle these cuties for the foreseeable future! We have so much to be thankful for and I am just so grateful to have these babies in my life. 

Happy Monday, friends.

xo

Around Our Clocks - 8am

Happy Monday, friends! 
I am so excited to be collaborating with a group of amazing photographers and artists to capture our days. Our collaboration is all about how we spend the hours of our days; what makes us unique; what our everyday looks like. I have always been a HUGE proponent of documenting those everyday moments; the moments that seem to pass so quickly and are soon forgotten. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am for this opportunity.

For the first "around our clocks" post, we are focusing on the 8am hour. Our 8am varies during school days and weekends for sure. Most Mondays-Fridays both of my kids are tucked into their desks at school at 8am. I'm usually at home cleaning up the house and Scott is up working. Our weekends, though... they're a different story. 

Both Anna and Drew love their beds and pillows. Anna definitely prefers to always sleep sprawled out in her big ole beds and rarely comes into our bed, but Drew....he comes crawling in every once in a while in the middle of the night and I can't say that I mind it one bit. I know the days where he sneaks in to snuggle are fleeting. He's not the best bed-sharer, but he's pretty darn cute, so we let him get away with it. I love to watch him sleeping there next to me, and my very favorite part is when he first wakes up, sees me and smiles. You just can't beat that. 

So that's a look at 8am on our weekends....a sweet boy snuggled into bed with us. To continue the "Around our Clocks" loop, click on over to Aly Dawn's blog.

He, She + Me - December

SHE: loves to be the boss • is so tender hearted • makes lists all day • is the craft planner of our family • skips to the back of her books to figure out how it will end (I can't even...) • begs for breakfast at every meal • starts our family dinner game every night • is obsessed with Halloween but terrified of everything Halloween.

HE: is counting down the days until his birthday (36) • framed a picture of money in a family frame we made (m'kay) • is obsessed with counting + organizing + stacking coins and dollars • loves staying at home • idolizes Anna • prefers to go commando all.the.time • loves to dress fancy • collects + trades + begs for everything Pokemon.

ME: reading Year of Yes + feeling like Shonda Rhimes might be my best friend • working on my new website (yay!) + trying to get up enough courage to follow my heart • struggling with meals and meal planning (why do these people have to eat every night?!?) • obsessed with the light + shadows in my house • craving everything pumpkin + bonfires • leaving the messes the kids make just as they are and choosing to document and celebrate them rather then clean them up • feeling grateful for friends who feel like family

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Project Mama + Me is a monthly project created to remember all the little bits + pieces of our everyday. Follow #projectmamaandme on Instagram.

Project November

As my kids get older and older, I really try to remind them to think of others and to be thankful for all that we have. It's so easy to get caught up in wanting all of the latest gadgets or hottest new toys. I'm guilty too. We all probably are. But, the good news is, we can all do something about it. 

This November, our family is striving to complete 30 acts of giving and/or kindness. I want my kids to think of others. I want them to WANT to give back and look for ways to spread love and kindness even on the most ordinary day. I want them to think of their friends, hold doors for strangers and seek the feeling of giving back. 

Below is our "action" list for November. We all sat down together after school yesterday and decided on what we could do for others. It was so amazing to hear their ideas and I know they will enjoy this project so much. Feel free to print a list and join in on the fun! (Just right click on the list below and save to your desktop.) Kindness is contagious and the more we spread, the more we receive! Hope you will play along!

Oh Halloween...

Oh Halloween. I am so glad you are over. :)

I do Halloween for my kiddos and that's about it. Halloween has never been my favorite. I struggle with what to wear, all of the orange stuff and I eat way too much candy. But my kids....well...they pretty much eat, breathe and sleep Halloween starting around October 1st. I will admit, though, that now that they're older, Halloween is just a weeeee bit more fun. And our neighborhood is fantastic and everyone is out an about, so I try to think of it more like a social hour, lol. 

Anna was the Pokemon, Pikachu, and Drew was Boba Fett from Star Wars. Pokemon and Star Wars are all the rage at our house this year, so these costumes were no big surprise. Kind of an eye-sore, but no shocker! Gone are the days of fairy princesses and pumpkins, I think...

Hope you and your family had a very happy Halloween! And HELLO November!! xo

Everyday Beauty

"It is up to you to see the beauty of everyday things."

Over the past four weeks, I joined many talented artists and photographers in Ginger Unzueta's, Everyday Beauty class at Bloom. I have been a long time fan of Ginger, but I truly didn't know what to expect for this class. I went in with an open mind, but also with a feeling of fear, comparison and negativity. I don't know where I "fit" into these classes. I think I always worry about being judged, or not good enough or bad or wrong or whatever. But Ginger's class.....it opened my heart and soul and helped heal those feelings of comparison, negativity and fear.  Most importantly, it allowed me to see the beauty of my everyday. 

One of the main points I took away from Ginger's class was to let go of feeling like I had to make a perfect shot. Over the four weeks I didn't really worry about composition or lighting or being technically "correct" when it came to shooting. I just captured our life and I found that the images and moments and BEAUTY came without even trying. It was like I finally let my guard down and could see the beautiful world around me. 

The images I captured during this class will probably go down as my very favorite ever. They are real and honest...and us. 

Ginger's class also includes a daily journaling prompt that helped me open my eyes and heart and taught me so much about myself personally, as well as how I wanted to grow. 

I am so humbled to have been a part of this class with so many other talented people, especially Ginger. She's a slice of heaven and I seriously cannot thank her enough for an amazing class. If you feel "stuck" or frustrated, fearful of failure or not being good enough, or maybe you just want to have a good reminder to seek the beauty in your life, then I couldn't recommend Ginger's class more. This class is so much more than just the technical side of shooting. It will touch you on a personal level and will help you grow in so many directions.