He loves my boys and the feeling is undeniably mutual. I knew I would love being a mama and watching my boys grow up, but I really didn't know how beautiful it would be to watch my parents loving my boys. It is an unconditional love just like parent and child. Watching the way they get excited when they know he's coming to see them or how every other word in the house is pawpaw this and pawpaw that when he's here. I adored my grandparents. I had this special bond with my grandma, this connection. I miss her and think of her all the time, even though it has been over 11 years since she has been gone. She would have adored them. My tiny men. But the silver lining is that my dad loves them just the same, and they have that special bond with him too. It's like she is a part of that somehow. Like she's a part of that love. Canon 5D II | Sigma 50 ART
0 Comments
"You're going out without the kids?" The question my 4 year old asked as we were getting our coats on ready to head out the door. Yes, yes we are. We don't do it often, although we are getting better at it. It's good to be just M&J. M, J and our peeps. We have been besties since college. And as we sat down together and reminisced about all our adventures together, it was a sad fact that we had not been out together, the 4 of us (sans kids) since our kids were born. Eek! Playdates, vacations, holidays and countless adventures. But all with the kids. This night was long overdue! Ok so let me preface this image with the facts. My husband is the most supportive and amazing man I know. He feeds my passion for photography. He supports me. But he also tries to keep me balanced. I take photos everyday. I take photos with my phone, my Mark II, morning, noon and night. I document everything. He gives me gentle reminders to enjoy the moment..to move from behind the camera and be in the moment...be a part of it. So when I pulled out the camera I had stashed in my purse....this might have been the reaction I got. I am chuckling just looking at the image. I blamed the camera on my blog project and told him it was necessary. Thank you my love, for every way you support my passion but remind me to be part of the story too. I adore you. Cheese plate at Chinato. Fujifilm X20
Bubby (big bro) was at preschool so it was Target & Buehler's for just me and the babe. It's quite cute when he requests that each grocery item go through him. He looks it over to see if it's something that appeals to him and then flashes those big blue eyes, "open dis". When I explain the way the world works to a one-and-a-half-year-old...you have to buy something before you partake, he doesn't complain but chucks it to the back of the cart to wait for another item to inspect. When we pulled into the garage and I looked in the backseat and my sleeping baby, I really took in the moment. He is beautiful all the time but such an angel as he sleeps. Time is flying so quickly and my beautiful sleeping baby will turn into a adorable sleeping boy. I had to capture this moment. Canon 5D II | Sigma 50 ART
One of the best calls you can get next to winning publisher's clearing house (is that real anymore?) is the call that it's a snow (cold) day! Stayed up late and loved every minute of it. Well, until baby little woke up at 5:20. Seriously? That's a first, and hopefully a last! A snow day is a gift. Unexpected time...now what to do with it. The day is only 1/2 over and we have managed to attend Ninja Training School (expertly instructed by my 4-year-old little), watch a bit of the Chica Show, mine for gemstones, and compete in some car races. All that and the day is only a tad past 1/2 way through. Perfection. As I look at these images, I wonder if people are going to think we only wear pjs around here. Geez, maybe we do. Well, here's to pjs, hot coffee, and thick wooly socks. Canon 5D II | Tamron 17-35
I heart bath time (and so do they). Loads of giggles, bubbles and 2 silly goofballs. Their connection in this image is my favorite. They way they play off of each other. Makes my mommy heart swell. Canon 5D II | Tamron 17-35 | Canon 580 EX flash
I am a part-time elementary school counselor and today we made it home in just enough time to get a few shots in before the sky was completely black. I actually love the light that comes in at this time of evening...if I can catch it. My baby little loves dogs. Adores them. Anytime we pass the front door, he peers out looking for Mo, the Old English Sheep dog who lives across the street. "Oggie oggie" baby little says before he peers out to look for his friend. "Mo, Mo" he calls for him as though he might come out so baby little can catch a glimpse of his furry friend. This image was taken with my NEW, as in yesterday, Sigma 50 1.4 ART. Oh my. Sharp as a tack and some serious buttery goodness in that bokeh. Woot woot! Canon 5D II | Sigma 50 ART
I'm finding it hard to only choose one image. Is that cheating? I guess since it's my 365 I can make my own rules. I take a lot of photos during snack time. My Littles are still then. Today my { big little } when back to school so { baby little } and I had some time just the two of us. Snack time = giggle time, with a few quiet moments in-between. This was one of them. The best way to change up your images is to try new perspectives. I liked shooting below him because the perspective shows his little legs and how they barely extend past the edge of his seat. He loves this spot. His big boy spot. This spot also created some fund leading lines...straight to my baby. And of course, the second images was just to throw in a shot of his sweet smile. Melt. Canon 5D II | Tamron 17-35
It's always fun when a mystery package shows up on your doorstep. That's especially true on a rainy Sunday in January (who knew Amazon delivered on Sundays now?? What??). So, confession. I buy from Amazon so often that sometimes I forget what I ordered. Yikes. I don't have an amazon problem AT ALL. I couldn't remember buying anything so as soon as {love of my life} opened the box, I knew exactly who it was from. Pawpa had pointed out to me that his starter kit just didn't contain enough logs. He assured me there was no way to build a big enough house. Now, my dad is a go-big-or-go-home kind of guy. For Christmas last year he built my boys a gorgeous maple toy box. It is big. Huge. It fits my sister and I both. With the lid shut. That's right, two grown women in the box. So when we opened the 699 piece set of Lincoln Logs, I was only mildly surprised. Yes, you read that right. SIX-HUNDRED-AND-NINETY-NINE. Get building boys. Ok so they are not in order of the story, but the first is my photo for the day. Image two just adds to the story, as you can see my big boy signaling to the baby to join him with the LL. {Baby Little} found a different way to enjoy LL. Canon 5D II | Canon 35 f/2
Three days in and going strong. Woot woot. My flash and I have a love hate relationship. I am a natural light photographer. Using flash gives me that ugh feeling in the pit of my stomach. However, there are times when you just have to use it, like say, during a wedding reception. So this year...I am determined to find some seriously love for my flash. Today was the perfect day to play with my flags since it's a rainy January day (what??) in Cleveland. I gave my babies a break from the camera and played with my flash on our Holiday table scape. Last year we booted the toy room to the basement and took our dining room back! I scoured Pinterest for furniture ideas and table decor for the holidays. Pier one had everything I needed :) Here's an image of the table decor. On-camera flash with black foam diffuser (Thanks to my photog friend, Tara Dee, for the foam diffuser inspiration!).
Canon 5D II | Tamron 17-35 Am I breaking the rules if I post more than one image? I just can't help but post a few. They are all part of the story.
The best part of having two littles is watching them together. Those day to day moments when I am not a part of their moment and just an observer, are my ultimate favorite. Perfection really. They share so well and truly love each other. Everyone keeps telling me, just wait...the arguments and fights will begin and you'll be ripping your hair out. I however, choose not to believe them. They will argue. They will fight. But I truly believe that their friendship with each other will be stronger than their day to day squabbles. It is my job to raise them to love and respect each other and, hopefully, nurture a lifelong friendship. |
What now?It truly is a labor of love each day to search for just the right image(s)...the ones that represent our daily lives...edit them, organize them, write about them. What a wonderful experience and an amazing amount of growth this year for me. It has been a great journey but one I am not jumping into again just yet. I am going to take a breather, let the dust settle and let inspiration find me and lead me to my next project. For now, I will continue to post about our lives but only when I feel it.
Archives
January 2016
Moriah Icewife. mother. Categories |