Friday Photo Journal - Weekly Linky

Friday, December 27, 2013

Happy Friday friends! I hope you had a wonderful holiday. If you weren't celebrating Christmas, I hope you had a great week. It was a whirlwind for us and went by so quickly! We were very blessed to spend time with family and we had a wonderful celebration. We are so thankful to everyone who worked so hard to make it special!  I haven't had time to really process all the photos I took, so I just threw some into a collage to share a peek at our holiday. The kids were so excited and witnessing their joy was the best gift of all!


How was your week?

Friday Photo Journal


Thank you so much for stopping in! Have a fun weekend! :)
Photobucket

Merry Christmas

Tuesday, December 24, 2013


"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'"


Photobucket

P52 - By the Light of the Tree

Although this year has been a crazy, difficult, wonderful, stressful, mash up of unexpected twists and turns, I have tried to savor the small moments with my family. That isn't always easy when we are being pulled in a million different directions. I may not always succeed at making the most of each moment with my kids, or even at just getting through they day without arguing, pleading, complaining or yelling (yes, guilty and it kills me). But, I have at least tried to tell them a million times how much they mean to me and to capture the small moments and document their growth.

I don't want them to remember me as a ball of stress who works all the time and ignores them while I spend hours editing photos of other seemingly happy families. But, at this point in our lives, I don't have much choice as far as the work goes. So, my resolution is to try to find more balance. To try to be more present and more thankful for our little victories. To remember that even when life is crazy-busy-stressful and I am facing a mountain of work/housework/school work/bills and a long list of needs and wants by those all around me, that this life is a gift. Each day is a gift. And it is my responsibility to make the most of it. After all, I wouldn't want to lose any part of it, and one day I will miss the crazy.

Last week, as the sun was setting, I caught a glimpse of my daughter working on her computer by the light of our little Christmas tree. I imagined her in college, doing the same thing, and the years flashed by before me. It all goes too quickly - the days, the weeks, the years. We have but mere string of moments with our children before they grow and change and fly from the nest. Savor every one.



Photobucket

Project 13 - Blog Circle - A Family Affair

Saturday, December 21, 2013



Welcome to this month's installment of a collaborative photo project I am thrilled to be participating in with several talented photographers. This project concentrates on focusing on our everyday moments. 
Our theme this month is "a family affair."  Well, it isn't often that I take a photograph that includes our entire family in one shot. In fact, I believe it is exactly once a year - hmmm, that really needs to change!  Our annual Christmas photos are the only time I get into the frame with everyone all at once. And frankly, it is quite a chore, which is probably why I don't attempt it more often. 

This year we didn't make it to our usual spot in Colonial Williamsburg as is our tradition. Life just got in the way as I was working every weekend and we couldn't find the time. Instead, we ventured out to a local university campus and spent 20 minutes with a tripod as I ran back and forth setting the timer. Nope, I do not own a remote, but it's definitely on my wish list!  While I wasn't thrilled with the images we took, I managed to get an acceptable one, and to me, it's priceless because we are all in it together. 

I hope you will continue around the blog circle and visit my talented friend Erin.

Thanks for visiting today. Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday!


Photobucket

Friday Photo Journal - Week 50

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Hello sweet friends! Happy Friday - one of the last of this year! Can you believe it? 
It has been another crazy busy week around here and Christmas is nearly upon us. I still have sooooo much to do. How about you?

Just sharing a pick of my little brownie thief this week, then I'm off to prepare for a visit from my in-laws, and a weekend of portrait sessions. Then there's the baking, errands, the last of the Christmas cards to write, the wrapping, cleaning, laundry....oy!


Friday Photo Journal


Thank you so much for stopping in! Have a fun weekend! :)
 Photobucket

A Visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus

For the second year in a row we were invited to a Christmas party hosted by some friends of ours that we know through my daughter's Girl Scout troop. It is a cookies and milk party where everyone brings cookies to share and the kids watch Christmas movies and play together, while the adults enjoy some holiday merriment. Later in the evening, some very special guests arrive amid squeals, whispers and much excitement! We had a wonderful time again this year and we are so thankful to our friends for helping to create such fun holiday memories!







Linking up with Kim for:
Little by Little

Photobucket

Wordless Wednesday - 4 In a Row

Tuesday, December 17, 2013



Photobucket

Project 52 - Holiday Baking and Memory Making

As a kid I loved Christmas time and all the festivities and goodies that went along with it. I still do! But, I have trouble keeping up with all the extra work. It's simply exhausting on top of everything else on my plate. My mom always made several kinds on Christmas cookies, and by several I mean we had 15 tins or more full of cookies! I loved baking and decorating them with her, and those memories are still some of my favorites. 

As I began to have kids of my own, I had high hopes of keeping up the tradition. But trying to keep up with her is a challenge! I don't know how she did it all. Fortunately, last weekend she invited us to her house to bake with her. Well, she did 90% of the work, and we really reaped the rewards. Thanks mom!! I am so thankful my kids were able to experience this with me this year. It's great to have my mom close by again. And she still blows me away. She's a cookies making machine, I tell ya!






What did you do last week?
Photobucket

Friday Photo Journal - 49

Thursday, December 12, 2013

"I think...if you make the gingerbread house, you should eat the gingerbread house... I really want to eat that gingerbread house."
 Jackson, age 6


Thank you so much for stopping in! Have a fun weekend! :)
Also linking up with Lisa at The Long Road to China. Photobucket

P52 - Only a Few Weeks to Go!

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Wow, I am struggling to keep up with my P52. It has been nearly a year and I don't want to give up now! While it has been much more manageable than the 366 last year, I am much busier now. I still take photos of my kids nearly every day, but finding the time to edit and blog them is tough. Anyway, the images I'm sharing today are from our family shoot last Friday.

We finally took the kids out to do our Christmas card photos. We decided to forego our tradition of taking them in Colonial Williamsburg, which makes me a little sad. We always take them by the same tree and I love seeing how the kids have grown each year. But, with hubs in grad school and me busy working from home, and nearly every weekend, we just ran out of time. It is always a challenge to get photos of us all together, and my kids are pretty much over posing for me, but I was okay with what I got. They looked in my direction and stood still for half a second. I'll take it! :) I even managed to get one of the hubs.








What did you do last week?
Photobucket

The Best Time to Be A Kid - with Gymboree

Saturday, December 7, 2013

It is often called the most wonderful time of the year. A season full of hope, joy, and wonder. It is a time to celebrate family and friends and share our love and gratitude. Whether you are a child or an adult, it is tough not to get caught up in the magic of the holiday season.

Gymboree has put together a video that celebrates the best time of year:


I shopped at Gymboree for the kids' holiday clothes. I love the Gymboree collections! They offer the most adorable styles for babies and kids. It was really difficult to choose what to buy. The girls helped me pick out a couple of outfits. Since pink is their preferred palette, we settled on a few items from this season's Star of the Show collection, which features glittery gold stars, pinks, rich browns and cream colors. I just adore the glittery tutu and gold sparkly shoes they picked out! We found coordinating shirts, sweaters and tights, and hair bows too. I love how easy it is to coordinate items for several kids in the family - perfect for family portrait wardrobes! Here are a few shots I took of the girls in their new Gymboree holiday outfits:



And one from Thanksgiving Day, where they were the hit of the party :)

What is your favorite way to celebrate the season? Find more fun stuff and stay up to date on all thing Gymboree Facebook and twitter.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions here are my own. 
Photobucket

Friday Photo Journal Link Up - 48

Thursday, December 5, 2013



What have you been up to?
Friday Photo Journal
Please read this important note:  Many of you know Gina Kleinworth of Kleinworth and Co. Sadly Gina lost her mom this week to cancer. While she has mentioned her mother's diagnosis once or twice on her blog, she has been very discreet about the details to protect her family's privacy. Many of us know and love Gina as a dear supportive friend, fellow photographer, mom, and all around fantastic lady. To show our support for her at the difficult time, KimTamar and I would like to ask anyone interested in participating to post an image of a lit candle tomorrow, Friday, December 6, on instagram with the hashtag: #supportforgina We'd like to allow her to grieve privately and share in her own time, but thought the show of love and support would be a nice gesture. We would love it if you would join us. Thank you for your support.
Thank you so much for stopping in! Have a fun weekend! :)
Also linking up with Lisa at The Long Road to China. Photobucket

Little Things Thursday - In Search of Peace

The holiday frenzy is in full swing. Though I love Christmas, it sure would be nice to lay on the beach for a while and savor the peace.

I know I have been too busy to visit my blogging friends much this fall, I have been buried in work as that is where my family needs me to be right now. The past year has been a rough one, but I have high hopes for 2014! I am so thankful for the support and friendship of each of you!! It means so much to me and I am very grateful for the wonderful community of online friends I have grown to love over the past few years.


Linking up with Kim for:
Little by Little

Please read this important note:  Many of you know Gina Kleinworth of Kleinworth and Co. Sadly Gina lost her mom this week to cancer. While she has mentioned her mother's diagnosis once or twice on her blog, she has been very discreet about the details to protect her family's privacy. Many of us know and love Gina as a dear supportive friend, fellow photographer, mom, and all around fantastic lady. To show our support for her at the difficult time, Kim, Tamar and I would like to ask anyone interested in participating to post an image of a lit candle tomorrow, Friday, December 6, on instagram with the hashtag: #supportforgina We'd like to allow her to grieve privately and share in her own time, but thought the show of love and support would be a nice gesture. We would love it if you would join us. Thank you for your support!
Photobucket

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...