-Matthew 6:25 & 27
Posts Tagged photoblog
No Worries
May 5
Snap
Apr 16
Sometimes I worry I’m taking too many photos.
I wonder if I’m spending enough time “in” a moment with my kids because I’m always trying to get a good shot of whatever the moment is. Their pictures are facebooked, tweeted, blogged, and texted (Which is a funny phrase when you stop to think about it. How does one ‘text’ a photo, exactly? I guess it sounds better than ‘MMSing’. But I digress). I wonder if, decades from now, their digital upbringing will have been beneficial or detrimental. I don’t know.
But I do know that I love having so many photos of their smiling faces…
So many photos of them having fun…
So many photos of them just enjoying life…
Arya’s Turn
Mar 28
Most of my pictures tend to be of Xander, with Arya in a carrier, car seat, or crib somewhere in the background. I felt Arya needed a post all to herself.
All done.
Aquarium & World of Coke
Mar 28
My mother took us on a trip to the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coke in early March.
Rob and I went to the aquarium on a date back when it first opened. Because of the large crowd, it wasn’t as fun as it could have been. This time we went on a school day, just after opening. There was no line and Xander was able to look at anything for as long as he wanted.
Xander got to touch a manta ray!
Checking out the fish. And yes, those are skinny jeans.
Even Arya was having a great time!
The whales. Xander could have stayed here all day.
The next stop was the World of Coke. I had never been in the new one before, and after our visit I agree with other Atlantans that the old World of Coke was much better. Xander still enjoyed meeting the “teddy bear” and getting to try so many different cokes.
And because I am the Mother of the Year, I finished up the tasting with some Beverly. Just a little bit.
He took a second to think about what he’d just tasted…but he finished it anyway.
I let him wash it down with something sweet.
Stone Mountain
Mar 28
On our visit to Georgia, we took a trip to Stone Mountain with Gram and Aunt Kimberly. We had a picnic, took a short walk, and rode to the top of the mountain in the sky ride. Xander had a lot of fun!
(I forgot to take my camera out of the car, so excuse the cell phone quality.)
White Birthday
Jan 11
I was having a difficult time going into this birthday. Something about turning 25 made me feel old. It wasn’t one of those “what have I accomplished?” things; it’s just… it’s hard to describe so I’ll leave it at that.
I remember wondering Sunday night what I should do with my day to make it bearable. And then it started snowing. By morning, we had a good amount of snow for playing in the backyard.
Arya was still sleeping so Xander and I got dressed and went outside. He had a blast in the snow, especially when he went 4-wheeling!
Arya eventually started stirring so we went inside. I dressed Xander back in his pajamas and put on Toy Story 3. After getting Arya bathed and fed, I took her outside for some pictures in the snow. She wasn’t sure what to think!
We had lunch and then the kids gave me the best birthday present: simultaneously napping for over three hours! Because we weren’t able to make a snowman in the morning before Arya woke up, Xander and I made some snowman cookies after dinner.
Arya was in a great mood all day, Xander was on his very best behavior, and both kids went to bed without fuss. I couldn’t have asked for more!
And my phone was beeping all day long with Facebook birthday greetings. I was receiving messages from school friends as far back as second grade, college friends, extended family, people in Nigeria, and wonderful people from churches I’ve attended and where Rob has served.
So yes, I’m 25, and that is old. But I have been blessed those 25 years with a loving family, great friends, a wonderful husband, and the two most amazing children in the world. Bring on the next quarter century!
Making the Nursery
Sep 12
Last night the nursery reached the point where I can finally call it complete. I’ll be adding a few things here and there, but I feel satisfied with where it is.
I fell in love with the MiGi Blossom bedding set when I first saw it. The only problem was that outside of the bedding and window valance, there are no matching accessories. With Xander’s bedding set there was wall art, a lamp, a diaper stacker, and even a wall border if I wanted it. So this time took a little extra work. The room and bedding “before”:
After lots of planning and “sketching” – using Photoshop, of course – the nursery project began in mid August. I began by taking a picture of the crib blanket and replicating the bird and flower shapes. Because they’re vectors, I can blow them up to whatever size I need and never lose any quality.
Then I did the little art project I referred to in an earlier post:
By far, the most time-consuming part of this was creating birds and flowers. I printed the shapes out on cardstock and covered them with fabric. I am no good with fabric so this was difficult for me.
Then it was time to paint the walls, trim, and doors. I could not have possibly done this without Val’s help, especially the taping. We used Benjamin Moore colors: Sweet Taffy for the top and Blushing Bride for the bottom.
Taking the tape off revealed a nice, straight line. Phew!
The ladies at church threw me a wonderful shower, and now Baby Arya has all she needs thanks to their generosity. I know matching your thank you cards to your bedding makes about as much sense as making your underwear match your clothing. It makes me feel better; leave me alone.
Some artwork I made for the walls because I didn’t have the patience to find something that matched what I was going for. I had them printed and shipped through walmart.com and then framed them up. The scripture is Psalm 121:5-8. It comes from my dad’s favorite passage, and I thought it was a wonderful promise to place on her wall!
We did the final touches this weekend. Rob did a great job painting a tree branch mural.
Then we added the white stripe. I used Brewster WallPops, and I would recommend them to anyone wanting to add accents to a room. It was very easy to put on, but did require some very careful measuring beforehand.
(The following is a completely staged photo. The stripe was already on the wall; it takes 4 hands to get it on straight.)
How my “paintings” turned out.
Turned a cheap Walmart clock into one that coordinates
I put my fabric birds and flowers on the mural and that’s it! Baby Arya’s room is ready for her arrival in just one week.
Handier Than He Thought
Jul 6
This weekend, Rob built Xander a playground. He had helpers willing to come, but after realizing that all they would be doing was watching him read instructions, he decided to see if he would be able to do it by himself. He did a great job!
He spent Friday sorting and counting all the wood boards, and reading the instruction booklet. Saturday was spent making sure the frames for the fort and the swings were perfectly aligned. Xander and his Step2 power drill helped out.
He took the day off on Sunday to celebrate the 4th of July, then completed the set on Monday afternoon.
He finished the fort and slide side of the set just in time for Xander to wake up from his nap.
Checking out the new area.
Robots first.
Taking shape.
Adding swings.
The final product!
The best part?
Rob put the playground in just the perfect place where I can see it in its entirety out of all the back windows!
Les Vacances
Jul 3
We took a two-week vacation in late May to visit family.
Lots of photos ahead. Click to see them bigger.
Loading up the car after church.
We shared driving duties for the 9-hour trip to Georgia.
DVD + Toys = A Well-Behaved Child
Blowing bubbles with Uncle Matt. He left a couple days later to spend his summer in DC, so we’re glad to have been able to see him.
Enjoying a nice day at Rob’s parents’ house.
A fun park in Watkinsville…
…with a creek!
We went to Kennesaw to stay with my family.
After putting Xander to bed, we had some late night sushi at Ru San’s.
Our car hit a milestone.
We took Xander to the Atlanta Children’s Museum and learned he has a promising career driving grocery trucks.
After the museum, we walked across the street to Centennial Park and watched Xander play in the olympic rings. He got so soaked, he had to drive back to my parents’ with just a diaper on.
On Memorial Day, my parents threw a big party for my sister who just finished medical school. Alas, I have no pictures from the evening. But it was very, very fun.
The next day, we got back in the car to spend some family time in Savannah and Tybee Island. Here are some photos from our days at the beach…
We also did some touristy things, including a walk along River Street which proved to be too much for Xander and resulted in a long afternoon nap.
No trip to the coast is complete without some seafood.
We went back to my parents’ in Kennesaw for the last two days of our vacation. We all went to Zoo Atlanta, where Xander befriended a panda!
We had a wonderful trip visiting family and friends, but by the end we were very ready to go home.
Pictures from May/June, 2009 and 2010.
He seemed so big to me last summer; I wonder how little he’ll seem when I look back a year from now.
