Project 52 {49}

My favorite thing about you:

You fight

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Herein lies another of those moments when you fear that I may have finally lost my marbles.  Rest assured, most marbles are in fact present and accounted for.  Today.  Yup, I like it when my kids fight.  You are permitted to ask me "Why you crazy lady, WHY?!".  Well for one, because when they do it with one another, they're not doing it with me.  But also because they take nothing from each other.  Yes, they get physical sometimes (okay, about 50%), and that's (usually) when I step in (hey, I lost Mother of the Year long ago - I might as well shoot for meanest).  Lastly, some of their fights are just down right entertaining to me (until they get whiney).  

This week we have finally begun teaching the boy that it's never, okay to hit a girl.  No, not even your sister.  I know.  She can't hit him either, but it's a total double standard because if he hits first, she can absolutely whale back.  And she does.  But that's the end.  It's never allowed the other way around.  Like I said: Double Standard.  But it's important to drill home respect of the women in your lives and while it starts with modeling behavior at home, and reiterating that montessori phrase:  "USE. YOUR. WORDS." it comes down to the fact that she's a girl and you never, ever lay a hand on one.  Did I say ever?  Ever.  So there.

So, here's what this all boils down to:  Fighting is fine.  You can fight over what color the towels are, the fact that one of you always cleans up more than the other, or even that the other is sitting too close and breathing on you (yes, they've fought about this).  You may not use your hands, feet or other body parts.  Fighting is healthy communication when done the right way.  Though if we continue on this path, I'm investing in a few of those giant sumo suits and a Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots set.  We'll start settling stuff my way...

Saturday night we took the kids to the Electric Safari, we came around the corner and saw the fighting kangaroos.  Jeff says "Look!  It's Haley & Kale!" So they stood over it and played around with each other.  I stood there and took the picture.

Want to check out some other super great Project 52 eye candy?

 . Styleberry . Wicked Kate . Adventures in Mommyhood .  Lucas & Mahina . Heather Marie Portraits . Something Insightful . Truly Dedicated Mommy 

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And other happenings of the last week(+)

With the beginning of school, comes the beginning of activities, among happenings around here.  So many things I photographed this week and last that didn't make it to Project 52, but I still felt like they required a post of their own.  

First up, we FaceTimed with our BFF's a bit more than a week ago.  Seriously.  What did we do before technology like this?  Write letters?  But where was the instant gratification?  How did you know what their house looked like, what their backyard looked like, what the weather was right then?  How the kids sounded?  Begs the question, what are we living without right now?  It was great to see them.  The kids really missed each other (and so did the parents).  

We roasted marshmallows with turn-ey sticks and toes for props.  And OMG!  Look!  It's me!

We played with my phone in the great outdoors.  Mommy fail.  If he hadn't been completely and utterly bored waiting for his sister to race, this would have been totally unacceptable.  As it was, when she finally ran by he missed her, and she noticed he wasn't cheering.  So this weekend, he can just be bored to tears, let the whining commence.

Speaking of racing... We had our first Kindergarten Cross Country race.  Haley ran a half mile in 5:57!  For the record, that's faster than my marathon pace.  Our good friend, a first grader, won the half mile with a time of 3:31.  That's faster than my one mile pace.  By a lot.  

We took first day of school pictures in pajamas (Dad had to leave for work early).  And the smile was better than any other one I got that day with Kale.  

We jumped in puddles.  We finally got a day of rain, which left tiny puddles on the patio after school.  Puddles just right for putting on her (far too small on her feet) galoshes, grabbing her Tinker Bell umbrella, and jumping her heart out.  

School picture day came.  No uniforms were required, so long as the clothes were fancier than a normal uniform (so no jeans).  Something tells me I'm going to like this picture better than whatever was taken at school.

Aaaand... we did some more jumping.  My favorite is the bottom right.

Project 52 {28}

My favorite thing about you is:

Your Curiosity.

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Why?  WHY?  WHY?! Yes, it's the age.  I get it.  If you ask your father, he'll tell you that you get it from me. "Why can't you just agree to something, you always have to question it." he tells me.  A lot.  Because I want to understand.  And you guys do too.  I doubt he'll ever get a break from the questioning.  But it makes us smarter, and we don't have to walk around pretending we understand when we really don't.  There's a lesson there.  Make sure you learn it.  

On this specific day we took the kids on their first (memorable) geo-caching adventure.  We stayed very local and were pretty poor at it -  found one of the five(?) we tried.  One thing that's not my favorite?  Your lack of patience.  Again, I know where it comes from.  I was cold and tired too, and I wasn't even 4 or 5 years old.  With each of the caches there was a little background story.  You had so many questions about the story (did you listen?  I don't have any more information that what you have), where was it going to be (I don't know, that's the whole point of this exercise...), what would be there (we're going to just have to find it and figure that out), why do people do this (good question)?  But it was a great family adventure.  Till our (also curious?) new neighbors pulled up beside us on the side of the road and wanted to make sure we were okay as we're wandering around obviously searching for something.  "Yup, we're fine, just geo-caching!"  "What?" Then confused looks as they drove away.  But, and this is a big BUT, it was a great family adventure.  We spent time together as a family and did something new.  We'll try it again, but will likely have to update our equipment first.  And also bring sweatshirts.  

This is a picture of Haley holding one of the permanent fixtures of the one cache we found.  Seal (the snow leopard).  Haley traded a pencil with a cupcake eraser for a bottle of bubbles, and Batman traded a sports pencil for a McDonald's toy.  What?  Don't you wear a mask when you're geo-caching?  Well why the heck not?  I'm just curious.

Want to check out some other super great Project 52 eye candy?

 . Styleberry . Wicked Kate . Adventures in Mommyhood .  Lucas & Mahina . Heather Marie Portraits . Something Insightful .  

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Project 52 {17}

My favorite thing about you is:

You hair.

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I love that you have long hair and you let me do it (most days anyway).  Long hair is just you.  We braid it, it goes up in ponytails, "Peek A Boo, I Love You" (pigtail buns), a half ponytail and about a hundred other ways.  I love all of our options.  I love that every outfit has a matching set of curly cue Gymboree clips.  But we've been lazy lately, gone are the days of pigtails every. single. day.  These are the days of "Do it yourself" headbands, and brushing it yourself as well.  I love that you are capable of brushing your hair yourself, but I'm sad that you look and act more like a big girl and less like a little girl (in this respect).  

This week my dad sent me a great picture of me and my sister from when I was (maybe) 7, so 1988(ish).  Great hair, huh?  I remember how much I loved my mom doing my hair (looking back, perhaps I should have taken the reigns a bit earlier).  To this day, having someone play with my hair, is the best feeling in the world.  Not long after this picture we cut my hair into a short Dorothy Hamill style (so short, I was constantly mistaken for a boy).  Obviously it was a long period of poor choices in haircuts.  My sister never seemed to love it quite as much, and who can blame her, my mom was famous for braids that were tight enough to give a face lift to a 6 year old.  I remember the day my mom decided to cut my sister's hair - she argued with my dad that if he wanted it to be long, then he should be the one to take care of it.  They cut around 18" off (still sits in an envelope in a filing cabinet somewhere).  Perhaps it's appropriate to note here also, that my mom's favorite hair color was always red, not auburn, R.E.D. Like a fire truck.  To this day, I don't know how, she totally pulled the color off.  Personality, I suspect.

But I digress,  I hope that someday when Haley looks back a pictures of herself she remembers the time we spent together brushing, and styling her hair.  Girls club doing what we could to pull the hair out of her face so that her beautiful eyes could shine without obstruction and that it stayed out of the way while she was trying to learn.  And I pray that her hair is classic enough that she never has to live with a picture like this up on facebook (or whatever the deal will be when she's 30), but if she does, I hope she's able to own it with a sense of humility and self deprecation, like her mother.  

Want to check out some other super great Project 52 eye candy?

 . Styleberry . Wicked Kate . Adventures in Mommyhood .  Lucas & Mahina . Heather Marie Portraits . Something Insightful .  

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Project 52 {16}

My favorite thing about you is:

Your helpful heart.

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This week has been a practice in asking for help, saying yes when it's offered.  And I need it.  Help cleaning the carpets, cleaning the house, organizing the house, keeping the house clean, getting a garage sale ready, a place to hold said garage sale, someone to take the kids here and there, with laundry, with dishes, with an ear.  I'm not sick, or hurt, just the most overwhelmed with things I've ever been in my life.  We've moved before, sure, but I've never done it with two preschoolers mostly by myself.  It's a chance to prove to myself how resilient I am, how strong I am, and to truly rise to the challenge.  And little things like the kids' willingness to put their socks away, is one less task off my plate, and for that I'm thankful. 

This week we had the where with all to bring Jeff's mom out "for her birthday" (don't feel too bad, we did get her a great present).  This week she helped me with the kids, took on two back to back leader days (talk about exhausting), helped me get the house ready for pictures, set up with the garage sale, and so much more.  Without her and some really great friends, I couldn't be doing this - there's a white padded room reserved for me, just waiting, and without my incredible support system, I'm certain that's where I'd be right now.  This coming week is looking better, more manageable, and I'm ready to tackle it, one day at a time, with my little helpers.

Want to check out some other super great Project 52 eye candy?

 . Styleberry . Wicked Kate . Adventures in Mommyhood .  Lucas & Mahina . Heather Marie Portraits . Something Insightful .  

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Project 52 {14}

My favorite thing about you is:

Your amazing imagination

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When we wake up in the morning I never know what's going to end up in my bed... lots of days lately it's been a Kale kitty and his owner.  Sometimes I get a little mama, and her baby or husband.  And throughout the day we have many kinds of family scenarios, lots of princesses, kids who run marathon laps around the house, professional painters, rock stars, police officers (who ride motorcycles), cowboys, and the list could go on for days.  

I love the different personalities and personas you act out (and not just because it occupies you with little assistance from me).  You're figuring out the world through your dramatic play, an incredibly vital part of growing up.  What's especially fantastic about this is that you rope Kale in every chance you get, you're teaching him to be a part of these things much earlier than you were, and that's going to serve him well in life.  You have no idea the many, many things you're teaching him through this.  I know one day these will quit, but for now, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you're successful at every. single. thing. you pretend.  You have the supplies to be a painter, the shoes to be a marathoner, bicycles for motorcycles, instruments for rock stars, costumes for everything.  I'm thankful I get to be around to see what you come up with - we're never bored, that's for sure. 

Last weekend we went to a fair and they had face painting.  There were lots of options, butterfly, ninja turtle, robot, fairy, pretty much anything, and for an entire afternoon (until nap), we hung out with a beautiful princess and her knight, they even got to ride their horses.  

Want to check out some other super great Project 52 eye candy?

 . Styleberry . Wicked Kate . Adventures in Mommyhood .  Lucas & Mahina . Heather Marie Portraits . Something Insightful .  

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Project 52 {13}

My favorite thing about you is:

You love our animals.

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I've explained about Atlas, and how he was our wedding present.  We got him and Bella as (what turned out to be) practice before having real kids.  We thought:  "If we get the dogs years before we have kids they'll  be nice and calm, well trained, yet, still be young enough that the kids would love and remember them".  We were right on.  When they were puppies we messed with them while they were eating, we poked at them mercilessly, pulled on their tails... all in preparation of the day when we would have babies in the house.  We wouldn't stand for bad behavior with babies rolling on the floor, so we started early.  

Low and behold, the kids came along and they messed with the dogs while they ate (even ate the dogs food with them - KALE!), they climb all over them, dress them up, and yes, even pull their tails.  We correct the kids against the behavior, just like we corrected the dogs against their reactions to this behavior.  I'm proud to say that the symbiotic relationship between the kids and the fur babies is quite harmonious, and it gets better with every passing day.  

Haley is old enough to feed the dogs their breakfast and dinner, Kale lets them out when they ring the bell, and most days unintentionally share their breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacks with them.  But for all the responsibility that they're growing up with by having the dogs around, I'm most thankful for the love they give them.  Kale fully believes that Atlas is his dog, and Haley knows Bella is hers.  They love them, cuddle them, take care of them.  

On the particular day of the picture above, we were out to a wildlife preserve shooting the kids' Easter pictures in their new outfits, and the dogs were lucky enough to tag along and run their hearts out.  We made them take a break from running to put on their Easter outfits:  A tie for Atlas, and some dress up necklaces for Bella (and maybe a pair of bunny ears too...).  Kale saw Atlas dressed up in his tie from last Easter and went over to give him a big hug, "My puppy" he said.  

Want to check out some other super great Project 52 eye candy?

 . Styleberry . Wicked Kate . Adventures in Mommyhood .  Lucas & Mahina . Heather Marie Portraits . Something Insightful .  

Can I link you too?  Leave me a comment.

Project 52 {12}

My favorite thing about you is:

You work hard for our family.

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You keep this house running (sometimes literally - remind me one day to talk about that time he signed me up for a marathon for as a Valentine's Day present).  Whether it's my (perceived?) washing machine fires, then fixed washing machines from this week, or taking off/putting on/taking off/putting on/taking off of training wheels, to the probably million other little things that you do around here, this place doesn't operate quite as smoothly with out you.  You are taking on challenges and changes because you know it's what's best for the family, and I'm appreciative.  I love that you so completely support me staying home with the crazy kiddos and have never once (seriously) told me to get a job.  You are an amazing strength and leader of this family and I'm so grateful for you.

Jeff and I have been married for almost 9 years, have been a couple since 1997 and have know each other the 8th grade.  So we've been together pretty much forever.  You can definitely say we grew up together, we've been together pretty much everyday from the point we started dating (save for those 4 years of college, whatev!).  I knew this guy was going great places and jumped on board that train!  I'm incredibly thankful that I got to meet my match (in more ways than one) so early in my life.  He's an amazing, involved dad that contributes so much to raising our kids.  You'd be hard pressed to find another guy as dedicated and hard working in his family, his work and his life.  And since I know he reads these, I'll just leave it at that lest I embarrass him any further, I just couldn't do these "favorite things" without including my most favorite.  Life is an incredible adventure and one that I'm so happy to take on with him.

Want to check out some other super great Project 52 eye candy?

 . Styleberry . Wicked Kate . Adventures in Mommyhood .  Lucas & Mahina . Heather Marie Portraits . Something Insightful .  

Can I link you too?  Leave me a comment.

Project 52 {11}

My favorite thing about you is:

How much you love the outdoors.

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We have had an almost unseasonably nice week of weather.  Like, t-shirts and capris.  I would say completely unseasonable, but this is Colorado and really, there's nothing normal or average about the weather here, ever.  We've spent so much time outside this week, playing in the backyard, at school they've been outside everyday, even the gym has taken the kids out almost constantly and yesterday evening we took the extra hour of daylight and rode bikes in the street.  It seemed like the entire neighborhood was outside with us.  Can I just express how much I'm loving this weather?!  If I could pick one season to live in for the rest of my life spring would be it.

Haley learned how to ride a two-wheeler at the very end of fall which meant not a lot of practice when it's cold and snowy.  I was a little concerned that she might not remember the skills, but I guess riding a bike, is, well, like riding a bike.  She was a bit rusty at first but picked right up and I have no doubt that by the end of this summer she'll be riding circles around all of us (unless Kale decided to pick it up this summer...).  

And because this week, it came down to a tie for pictures, here is the other one from the same evening. And next year when I fight against Daylight Savings, someone remind me about the dreamy light that comes after the kids have full bellies and before bedtime. 

Want to check out some other super great Project 52 eye candy?

 . Styleberry . Wicked Kate . Adventures in Mommyhood .  Lucas & Mahina . Heather Marie Portraits . Something Insightful .  

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Project 52 {9}

My favorite thing about you is:

You remind me of my mom.

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This smile right here.  This is my mom's smile.  I wish I had a picture of her to show you how crazy similar it is.  That hint of crooked is exactly what her's looked like.  And those eyes, if they were green, they'd be hers too.  Haley and I get comments all the time about how much we look like each other, just like I got when I was with my mom, and just like she got when she was with her mom.  Haley definitely has that sense of Reid woman sass, and my mom would have loved every second of this little girl.

It's taken having kids of my own to appreciate what a good mom my mom was.  Faults, sure, but we all have them in varying degrees.  The way she raised me, the experiences she gave me, it was a great childhood.  It's difficult for me to put into words what it means to have these little reminders of her, it's just important.  And there's not really another word for it.  

This week my grandma passed away.  Reminders of our loved ones are what keep their memories alive.  It's the little things in our future that keep our past with us.  All of this makes us who we are right now.

Want to check out some other super great Project 52 eye candy?

 . Styleberry . Wicked Kate . Adventures in Mommyhood .  Lucas & Mahina . Heather Marie Portraits . Something Insightful .  

Can I link you too?  Leave me a comment.

Project 52 {8}

My favorite thing about you is:

That you're growing up.

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Don't get me wrong here, I'm not rushing anything.  I know that these days will pass by all too fast.  I'm going to blink and you'll be 5 and 7, 12 and 14, 17 and 19, gone and out of my house leading your own lives.  I dread and look forward to that day.  But right here, in this moment, I'm thankful.  Privileged, that I get to watch and guide you as you become your own, amazing person.  I hope that someday you get this same privilege.  

I've said it before, I'll say it again, 3 years old is hard.  I try to put myself in his shoes, he's still learning appropriate ways to express his feelings and that's tricky.  Other times I know darn well he heard and understood me and is just exercising his new found free will (that's a nice way of putting it).  But this week we made a very tangible step in his growth progress.  Kale moved to a big-boy-bed.  Yup, no more cribs in this house (unless you count that both of their beds are convertible cribs).  And one more bed for me to make in the morning (on those days when I really want to make beds that dogs don't lie on).  Despite a new mattress, sheets, comforter, and pillow, Boomer (the boy with no pants) and Max (the pillow pet dog) still hang around and I think they enjoy the extra space in their new digs.  

Want to check out some other super great Project 52 eye candy?

 . Styleberry . Wicked Kate . Adventures in Mommyhood .  Lucas & Mahina . Heather Marie Portraits . Something Insightful .  

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Project 52 {7}

My favorite thing about you is:

Your determination.

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Both of you.  We've been working on reading with Haley since October.  I'm determined not to rely on schools filled with too many kids to teach my kids what could possibly be the most important educational skill they'll ever pick up.  Haley has caught on to this and loves to practice her reading.  She's determined to make it through this yellow book.  And within this last week she's taken off.  Things are totally clicking, I'm not having to help out as much because she has the drive within herself to be able to start reading her books (Doesn't it make homework so much easier when they want to do it?!).    The pride when she's able to read one of us one of the books from the collection is like nothing else.  She loves it!  I love that she enjoys reading so much.  I really look forward to the days when she takes a book in the car instead of her gaga (and that's only partially because I don't need to throw the book in the laundry).  

We were lucky enough to be given a hand me down version of Hooked on Phonics (complete with unused workbooks)!  This program has been fantastic and something that I find super easy to work with.  We'll get to the point where I can just sit her down with the tape and workbook and let her go, but for now I'm involved and enjoying seeing every inch of her progress.  BTW this is as close as I'll get to homeschooling my kids.

Want to check out some other super great Project 52 eye candy?

 . Styleberry . Wicked Kate . Adventures in Mommyhood .  Lucas & Mahina . Heather Marie Portraits . Something Insightful .  

Can I link you too?  Leave me a comment.

Project 52 {6}

My favorite thing about you is:

Your big, sloppy, wet nose.

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Atlas is our first baby.  He was our wedding present to each other 8 years ago. We knew right away we wanted a Lab, the big debate was Chocolate or Yellow.  I wanted Chocolate.  When we went to the breeder in California, there was a whiny needy Chocolate and Atlas, who wandered the goat farm/breeder and didn't need anyone (there was $h!+ to be smelled... literally).  I made the first sacrifice for our marriage that day and went home the loser (you may note that we never did get a Chocolate,but that's another story for another day).  We thought we were smart in picking the independent one.  Oh boy.  OH. BOY.  Fast forward a couple months and this monster of a pup would look at me, steal the pillows off the (brand new) couch and run out the giant sliding glass door waiting for me to chase him down and corner him.  He would only drop something for a piece of tri-tip.  Screw you and your dog treats, Mom.  He was a handful who was gaining about 10 pounds a month.  Let me let that sink in... Ten. Pounds. A. Month.  He currently weighs in at a healthy 100 something pounds - that's enormous for a healthy Lab, his chin sits level with the dining room table.  At the encouraging of one of the parents I worked with, we joined up with a gun dog trainer and got to work.  It was comical, but he came around and became manageable at home.  His energy was spent running in a field, swimming in a pond, and focusing his attention on birds - what Labs are meant to do.  We (with the help of some professional trainers) worked with him so much that we (Jeff) eventually competed and titled him.  I called the breeder back that summer to let her know what a great dog he is, and she made the comment that a lot of his litter had behavioral problems, one was even returned.  We made the right choice with that independent pup with the huge GIANT paws that day, and  can't imagine our family without him.  Owning a dog takes work and commitment and he was the perfect primer for having kids.  Seriously, you've heard it:  Owning a dog is perfect practice for having kids, we totally believe it.  

8 years later we thought he would calm down and for the most part the picture above is his normal day (save for maybe a change in location from the on couch to behind the couch or on our bed).  But I dare you to ring our doorbell, or try to pet him (or worse, Bella).  He loves people.  LOVES.  He is 100% Jeff's dog, his doggy sun rises and sets with Jeff, as evidenced by the giant hairy flat spot on the carpet on Jeff's side of the bed.  He care's that I'm in this world only when Jeff's not around, obviously he's the 2nd in line Alpha Male and has to keep his pack in order.  His wet nose will sniff your butt, drool gallons of water on you, and make all kinds of funny snorting sounds.  He's our Atlas and he's amazing!  For all his goofball quirks we just wouldn't be the same family without him.

Want to check out some other super great Project 52 eye candy?

 . Styleberry . Wicked Kate . Adventures in Mommyhood .  Lucas & Mahina . Heather Marie Portraits . Something Insightful .  

Can I link you too?  Leave me a comment.

Project 52 {5}

My favorite thing about you is:

Your prayers at night.

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Every night before bed we say prayers.  The exact same prayers my parents said with me growing up.  I love that it's a passed on tradition and that we're making faith a part of our everyday.  We pray to give thanks and to talk about our day, each night the you are asked to list one thing you're thankful for and one thing that made you sad during the day.  Every night you can come up with something you're thankful for, and most nights you have a difficult time coming up with something that made you sad:  proof that you guys are just happy kids (something I'm thankful for).  We use this time to talk about our day, things that were fun, behaviors we can improve upon, and lots of other conversation starters.  We also pray for each other and our family.

One day this week I asked Kale what he was thankful for, without hesitation he said "You, Mommy."  It was one of those mom moment's where I could actually feel my heart melt.  Pile of goo.  As difficult as some days are with a three and a five-year-old, it's moments like this...  That keep me from eating my young.

Want to check out some other super great Project 52 eye candy?

 . Styleberry . Wicked Kate . Adventures in Mommyhood .  Lucas & Mahina . Heather Marie Portraits . Something Insightful .  

Can I link you too?  Leave me a comment.

Immersion is the best form of learning

When we first moved out here three years ago, my girlfriend casually mentioned that she was going to "join a local Roller Derby team, was I interested too?"  "Uh... No, I'm way not tough enough for that" was my response.  I'm the person who quit water polo because I didn't like conflict in the environment that I'm most comfortable in, the water.  Never mind that it had been years since I'd been on a pair of roller skates. I was out, but the idea was interesting, I told her we'd definitely go support her in a bout.  Three years later and (many) broken dates on my end (sorry), I finally made it out to one and (at Carri's urging), brought along my camera.

The morning of, I had a moment of panic when I was all of a sudden lacking confidence in my abilities (a common occurrence right before most of my shoots), and knew that with my manual focus zoom I just wasn't going to be anywhere near fast enough (and dude, let me tell you, this sport is fast).  This must require a new lens.  A trip to the store later my camera bag of tricks now contains a 55-300mm.  Jeff says I'm getting a card for Valentine's Day (I don't even need that).

When I pulled all seven-hundred-something (!!) photo's into the computer to start gratuitously deleting processing, I knew I wanted to take a very harsh, vivid, but shadowy kind of approach to processing them.  Most of them I totally got the look I was going for.  And how fun to completely change up my normal style, it was like Halloween for my processing.  Anyway, here are my top photos of the night and a few things I learned:

Working clockwise from the top left corner:

1.  A Jammer on the last jam of the night, the girl in the background cheering is the coach for the other team. It was great to watch how supportive everyone was of each other, regardless of the teams.  I also love her expression, you could tell she was really enjoying herself.  

2.  A ref's skates at half-time.  But more importantly, his socks.  Let me tell you, if you're a detail shooter, there's so much subject matter at one of these. 

3.  The "crappy wooden sign" to let you know where to turn off the main road.  It's right on the corner of this desolate lot, and just begged for a picture.  There I was in the middle of the road taking it.  

4.  My favorite shot of the night.  Two girls and their knee pads lined up waiting for the whistle.  

5.  Blood on the track.  Someone told me it wasn't real, they had some zombie thing here a couple weeks ago, but it so fit into the roughness of the whole event, I couldn't resist.  If you're a story telling kind of photographer, go to Roller Derby!

6.  As my wuss-self anticipated, it's rough out there and people fall.  I loved her expression in this picture.  Just pissed mad.

8.  More skates lined up waiting for the whistle.  It was interesting to be able to be so up close and see all the personal details the girls put into their costumes and gear, my camera allowed me inside the safety tape, so I was able to observe so much more than your average spectator.  Lucky!

9.  Another Jammer (denoted by the star on the cap), getting ready to go, her make-up made it really difficult to resist shooting her.  I loved the intense focus in her eyes in this picture.  

Now, lest you think I've abandoned portrait/kid shooting, I did learn that, while action is fun, it's the people and the details that I really tend to enjoy.  However, learning to shoot action will undoubtedly serve me well when Haley and Kale start to really get into sports.  But then again, shooting my kids can sometimes be action (goodness they can be quick).  All of that said and learned I met this guy:

Meet Barris.  His mom is a Derby Girl, and I found him hanging out (camera in his hands the whole night) upstairs.  Super cool, polite kid that just has and old soul, kind of way about him (I couldn't resist his photo, he's a total natural - look at that face!).  Apparently he's into skateboarding, has some serious moves on the dance floor, you'll be seeing more of him here for sure.

I also met Al.  I'd show you a picture of him, but, like me, he had a camera to his face almost the whole night too.  He gave me about a million crazy useful pointers about where the good shots come from, how close I could get away with, and just photography stuff in general. Most strikingly he was really willing to help an amateur out.  So great.  Al, I totally appreciate it, thank you!!

Interested about Roller Derby or want to check out a bout?  Go here to learn more:  Missile Mountain Roller Derby

Project 52 {4}

My favorite thing about you is:

Your style.

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Every day is a battle with you, 5 year old.  Most of it stems from the fact that we live in Colorado and the weather is one of two options:  Very hot or very cold.  Inevitably, you will pick the least appropriate outfit for the weather, and we'll battle it out (we have to go to school 5 days a week and likely, if I let you just "figure it out", someone would arrest me for neglect).  Add to this the fact that you strongly dislike wearing jeans and would rather just wear your tights or sleeveless dress every day...  The other part of it is that you are me, and we are both stubborn and independent.  But then there are those days when we have no where to go and nothing to do.  I let you wear whatever your heart desires and you surprise me with the greatest outfits (sometimes the only thing that ties them together is the fluffy factor, or the color - not shade or hue - of pink).  You picked the above outfit on a (very) cold day in January, but it was one of those days.  And the fact that you paired it with a classic strand of pearls?  Perfect. 

I could take pictures of these kids' eyes for days.  I probably have a million of them already.  But this is the first time that I've loved her eyes without even seeing them in the picture.  This day we were trying to even up the good pictures of the kids since I took that one of Kale last week.

Want to check out some other super great Project 52 eye candy?

 . Styleberry . Wicked Kate . Adventures in Mommyhood .  Lucas & Mahina . Heather Marie Portraits . Something Insightful .  

Can I link you too?  Leave me a comment.

My Sweet Boy

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This should have been my Project 52 pic this week, seeing as how it's head and shoulders (yuk yuk yuk) above anything else I've produced this week, but I got so excited I went and shared it on Facebook.  Dangit.

Jeff went hunting this past three day weekend so I decided to play with my hobby.  I went into my loft, and hung a white sheet from the desk, which is right by a North facing window.  Behind me I hung another white sheet off the ironing board to help me reflect the light.  This was taken in the afternoon just messing around with the kiddos.  There was some minor processing in Photoshop, in the interest of full disclosure.  Also in the interest of full disclosure, I had a great one of Haley too, but I missed the focus so it got scrapped.  

Three years old is a crazy hard age.  My dad once told me "you know why they call it terrible twos?  Because they hadn't met three yet".  No joke.  I've lived through one and a half years of the threes now and so far?  Man.  It's tough.  They push boundaries like never before, they're sassy, they forget how to listen, and the list could go on.  But, they're still your kids, and I don't have to tell you that you still love them.  You just realize how lucky they're going to be to make it to four.

Kale has taken to the three's exactly as his sister did only this time the three year old is taller, tougher, still likes to head butt things, and can't dress himself yet (ARGH!  But we're working on it).  The one thing that seems to reign him in is asking him "Do you know where my sweet boy is?  Because I just can't seem to find him right now".  He'll disappear (to another room, below the bed, somewhere), and reappear with this face.  His sweet boy face.  Never a full smile, just enough of a smirk to let you know he still has some nice left in him, but mischief is doing everything it can to take him over.  It only lasts a moment, but I love it, and it's enough of a reminder that this age is only a moment.  Talk to me again when they're fourteen.