Kim 365

So, um…I guess I quit my 52 project? In my defence, it was a lot harder than doing a 365 project! That doesn’t even make any sense when you hear it, but trust me. The confines of working with a weekly theme was so hard to deal with. It would nag at me every day, while I was busy with a host of other things, and I’d say to myself, “I’ll get a good shot tomorrow,” until the week came and went. The week’s themes aren’t even being given until Monday, usually mid day, and by the time I got my mind around what I might try to shoot the week was nearly over…I could give you excuse after excuse, I am sure. At the end of the day, it just wasn’t working.

So anyway, here are some pictures. The kids and I made granola a few weeks ago. We found a recipe online with rave reviews, and after explaining the concept of rating systems to them, they were eager to cook and eat so that they could deliver their own rating. Five stars all around for Megan’s Granola!

Aprons are a must.

Mr. Meticulous. He is so helpful in the kitchen already.

My little messy-haired princess.

A granola bake is not complete without a marching band!

Deacon. Pure trouble.

Finding the light.

I feel like I’m stretching the theme a bit here. I wanted to do something very creative. Something involving sunlight and warm feelings on a cold day. But you know, sunny days don’t come consistently in the great white north in January/February. So I say this photo still works, because I got some awesome catch lights in Deacon’s eyes.

This boy sure loves his Grandpa. Since he refuses to say anything that contains more than one syllable, he calls my dad, “Pa”. It’s pronounced ‘puh’, and is not to be confused with his word for my father-in-law, which is “Pa” (short for Pappy).

I will make an effort to take photos of my other children in the coming weeks…this guy is just so much easier to get candid photos of. The others are always giving me goofy grins: which are great, but not really what I am going for in shooting lifestyle photos.

A different perspective.

Soft, round nose. Squishy, rosy cheeks. Expressive eyes. My baby boy is growing up fast.

I realize I am not following any rules as far as post processing goes on this project. Black & white one week, colour the next. It’s my project, and I’ll do what I want to.

 This makes me wish I could freeze time.

Good help is hard to come by, but I’ve got it in spades. I am never wanting when it comes to an extra set of hands in the kitchen. They are all too eager to get their hands in and get dirty. While I was busy kneading pizza dough, a certain little someone was busy grabbing a spatula so he could dig into the flour bin. Admittedly, my first thought was, “Oh no! What a mess!”; however, I then paused and realized it was a perfect time to grab this week’s shot. How quickly the days of eager hands will escape me, and I will be left wishing I had someone to make my task more difficult. Praise God from whom all blessings, big and small, flow.

This makes me laugh.

Wyatt is an incredibly affectionate boy, and to say that Deacon is showered with love from this big brother would be an understatement. Wyatt loves to pour his love on his little Dekey, and baby brother loves to resist. It is hilarious to watch them battle it out! Deacon puts up a big fuss but there can be no doubt in his mind that he is well loved.

Hey everyone! I remembered to shoot my Ten on Ten today! Welcome to a day in our home.

Watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while I cook lunch.

Markus has been a big help to me in the kitchen the past few days. Here he is stirring hot milk to cool it down before we add yeast and honey for baking buns.

Muffins baking.

The kids played with play dough for almost the entire afternoon. I am amazed at the amount of imaginative play that comes from some squishy dough and a few toothpicks to assist in building!

Wyatt, mastering the maze ball. He and Markus each received one for Christmas and they have been their most loved toys since they got them.

This boy is so intelligent. Despite his lack of vocabulary he is very capable of communicating with us. With a lot of inflection in his voice, the right hand motions, eyebrow raises, head nods or shakes, he feels he is telling us everything we need to know. When I ask him to repeat words for me, he laughs at me!

I figured it was time for a self portrait. Hi.

This was my first time planting an amaryllis. What a lift for my spirit!
It was so wonderful to watch it come to life while winter raged outside its comfortable windowsill.
We are now enjoying the beauty of its bloom.

Bedtime Bible story time.
I love Jesus, and am so blessed by the work I see the Holy Spirit doing in the lives of my precious kids.

This was Deacon’s vantage point for story time. This kid is so funny!

Evening rituals.

What’s more fun that snuggling and goofing around with Daddy?
Showing off your new glasses, of course!

After 2 years of doing 365 Project, I was well intentioned last year to continue blogging and posting photos without the project keeping me accountable. That fell flat pretty quickly. My desire to take pictures quickly waned, and with nothing to show, I had less to say. I was faced with two options: start another project, or stop blogging.

Start another project it is!

My sister Sherry did a 52 photography project last year, which is appealing to me. With the help of a weekly theme, I like that it still requires discipline in shooting, without the expectation of it being a daily post. I’m in!

I’m joining up with This Is Our Life, a Let’s Do 52 Project by Paint the Moon. Annie Manning from Paint The Moon is an incredibly talented photographer. I first ‘met’ her on 365 Project. Her photos always left me in awe. She has an amazing ability to capture everyday life and make it sparkle. This Is Our Life is a project centered on lifestyle photography. What does that mean? Essentially, lifestyle photography is about capturing the beauty in everyday life. The moments that shape your days that you don’t want to forget. It’s the type of photography I want to excel at, and I am really looking forward to being challenged by a photographer that I think so highly of. Stay tuned!

My little peppernut muncher.

My little snugglebug. I tried getting a picture of this guy digging through my cupboard full of jars, but as soon as he saw me on the floor he abandoned ship and climbed on top of me for a snuggle.

Little Wyatt, always keen on a goofy photo.

I do love a little dish washing. There is something to be said for warm water and bubbles. I rarely get it in the form of a bubble bath, so I’ll take it in dish-washing form!

Bailey loves to be read to, and this time we enjoyed a new-to-us book from Auntie Jean.

Just taking it easy. I can’t remember, maybe she’s watching TV as she is so prone to want to. Deacon’s always ready to flash a grin.

It’s surprising to find this little guy on a chair at the table – usually he just climbs all the way up so he can really disrupt anything that his siblings are doing.

My dashingly handsome husband, sporting a new pair of glasses. This is one of two pairs, so I will try to get a photo of him in the other pair as well at some point. I think they really suit him!

To be honest, I don’t know what is going on here. Something important, I am sure.

Clay poured some egg nog & rum for us to sip while we watched a movie. This egg nog was so not good – it’s Clay’s favourite and I don’t know how he can drink it! With full fat cream, it’s far too rich for my taste! I prefer it with 2% milk.

Welcome to my Ten on 21! Better late than never, I suppose. We had a bit of a lazy day at home, then headed out to see our wonderful chiropractor.

Somewhat self explanatory, right?

Deacon, way to represent! Anytime hockey is not actually happening is my favourite time to put the kids in jerseys – it shows how much I actually don’t care about sports.

Bailey, showing off ‘her baby’.

Markus, the number master! This guy learned how to play Sudoku last week while he was staying with Grandma, and absolutely loves it! We had a game of Phase 10 today, and he totally whipped my butt.

If you know Wyatt, this makes complete sense.

Time for the grumpy mom to go have a rest on the couch. And by rest I mean I pouted about nothing in particular. Some days it is so much harder to battle the sinfulness of my flesh. I’m very thankful for the reminder last Sunday that real rest comes from being in Christ.

We are ready to roll! Let’s get these bodies back in line!

Ahhh. I love getting a chiropractic adjustment. Love my chiro too!

Supper at Tim Horton’s, before Markus heads to piano lessons with Clay. Bailey, why so grumpy?

There’s her beautiful smile! The little three all had a bath before bed. Now they sleep, and it’s my turn!