Amy - 39/365 - Perth, WA, AUS

Daddy and his girls! I love this picture because it captures Lynsie's personality as Leila tries to hold on ;) Plus, Chad looks so happy to be playing with them! We've been enjoying a relaxing and lazy weekend ... sooooo good!

nancy - 36/365 - Orlando, Florida

May 26

madeline

aka mad, maddie, the queen, mad-a-lee, madster, mama, little girl

Sweet, sweet girl.

The only other female in this house of boys.

Oh how we all miss her brother. I don't know who misses him more.

Amy - 38/365 - Perth, WA, AUS

More wedding practice for October by playing around with our ten year anniversary rings. I had to use the flash, since I was inside and it was evening. It created some interesting reflections and highlights. Next time, it'll try outside to see how different the lighting is.

Amy - 37/365 - Perth, WA, AUS

Here's my friend, husband, and babies' Daddy :) He just got back from a business trip up north to Dampier, Western Australia and then out to the Atwood Eagle oil rig in the Indian Ocean. While on the rig, he sunk styrofoam cups to a depth of 1400 meters for the kids (see science article). Of course, he didn't want me to take his picture, hence the face! Thanks for loving our kids and thinking of them on your trip - their mini-cups are so cool!

Amy - 36/365 - Perth, WA, AUS

In preparation for my first official "gig" as a wedding photographer in October, I've been reading a few books and playing around with settings on my camera. Taking a break from my friends week, I turned the flash off and tried to get some good close-ups on the kids. From what I could tell on my view screen, the shots were clear; however, they were not really sharp :( I read after these pictures a suggestion to zoom in on the screen to be sure the image is good, before moving on to a new shot. Something I did not do ... live and learn ... that's why I'm practicing now!

The focus of these two shots are their "boo boos" - Logan's bruise under his eye and Leila's fat lip. It's always amazing how many bumps and bruises kids have! I'd imagine even if we lived in a padded home, they'd figure out a way to get roughed up - LOL!

nancy - 35/365 - Orlando, Florida

May 25

Jeff woke up sick today. He never gets sick, but now he has strep throat. :( Praying we don't all get sick.

I woke up exhausted today. Owen was up alot last night. It was ridiculous. Teeth? Skin? Growth spurt? Anyways, to add to that I accidentally squirted motrin in his eye at 11:30 pm because of a malfunctioning syringe (omg I can't believe I'm documenting this parenting lowpoint), couldn't fall asleep because who knows why, and then had a crazy (and upsetting) dream that involved being on a subway in Poland with a friend and John and then getting off the subway without them and then they went on and then no one seemed to know of the city I thought they were headed to and.....I didn't fall asleep again.

And today was the appointed day to do a crapload of cooking and freezing in hopes of making my life easier. The fridge was filled with fresh veggies and protein that had to be cooked today. I made spaghetti sauce, pesto, taco meat, two roasted chickens, one roasted turkey breast and 8 sauteed chicken breasts. The freezer is packed!

Anyways, the point of this picture is that John was a total Happy Camper today. He was a good trooper despite being kind of ignored all day. He is such a sweet, sweet boy.

nancy - 34/365 - Orlando, Florida

May 24

I make most of his food. It's pretty easy and I make it in batches so there's less daily work. This morning I made pears (red bowl) but he's all of a sudden boycotting pears. And bananas. And rice. And avocados. And acorn squash. And peaches. And butternut squash. But sweet potatoes? He'd eat his weight in them if I'd let him.

And Prunes. But we shouldn't let him eat too many of those :).

nancy - 33/365 - Orlando, Florida

May 23

12 years ago today I married this amazing man!

It's hard to believe that it's been 12 years. So much has happened in that time. Many big moments like traveling, buying & renovating our home, Jeff going to business school, me starting a business, and starting a family have occurred and you'd think they'd define us. But it seems that the little moments define and sustain. Not the grand gestures, but the thoughtful kindnesses extended. The phone call in the middle of the work day. The sweet voice mail message that begins with hi beautiful. The thoughtful note left on the counter in the morning. The pot of decaf brewed first even though he's jonesing for some caffeine. The glass of wine poured as I sit at the computer and proof client photos. The countless meals cooked. The gentle touch of a hand as we pass during a busy day. Waking up with me in the middle of the night to settle Owen or change a diaper. Taking a day off of work in the midst of busyness because I just needed a break. I could go on and on and on and on....

Looking forward to another 12 and then another 12 and then another 12 and then another 12 and then another 12 and then another 12 and then another 12.............

yes i cheated. this is a photo of my hubby at the wedding, but i just couldn't post an iPhone pic taken tonight at Season's 52.

Amy - 35/365 - Perth, WA, AUS

Since moving to Australia, I've spent a lot of time making new friends and developing important connections over a "cuppa"! Sometimes all we need from a friend is an excuse to relax and an ear for a few minutes to make us feel better. Ooohhh! A little yummy whipped cream helps, too :)

Amy - 34/365 - Perth, WA, AUS

Leila (top right) with some of her "friends" at school pick-up today. I love how she is mostly observing them, since she is the youngest and feels excited just to be part of the gathering.

Day two of "friends week", so I brought my camera up to school for a picture of all the moms waiting for school to release. Many of them are my first friends in Perth and are important to my life in different ways ... however, I did not get a good reception and even had a lunch box blocking one face to refuse a photograph - LOL! I gave them fair warning that I would be showing up with the camera, again, another day and to be ready :)

When I was brainstorming the pictures I might take this week, I started the think about how friends often reflect the current stage of your life. As a parent, we are frequently acquaintances with other parents from school/activities and our kids are "friends" by association with siblings friends and their siblings - so many friendships are based on our connections that we have little time to seek new connections outside of that box. Boy! That sounds confusing when written, but in my head it makes a lot of sense!!!

Since I've moved around a lot (even across the world), I don't have a lot of life-long friendships and though I have reconnected with people from my youth on Facebook, it doesn't mean that we are really friends. Being a true friend should appear effortless, but indeed take work because you care about the person enough to give yourself to them in some way. I am happy to be spending time with you through our photographs and narratives, Nancy, and value that our friendship has spanned over twenty years and many life changes. You will always have a special place in my heart...

nancy - 32/365 - Orlando, Florida

May 22

Dude is cutting FIVE teeth right now. FIVE. Three just popped through and two are about to arrive. This will make his total tooth count EIGHT. Yes, he's only 6 months old.

Guess we'll be serving him steak for his first birthday.

Yikes!

Nancy - 31/365 - Orlando, Florida USA

May 21

Today was the last day of preschool for this year. It seems like just yesterday that I dropped him off for the first day. I was very pregnant and full of emotions. He seemed like such a baby then and now he's such a big boy. This year has brought so much change for him and he's embraced it. What an awesome kid!

To celebrate the last day of school, Daddy came home early and we went out for pizza!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Amy - 33/365 - Perth, WA, AUS

Mmmmmmm ... Tonight, I enjoyed a yummy steak and veggie dinner with my "Australian sister", Kristy. She was cracking up during most of the pictures with kids trying to get in the background! Thankfully, I was able to get one of just her and the lovely dinner we had. We are like family to each other and usually have a meal together once a week or so. There will be a lot of steaks and orange juice in our future (such a shame - LOL), since she is trying to get her iron levels up - good thing I love steak!!!

FRIENDS WEEK :) I thought I'd give myself some focus for the week and decided to dedicate this week to my friends! I will have to get creative when it comes to posting pictures of my American friends, since they are supposed to be taken on the day of each entry.