Amy - 68/365 - Perth, WA, AUS

I just loved the soft look to this picture - almost angelic - if it wasn't for the look of future trouble in her eyes!

Some days are just silly ones :) Leila is fascinated with cameras and always wants to look at her pictures on the display after I take one, "I see, Mommy!" Since I have been playing and experimenting with my pictures when time allows, I thought we'd have a little fun and try some different shots with movement. I only got one decent picture, but that's how we learn, huh?!? Then we threw in a few of my stereo-typical self-portraits ... it was fun!!!

DATE: Sunday, June 27, 2010

Amy - 65/365 - Perth, WA, AUS

It's seems that I am frequently talking about my "goals" for this 365 Challenge and today's post is about one of them. While the kids and I are in America (before Daddy joins us), Leila's crib is coming down and Daddy's put up a big girl bed :) So, I wanted to document her room in it's "baby stage" and remember this is the last child to use the furniture.

Items to note above:

+ She got the smallest room in the rental house and the furniture barely fit

+ There are clothes all over the floor (some you cannot see) because when she wakes up, she goes into the drawers and starts pulling things out

+ The humidifier is on top of her dresser, since it's winter and she coughs a lot at night

+ Also to help with the coughing, her mattress has a pillow wedged under it to create an elevated head

+ The crib is filled with blankets - this kid loves lots of them and will go around collecting more to add to the pile before bed

+ At the ripe age of two, she thinks that she is big enough to read by herself and will buck out of my lap to be alone

+ Of course, one of the bigger kids comes in when I am trying to settle her for bed and they begin acting out the silly faces from the story in Dora's book

DATE: Thursday, June 24, 2010

Amy - 64/365 - Perth, WA, AUS

Another day of helping to clean-up her mess from eating (Saturday 6/27).

Don't call Children's Protective Services on me, please!!! I promise that she is doing these chores voluntarily :) At some point in time, every kid wants to do the dishes and thinks they are "helping", when we all know it's just creating a bigger mess. Personally, I don't remember volunteering to do this until I was approximately eight; however, we've found that Leila is ahead of the curve ..... way ahead of it ... here she is doing her share of the work around our home on two separate occasions!

DATE: Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Amy - 62/365 - Perth, WA, AUS

This morning, we had a big boda boom when Leila fell between two dining chairs. It's no surprise, since she climbs all over everything and is like her own little scary circus act. I gave her the obligatory snuggle and then handed her an icepack! It's Monday morning, I have lunches to pack and things to get done - LOL! Nurse Lynsie came to her aid and lovingly stood by her holding the icepack on her boo boo. Have I mentioned that she's a great big sister?!?

DATE: Monday, June 21, 2010

Amy - 60/365 - Perth, WA, AUS

"Look out below, Rufus, they're coming to get us!"

I tell you what: this girl so expressive that it keeps me laughing :) We are in the heart of the "terrible two's" and I hope it passes soon. She has a mind of her own, knows what she wants, and isn't afraid to get it (by any means of beg, stealing, borrowing, etc. often including physical force)!!! Leila is by far our most difficult child, as far as I can remember; however, that may not be entirely accurate, considering I must have a BIG case of amnesia to put myself through these trying years for a third time - LOLOLOL!

DATE: Saturday, June 19, 2010

Amy - 55/365 - Perth, WA, AUS

I must confess, I am happy that today is (almost) over! Logan was not feeling well today and ran a low-grade fever: he barely ate, drank a little, and stayed in this location for most of the day :( Leila was miserable, too, with a cross between teething and her allergies. She coughed most of the day and cried on & off all afternoon/evening... Some days, bed time cannot come soon enough, the silence and time without my two-year-old appendage is priceless.

Amy - 51/365 - Perth, WA, AUS

Today, I had a decision to make: gym for me or gym for the kids. Guess it's obvious which option won?!? We met up with some of Logan's Kindy friends at Jungle Gym for the their Open Gym time. The kids had a blast and I had a blast watching (and photographing) them ;)~ We'll definitely go again!

Amy - 46/365 - Perth, WA, AUS

Hello :) My name's Leila and I'm teething my two-year molars. Guess what?!? Teething hurts, so I've had my hands and fingers crammed in my mouth all weekend long ... ouch!

PHOTO DATE: Saturday, June 5, 2010

Amy - 45/365 - Perth, WA, AUS

Mmmmmm.... my lunch from today that I photographed to track my WW points when I got home.

Chad came home yesterday (Th) with the Man Flu, so Leila and I stayed clear of the house by shopping the day away :) So, I was lucky enough to see more friends over an impromptu lunch today. We meet Kristy, Olwen, & Sue at Miss Maid's, shopped 'til we dropped (or cried because nap time was love overdue), and treated ourselves to ice cream for the (messy) drive home!

PHOTOS DATE: Friday, June 4, 2010

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!

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!

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...

Amy - 26/365 - Perth, WA, AUS

Today, I took no pictures :( I felt miserable and rested (as much as possible with three kids) most of the day. On Saturday, I wasn't feeling well, either, but couldn't let it stop me for Leila's birthday .... so, today was veg-out and try to get better day. Here is a picture that I took one year ago today. It's amazing to see how much our baby has changed!

Amy - 25/365 - Perth, WA, AUS

It's the birthday girl :) Today is Leila's 2nd Birthday and she had a great day! The morning started out with eggs, bacon, and toast for breakfast and a big feast for dinner with our friends. It was weird, because I barely took any of the pictures from today ... which is great ... so there are actually a lot of ones with me in them as she opens presents, blows out the candles, etc.

Here are two that I took and love what they represent about her at this age:

- Not sitting in the chair correctly, since she got herself in it and probably sat in all the other spots before this

- Food all over her face and cramming her mouth while holding the spork, but not using it

- Licking the ice cream to test it out

- That crazy messy hair, since she won't keep any hair clips or rubber bands in

Amy - 13/365 - Perth, Western Australia AUS

Who says that bubble machines are just for parties?!? Not me! Leila and I had some fun this afternoon chasing bubbles around the backyard :) Needless to say, since the picture captured it, she had a blast (and so did Mommy)!!!

Amy - 10/365 - Perth, Western Australia AUS

Pee-A-Boo - I found you, Logan! I love it when our kids play together :) They are really into building forts and playing hide 'n seek. It is the sweetest thing when they include Leila, who is just a little too young to completely understand the concept of not wrecking the forts and hiding quietly. I know they all love each other so much and hope they continue to be there for each other...

Amy - 9/365 - Perth, Western Australia AUS

What's wrong with this picture?!? There are actually two things (the head and the thumb by the baby's head), both will forever remind me of our strong-willed littlest one. It's quite ironic that we bought it while on holiday in Bali, Indonesia in memory of my dedication and many years of breastfeeding all three kids. However, the damage is equally as symbolic to the joys (*cough*) of raising children and the havoc they can cause!

It was broken on Sunday, while I was attempting to enjoy a little alone time and a shower. The girls were just around the corner, in our bedroom, when I heard a big clunk... seconds later the two pieces were carried into me and I was informed that Leila throw it off the bed! Needless to say, I was not happy :( Oh, well - so it goes...

I posted two shots of this for my March Photo Challenge: 1 & 2

POSTED: 5:27 p.m.

Thursday, 29 April 2010

Amy - 6/365 - Perth, Western Australia AUS

*giggle* Oh, the joys of being a father of girls :) Here's Chad getting his hair combed and clipped by little Leila. I was cleaning the kitchen when I heard "Ouch! Gentle!" coming from the living room. When I peaked over the divider, I saw a little pink comb working its way (roughly) through his hair and had to grab the camera. She ran out of the room and then came back with the little purple clip to finish the look!

POSTED: 7:37 a.m. (Oops! I fell asleep last night and didn't get it up here!)

Tuesday, 27 April 2010

Amy - 2/365 - Perth, Western Australia AUS

Even though I am posting right before bed, I took this picture before 8 a.m. today. One of my goals during our 365 Challenge is to document memories for my children of little things that might easily be forgotten. Here is Leila with her "Nay Nay" wrapped around her shoulders - a usual site in our house. The funniest thing about this picture is that it is WET, like just get done in the washer and needs to be dried... she wouldn't let me put it in the dryer and just stood by the washer chanting, "Nay Nay! Nay Nay! Nay Nay!" until I gave it to her. It was so annoying, yet so cute :)

POSTED: 10:57 p.m.

Thursday, 22 April 2010

Amy - 1/365 - Perth, Western Australia AUS

Lynsie - 7 1/2, Logan - 4 1/2, Leila - 23 months

I thought that I would start with a picture of my babies, since I want to see how at day 365 they have grown and changed. Lately, I feel as life is passing by too quick and I don't spend enough time appreciating their blossoming personalities :) Hopefully, documenting daily life for the next year, will help me embrace these moments and laugh-off life's little nuisances more!

Posted: 1:48 p.m.

Wednesday, 21 April 2010