January 4: Pirates!

This pirate ship was the HIT of Christmas morning. In fact, Cooper didn't even want to open any more presents after he laid eyes on the pirate ship and the host of "guys"! (It was actually a last-minute gift that I bought used for 15 bucks!) Cooper has played with it every single day! Since Christmas, many more "guys" have joined the crew of the pirate ship - including pull-along puppy, Super Mario action figurines, and rescue hero helicopter man. And the best place to play pirates is outside - I could only smile as I heard "arrrrrgh!" and "walk the plank, Luigi!" coming from the backyard before dinner!

January 3: Bugs

Really, this picture could be taken on any day in our house! Cooper outside in his crocs (check out those new green ones!), overturning rocks and digging through flower beds in a search for bugs. This afternoon he found a nightcrawler under the flagstone in our front yard and happily watched him wiggle along for a good part of the afternoon. And I just sat with my camera in the dirt, snapping pictures of my kid ruining my landscape. I'm sure our neighbors think I'm insane! 

January 2:: Laundry and Library Books

Yep, this photo sums up our afternoon! One of us leisurely reading newly checked out library books (all by favorite author, Rosemary Wells) and the other of us battling against the laundry. 

(Laundry was clearly winning when this photo was taken!)

Cousins

We're so lucky to spend time with cousins Hudson and Lucy! Even though they live far away, we are so glad to have fun friendships with these two. Cooper, Hudson, and Lucy had a great time playing at the park and running around until they were all sweaty! We love you guys!

Just Because

Cooper and I took a walk the other day to "explore" on such a pretty clear day. We strolled along the paths near our house and then stopped to play at a park. On the way back I noticed this field that I thought was the perfect spot for an impromptu photo shoot. Always good to have my camera handy! We use the "run and pose" method to self-takes, which is fun for Cooper and me both! 

Merry Christmas - a little late!

This is one of our only shots together from Christmas morning - we woke up super early, opened presents and stockings, and lazed around in our matching pajamas... gotta LOVE the matching pj's (while Cooper still think it's cool!)

Hope your Christmas was full of joy!

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

Here are a few photos from our 5-minute (literally!) photo shoot for our Christmas cards. We grabbed a few open-back frames and a willing photographer (my dad!) and headed to a pretty spot to snap some pictures. I was so thankful to get one or two good ones!

2012:: A Year in Photos

"A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away."

 ~ Eudora Welty, author

(love this quote I found on the pages of a Pottery barn catalog!)

I read somewhere about a girl who recorded her family's year with a snapshot every day. She jotted down the stories to go along with each picture and cataloged them into a book at the end of the year. Genius! 

I'm going to give it a try in 2012! I like the idea of remembering the big moments (the ones you are sure to carry your camera for) and the small, every day ones. My big camera has a new "home" on the kitchen counter so it's ready to go and I'm excited to share our year in photos on the blog.  Here goes!

January 1, 2012

We kicked off the new year with a good deep clean. Cooper informed me that he is now "fiveandahalf" and is capable of running the steamer. Alright! He wasn't thrilled with the idea of sweeping the floors first (nobody is, really!) but LOVED running my Haan steam mop once he got going. This big kid did such a good job, he just earned himself a new Saturday job!