The Random Files
August Catch Up in October
Sometime bloggers or photographers that I follow do a ‘one quick take’ post where they take an image and write about it and what was happening in that moment. Well, I’m deciding to do that with the month of August. Below are roughly 30 of our quick takes from August. If you’re wondering where Audrey is, keep in mind that we were in the middle of her 30 days of portraits project, so these are the images that were often taken while she was having her own session on the side. Here we go!
*Weeding/working in the garden. I don’t love gardening, but I love having a garden. I’m pretty much a wild weed puller and should probably plant more or have a year-round plan. Barry is much, much more persnickety in the garden in comparison to me, he’d probably spend much more time gardening if he had time.
Sister time: They already love each other unconditionally. So many times this summer I would overhear them chit-chatting away together. Granted, Maggie would do all the talking, and Audrey would let out grunts or squeals occasionally, but they were interacting and nothing could make me want to do a happy dance more than the sound of my two girls enjoying time together.
*Princess Parties: We were invited to a couple princess parties with a group of girls that we met when Maggie was an infant at Baby Storytime. We’ve got some boys in that same group and this was the first time that we got the girls together. Maggie enjoyed dressing up and doing projects with some of her friends….some days it was a nice way to escape the heat. (No images of the other girls, due to not having permission to post them).
And that foam tiara and wand that we picked up in Feburary has been a favorite toy since the day it came home. They, along with that ridiculous tutu that we got at a thrift store continue to be Maggie’s favorite items to play with. That tutu has been almost everywhere with us, I can convince her to leave the wand and tiara at home….usually.
NO Napping: We almost always had quiet afternoons at home and were hardly driving in the later afternoon. Looking at some of these pictures, I can see how tired Maggie was. We have a quiet reading time most days at our house, but Maggie has never fallen asleep during that window….but a no-napping 3 year old, means a very tired girl by the end of the day. That said, since we’ve started school, we’ve moved bedtime up an hour.
^^Picture on left is taken in the afternoon on a day we’d been outside most of the day. ^^Picture on the right is of Maggie after she woke up in the morning. Fresh faceed and fancy-free.
**Playdates: We had Thomas, Mira, and Caroline over to visit (along with Cole and Larry) a couple times, and also went to their houses a few times. I snapped these pictures of the kids after Caroline had left. Playdates these days with the ‘big’ kids mean that they play and talk to each other without too much parent involvement. It’s weird….
*Instagram: I finally joined Instagram right after Audrey was born and I love it….probably more than I should. I follow my friends, photographers that inspire me and bloggers that make me want to be better. It isn’t for everybody, but if you like photography and quick little notes, I highly recommend it. Since I’m trying to get better at printing/using the pictures I take, ordered these mini books through http://printstagr.am They are magnetic and Maggie loves looking at them. And if you’re reading this and we aren’t following each other….let’s nerd-out and be Instagram friends!
Timer: Our dentist sent Maggie home with a toothbrush timer and now she brushes for days and days. Best idea ever.
Brian & Darcy: We got to see them a couple times in a row, which maybe is some record, and it was wonderful. Our time with them always makes Barry and I left with a feeling that we wish they were our neighbors or that we saw them more often. They adore our girls and we all can laugh and talk about pretty much nothing. Brian and I got stuck together down the YouTube worm hole – trading ‘you should see this’ videos and Barry and Darcy nerd-talked about techie stuff. Win-win if you ask me.
Donuts at the Beach: I can’t remember exactly why we decided to get a donut and eat it at the beach, but I’m sure glad we did. Our local bakery is closed on Sundays (SERIOUSLY, why would a bakery ever be closed on weekend??? WHYYYY??) and I think I wanted to see if they had cannolis or lobster tales. They had neither, but I let Mags pick out a donut that we ate at the beach while watching a couple kite boarders set up shop. It was a majestic day and we ended up staying at the beach all morning, an unexpected adventure….aren’t those the best?
***P.S. I got really into watching Cake Boss on Netflix after Audrey was born, and it makes me want to open my own bakery and walk around in chef pants making incredible cakes all day. I’d invite all my friends and family to work at the bakery….seeing as I’ve never truly decorated a cake (all my cakes are fancy made-from-scratch cakes, but they aren’t pretty. See?) I’ve committed myself to learnig how to decorate a cake starting with a cake from Cake Boss’ cook book. Nicole is going to do it with me. Not sure how it’ll go down, but I have to assume that all my hours of watching Cake Boss will pay off.
More Garden Work: This is what I’d see most mornings when looking out our kitchen window or dining room window, Barry in his workout gear and Maggie, with crazy bed hair, watering the plants. Barry and Maggie are two peas in a pod sometimes.
3G and Great Grandpa’s House: We go and visit my grandparents every so often, they’re the busiest 83 year olds that I know, so we go when it works for their schedules. When we’re there, Maggie knows exactly where the toys are and exactly where the cookies are kept. My grandpa, who is almost 83, still gets down on the floor and builds blocks with her. We were there the same day that my parents came to visit and this is exactly what it looks like when we’re there. I really, really love having time to visit them, and I love that there is almost always another family member (my parents, Cora, Chaya, Sue, etc.) that stops by as well.